Category: Uncategorized

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SCOTUS Nominee Dodges/Evades Questions On Marriage Equality

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)

Long days of confirmation hearings by the Senate judiciary committee questioning Donald Trump’s latest nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, have yielded no answers on where the candidate stands on marriage equality.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a former Attorney General of California, attempted to get a straight answer to no avail.

“My question is very specific,” she stated. “Can you comment on your personal opinion on whether Obergefell was correctly decided. It’s a yes or no. Please.”

Rather than address that question, Kavanaugh deflected to the recent SCOTUS decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd, v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

“Justice Kennedy wrote, ‘The days of discriminating against gay and lesbian Americans or treating gay and lesbian Americans as inferior in dignity and worth are over,’” Kavanaugh replied.

The problem is that case wasn’t about same-sex marriage per se, but about LGBT discrimination.

“That is the precedent of the Supreme Court agreed with by…” Kavanaugh began, a response he’s used throughout the proceedings to avoid a direct answer.

Harris wasn’t having it. “Sir, I’m asking your opinion,” she made clear. “You’re the nominee right now so it is probative of your ability to serve on the highest court in our land.”

“So I’m asking you a very specific question – either you’re willing to answer or not,” framing the back and forth. “And if you’re not willing to answer it, we can move on. Do you believe Obergefell was correctly decided?”

“Each of the justices have declined as a matter of judicial independence,” Kavanaugh demurred.

“So you will not answer that question?” Harris declared and moved on to another subject.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) tried in his own way to get clarity on the judge’s position on the legality of same-sex marriage.

“Would it be wrong to fire a gay person?” Booker asked Kavanuagh.

“In my workplace, I hire people because of their talents and abilities,” Kavanaugh said, steering away from any legal perspective.

Booker moved to a different tact asking, “For someone to fire someone just because they’re gay… do they have a legal right to fire someone just because they’re gay in your opinion?”

Kavanaugh declined to answer that question directly citing ongoing litigation that he might have to rule on.

Growing frustrated, Booker stated the concern directly to the nominee: “There are a lot of folks who have concerns that if you get on the court, folks who are married right now really have a fear that they will not be able to continue those marital bonds.

“We still have a country where, if you post your Facebook pictures up of your marriage to someone of the same sex, we still have a majority of the states where if that employer of yours finds out that you’ve got a gay marriage and that you’re gay, in the majority of America states, you can fire somebody because they’re gay,” stated Booker.

And Booker’s right. Currently, there’s no federal law protecting LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination.

Only 20 states plus Washington, D.C. protect gay, lesbian or bisexual workers in public or private employ.

“I guess you’re not willing to tell me whether you personally, morally now, think that that’s right or wrong,” Booker concluded.

Watch Sen. Booker go round and round with Kavanaugh below.

The CEO of GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, tweeted this statement deriding Kavanaugh’s vague, non-answers to Harris and Booker on these questions of vital concern to LGBTQ Americans.

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Nike’s Online Sales Surge 31% Since Announcement Of Colin Kaepernick Ad

Trumpers may be burning their Nike sportswear as a weird kind of boycott (it’s not a boycott if they get your money, folks), but Nike is having a good laugh.

Edison Trends is reporting that online sales of Nike merchandise has surged 31% compared with the same time period last year in the aftermath of the new Nike campaign featuring NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“There was speculation that the Nike/Kaepernick campaign would lead to a drop in sales but the data does not support that theory,” the company said in a statement.

Apex Marketing notes that in addition to surging online sales, Nike received more than $43 million in terms of media exposure and proudly took on the mantle of ‘risk-taker.’

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Former Trump “Coffee Boy” Sentenced To 14 Days In Prison

Former Trump campaign foreign policy consultant George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI a year ago about his activities with the campaign, was sentenced today to 14 days in prison.
George Papadopoulos (via Alexandria, VA, Sheriff’s dept)

Former Trump campaign foreign policy consultant George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI a year ago about his activities with the campaign, was sentenced today to 14 days in prison.

From ABC News:

In a DC federal courtroom, Papadopoulos was handed 14 days in prison and 12 months of supervised release by U.S. Judge Randolph Moss. Papadopoulos was also given 200 hours of community service and a $9,500 fine.

Papadopoulos’s attorney, Tom Breen, told the court that “the president of the United States hindered this investigation more than George Papadopoulos” by declaring the Russia investigation fake news. Breen said Papadopoulos was following Trump’s lead.

