Category: News

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Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu Indicted On Charges Of Bribery & Fraud

Benjamin Netanyahu (image via Flickr)
From the Washington Post:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was formally charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust on Thursday, making him the first Israeli premier to be indicted while in office and sending Israel’s already stalemated political system into further disarray.

Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit capped almost three years of investigation and months of speculation by handing down a 63-page indictment against the country’s longest-serving prime minister and its center of political gravity for the last decade.

The cases against Netanyahu center on police allegations that the prime minister and his wife, Sara, accepted more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods in exchange for political favors and that Netanyahu interceded with regulators and lawmakers on behalf of two media companies in exchange for positive news stories.

Netanyahu has consistently denied all of the allegations calling the accusations and investigation a ‘witch hunt.’ Now, where have we heard that term before? Hmm… (image via Flickr/CC license)

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News Round-Up: November 20, 2019

Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct: A real-life gay couple (above) kissing in an Australian underwear ad got a lot of attention. Some called it “beautiful,” but others said the ad was “offensive.” • Washington Blade: The number of hate crime incidents targeting gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the United States in 2018 increased by nearly 6 percent over the previous year and the number of anti-transgender hate crime incidents increased by 41 percent during that same period, according to the FBI’s newly released annual Hate Crime Statistics Report. • Newsweek: Donald Trump regularly struggles to “remember what he’s said or been told,” an anonymous senior government official writes in the newly-released book, A Warning. • The Sun: A United Airlines passenger refused to sit next to 16-year-old Taylor Richardson on a plane “because she was black.” • NBC News: Preparing to enroll their two-year-old in pre-school, two gay dads were asked: “Who is the mother?” • Rolling Stone: Michelle Obama, Lizzo and Lil Nas X all scored Grammy Award nominations today. • Gaily Grind: Acrobatic dancers Guillaume Paquin and Arthur Morel Van Hyfte received a standing ovation after performing a dance routine meant to combat homophobia on La France a Un Incroyable Talent (France’s Got Incredible Talent) last night. The dance routine is part of the CircusQueer project, which is described on social media as “a series of performance videos to address social issues and hopefully inspire a kinder world” and meant to address “gender identity, trans youth, and the conditioning of gender expectations.”

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Transgender Day Of Remembrance: 331 Trans People Murdered Over Past 12 Months

Today we observe Transgender Day of Remembrance, which began in 1999 as a way to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman murdered inside her Boston apartment in 1998. A vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. Observed every November 20, the day is meant to honor the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

A new report released by Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide, from its Trans Murder Monitoring research project, reveals the latest numbers in the worldwide epidemic of violence against trans people.

The new data shows 331 reported murders of trans and nonbinary people occurred between October 1, 2018, and September 30 of this year.

TMM updated its report with this statement: “The majority of the murders occurred in Brazil (130), Mexico (63), and the United States (30) adding up to a total of 3314 reported cases in 74 countries worldwide between 1st of January 2008 and 30th of September 2019.”

“In the United States, the majority of the trans people reported murdered are trans women of colour and/or Native American trans women (85%), and in France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, which are the countries to which most trans and gender-diverse people from Africa and Central and South America migrate, 65% of the reported murder victims were migrant trans women.”

I would add a tweet from the president or the Republicans, but there weren’t any.

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Ambassador Confirms ‘Clear Quid Pro Quo’ Sought By Trump

Ambassador Gordon Sondland (screen capture)
Gordon D. Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, testified today before Congress that he worked with Rudy Giuliani to pressure Ukraine ‘at the express direction of the president’ to announce an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. “I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo?’” Sondland said under oath. “With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”

From the New York Times:

Mr. Sondland acknowledged that he told a senior Ukrainian official that to get Mr. Trump to release the frozen American security aid, the Kyiv government would likely have to publicly commit to investigating a debunked conspiracy theory involving Democrats in the 2016 election as well as Mr. Biden and his son’s ties to Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company.

But the ambassador did not attribute that linkage to any explicit direction by Mr. Trump, instead saying he came to that conclusion on his own based on the fact that the money had been held up for so long.

“In the absence of any credible explanation for the suspension of the aid,” Mr. Sondland said, “I later came to believe that the resumption of security aid would not occur until there was a public statement from Ukraine committing to the investigations of the 2016 election and Burisma, as Mr. Giuliani had demanded.”

In true Trumpian form, Trump began to distance himself from Sondland upon hearing the ambassador’s testimony.

Last month, Trump referred to Sondland, who donated $1 million to the president’s inaugural fund $1, as “a really good man and great American.”

However, this morning the tune changed: “I don’t know him very well. I have not spoken to him much. This is not a man I know well. He seems like a nice guy though.”

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Cadet Bone Spurs Mocks Lt. Col. Vindman For Wearing His Uniform Today

While Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was testifying before the House committee handling the ongoing impeachment inquiry, Donald Trump had the bad taste to question Vindman’s attire. From ABC News:

Down Pennsylvania Avenue from the hearing at the Capitol, President Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, struck a dismissive tone when asked whether he thinks Lt. Col. Vindman is a credible witness, making note of the moment when Vindman corrected Nunes for referring to him as “Mr. Vidman” and also seemed to question his motives in wearing a military uniform to testify.

“I don’t know him, as he says Lieutenant Colonel, I understand someone had the misfortune of calling him ‘mister’ and he corrected them. I never saw the man, I understand now he wears his uniform when he goes in. No, I don’t know Vindman at all,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting, ABC’s Jordyn Phelps reports.

