Category: News

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Dow Drops 2,014 Points – Biggest Plunge Since 2008

(graphic via NY Times)
The Dow closed down more than 2,000 points today marking the worst point decline ever, and the worst percentage decline since December 2008. So. Much. Winning. From the Washington Post:

The stock markets suffered stunning declines Monday — with the Dow Jones industrial average losing 2014 points — as the threat of a coronavirus-fueled oil war and ongoing panic about the spreading disease grew and triggered a rare forced halt to trading early in the session.

The Dow Jones industrial average cratered 7.8 percent to close at 23,851. The S&P 500, a broader measure of stocks, shed 7.6 percent by the close and the tech-heavy Nasdaq tumbled 7.3 percent.

The New York Stock Exchange tripped the so-called “circuit breaker” at a time of relentless volatility for global markets, which have been battered for weeks as the coronavirus outbreak continues to unfold. The forced 15-minute break initially appeared to have a stabilizing effect, but selling resumed before the end of the regular trading.

The oil industry had a terrible day as ten oil producers were the worst-performing stocks in the S&P 500 thanks, in part, to the ongoing price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Oil prices fell 30 percent marking the biggest slide since 1991. By the way, remember: there’s a tweet for everything: Donald Trump, who has taken ALL the credit for the stock market’s performance for the past three years, was predictably defensive on Twitter. Live by the market, die by the market.

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Italy Expands Travel Restrictions To Entire Country Due To Coronavirus

St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City in Rome
ABC News reports:

Officials in Italy have expanded emergency anti-coronavirus restrictions to apply to the whole country. The Italian government is directing all residents to remain at home and not to travel unless required by their work.

All public gatherings in open air or public places are being banned. Schools in the entire country are to remain closed until April 3.

The decree, which affects all 60 million people living in Italy, will go into effect tomorrow, according to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

As of Monday, Italy had 9,172 coronavirus cases and 463 deaths, according to health officials.

Also, from Reuters: “Pope Francis has canceled his regular appearances in public to stop crowds gathering to see him and will stream them on the internet from inside the Vatican because of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy.”

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Rugby’s Joe Marler Faces Punishment For Grabbing Player’s Junk

England’s Joe Marler grabs Alun Wyn Jones during tussle (screen capture)
A crotch-grabbing incident during England’s narrow 33-30 Six Nations win over Wales on Saturday could land England rugby player Joe Marler in some serious trouble. The Independent reports that Marler has been cited for grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones’ junk during a heated tussle during the match that involved several players. In the brief clip below, you can see Marler grab and hold Jones’ junk for several seconds before letting go and walking away with a smirk.

Video of the grab immediately went viral and seemed to polarize fans online. Some saw the moment as a light-hearted way for Marler to get in Jones’ head, while others saw it as pure and simple sexual misconduct. At a press conference after the match, Jones was calm but called on the powers that be to weigh in on the episode.

On Sunday, Marler responded to the backlash with a short tweet that read, “Bollocks. Complete bollocks.”

Coming across this Instagram post by Marler last spring (in support of a mental health campaign) seems rather ironic considering the past weekend’s shenanigans.

A statement from Six Nations on Monday confirmed the citing referencing an alleged infringement of Law 9.27 which prohibits “anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship.” The rule includes “grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals.” At a scheduled disciplinary hearing on March 12, Marler could face a suspension of between 12 weeks and four years for committing the offense. Related: Naked Soccer Players Get ‘Ballsy’ Welsh rugby legend and Gareth Thomas found himself swept up in the incident for making light of the moment, according to Metro. Thomas, who came out in 2009, said on-air during the ITV television network’s halftime review: “It would never have happened in my day and I’m really upset about that – because if it had I would have never retired!” The remark drew uneasy laughs from Thomas’s fellow analysts. Several people took Thomas to task on Twitter, including ex-England international Andy Goode who tweeted: “Imagine if someone touched another man or woman up in the workplace and then someone joked about it on TV.”

