A Justice Department inquiry launched more than two years ago to mollify conservatives clamoring for more investigations of Hillary Clinton has effectively ended with no tangible results, and current and former law enforcement officials said they never expected the effort to produce much of anything.
John Huber, the U.S. attorney in Utah, was tapped in November 2017 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to look into concerns raised by President Trump and his allies in Congress that the FBI had not fully pursued cases of possible corruption at the Clinton Foundation and during Clinton’s time as secretary of state, when the U.S. government decided not to block the sale of a company called Uranium One.
As a part of his review, Huber examined documents and conferred with federal law enforcement officials in Little Rock who were handling a meandering probe into the Clinton Foundation, people familiar with the matter said.
Current and former officials said that Huber has largely finished and found nothing worth pursuing — though the assignment has not formally ended and no official notice has been sent to the Justice Department or to lawmakers, these people said.
Trump stills says “Lock her up” at his current rallies, still pushing the lie.
Some news items you might have missed: • LGBTQ Nation: A priest was removed from ministry after he was caught taking ‘disturbing’ photos of high school wrestlers. A bystander saw the priest taking zoomed-in photos of the young men in their wrestling tights and contacted authorities. • The Advocate: Culture Club frontman Boy George, who was once a pioneer in unconventional gender expression, was called out for being transphobic after hateful comments regarding respecting people’s pronouns. • NY Daily News: A wacko customer at a Manhattan gay bar mailed a powder-filled envelope with a message reading “It’s called anthrax. Enjoy,” to an employee after he was threatened with a ban from the watering hole, prosecutors charged Monday. Unhinged patron Ameen Keshavjee has allegedly menaced the male employee at Nowhere Bar in the East Village since February. He now faces up to ten years in prison. • Allure Magazine: Emmy Award winner Billy Porter is the first-ever male to grace the cover of Allure Magazine as he stars in their Art of Beauty issue.
• LA Times: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who flirted with the idea of running for president but skipped the 2020 campaign, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination on Thursday. • Arizona Capital Times: Arizona state Senator Sylvia Allen (R) has proposed legislation to remove the word “homosexuality” from all public school teaching materials and to prevent any student below the age of 12 from receiving sex education. • Daily Dog: This beautiful little mama gave birth today to six puppies. How precious is this video?
Loulou gave birth to 6 puppies today. 4 males and 2 females.She did so well and we are so proud of her.We want to thank you all for your sweet messages and it is so heartwarming that everyone was waiting with us for her puppies. You are all the best, we really appreciate this 😘 pic.twitter.com/jKniaJeeDJ
Deloitte’s quarterly survey of nearly 150 chief financial officers shows 97 percent believe that a downturn (recession or slowdown) has already begun or will occur by the end of 2020. At this time last year, 88 percent felt there would be a downturn by December 2020. Today, 43 percent believe consumer spending will be strong in 2020, while last year that number was 54 percent. Only 22 percent say they expect to see strong business spending this year compared with 32 percent who thought spending would be strong in 2020.
Donald Trump (image via public domain/White House) A new survey of 37,000 adults from 33 countries by Pew Research found 64 percent of respondents lack confidence in Donald Trump to do the right thing on the global stage. Only 29 percent said they had confidence in him. In nearly all nations where trends are available, Trump receives lower ratings than his predecessor, Barack Obama. That said, 54 percent reported having a favorable view of the United States as a whole. From Pew Research: “Across the 33 countries surveyed a median of 54% express a favorable opinion of the United States, while 38% have an unfavorable one. Favorable opinion of the U.S. declined dramatically when Trump took office and remains significantly lower than during the Obama era.” Trump’s strongest support came from the Philippines, India, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria and Poland indicating support at 77 percent, 56 percent, 71 percent, 65 percent, 58 percent and 51 percent, respectively. By contrast, only 8% of Mexicans said they were confident in Trump’s ability to handle world affairs.
% who have confidence in Trump to do the right thing regarding world affairs
Philippines 77% Israel 71% S Korea 46% Japan 36% Australia 35% UK 32% Italy 32% Canada 28% Brazil 28% Russia 20% France 20% Turkey 11% Mexico 8% (feels high)
Alexander Leon (image via Instagram/Gökhan Tanrıöver) Alexander Leon, an LGBTQ activist and writer at the queer group Kaleidoscope Trust, found a tweet of his go viral when he seemed to crystallize the process young queer people experience regarding identity into just two sentences. “Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice,” wrote Leon. “The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we’ve created to protect us.”
Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we’ve created to protect us.
His thread went on to wonder if “being confronted with the need for profound self-discovery” isn’t, in fact, a “gift in disguise. We come out the other end wiser & truer to ourselves.” “All of this is to say – be kind to yourself,” he added. “Discovering who you really are is an enormous task it doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it happen without some hiccups along the way. Be patient, be compassionate, be vulnerable and exist loudly. And most of all – be proud!”
All of this is to say – be kind to yourself. Discovering who you really are is an enormous task it doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it happen without some hiccups along the way. Be patient, be compassionate, be vulnerable and exist loudly. And most of all – be proud! 🏳️🌈
The initial post has been liked 194,000+ times and retweeted 53,000+ times. Folks in the Twitterverse found the message resonated with their own experiences as well. Here are just a few of the comments: “100% spot on. I feel like I’m living my teenage years trying to discover who I am and being comfortable and confident with myself.”“Omg. I’ve never seen someone articulate this so well.”“So completely true, but I’ve never seen or thought it like that in words before. Thank you – from someone who for various reasons has recently had to start from scratch.”“Beautifully put and painfully true.”“Hell, I grew up in a loving home with people who accepted me for being gay but I was playing the role so I can live up to what people think I should be. This tweet hit so close to home. Because you can have loving people in your life but still you play that role.”“Literally what I try to explain to people. You grow up and think you know who you are until you come out and have to go through finding yourself all over again after so many people are already past that point.”“This stopped me in my tracks, the words you used really hit home for me and a lot of people it seems. Gorgeous analysis of why a lot of gay men have identity issues throughout their lives.” Last year, the Trevor Project released its National Survey On LGBTQ Youth Mental Health which showed a majority of young LGBTQs are closeted at some point in their life. That study indicated less than half of LGBTQ youth were out to an adult at school, and 71 percent of young LGBTQs reported feeling sad or hopeless for at least two weeks in the past year. As his tweets went viral, Leon shared he was humbled and overwhelmed by the reaction to his words. He also took the opportunity of increased visibility to call attention to the Australian bushfires which are ravaging his country.
This has blown up unexpectedly and I’m very humbled ❤️ If this meant something to you & you are able I’d really appreciate any donations to help families affected by the Australian bushfires. I am Australian and seeing my country burn is heartbreaking.https://t.co/AWeUgit7Jl
Australia’s Human Nature (image via Instagram/Denise Truscello) Some news items you might have missed: • Las Vegas: Australia’s biggest pop group, Human Nature, will be donating 100% of the ticket sales from their January 25 concert at The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip to support victims of the Australian bushfires. • The Advocate: Preparing an end-run around Michigan’s Republican-controlled legislature, activists are getting ready to gather signatures for a ballot initiative that could codify employment and housing protections for LGBTQ residents. • NBC News: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle have announced they “intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent.” The couple says they plan to split their time between the U.K. and North America. • KIT212: Kenneth’s ‘Wrestle Wednesdays’ post might pose a challenge to ‘hockey butt.’ • USA Today: The head of ABC Entertainment confirmed today there will (again) be no formal ‘host’ at this year’s Academy Awards telecast. • Billboard: Check out this month’s edition of Queer Necessities, a monthly LGBTQ-driven playlist (via Spotify) from Billboard Pride catching you up on the latest and greatest bops by queer musicians and fierce allies.
Donald Trump addresses the nation after Iran missile attack (screen capture) “All is well” was the message from Donald Trump after Iran launched more than 12 ballistic missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq, an attack seen as retribution for the U.S. strike on military commander Qassim Soleimani. According to theNew York Times, U.S. and Iraqi officials said there were no deaths from the attacks on bases housing American troops. But Iranian news outlets claimed differently, with some reporting dozens killed. Speaking to the nation this morning, Trump said no Americans or Iraqis were killed in airstrike at the military base in Iraq and Iran appears to be standing down.
All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.
"Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world. No American or Iraqi lives were lost because of the precautions taken." https://t.co/gATFueUKlYpic.twitter.com/cRvtreF589
GLAAD has announced its nominees for the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards which honors media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies, which fund GLAAD’s work to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance, will be held in New York at the Hilton Midtown on Thursday, March 19, 2020 and Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, April 16, 2020. Yesterday, GLAAD announced that Taylor Swift will receive the Vanguard Award and Janet Mock will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. Lots of diversity among these 176 nominees across 30 categories. Yay! Shout-out to Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod.com for his well-deserved recognition and I’m glad to see the return of Outstanding Broadway Production to the list of categories 🙂
Outstanding Film – Wide Release Bombshell (Lionsgate) Booksmart (United Artists Releasing) Downton Abbey (Focus Features) Judy (Roadside Attractions) Rocketman (Paramount Pictures) Outstanding Film – Limited Release Adam (Wolfe Releasing) Brittany Runs a Marathon (Amazon Studios) End of the Century (The Cinema Guild) The Heiresses (1844 Entertainment) Kanarie (Breaking Glass Pictures) Pain & Glory (Sony Pictures Classics) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (NEON) Rafiki (Film Movement) Socrates (Breaking Glass Pictures) This Is Not Berlin (Samuel Goldwyn Films) Outstanding Documentary 5B (RYOT Films) Gay Chorus Deep South (MTV) Leitis in Waiting (PBS) State of Pride (YouTube) Wig (HBO) Outstanding Drama Series Batwoman (The CW) Billions (Showtime) Euphoria (HBO) Killing Eve (AMC) The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime) The Politician (Netflix) Pose (FX) Shadowhunters (Freeform) Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access) Supergirl (The CW) Outstanding Comedy Series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) Dear White People (Netflix) Dickinson (Apple TV+) One Day at a Time (Netflix) The Other Two (Comedy Central) Schitt’s Creek (Pop) Sex Education (Netflix) Superstore (NBC) Vida (Starz) Work in Progress (Showtime) Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series w/o a regular LGBTQ character) “Love” Drunk History (Comedy Central) “Murdered at a Bad Address” Law & Order: SVU (NBC)| “Spontaneous Combustion” Easy (Netflix) “This Extraordinary Being” Watchmen (HBO) “Two Doors Down” Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (Netflix) Outstanding TV Movie Deadwood: The Movie (HBO) Let It Snow (Netflix) Rent: Live (FOX) Transparent: Musicale Finale (Amazon) Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story (Lifetime) Outstanding Limited Series Mrs. Fletcher (HBO) The Red Line (CBS) Tales of the City (Netflix) When They See Us (Netflix) Years & Years (HBO)Outstanding Kids & Family Programming Andi Mack (The Disney Channel) The Bravest Knight (Hulu) High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+) The Loud House (Nickelodeon) “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” Arthur (PBS) Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling (Netflix) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix) Steven Universe: The Movie (Cartoon Network) “A Tale of Two Nellas” Nella the Princess Knight (Nick Jr.) Twelve Forever (Netflix)Outstanding Reality Program Are You the One? (MTV) Bachelor in Paradise (ABC) I Am Jazz (TLC) Queer Eye (Netflix) RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1) Outstanding Music Artist Adam Lambert, Velvet: Side A (More is More/Empire) Brittany Howard, Jaime (ATO) Kevin Abstract, ARIZONA BABY (Question Everything/RCA) Kim Petras, Clarity (Bunhead) King Princess, Cheap Queen (Zelig/Columbia Records) Lil Nas X, 7 (Columbia) Melissa Etheridge, The Medicine Show (ME Records/Concord) Mika, My Name Is Michael Holbrook (Casablanca/Republic Records) Tegan and Sara, Hey, I’m Just Like You (Sire) Young M.A, Herstory in the Making (M.A Music/3D) Outstanding Comic Book To see the complete creative team for each nominee, please visit http://glaad.org/mediaawards/nomineesThe Avant-Guards, written by Carly Usdin (BOOM! Studios) Bloom, written by Kevin Panetta (First Second) Crowded, written by Christopher Sebela (Image Comics) Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, written by Mariko Tamaki (DC Comics) Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, written by Mariko Tamaki (First Second) Liebestrasse, written by Greg Lockard (ComiXology Originals) Lumberjanes, written by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh (BOOM! Studios) Runaways, written by Rainbow Rowell (Marvel