A week later when he was questioned by FBI in Chicago, his motive for lying was “loyalty to his career and a future with the Trump administration.”

Papadopoulos was the first Trump associate to be arrested.

In the aftermath of his arrest, Donald Trump diminished any importance Papadopoulos might have had down to merely “coffee boy” status.

#Ouch

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Paula Abdul Is ‘Straight Up’ Stunning In Late Late Show Appearance

Paula Abdul on The Late Late Show

Paula Abdul dropped by The Late Late Show with James Corden this week to promote her upcoming Straight Up Paula! tour – her first in more than 25 years.

And along the way, she delivered a smoking hot performance of her classic hit, “Straight Up,” with stunning choreography.

The former American Idol judge also shared her not-so-smooth journey to become an L.A. Lakers cheerleader at the age of 18 before beginning her award-winning music career.

As Miss Paula tells it, at the beginning of the tryouts, she was called forward with a group of ladies (before dancing a step) and was told “We’re thinning the herd – you’re the first cut.”

But it seems she anticipated a few obstacles at the try-outs, so she had planned ahead and brought a whole bag of clothes with her.

Abdul headed for the ladies room – not to cry, but to change her outfit. She went back into the auditions, changed her name and made to the dancing round.

And got cut again.

Back to the ladies room and another costume change. This time she listed herself as “P.J. Apple.”

It was 5-6-7-8 dance, and the future Grammy/Emmy Award winner made the squad.

Within a year, she would become the head choreographer for the team.

And then, of course, she was famously discovered by The Jacksons; she became one of the premier music video choreographers at the height of music video popularity; signed her own recording deal with Virgin Records, and the rest is history.

Her debut album, Forever Your Girl, sold 7 million copies and yielded 4 ‘straight up’ number one singles.

Glad to see Abdul is back. Its clear she’s still hitting it like a champ. There are younger artists out there who wish they could dance this well.

Watch her knock “Straight Up” right out of the park in the video below.

You can find info about her tour here.

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The Kilted Coaches: “Let It Grow”

The Kilted Coaches (Stephen and Rab)

Who wants to see hunky, furry, shirtless Scots in kilts encouraging you to feel the burn?

Ooh, ooh – me! Me!

It seems it’s been a while since I checked in on YouTube fitness experts, the Kilted Coaches.

So I decided to find out what personal trainers Stephen and Rab have been up to lately.

In one of the Kilted Coaches’ recent workout videos, they offer their tips on how to lose fat quickly.

Coming off of end-of-summer vacations and especially this past three-day Labor Day weekend, this seems like a good time for fat burning.

And hey – if they guys from Perth, Scotland, want to take off their shirts and give us a peek at their manly muscles, then, who are we to complain?

Another recent video addressed the issues of over-training and giving your body time to “let it grow.”

The guys even parody that famous song from Frozen, “Let It Go,” as they share their furry goodness on muscle growth.

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Merck Gets FDA Approval On 2 New HIV Meds

Pharmaceutical drug giant Merck has obtained approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for two new medications to address HIV.

Pifeltro (doravirine) is a new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). That medication is paired in a three-drug single tablet dose to be marketed as Delstrigo (doravirine/lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate).

Both are indicated for treating HIV-1 in adults with no prior anti-retroviral treatment.

The approval for the once-a-day pills come after two double-blind, active-controlled phase 3 trials showed positive results.

In a trial called “Drive-Ahead,” 728 patients were treated with either Delstrigo or Gilead’s Atripla for 48 weeks.

At the end of the study, viral suppression rates were similar with Delstrigo reaching 84% and Atripla achieving 81% suppression.

In addition to edging Atripla on viral suppression, Delstrigo patients saw better results regarding LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol.

The Delstrigo group also experienced lower incidence of neuropsychiatric adverse issues like sleep problems, dizziness and being able to concentrate more clearly.

While there is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS, the Centers for Disease Control have previously announced that when HIV+ folks stay on their prescribed medications on a daily basis, not only are viral loads lowered to ‘undetectable,’ but ‘undetectable’ means the virus is untransmittable.

(h/t PharmaPhorum)

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India’s High Court Overturns Dehumanzing Anti-LGBT Law

Awesome news from India this morning as the country’s high court has overturned a colonial-era law which made same-sex relations illegal.