It appears Cadet Bone Spurs – our Commander in Chief – is unaware that per Army regulations, “A soldier performing duties in an official capacity will normally be in uniform.”

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News Round-Up: November 19, 2019

From the Men of the Vet 2020 Calendar
Some news items you might have missed: • 2020 Calendars: The Men of the Vet School are back and better than ever in the 2020 Men of the Vet School Calendar!! They’ve paired up with the cutest puppies and fluffiest bunnies (and even managed to sneak in some time with kangaroos and reindeer) to bring you this year’s hottest calendar around! • The Sun: Wealthy gay dads split up after one starts dating their teenage daughter’s ex-boyfriend. Now they all live under one roof. • Billboard: Swedish DJ/production duo Galantis and country legend Dolly Parton, teaming with featured Dutch vocalist Mr. Probz, debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart with “Faith.” This marks Parton’s first dance/electronic No. 1. • Mantique of the Day: Matt Rettenmund’s Gr8erDays Instagram reminds us how sexy Dan Haggerty (TV’s Grizzly Adams) was.

• CNN: Two Bureau of Prisons guards were charged by a federal grand jury Tuesday with conspiracy and filing false records in connection with their actions the night Jeffrey Epstein died in prison. • FiveThirtyEight: The numbers-crunching website is tracking and boiling down all of the polls asking if Americans support or oppose impeaching Donald Trump. • Christmas Music: As I missed this last year, I wanted to make sure I share this excellent cover of Band Aid’s iconic ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ by a group of singing firefighters in the UK. The single, recorded under the band name The Fire Tones, received an official stamp of approval from Band Aid founder Sir Bob Geldof.

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Judge Rejects Trump Request To Dismiss Defamation Lawsuit

Crain’s New York reports:

President Donald Trump lost his latest bid Monday to delay a former “Apprentice” contestant’s defamation suit as he faces a Jan. 31 deadline to undergo pretrial questioning in the case, which involves claims of unwanted kissing and groping.

A New York appellate judge rejected Trump’s request, meaning that Summer Zervos’ case can continue, at least for now. Trump’s lawyers signaled they intend to pursue more legal avenues to try to hold off Summer Zervos’ case.

Trump’s legal team urged the judge to stay the case “given the novel and important Constitutional issues involved.” Zervos has accused Trump of sexual assault during her time on the NBC reality competition in 2007.

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Netflix: First Look At New RuPaul Series ‘AJ And The Queen’

Netflix just dropped the first look at the upcoming scripted series, AJ and The Queen, starring RuPaul Charles. I previously reported the announcement from Netflix that the ‘Queen of all queens’ would not only be starring in the road trip themed series, but serving as co-creator with Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City). RuPaul will play ‘Robert Lee,’ aka Ruby Red, who has spent years appearing in clubs across the country saving his coins with the goal of opening his own drag club. But Lee’s dream is dashed when two grifters swindle him out of his life savings. So Lee hits the road again in an attempt to start over. But a “scrappy, streetwise 10-year-old escaping a difficult home life” upends Lee’s life as he is thrust into a new role: de facto parent.

According to the official synopsis, the duo finds themselves “fabulously mismatched yet perfectly paired” as they criss-cross the country together, often teaching each other new tricks. So, two misfits – one tall, one small – sashaying across the country, spreading a message of acceptance and love. Michael-Leon Wooley and Katerina Tannenbaum also co-star. The one-hour comedy, described as “equally heartfelt and gritty” about “finding family in the unlikeliest of people when they’re needed most,” also promises showstopping performances from Mama Ru each week. Sounds like a cross between BJ and the Bear & Touched by an Angel, just with a lot more sass and style. Deadline has reported that the streaming platform has ordered a 10-episode first season. Netflix announces the premiere date is scheduled for January 10.

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Trump Supporter Pleads Guilty To Threatening To Murder Rep. Omar

HuffPost reports that a Trump supporter, Patrick Carlineo (55) of western New York, entered a guilty plea on charges that he threatened to kill Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. According to the criminal complaint, Carlineo called Rep. Omar’s office on March 21, 2019. He identified himself and then launched into a rant at the staffer on the phone: “Do you work for the Muslim brotherhood? Why are you working for her, she’s a f*cking terrorist. I’ll put a bullet in her f*cking skull.” According to HuffPost, Carlineo told the FBI that he is a patriot, hates people he perceives to be radical Muslims in the U.S. government, and loves Republican President Donald Trump, according to a criminal complaint. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 14. He faces up to ten years in prison.

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Army Prepared To Move Vindman & Family Out Of Concern For His Safety From Trump Supporters

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman
The Wall Street Journal reports the U.S. Army ramped up plans to possibly move Lt. Colonel Vindman and his family to a military base in properly ensure their security in advance of his testimony today in the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

The U.S. Army is prepared to move Col. Vindman and his family onto a military base in the area to ensure their security if it is determined that they are in physical danger, according to U.S. officials. Army security officials in recent weeks conducted a security assessment at Col. Vindman’s request, reviewing both his and his family’s physical security and their online security, according to U.S. officials.

Army security officials have also been monitoring Col. Vindman and his family around the clock to make sure there aren’t any imminent threats, officials said. “The Army will make sure he’s safe, and the Army is actively supporting any safety needs as deemed necessary,” an official said. “It’s hard that he has been catapulted into the public eye. He served his country honorably for 20 years, and you can imagine this is a tough situation for him and his family.”

From Lt. Colonel Vindman’s appearance on Capitol Hill today: