Category: News

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News Round-Up: September 30, 2019

InstaHunk Dan Tai (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Ok, who knew hottie Dan Tai (above) even owned this much clothes??? Btw – Dan shares in his Instagram post wise words about cherishing the moment you’re in. Follow him here. • Billboard: Rapper Lil Nas tells CBS This Morning’s Gayle King he knew he was gay early on and used to “pray, pray and pray.” When King asked what he prayed for, he said, “That it was a phase.” • CNN: The latest polling by SSRS shows 47% of Americans support impeaching Donald Trump and removing him from office, up from 41% who felt that way in a CNN poll in May. Opposition stands at 45% in the new poll, down from 54% who said so in May and the lowest point in CNN polling. There’s equally bad news for Trump in the latest Quinnipiac (47% support) and CBS News (55% support) polls. • Buffalo News: Rep. Chris Collins (R) – most famous as the first member of Congress to support Donald Trump’s presidential campaign – resigned from Congress today after pleading guilty to criminal insider trading. • LGBTQ Nation: Abrahm DeVine, a 23-year-old collegiate swimmer who came out as gay in a 2018 interview with Swimming World magazine, says he was kicked off of the Stanford University swim team due to “systematic homophobia.” DeVine is a member of the U.S. men’s national swim team and was an NCAA champion at Stanford. • Out Music: Peter Thomas drops his latest single, “If You’re Happy Now,” about the aftermath of a breakup. “Heartbreak has been replaced by a less intense heartache,” explains Thomas. “I find myself wondering about you. Are you okay? Do you have someone new? Are we in the same time zone? Maybe we’re not ready to talk yet, and maybe we won’t end up together, but I still care. I’ll always care. And I want to know if you’re alright.” I have stood in the center of that emotional landscape. Hit the play button below.

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WaPo: Attorney General Asked Foreign Officials To Help Discredit Mueller Report

Attorney General Bill Barr (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain)
Attorney General Bill Barr and Donald Trump worked with foreign officials to undermine the credibility of U.S. Intelligence Agencies in attempts to discredit the investigation by Robert Mueller. This is after 17 intelligence agencies agreed Russia interfered in our election. From the Washington Post:

Attorney General William P. Barr has held private meetings overseas with foreign intelligence officials seeking their help in a Justice Department inquiry that President Trump hopes will discredit U.S. intelligence agencies’ examination of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to people familiar with the matter.

Barr’s personal involvement is likely to stoke further criticism from Democrats pursuing impeachment that he is helping the Trump administration use executive branch powers to augment investigations aimed primarily at the president’s adversaries.

Current and former intelligence and law enforcement officials expressed frustration and alarm Monday that the head of the Justice Department was taking such a direct role in re-examining what they view as conspiracy theories and baseless allegations of misconduct.

Barr has already made overtures to British intelligence officials, and last week the attorney general traveled to Italy, where he and Durham met senior Italian government officials and Barr asked the Italians to assist Durham, according to one person familiar with the matter.

And then, there’s this from the New York Times:

Donald Trump pushed the Australian prime minister during a recent telephone call to help Attorney General William P. Barr gather information for a Justice Department inquiry that Mr. Trump hopes will discredit the Mueller investigation, according to two American officials with knowledge of the call.

The White House restricted access to the call’s transcript to a small group of the president’s aides, one of the officials said, an unusual decision that is similar to the handling of a July call with the Ukrainian president that is at the heart of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump.

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Gay Man Attacked & Dragged Tied To Minivan For Blocks

According to News4Jax in Jacksonville, Florida, police have arrested a suspect in a brutal crime where a person was severely beaten then tied to the bumper of a minivan and dragged for over two blocks last Friday. Police say the victim was left unconscious in the street after the rope tying him to the car was cut. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. The victim, according to doctors, has not regained consciousness since the attack due to immense swelling in the brain. There is surveillance video of the incident, but police say it is “horrendous” and can’t be released due to the graphic nature of the attack and injuries. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says 34-year-old Eric Bridges, an ex-convict, has been charged with attempted murder. He remains in jail while being held on $500,000 bail. The victim, initially reported as possibly transgender, is now being identified as a gay male. The name of the victim has been withheld by the family. No details as to what spurred the incident have been revealed as yet.

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Viral Video Racist Claims Ugly Tirade Was Due To Being Drunk

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The woman pictured above went viral last week, and not for a good reason. Video was shared across the interwebs showing her leaving a CVS drug store in Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock neighborhoo while throwing the n-word around like she says it ALL the time: “If the law didn’t say I couldn’t kill the nig*ers they’d be all dead” According to news reports, the LAPD has begun a hate crime investigation. This is pretty hideous. Click the video in the tweet below.

Internet sleuths seem to have determined that the woman’s name is Heather Lynn Patton and that she works (worked?) in Hollywood in costume design. In screen captures included in the tweet below, she apparently says she lost her job due to the rant which she blamed on being drunk. “Please do not contact me,” reads a screen capture of her Instagram story before it was deleted. “I was intoxicated and I sincerely apologize to everyone whom I disrespected and let down for my actions. Please forgive me.”