From The New York Times:

In a groundbreaking victory for gay rights, India’s Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously struck down one of the world’s oldest bans on consensual gay sex, putting to rest a legal battle that stretched for years and burying one of the most glaring vestiges of India’s colonial past.

After weeks of deliberation in the Supreme Court and decades of struggles by gay Indians, India’s chief justice, Dipak Misra, said that the colonial-era law known as Section 377 was “irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary.”

“We have to bid adieu to prejudices and empower all citizens,” he told a packed courtroom.

The court said that gay people were now entitled to all constitutional protections under Indian law and that any discrimination based on sexuality would be illegal.

“This monumental decision by India’s Supreme Court finally ends a deeply discriminatory law that violated the dignity and most fundamental human rights of LGBTQ people in India,” said HRC Global Director Ty Cobb. “We congratulate the plaintiffs in this case and the LGBTQ advocates who worked tirelessly for decades to achieve this tremendous victory.”

“We hope this decision in the world’s largest democracy and second most populous country will set an example and galvanize efforts to overturn similar outdated and degrading laws that remain in 71 other countries,” Cobb added.

“The soul of this nation had been bruised and battered because of this archaic law,” said Harish Iyer, an Indian LGBTQ advocate who was involved in the legal challenge to Section 377. “Today, we have reaffirmed our right to our bodies and our right to love. The rainbow flag is proudly hoisted in our hearts and minds as we celebrate this victory.”

With a population of more than 1.3 billion, which accounts for 17% of the world’s population, India is the largest democracy in the world.

Until this ruling, India was the most populous of 72 countries that criminalize same-sex relations.

In 10 countries around the world, homosexual activity may be punishable by death.

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The Moment Ayanna Pressley Realized She’d Beaten A 10-Term Congressman

Ayanna Pressley

Big news coming out of Massachusetts today – a Boston City Councilor, Ayanna Pressley, defeated 10-term Rep. Mike Capuano in Tuesday’s closely watched Massachusetts Democratic primary.

With no Republican challenger looming in the deep-blue district, Pressley is all but assured to win election in November and become the first black woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress, doing so in a district once represented by John F. Kennedy.

This is the moment Pressley found out she won.

#GoGirl

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Nike Drops 1st Colin Kaepernick Ad Spot

Colin Kaepernick

Ok – this. This right here.

After a day that saw Nike’s stock take a hit, the athletic wear company is not crawling in a hole.

No – they are ramping up on the inspirational message of NFLer Colin Kaepernick and more world-class athletes.

The sportswear behemoth released a two-minute video today (2 million views in just a few hours) featuring Kaepernick narrating a vision of dreams exceeded.

“Don’t try to be the fastest runner in your school, or in the world. Be the fastest ever.”

“Don’t settle for homecoming queen or linebacker – do both.”

Megan Rapinoe

“When they talk about the greatest team in the history of the sport, make sure its your team.”

“Don’t become the biggest basketball player on the planet. Be BIGGER than basketball.”

“Don’t believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody.”

“Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they’re crazy enough.”

As the video clips bounce from Alphonso Davies to Serena Williams to LeBron James, don’t miss openly lesbian Olympic gold medalist Megan Rapinoe at the 1:25 mark.

Serena Williams

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Anonymous Op-Ed In NY Times: “I Am Part Of The Resistance Inside The Trump Administration”

The New York Times has published an astonishing anonymous op-ed from someone who purports to be a senior official in the Trump White House. The Times says it knows the identity of the author, and is publishing the piece due to its "important perspective."
Donald Trump

Umm, wow.

The New York Times has published an astonishing anonymous op-ed from someone who purports to be a senior official in the Trump White House.

The Times says it knows the identity of the author, and is publishing the piece due to its “important perspective.”

Here’s how the essay begins:

President Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern American leader.

It’s not just that the special counsel looms large. Or that the country is bitterly divided over Mr. Trump’s leadership. Or even that his party might well lose the House to an opposition hellbent on his downfall.

The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.

I would know. I am one of them.

The author goes on to say he and his allies are not the ‘resistance’ of the left but are putting country first while Donald Trump continues to act “in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.”

The goal of the insiders (who the author refers to as not the “deep state” but the “steady state”) is to thwart “Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.”

Continuing, the author refers to Trump’s leadership style as “impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.”

And then there’s this bombshell:

Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.

You really must read the full essay here.