Comics) Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, written by Simon Spurrier (Marvel Comics) The Wicked + Divine, written by Kieron Gillen (Image Comics) Outstanding Video Game Apex Legends (Electronic Arts) Borderlands 3 (2K Games) The Outer Worlds (Private Division) Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment) The Walking Dead: The Final Season (Skybound Entertainment) Outstanding Broadway Production Choir Boy, by Tarell Alvin McCraney The Inheritance, by Matthew Lopez Jagged Little Pill, book by Diablo Cody, lyrics by Alanis Morissette, music by Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard Slave Play, by Jeremy O. Harris What the Constitution Means to Me, by Heidi Schreck Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode “Billy Porter Serves Cataract Realness, Fashion, and Tonys” The View (ABC) “Ellen Meets Inspiring Mormon Valedictorian” The Ellen Show (Syndicated/Telepictures Productions) “Jacob Tobia – Promoting a ‘Gender-Chill’ Exploration of Identity with ‘Sissy’” The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central) “Jonathan Van Ness: Honey, She’s An Onion With All Sorts of Layers” The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) “Lilly Is Struggling to Date Women” A Little Late with Lilly Singh (NBC) Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine “ABC News Pride Day” (WABC-TV/ABC News) “All Her Sons” CBS Sunday Morning (CBS) “Am I Next? Gay and Targeted in Chechnya” Nightline (ABC) “Am I Next? Trans and Targeted” Nightline (ABC) “Rainbow Railroad” 60 Minutes (CBS) Outstanding TV Journalism Segment “Black and Trans in Texas” Vice News Tonight (HBO) “Don Lemon to Kevin Hart: Walking away right now is your choice” CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (CNN) “Laverne Cox: We exist, we deserve human rights” Up with David Gura (MSNBC) “One-on-One with Mayor Pete Buttigieg” The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) “Ryan Russell Reveals His Truth” ESPN (ESPN)Outstanding Newspaper Article “L.G.B.T.Q. Community Finds ‘Sense of Home’ in the Bronx” by Rick Rojas (The New York Times) “Military Reports No Discharges Under Trans Ban — But Advocates Have Doubts” by Chris Johnson (Washington Blade) “Nearly 4 Million LGBTQ People Live in Rural America, and ‘Everything is not bias and awful’” by Susan Miller (USA Today) “Texas Leads the Nation in Transgender Murders. After the Latest Attack, the Dallas Trans Community Asks Why” by Lauren McGaughy (The Dallas Morning News) “Trump Pledged to End the HIV Epidemic. San Francisco Could Get There First” by Maria L. La Ganga (Los Angeles Times) Outstanding Magazine Article “2019 Sportsperson of the Year: Megan Rapinoe” by Jenny Vrentas (Sports Illustrated) “In Her Element: Geena Rocero” by Geena Rocero (Playboy) “Indya Moore Just Wants to Be Free” by Jada Yuan (ELLE) “Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s Unlikely, Untested, Unprecedented Presidential Campaign” by Charlotte Alter (TIME) “The Trans Obituaries Project” by Raquel Willis (OUT) Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage Advocate Billboard Entertainment Weekly OUT VarietyOutstanding Digital Journalism Article “Finding the Truth About Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports” [series] by Cyd Zeigler, Dawn Ennis (Outsports.com) “How a New Class of Trans Male Actors Are Changing the Face of Television” by Trish Bendix (TIME.com) “’This time is real’: Taiwan Counts Down to Asia’s First Same-Sex Weddings” by Beh Lih Yi (Openlynews.com) “Trump Administration to LGBT Couples: Your ‘Out of Wedlock’ Kids Aren’t Citizens” by Scott Bixby (TheDailyBeast.com) “When Transgender Travelers Walk Into Scanners, Invasive Searches Sometimes Wait on the Other Side” by Lucas Waldron, Brenda Medina (ProPublica.org)Outstanding Digital Journalism – Video or Multimedia “Between Two Homes: The LGBTQ+ Refugees America Left Behind” by Judah Robinson (NowThis) “LGBTQ+ Community Debates the Meaning of ‘Queer,’ Military Bans, & More” by Arielle Duhaime-Ross (VICE) “The Life Threatening Dangers Of Gay Conversion Therapy” by Grace Baldridge (Refinery29) “Sound On: Community, Representation and Identity” by Terron Moore and Rakhee Jethwa (MTV News) “Stonewall 50: The Revolution” produced by Sekiya Dorsett, Brooke Sopelsa, Elizabeth Kuhr, Shahrzad Elghanayan, Wesley Oliver, Tim Fitzsimmons (NBC OUT and Nightly Films) Outstanding Blog Gays with Kids JoeMyGod My Fabulous Disease Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents TransGriot Special Recognition Special (Netflix) Karen Ocamb, news editor, Los Angeles Blade Mark Segal, founder and publisher, Philadelphia Gay News31ST ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS – SPANISH-LANGUAGE NOMINEESOutstanding Spanish-Language Scripted Television Series Amar a Muerte (Univision) El Corazón Nunca Se Equivoca (Univision) El Juego de las Llaves (Pantaya) Élite (Netflix) Los Espookys (HBO) Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism – Newsmagazine “Después de Stonewall” (CNN en Español) “Fallece Mujer Transgénero” Conclusiones (CNN en Español) “Nosotrxs Somos” (RTVE) “Orgullo” Despierta América (Univision)Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Interview “Cómo y Cuándo Salir del Clóset” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo) “Conoce la Importancia de Apoyar a un Ser Querido Cuando ‘Sale del Clóset’” A Primera Hora (Univision 34) “Deportada y Asesinada” Al Punto (Univision) “Pareja Transgénero Quiere Tener Hijos” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo) “Tanya Saracho, Una Latina en Hollywood” Ojo Crítico (CNN en Español) Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism Segment “Amor Sin Condición” Noticiero Univision 33 (Univision) “Exigen Justicia Para Franco” Noticias 22 (Mundo Fox) “Sabor a Comunidad” Noticiero Telemundo 48 (Telemundo) “Ser Latina y Trans en EE.UU. Implica una Lucha Contra la Discriminación en Varios Frentes” Proyecto Ser Humano (CNN en Español) “Triunfa el Amor por Ser Padres” Noticiero Telemundo 44 (Telemundo) Outstanding Spanish-Language Digital Journalism Article “Fue Negligencia de ICE: las Denuncias de Abusos y Discriminación de Mujeres Transgénero Tras Dos Muertes en un Año” por Patricia Clarembaux (Univision.com) “Los Multiples Rostros de la Comunidad Transgénero en Estados Unidos” [series] (Al Día News) “Una Pareja Gay Celebra su Primer Día de Madres, Algo que Pensaron Nunca Sería Posible” por Laura Rodriguez (Hoy) “Queer en la Caravana: el Peligro de Ser Migrante LGBT Buscando Asilo” por Mabel Jiménez (eltecolote.org) “Soy Gay y Estoy Orgulloso de Poder Decirlo: Jorge Luis Martínez, patinador mexicano” por Mario Villagrán (GQ Mexico) Outstanding Spanish-Language Digital Journalism – Video or Multimedia “América a Fondo: Brigitte Baptiste, el Rostro de la (bio) Diversidad” por David Casasús (EFE) “Conoce a Jorge Luis Martínez Patinador que se Declaró Abiertamente Gay” (Quién) “Latinxs Cuentan Qué Es Ser Latinx” (BBC Mundo) “Santuario, el Inesperado Refugio de Indígenas Trans en Colombia” por Alejandro Millán Valencia (BBC Mundo)
In this week’s podcast: • A Grindr hookup in Michigan on Christmas Eve goes horribly wrong • Britain’s most prolific rapist is sentenced to life in prison • Grammy winner Sam Smith posts an inspiring shirtless photo on Instagram • A transgender actress gets the lead in the upcoming reboot of ‘Saved By The Bell’ • Recapping this year’s Golden Globe Awards All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
Pete Buttigieg (via Facebook) Some news items you might have missed: • Deadline: Pete Buttigieg will appear at another Fox News town hall on January 26, a little more than a week before the Iowa caucuses, with Chris Wallace as moderator. This will be Buttigieg’s second Fox News town hall, having headlined a well-received event last May. He’s one of six Democratic candidates to appear at town halls on the network. • Instinct Magazine: A Canadian man has been busted for mailing an envelope filled with white powder – and a note with an indication that the powder was anthrax – to New York City East Village spot Nowhere Bar. • CBS News: A new CBS News poll ties Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor Pete Buttigieg for the lead in Iowa. Sanders, Biden and Buttigieg are tied at 23%, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren comes fourth with 16% and Sen. Amy Klobuchar falls in fifth at 7%. • Washington Post: Rep. Duncan D. Hunter will resign from Congress effective January 13, more than one month after the California Republican pleaded guilty in federal court to misusing campaign funds. The six-term congressman is scheduled to be sentenced in March. He faces a maximum of five years in prison, although he is expected to serve less than one year. • Politico: Donald Trump’s reelection campaign will spend $10 million on 60 seconds of television ad time during the Super Bowl next month as the president ramps up his push for a second term. • New York Times: Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell informed Republicans on Tuesday that he planned to move forward with President Trump’s impeachment trial without committing to additional witnesses or admitting new evidence, over the objections of Democrats who are insisting on both.
“Whoever heard of a trial without witnesses and documents? It’s unprecedented.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “have very different visions about what it means to conduct a fair trial.” https://t.co/vTZuyr7OFtpic.twitter.com/yYlmHPU6b9 — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 7, 2020
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