(image via Twitter)

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Former Ukraine Prosecutor Told Giuliani ‘No Evidence Of Wrongdoing’ By Bidens

Donald Trump (screen capture)

Yuri Lutsenko, the former prosecutor general for Ukraine, says he repeatedly rebuffed demands by Rudy Giuliani to investigate Joe Biden and his son, insisting he had seen no evidence of wrongdoing that he could pursue.

From the Los Angeles Times:

In an interview, Yuri Lutsenko said while he was Ukraine’s prosecutor general he told Rudolph W. Giuliani that he would be happy to cooperate if the FBI or other U.S. authorities began their own investigation of the former vice president and his son Hunter but insisted they had not broken any Ukrainian laws to his knowledge.

Lutsenko, who was fired as prosecutor general last month, said he had urged Giuliani to launch a U.S. inquiry and go to court if he had any evidence but not to use Ukraine to conduct a political vendetta that could affect the U.S. election.

“I said, ‘Let’s put this through prosecutors, not through presidents,’ ” Lutsenko told The Times.

“I told him I could not start an investigation just for the interests of an American official,” he said.

The revelations are at the heart of the House impeachment inquiry into whether Trump improperly delayed congressionally mandated military aid to Ukraine while urging leaders there to help find dirt on his political opponents to boost his 2020 reelection bid.

Giuliani had reportedly been pushing Lutsenko to investigate the Bidens for over a year. Lutsenko described Giuliani as “obsessed” with finding dirt on the Bidens.

And then there’s this from Richard Engel, NBC News chief foreign correspondent:

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Cyber-Bullying Leads To Teen Suicide In Tennessee

Channing Smith (images via family/FOX17)
Channing Smith, a high school junior in Manchester, Tennessee, committed suicide last week after another student posted private text messages between Smith and another boy resulting in outing  the teen as bisexual, reports Buzzfeed News. Smith had apparently kept his attraction for other boys a secret, but an argument with another teenager who is close to the boy he’d been messaging became upset that she “didn’t know about the sexting and posted the screenshots to be vindictive, according to Keylee Duty, a fellow student at Smith’s school. “She was just doing it to be mean,” Keylee told Buzzfeed. Smith had been dating 17-year-old Hailey Meister for a month prior to his suicide. “He didn’t deserve that,” she shared. “He was kind and loving and a very good person.” Meister added that Smith told her when the screen captures were shared on social media “how bad it made him feel and it was a mistake.” She also says Smith was “trying to find himself” and hadn’t explicitly identified as bisexual before his death. His older brother, 38-year-old Joshua Smith, says the nature of the text messages were explicit to the point that “there was no room for Channing to be able to claim it was a misunderstanding.” “When he saw the screenshots on social media he called some people around 10 p.m. Sunday night, freaking out,” he added. “His last posting on Instagram was about people he couldn’t trust.” Smith’s body was found by his father at around 4 a.m. The father had noticed Smith’s light on in his room and went to check on him. “He’s still in shock,” says Joshua. The older brother explained that life in their “small, Southern town” could be “complicated.” “You could be gay and still like the Confederate flag and shoot pistols,” says Joshua. But to be labeled “gay, queer, or a sissy” would be devastating for a high school junior he added. The local Fox affiliate reports that Joshua says his brother called the female classmate who posted the private messages and said her he was going to kill himself. According to Joshua, she didn’t reach out to Channing’s family or any suicide prevention hotline.

A complication in the case comes as the family feels Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott isn’t being appropriately pro-active in investigating the cyber-bullying Channing experienced by fellow students. Joshua told Buzzfeed that “investigators spent only a day” on the case, and “didn’t confiscate the kids’ phones’ saying they didn’t have the technology to ‘bypass the passcodes.’” In June, statements by Northcott in a 2018 video surfaced where he said he disagreed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell ruling which made same-sex marriage legal in the U.S. He also shared that he doesn’t prosecute domestic cases involving LGBTQ people because he doesn’t believe marriage exists. In a statement regarding the Smith case, Northcott said that while he can’t comment on an open investigation, he said allegations that his office had failed to act are “inaccurate” as the investigation has not been completed. Smith’s family and friends are also critical of Channing’s high school for not making a public statement about his death or to condemn bullying. “They haven’t made any mention about him or his death on their website, on Facebook, anywhere,” Joshua said. “They haven’t offered counseling to the kids or gathered them to talk about anti-bullying.” “The principal told my father that he felt like we would not want anything at our memorial service that says justice for Channing, which was total bullshit,” added the older brother.

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When Channing’s friend attempted to make a statement wearing t-shirts asking for “Justice for Channing,” the principal demanded they remove the shirts. “We refused. Not only me, but his close friends and people who loved him stood during the assembly holding our posters,” said Keylee. “We believe the school refused to do anything because what happened to Channing involved gay rights.” If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found atbefrienders.org. You can also text TALK to 741741 for free, anonymous, 24/7 crisis support in the US from the Crisis Text Line.