Thomas apologized via Twitter saying he “tried to find humour in a situation – that doesn’t mean I condone it, it means I wanted it to not be an issue. So don’t change the narrative to justify how you feel. Be kind.”

(source: The Independent)

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Pete Buttigieg To Guest Host ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ This Week

Mayor Pete Buttigieg on The Today Show (screen capture)
In his first sit-down interview since ending his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Mayor Pete Buttigieg shared with The TODAY Show’s Craig Melvin what his immediate plans are now and responded to comments by Sen. Bernie Sanders that he was ‘forced out’ of the Democratic race. Speaking to George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Sunday, Sanders said, “One of the things I was kind of not surprised by was the power of the establishment to force Amy Klobuchar, who had worked so hard, Pete Buttigieg who had really worked extremely hard as well out of the race.” Melvin asked the former South Bend, Indiana mayor what kind of ‘pressure’ he might have felt from ‘the establishment?’
L-R Craig Melvin, Pete Buttigieg
“I felt the pressure of voters making a decision,” replied Buttigieg. “We ran four contests and I’m proud of the campaign we ran but by the time we ran our fourth race, it was clear that the numbers weren’t there.” “You know, getting into this race was never just about becoming president,” he continued. “For us, it was about working to unify the party and the country and it was about making sure we defeat Donald Trump and there came a point where I realized that the best thing I could do in the service of those goals was to step aside and support vice president Biden.” Putting a point on Buttigieg’s response, Melvin inquired one more time if he’d felt any pressures from ‘the powers that be’ about leaving the race? “The kind of people who run for president of the United States are the kind of people who make their own decisions,” said the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. “It was my decision.”

With the presidential race now in the rearview mirror, other than possibly campaigning for Joe Biden, Melvin asked what was next on the agenda for Buttigieg? “In the immediate term, we’re going to be traveling a little bit, thanking supporters and then Chasten and I are looking forward to some time away,” Mayor Pete told Melvin. “Then I’ll come back and make myself useful in new ways, but we’re going to have some fun now.” “On Thursday, I’m going to be guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live,” he continued, clearly excited about the hosting gig. “We’re lining up a great slate of guests; Sir Patrick Stewart is coming on, we’re very excited about that.” Asked if he’ll be doing a monologue at the top of the show, Mayor Pete replied, “Hopefully some funnier minds than mine will be doing some writing for that.” While in New York City over the weekend, Mayor Pete and husband Chasten took in the acclaimed gay-themed Broadway play “The Inheritance” where they received a standing ovation before the play began.

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Trump Junior On His Dad’s Hiring & Firing: ‘He’s Getting There’

In an interview for Axios on HBO, Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei asks Donald Trump Jr. about his father’s hiring and firing of high-level cabinet members and then making derogatory remarks about them later. Some of those comments include: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: “Dumb as a rock.” Secretary of Defense James Mattis: “World’s most overrated general” Attorney General Jeff Sessions: “Weak… scared stiff… mixed up and confused.” Steve Bannon: “Sloppy man who cried like a little dog.” Junior says his dad is “getting there.” “You have a guy that functioned as a businessman for a long time. It’s an entirely new world. I think now he’s figuring that out.”

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Podcast: Aaron Schock, HIV In The Military, Sherry Pie, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg,

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals issues important decision for those with HIV • Disgraced former Rep. Aaron Schock comes out as gay • Former Vice President Joe Biden’s plans to advance LGBTQ equality Link to The Biden Plan To Advance LGBTQ Equality in America Link to Bernie Sanders LGBTQ Plan • Pro golfer loses sponsors after sharing a homophobic meme on social media • ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ cancels Sherry Pie after admitting to cat-fishing young actors nude photos and videos • RuPaul’s scripted Netflix series ‘AJ and the Queen’ canceled after one season • Mayor Pete Buttigieg ended his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Trump On Science: ‘Maybe I Have A Natural Ability…?’

