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CNN Sues Trump White House For Restoration Of Jim Acosta’s Press Credentials

In the aftermath of the White House revoking CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials, CNN has filed a lawsuit against President Trump and several of his aides, seeking the immediate restoration of Acosta’s access to the White House.

The lawsuit is a response to the White House’s suspension of Acosta’s press pass, known as a Secret Service “hard pass,” last week. The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN’s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning. It was docketed and assigned to Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee. CNN is seeking a preliminary hearing as soon as possible.

Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are six defendants: Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, Secret Service director Randolph Alles, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta’s hard pass away last Wednesday.

“CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration this morning in DC District Court,” the statement read. “It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN’s Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association said it “strongly supports CNN’s goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place.”

The White House has shifted its explanation for barring Acosta.

Initially, the reason for suspension was “placing his hands” on an intern (he didn’t), but now the issue supposedly is that he kept asking questions.

So, if they think he monopolizes a press conference, why call on him?

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Gay High School Student Explains Why He Didn’t Pose With Nazi Salute

High school senior Jordan Blue

Yesterday, I reported on the prom photo that went viral from Baraboo school district in Wisconsin.

The photo showed about 30 male members of the Baraboo High School Class of 2019 giving the Nazi salute before their junior prom last spring.

As I noted yesterday, one student was not having the moment.

Today, CBS This Morning spoke with the student, Jordan Blue.

Blue tells CBS News the photographer came up with the idea of telling the boys to “wave goodbye to their parents,” but didn’t specifically tell the boys to “raise your hand in a Nazi symbol way.”

But it’s telling that ‘raise you hand’ to these young men meant doing so in Nazi fashion.

Blue added that he felt his classmates did understand what the symbol represented, and that the moment was “scary” and “uncomfortable.”

Photographer Peter Gust has issued a statement which reads, “I didn’t tell them to salute anything… it was waving goodbye to their parents, having a good time.”

“There was nothing that diminished the quality of anyone’s life,” said Gust in defense of the photo. “There was nothing that diminished anyone’s stature in society, there was nothing that was intended to point a finger at anyone in their class who may have some kind of difference. There was none of that.”

When asked why he didn’t participate, Blue tells CBS This Morning, “It did not represent my morals and I could not do something that I didn’t believe in.”

Blue admits making the gesture makes no sense to him, saying, “Some of these people have bright futures ahead of them, so why’d they do it?”

Speaking to CNN, Blue says if he’d known the direction the photo opp would go, he wouldn’t have taken part in the pics at all.

He also says that while the community is a ‘phenomenal’ place to live, people are “hurt and very distraught” over the scandal. And he makes a point to say the photo doesn’t represent Baraboo as a whole.

Blue, who came out as gay earlier this year on social media, shared with Vice reporter Jules Suzdaltsev yesterday that he’s been the target of bullying by these boys since middle school.

Suzdaltsev later tweeted that, after receiving more than 100 messages from students and parents from Baraboo High School, “nearly all of the stories echo the same basic theme: the community as a whole has a lot of casual & jokey racism, homophobia, and transphobia that is accepted as a part of life.”

“The school (and other schools in the area) do little to nothing to address these issues,” he added.

The American Defamation League reports the number of anti-semitic incidents in the U.S. rose 57% in 2017. That’s the largest single year increase on record.

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Democrat Kyrsten Sinema Wins Arizona Senate Seat

The Cook Political Report is projecting that Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema will win her US Senate race in Arizona.
Democrat Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona

UPDATE: Republican Martha McSally has conceded the US Senate race to replace retiring Jeff Flake. Democrat Kyrsten Sinema will be the next Senator from Arizona.

She is the first female to represent the Grand Canyon state in the Senate as well as the first openly bisexual US Senator.

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The Cook Political Report is projecting that Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema will win her US Senate race in Arizona.

According to the latest counts, Sinema has expanded her lead over Republican Martha McSally to 1.5%.

McSally lead on election night with partial returns being counted, but the next day many ballots were still uncounted in Democratic leaning areas of the state.

Sinema will be the first female senator from Arizona, and the first Democratic senator since Sen. Dennis DeConcini left office in 1995.

She will also be the first openly bisexual US Senator.

The folks at ThinkProgress point out that Democratic House candidates are on track to win the national popular vote by as much as 7 points, yet Republicans gained seats in the Senate.

There are still two outstanding Senate races: one in Florida which is heading to a recount, and one in Mississippi which will hold a runoff later this month.

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News Round-Up: November 12, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• No hunky pic to start this news round-up as I want to make sure we all stop and thank our military veterans for their incredible service this Veteran’s Day. I come from a military family (my dad was a Major in the Air Force during WWII and the Korean War) and have always been so proud of his service.