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Ricky Martin Announces 4th Child Is On The Way

International pop star Ricky Martin announces he and hubby are expecting 4th child (screen capture)
International pop star and actor Ricky Martin announced last night that he and husband Jwan Yosef are ‘pregnant’ expecting their fourth child. The announcement came as Martin was honored at the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner in Washington, D.C. “My family is here,” said Martin from the stage. “Jwan, I don’t see you but my husband Jwan, I love you.” “My beautiful twins Matteo and Valentino – I love you with all my heart, you’re my strength,” he continued as he pointed to his two 10-year-old sons. “You inspire me every day, you motivate me to keep doing what I’m doing and you guys are amazing. I love you.” After explaining that his youngest, Lucia, who was born at the end of last year, was home with grandma, Martin paused before sharing, “And by the way, I have to announce that we are pregnant. We are waiting!” With a sheepish grin, the ‘Come With Me’ singer added, “I love big families.’ Here’s Ricky’s full speech at the HRC National Dinner:

As actress Ana Ortiz presented Martin with the 2019 Visibility Award, she noted “his bold voice that changes the world.” That was referencing, in part, Martin’s pilgrimage to Puerto Rico earlier this year during great political upheaval. Standing with protestors for days, Martin led the charge demanding the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosello Nevares. After a week of unprecedented protests, Rosello resigned. Accepting the honor, Martin dedicated the honor to “the refugees, to members of the LGBT community that are…leaving their countries because they feel threatened.” “This award is for [the asylum seekers],” he continued. “I will make sure that I lend my voice for them: Ladies and gentlemen, the only thing I’m asking for is to go out and vote.”

Fatherhood has been very good to the Latin heartthrob as a visit to his social media constantly reveals. Here’s the latest post from Ricky’s Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ricky (@ricky_martin) on

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SNL Cold Open Takes On Trump’s Impeachment Woes

L-R Alec Baldwin, Kate McKinnon (screen capture)
SNL’s season premiere just HAD to include Alec Baldwin’s ‘Donald Trump’ in chaos after the announcement of an official impeachment inquiry made news this week. Says Baldwin’s Trump: “It’s the greatest presidential harassment of all time. I should know. I’m like the president of harassment.” Kate McKinnon’s ‘Rudy Giuliani,’ speaking from the set of CNN, tells Trump: “Nobody’s going to find out about our illegal side dealings with the Ukraine. Or how we tried to cover up those side dealings. Or how we planned to cover up the cover-up.” Aidy Bryant’s ‘Attorney General William Barr’ wonders who Trump can get to take the blame: “Where are you going to find a sacrificial patsy that’ll do anything you say? Not it.”
Alec Baldwin and Beck Bennett (screen capture)
Trump tells Barr not to worry, “I’ve got the perfect stooge.” Enter Mike Pence (Beck Bennett), who told him “but you’re the one who broke the law.” Pretty much everyone gets a moment in the clip. Watch below.

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Olivia Newton-John: ‘I Have Much To Live For And I Intend To Keep On Living It’

CBS Sunday Morning profiles 4-time Grammy Award winner Olivia Newton-John
Actress, author, and singer Olivia Newton-John, 71, is battling breast cancer for the third time. “I’m happy. I’m lucky. I’m grateful. I have much to live for. And I intend to keep on living it,” she tells “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King in an emotional interview at her Los Angeles home.
Olivia Newton-John with miniature horses Harry & Winston
Olivia talks about her diagnosis two years ago and how, while the pain was at one point unbearable, her spirit remains unshakable. She also shows off several of her iconic costumes – including the famous black leather jacket and pants from the finale of GREASE – that she’s auctioning off soon with proceeds going to fund wellness programs at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Center in Melbourne, Australia. By the way, if you or anyone you know has been touched by cancer and would like to help Olivia’s world-renowned center in Australia, this week the organization is holding its annual Cancer Walk & Research Run fundraiser next Sunday. My hubby is down there and he’ll be walking not only for Olivia but also for his mother who we lost to cancer in May this year. You can sponsor Michael’s steps by clicking here. God knows I love me some Olivia Newton-John. This is what you call a portrait of courage and grace. Watch below.

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WaPo: Trump Told Russian Officials He Was ‘Unconcerned’ With 2016 Election Interference

And the shoes continue to drop…

Three former White House officials tell the Washington Post that Donald Trump assured senior Russian officials in a 2017 Oval Office meeting that he was ‘unconcerned’ with Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

President Trump told two senior Russian officials in a 2017 Oval Office meeting that he was unconcerned about Moscow’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election because the United States did the same in other countries, an assertion that prompted alarmed White House officials to limit access to the remarks to an unusually small number of people, according to three former officials with knowledge of the matter.

The comments, which have not been previously reported, were part of a now-infamous meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, in which Trump revealed highly classified information that exposed a source of intelligence on the Islamic State. He also said during the meeting that firing FBI Director James B. Comey the previous day had relieved “great pressure” on him.

A memorandum summarizing the meeting was limited to a few officials with the highest security clearances in an attempt to keep the president’s comments from being disclosed publicly, according to the former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.