Speaking at a press event yesterday at the Centers for Disease Control, Donald Trump told reporters doctors “say how do you know so much about this? Maybe I have a natural ability.” Because ‘natural ability’ can equal years of scientific and medical study…? Trump ‘knows so much about this’ that he repeatedly asked why people couldn’t just get a flu shot to combat coronavirus. He also suggested a new vaccine for coronavirus could be ready in “a few months” as scientists told him it could take a year and a half due to testing and human trials. Please note that when he says, “They should be given so much credit” he points both of his thumbs to himself. p.s. Why is he wearing a MAGA campaign hat while performing his official duties?

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News Round-Up: March 6, 2020

Jim Newman (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Jim Newman (above) can wear a flannel plaid onesie like no one. Totally giving us lumbersexual in the pic above. #amiright? • NowThisNews: Donald Trump continues to spread dangerous misinformation on COVID-19 to millions of Fox News viewers.

• Washington Blade: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Thursday signed three pro-LGBTQ measures into law ranging from ensuring transgender students are treated fairly, expanding the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orientation and gender identification, and allowing localities to ban discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, credit, or education based on sexual orientation or gender identity. • KIT212: Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in local LGBTQ publications like the latest issue of South Florida Hot Spots featuring Bar Mizrahi. • The Advocate: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit just upheld a preliminary injunction against the Air Force, which appealed the decision of a district court in order to continue the discharge of personnel simply because they are living with HIV. • Netflix: The streaming platform has canceled RuPaul’s scripted series, AJ and the Queen, after only one season.

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News Round-Up: March 5, 2020

The West End cast of City of Angels
Some news items you might have missed: • West End Theater: The Donmar Warehouse’s Olivier Award-winning production of the Broadway musical City of Angels (starring my college bestie Vanessa Williams above) hits the boards on the West End for its first preview tonight. Word in theater circles is the show is stylish, smart, and stunning. • Greenville Journal: A county in South Carolina was about to repeal a 1996 anti-LGBTQ resolution when religious dissenters, citing “traditional family values,” overwhelmed the County Council meeting just before the vote causing two council members to change their votes. • The Hill: Vice President Pence, who is heading up the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus threat told reporters today the United States does not currently have enough tests to meet the expected demand. • Washington Blade: Chris Johnson is one of my favorite LGBTQ reporters and he’s penned an excellent assessment of the historic candidacy of Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “He made a mark on American politics — and not just because he broke barriers as a gay presidential candidate.” • Washington Post: Now that Mike Bloomberg has exited the race for the White House, he has announced he plans to form an independent expenditure campaign that will absorb hundreds of his presidential campaign staffers in six swing states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina) to work to elect the Democratic nominee this fall. • Out Music: Maia, who records under the moniker mxmtoon, released her exuberant single and music video, “fever dream,” where she dances with her past and future self.  “We wanted to work with the themes of the single to make a video that exemplifies the nostalgia the lyrics evoke but also the courage to move forward,” shares the out bisexual artist. With a blissfully nostalgic lilt, mxmtoon’s vocals are soothing and sure. The sentimental, upbeat melody is a refreshing escape from the clutter of today’s current news cycle. Her 2018 debut EP plum blossom – recorded in her parent’s guest bedroom – has garnered more than 100 million streams on Spotify. You can follow her on Instagram here.

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Nine More Coronavirus Diagnoses In NY State

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced he will resign amid allegations of sexual harassment

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (screen capture)
The New York Post is reporting nine more New Yorkers have tested positive for coronavirus bringing the current total to 22 cases in the Empire State according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Eight of the new cases are in Westchester, connected to a single New Rochelle lawyer, identified by sources as 50-year-old Lawrence Garbuz, while the ninth is on Long Island, Cuomo said.

The afflicted attorney’s wife, son, and daughter have also tested positive, as have a friend, his wife and three of their four kids, Cuomo has said.

A neighbor who drove Garbuz to the hospital has additionally been confirmed to have the potentially deadly disease.

Because he also has an underlying respiratory infection, Garbuz is currently hospitalized in Upper Manhattan, while the others are self-isolating in their homes.

In related news, the Dow Jones closed down another 969 points due to fears about the spread of the virus.