• The president of Poland told a reporter recently that he would consider enacting a Russian-style ‘gay propaganda’ law which would ban any materials that presented the LGBTQ community in a positive light.

• A gay man from the UK, Duarte Xavier, has been found guilty of tricking straight men into having sex with him. He’s been sentenced to 15 years in jail for his shenanigans.

• David Burtka, also known as Neil Patrick Harris’ husband, will have a major guest-star role in episode 3 of the web series West 40s.

• Mark Penn, a longtime adviser to Hillary Clinton, says the former Secretary of State will mount a 3rd run for the White House in 2020. While many say it’s time for her to exit the political arena, I’d vote for her again in a heartbeat.

• A 22-year-old California man, Samuel Woodward, has pleaded not guilty in the stabbing death of  gay University of Pennsylvania student, Blaze Bernstein.

• Over the years, I’ve gone back and forth regarding Sarah Brightman’s pop-opera recordings. Some have been fun and somewhat experimental, while others can feel she’s using a small sliver of her voice.

I did love her duet, “Time To Say Goodbye,” with Andrea Bocelli in 1997.

Since I recently wrote about Bocelli’s new album, I’m of a mind to include Brightman as well.

Her newest album, HYMN, has lovely duet with French tenor Vincent Niclo, who’s quite easy on the eyes and ears, and very much worth the listening.

I should also mention my husband worked on Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and knows Sarah. He only has wonderful things to say about her. Check out “Sogni” below.

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Minneapolis: Rabbi Pleads Guilty To Sexting With Underage Teen

Aryeh Leiv Cohen (mug shot)

A former Rabbi in Minnesota pleaded guilty last Friday to engaging in electronic communication describing sexual conduct with a child.

Aryeh Leiv Cohen thought he was exchanging messages with a 16-year-old boy on Grindr back in January, but in reality, he was chatting with an undercover cop.

According to court documents, the undercover agent told Cohen several times he wouldn’t turn 16-years-old until August, to which Cohen responded, “It’s a little illegal…” but would then go on to describe the sex acts he was hoping to engage in.

On February 1, a meeting was setup between the former rabbi and the ’16-year-old’ at an apartment building in North St. Paul.

Upon his arrest, the 44-year-old reportedly told the police, “I sort of deserve it.”

He also allegedly told the officers that he didn’t “think much would happen” when he arrived at the apartment because the person he believed he was meeting was ‘sexually inexperienced.’

The arrest was part of a sting operation aimed at combating the online solicitation of sex with minors. Several others were also arrested in conjunction with the undercover operation.

Cohen had been working as a rabbi and director of youth outreach for the Minneapolis Community Kollel, a Jewish learning center.

The center immediately issued a statement upon learning of his arrest that he’d been relieved of his duties.

Local ABC News affiliate KSTP reports that Cohen is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on January 16.

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Donald Trump Will Skip Traditional Veteran’s Day Visit To Arlington Cemetery

Today, the White House has announced Trump will not make the traditional Veteran's Day visit to Arlington Cemetery.
Donald Trump

First, Donald Trump skipped attending a WWI ceremony at an American cemetery in France due to rain.

His chief of staff and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff made the 50 mile car ride, but Trump could not.

Today, the White House has announced Trump will not make the traditional Veteran’s Day visit to Arlington Cemetery.

The Trumpster also has not visited U.S. troops overseas.

Please remind again me how kneeling football players disrespect our military…?

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Marvel Comics Legend Stan Lee Dead At 95

Stan Lee, who led Marvel Comics for decades, has died at the age of 95.
Stan Lee (photo: Gage Skidmore)

Stan Lee, who led Marvel Comics for decades, has died at the age of 95.

He began his career at the Marvel predecessor, Timely Comics, as a gofer for $8 a week.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Lee, who began in the business in 1939 and created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, X-Men, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Ant-Man and other characters, died early Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, a source told The Hollywood Reporter.

Lee’s final few years were tumultuous. After Joan, his wife of 69 years, died in July 2017, he sued executives at POW! Entertainment — a company he founded in 2001 to develop film, TV and video game properties — for $1 billion for fraud, then abruptly dropped the suit weeks later.

He also sued his ex-business manager and filed for a restraining order against a man who had been handling his affairs. (Lee’s estate was estimated to be worth as much as $70 million.) And in June 2018, it was revealed that the Los Angeles Police Department had been investigating reports of elder abuse against him.

On his own and through his work with frequent artist-writer collaborators Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others, Lee catapulted Marvel from a tiny venture into the world’s No. 1 publisher of comic books and later a multimedia giant.

