Category: News

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CDC Now Recommends Public Wear Face Masks

Donald Trump announced Friday that the CDC is recommending that the public wear a “basic cloth or fabric mask” in public to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In making the announcement, the White House underscored the recommendation was not for the use of “medical-grade or surgical-grade masks.” However, at the Coronavirus Task Force briefing, Trump told the press, “I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.” Surgeon General Jerome Adams explained that there are a significant portion of people infected by the virus who are asymptomatic or presymptomatic, but who can nonetheless transmit the virus. The recommendation to wear masks in public is intended to prevent these individuals from unknowingly infecting others.

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Trump Goes On Attack After Question About Jared Kushner’s “Our Stockpile” Comment

On Thursday, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (you know, the one solving the Middle East conflict) made a perplexing remark about the stockpile of medical equipment housed by the federal government. “The notion of the federal stockpile was it’s supposed to be our stockpile,” Kushner said. “It’s not supposed to be state stockpiles that they then use.” Folks were confused as to what differentiates the federal “our” stockpile from what would/should be used by states. It almost sounded like Kushner was saying the stockpile was for the Trump clan or the Trump administration to do with it as they wished. The federal government IS the United States of America. It exists primarily to keep the citizens of all states and U.S. territories safe. If the stockpile isn’t meant for states to use, then who would be using it? And why is anyone at this point in time even using the word “OUR” in regard to anything? Then on Friday (via CBS News):

When CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang pressed the president on what Kushner meant by “our,” he dismissed the question as a “gotcha.”

“‘Our, our’ — it means the United States of America,” the president said.

Mr. Trump said the stockpile is needed for the “federal government,” to keep for the country “because the federal government needs it, too, not just the states.”

The president accused Jiang of using a “nasty” tone in her question.

Governors have implored the president to provide them more ventilators and other much-needed equipment, but the president has repeatedly put the blame on the states for not stocking up on the equipment themselves.

Basically, Kushner misspoke. And in the Trump administration handbook, rather than say, “He misspoke,” everyone has to act like the response was “perfect” and they are stuck defending a stupid comment.

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The Daily Show: Supercut Of Fox News’ COVID-19 Coverage

Remember when COVID-19 was declared a “Democratic hoax” by Donald Trump? Remember when all of Fox News fell over itself to announce we had practically “nothing to fear” from the virus? Pete Hegseth on Fox & Friends: “The more I learn about coronavirus, the less concerned I am.” Man, how I’d love to hear what they think about their dumb AF comments today. But, come to think of it, they probably still believe them. From The Daily Show with Trevor Noah:

Hannity. Rush. Dobbs. Ingraham. Pirro. Nunes. Tammy. Geraldo. Doocy. Hegseth. Schlapp. Siegel. Watters. Dr. Drew. Henry. Ainsley. Gaetz. Inhofe. Pence. Kudlow. Conway. Trump.

Today, we salute the Heroes of the Pandumbic.

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Hobby Lobby Closes All Stores Furloughing Employees Without Pay

Business Insider reports that Hobby Lobby will now close all stores nationwide after defying state lockdown orders relating to the ongoing coronavirus threat. Most employees will be furloughed without pay. The owner of Hobby Lobby, David Green, is worth an estimated $6.2 billion. So, you can see how he couldn’t possibly afford to pay his employees, right?

In a statement posted on the company website on Friday afternoon, Hobby Lobby announced it will furlough “nearly all store employees” without pay and “is ending emergency leave pay and suspending use of company provided paid time off benefits and vacation.”

“As the country continues efforts to manage and mitigate the devastating health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 virus, Hobby Lobby will, after careful consideration, close the remainder of its stores, and furlough nearly all store employees and a large portion of corporate and distribution employees, effective Friday, April 3rd, at 8:00 p.m,” Hobby Lobby posted on its website. “The stores will remain closed until further notice.”

According to three employees, each speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, managers at their stores called teams into a meeting to deliver the news on Friday afternoon.

“The line our manager gave us was, ‘The employees got what the employees wanted, the stores were closed,'” a Hobby Lobby employee in Indiana said. “My question was did God tell them they needed to closed the stores and not pay us?” ‘

On March 19, Green sent his employees a letter citing God as his justification for keeping his stores open. He wrote that his wife Barbara received a message directly from God about coping with the health crisis. God didn’t mention anything about paid sick leave, I guess…

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Trump’s Approval Rating Sinks Amid Coronavirus Debacle

Trump walks past reporters with no comment

Trump walks past reporters with no comment
Donald Trump (image via public domain/White House)
The latest polls show the mixed messaging of the Trump administration is taking a toll on Donald Trump’s job approval rating. Via Mediaite:

An ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday, 47 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s coronavirus response, while 52 percent of Americans disapprove — a steep drop from the same poll taken just two weeks ago when a whopping 55 percent approved of Trump’s response.

And in Trump’s favorite survey, the Trump-skewing Rasmussen daily tracking poll, his approval rating has dropped four points in a matter of days. The last time Trump was above water in that poll was Feb. 27, when his approval was at 52 percent. But he began this week with a -5 point net unfavorability, and finishes it nine points underwater with 44 percent approving and 53 percent disapproving.

 

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News Round-Up: April 1, 2020

Ron Rich becomes the second Winter Party festival attendee to die from coronavirus.

Ron Rich becomes the second Winter Party festival attendee to die from coronavirus. Some news items you might have missed: • National LGBTQ Task Force: Volunteer Ron Rich (above) is the second Winter Party attendee to succumb to the coronavirus. According to a Facebook post, he had served on the Task Force’s hospitality team for five years and also volunteered with the Outshine Film Festival and Lambda Legal. Israel Carreras was the first attendee to die from COVID-19. • The Gay UK: A woman found her husband’s Grindr account on his phone. She asked the “Dear Uncle” column in the UK for advice on what to do. • Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Wisconsin is still planning on holding its Democratic primary next Tuesday. But a lack of poll workers has led the governor to use members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard to man the polls during the April 7 election. • Out Music: Troye Sivan originally planned to release his latest single, “Take Yourself Home,” later this year but current events caused him to reconsider that plan. The track mixes acoustic guitar and club beats resulting in a winning mid-tempo groove.

• Mediaite: In a message to his supporters, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) admits he has a very narrow path to the Democratic nomination but vows: “If I’m not the nominee, I will do everything I can to see that Joe Biden is elected president because Trump is the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country, and we’re seeing just how dangerous he is with all of the misinformation that he is providing during this coronavirus pandemic.” • Washington Post: The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 410 points, or 1.9 percent, to cap the most dismal first quarter of its 135-year history. The Dow ended Tuesday at 21,917.16 — a full 23 percent below its January start and 26 percent off the record high it set in February. • Tiger King: It’s interesting to learn that Saff, one of the few sympathetic characters on the Netflix series, is presented as a lesbian. It turns out he’s transgender and was misgendered repeatedly throughout each episode. Robert Moor, who produced a podcast chronicling the private zoo’s story prior to the Netflix docu-series, tweeted that Saff’s gender identity was virtually erased in the series.

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IRS Will Require Filing Tax Return To Qualify For Stimulus Check

(image via Pixabay)
The Internal Revenue Service has announced Americans will need to file a “simple” tax return even if they don’t owe taxes in order to receive a coronavirus stimulus check. From the Washington Post:

The Trump administration is requiring Americans on Social Security to file a tax return to receive the $1,200 coronavirus payment, an added step that is causing confusion and could prevent millions from easy access to relief.

Many lawmakers and advocates for the poor say filing a tax return shouldn’t be necessary for people on Social Security since the government already knows how to send this population monthly checks. The $2.2 trillion aid package said that if someone has not filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return, the U.S. Treasury should get their information from Social Security, if applicable.

But, the Internal Revenue Service posted a notice on its website on Monday, instructing Social Security recipients to file a “simple” tax return, which will be available soon. “People who typically do not file a tax return will need to file a simple tax return to receive an economic impact payment,” the IRS said. “Low-income taxpayers, senior citizens, Social Security recipients, some veterans and individuals with disabilities who are otherwise not required to file a tax return will not owe tax.”

Seventeen and eighteen-year-olds won’t qualify for stimulus checks as well because the legislation follows the tax-code definition of “child” that states a “qualifying child … has not attained age 17.” In other words, many high school juniors and seniors and their families won’t receive a $500 check from the stimulus bill. Plus, many immigrants won’t qualify because you will need a valid social security number to receive a check.

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CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo Tests Positive For Coronavirus

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo (via Instagram)
CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo has announced he’s tested positive for coronavirus. Via Twitter, Cuomo (brother to New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo) wrote, “I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I have fever, chills and shortness of breath. I just hope I didn’t give it to the kids and Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!” Cuomo adds that he is quarantined in his basement and will continue to do his evening shows from there.

Chris Cuomo (image via Instagram)

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News Round-Up: March 30, 2020

Ryan Worley of the Chippendales (photo: Noel Photo Studios)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Ryan Worley of the Chippendales (above) says he’s missing performing in the long-running Las Vegas production asking, “Who wants to save a horse?” #RideACowboy • The Advocate: According to a recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of anti-LGBTQ hate groups is continuing to rise. In 2018, there were 49 groups classified as an LGBTQ hate group. In 2019, that number increased 43 percent to 70 anti-LBTQ hate groups. • Entertainment Weekly: Andy Cohen will continue to host Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, coronavirus be damned. Bravo announced Monday that new episodes of the late-night talk show will begin airing Monday at 11 p.m. ET direct from Cohen’s New York City apartment via video chats with his guests. • NowThis: Watch the hilarious way sportscasters are passing the time while they’re out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic by calling play-by-play of daily tasks.

• NewNowNext: Singapore’s High Court has ruled against a challenge to the country’s law criminalizing gay sex, which punishes the act with up to two years in prison. Justice See Kee Oon rejected arguments against Section 377A of the penal code, which not only punishes men who have sex with other men, but also anyone who aids in or attempts to participate in, such an act.  Justice See argued the law “serves the purpose of safeguarding public morality by showing societal moral disapproval of male homosexual acts.” • Daily Beast: A new survey conducted by Ipsos provides some of the clearest evidence to date that the president’s attempts to paint a rosy picture about the coronavirus’ spread throughout the country are not resonating beyond a small segment of the populace with a small exception for those who say they’re getting their information from Fox News. • Buzzfeed: Click over for a collection of some of the best of gay Twitter including…

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Twitter Shades David Geffen For Socially Tone-Deaf Instagram Post

The Twitterverse threw all kinds of shade at out billionaire David Geffen after he sent ‘stay safe’ regards from his $590 million yacht currently parked in the Caribbean. Wrote Geffen, “Sunset last night…isolated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus. I’m hoping everybody is staying safe.” Now, it’s very possible Geffen missed the mark by accident. That his post, with the world in the midst of a planetary crisis, went socially tone-deaf in a humble brag kind of way without meaning to. I mean, we all send out the photo-drone over the yacht to capture our truest sense of concern at sunset, yes? In fairness, Geffen does a lot of great things with his billions including funding several LGBTQ organizations as well as giving financial support to Los Angeles area health clinics, theaters, museums, and charities for the homeless. Let’s not lose sight of that. But folks on Twitter, who might be worried about having jobs when the pandemic comes to an end, weren’t having it. There have been over 10,000 responses to his post so far. See below. p.s. Geffen took his Insta private amid the f*ck ton of shade thrown his way.