In 2009, the Walt Disney Co. bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, and most of the top-grossing superhero films of all time — led by The Avengers’ $1.52 billion worldwide take in 2012 — featured Marvel characters.

“I used to think what I did was not very important,” he told the Chicago Tribune in April 2014. “People are building bridges and engaging in medical research, and here I was doing stories about fictional people who do extraordinary, crazy things and wear costumes. But I suppose I have come to realize that entertainment is not easily dismissed.”

As a young introverted kid, comic books were truly my escape.

I collected practically all of the Marvel Comic line. The characters carried their own personal flaws along with their vaunted super-powers.

They were often unsure,  and occasionally, they might fail. Only to get back up.

That world of make-believe, where I could imagine being powerful and immune to the teasing and bullying I encountered at school, was what got me through my early years.

I remember realizing, as an adult, that the X-Men series was an allegory about gay people and that lifted me up a bit. I learned about power, responsibility, teamwork, and understanding the courage it can take to do the right thing.

RIP Stan Lee. #Excelsior

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Wisconsin High School Students Throw Full-On ‘Sig Heil’ In Prom Photo

(Click image to enlarge)

Folks are kind of flummoxed by a photo taken at the junior prom of Wisconsin’s Baraboo High School showing the class’s male students doing a ‘sig heil.’

Law & Crime points out the event was last spring, but the photo just came to light when it was posted to the Twitter account @GoBaraboo that has since been been made private.

It was posted with the caption, “We even got the black kid to throw it up #BarabooProud.”

One guy in the front was clearly doing the sign for white power:

Vice contributor Jules Suzdaltsev asked Twitter to help him do a deep dive into the matter, and he began getting private messages from students at the school saying they had seen and heard a lot of racist language while attending the school.

One student who graduated from BHS this spring wrote Suzdaltsev saying he could “100% support the claims of racism at that school.”

“The use of the n-word was pretty common among a lot of white students, whether jokingly or not,” he added.

Another told Suzdaltsev that the day after Donald Trump was elected, students were yelling “White Power!” in the hallways.

Folks did note that one student, in the upper right hand corner of the photo, was clearly not having the moment.

Suzdaltsev spoke with the student, Jordan Blue, who said the photo was taken so quickly he couldn’t leave. But he also shared that he’d been bullied by his classmates for years.

“My name is Jordan Blue, I am the boy captured in the photo to the far right. The photo was taken during our Junior Prom Photos. I clearly am uncomfortable, with what was happening. I couldn’t leave the photo as it was taken within 5 seconds. The photographer took the photos telling us to make the sign, I knew what my morals were and it not to salute something I firmly didn’t believe in. I attend BHS, these classmates have bullied me since entering middle school, I have struggled with it my entire life and nothing has changed. These are the boy of Class of 2019, nothing has been done and my question is… with anything ever be done. I truly & firmly believe we need to make a change to this horrible act, it need to stop. Bullying. Immaturity. And just taking things as a “joke”…”

According to Suzdaltsev, the photographer (identified as local motorcycle photographer Peter Gust) has taken the photo album down from his website and issued an odd message calling out “malevolent behavior on the part of some in society.” He seems to be blaming the scandal on folks taking issue with the idea of telling students to do a Nazi salute.

The photo has even received international attention as the Twitter account for the Auschwitz Memorial tweeted, “This is why every single day we work hard to educate.”

Baraboo School District Superintendent Dr. Lori Mueller issued this statement:

The Barabook School District sent the following letter to parents this morning in response to a photo on social media.

Dear Parents/Guardians of Baraboo School District Students:

Early this morning, a photo that was taken last spring of some Barabook School District students who appear to be making extremely inappropriate gestures began circulating on social media. The District has confirmed at this time that the photo was not taken on school property or at a school-sponsored event.

The school district is investigating this situation and is working with parents, staff and local authorities. If the gesture is what it appears to be, the district will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address the issue.

With that, we want to be very clear: the Baraboo School District is a hate-free environment where all people, regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, are respected and celebrated.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lori Mueller, Superintendent

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Podcast: Midterm Elections Recap, Tanzania, Rock Hudson & Colton Haynes

In this podcast:

• As the close races are finding a victor days later, I break down the midterm elections on how LGBTQ candidates did, as well as how the “Blue Wave” will affect our community.

• The US State Department denounces the hideous human rights violations against LGBTQ people in Tanzania.

• Hollywood legend Rock Hudson is getting a big screen biopic treatment by out super-producer Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon).

• And Colton Haynes surprised fans with a cover of “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman.

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.

If you enjoy catching up on LGBTQ news in a quick podcast, I’d appreciate it if you would share The Randy Report with your friends.

I like to think of this podcast as the 60 Minutes of gay news — only shorter 🙂