Donald Trump covers the latest issue of TIME Magazine with the title, “King Me.”
The in-depth article by Molly Ball and Tessa Berenson goes into the ongoing warfare between Team Trump and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
If he agrees to talk, the notoriously undisciplined President risks making a false statement, which could be a crime like the one that led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
But if he refuses, Mueller could issue a subpoena, instigating a long, high-profile court battle over whether Trump could be forced to testify.
The two legal teams–Mueller’s squad of top prosecutors and Trump’s rotating cast of advocates–are haggling over what an interrogation would look like: how long it would be, what topics would be on the table and whether the session would be recorded.
Before the President talks to investigators, Trump’s team wants to see the authorization letter that established Mueller’s authority, according to Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
They are also demanding the special counsel’s report to be issued within 60 days of any interview.
Today, a quarter of a million people from around the world gathered in Tel Aviv today to march in the largest ever pride parade in the Middle East where Bravo’s Andy Cohen served as this year’s International Ambassador.
“I live in New York City and this is my first but definitely not my last time in Tel Aviv. I am a proud gay Jewish man and the only gay host in late night TV. I have been struck by how incredible it is, not only to be here, but as a proud gay Jewish man surrounded by my people.”
“It’s also an amazing thing seeing gay pride flags flying everywhere next to the flag of Israel.”
“Celebrating Pride in Tel Aviv is a beautiful celebration of gay rights and visibility in a region where many of the neighbors cannot live as their true selves or be who they were born to be, which makes it all the more special for this massive coming together in support of equality to be taking place in Tel Aviv.”
This year’s parade marked 20 years to the City’s first pride parade and payed tribute to the pioneering activists who played a key-role in promoting LGBT rights and visibility in Israel.
Satirist Randy Rainbow riffs on White House adviser Kellyanne Conway’s recent slip of the tongue during an interview wherein she referred to her boss as the “Commander of Cheese.”
Wait – what? I feel a song coming on.
Trust Randy Rainbow to take a ball of cheese and run with it as he parodies “It Sucks To Be Me” from the Broadway musical Avenue Q:
Commander of Cheese Commander of Cheese He’s orange and moldy and smells like feet And that’s why he’s Commander of Cheese
“Russia should be in this meeting,” Mr. Trump said. “Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting? And I would recommend — and it’s up to them, but Russia should be in the meeting, it should be a part of it. You know, whether you like it or not, and it may not be politically correct, but we have a world to run and the G-7 — which used to be the G-8, they threw Russia out. They should let Russia come back in because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.”
Russia joined the group in the 1990s after emerging from the wreckage of the Soviet Union, making it the G-8, but its armed intervention in its neighbor Ukraine in 2014 and seizure of the Crimean peninsula angered other major powers. The remaining members, led by President Barack Obama, expelled it in a sign of global resolve not to let international borders be redrawn by force.
Mr. Trump offered no specific reasoning for why Russia should be let back in even though it retains control of Crimea and has not lived up to an international agreement to end its intervention in eastern Ukraine.
Man, Trump sure is loyal to the country that elected him.
Chef and traveler Anthony Bourdain, host of CNN’s Parts Unknown, has passed away after being found unresponsive in his hotel room in France by friend and fellow chef Eric Ripert.
The chef, story-teller and award-winning TV host was 61.
According to several reports, the cause of death is an apparent suicide.
Boudain and Ripert were in France filming an episode for the popular CNN series.
It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain. His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time.
Bourdain was author of numerous celebrated books and winner of almost every food award in existence. He was held in high regard within the food industry and admired by fans who appreciated his raw and real exploration of uncharted areas of the world.
After nine seasons of his Emmy Award-winning No Reservations on The Travel Channel, Boudain launched his wildly successful Parts Unknown in 2012.
In 2013, Peabody Award judges honored Bourdain and Parts Unknown for “expanding our palates and horizons in equal measure.”
An ally to the LGBTQ community, he teamed up with the Human Rights Campaign in 2014 for the push for marriage equality.
In 2011, after New York recognized marriage equality, the Brown Coffee Company in San Antonio, Texas, tweeted: “No human law can ever legitimize what natural law precludes #SorryFolks #NotEqual #WhyBother #ChasingAfterTheWind #SelfEvident.”
Bourdain simple but direct response: “Dear Brown Coffee: God called. He said you suck.”
Dear Brown Coffee: God called. He said you suck.— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) June 28, 2011
I’ve often shared with folks that the best way for the world to learn to understand each other is to travel. The sharing of food with people in other places becomes an instant connection, and we move closer from there.
Just as having visibility for the LGBTQ community makes us that much more relatable, travel opens our minds and hearts to understanding the hows and whys of others.
And that is exactly what Anthony Bourdain helped us do.
RIP Anthony Bourdain.
Please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 if you are having thoughts of suicide.
My heart breaks for Tony Bourdain. May he rest in peace now. He was a friend, a collaborator, and family. A huge personality, a giant talent, a unique voice, and deeply, deeply human. My heart goes out to his daughter and family, and his longtime partners and friends at ZPZ.
Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain. He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food. Remember that help is a phone call away US:1-800-273-TALK UK: 116 123
Anthony Bourdain was an ambassador for the power of travel. He showed us how breaking bread breaks down barriers between cultures and people. He will truly be missed. pic.twitter.com/kQc2cOIHsd— Dina Titus (@repdinatitus) June 8, 2018
• I know, I know – It’s Thursday and shirting is hard…
• The story of the secret love affair between two of the most popular leading men of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Tab Hunter and Anthony Perkins, is heading to the big screen thanks to Zachary Quinto and J.J. Abrams.
• A Southern California mother has been sentenced to life in prison and her boyfriend was sentenced to death for the killing of an 8-year-old boy who prosecutors say was punished because the couple believed he was gay. #Good
• A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows a majority of Americans – 58% – don’t find football players taking a knee during the national anthem to be ‘unpatriotic.’
• Porn star and Donald Trump paramour Stormy Daniels is launching a new perfume and it’s name is… TRUTH.
• Season 2 of Netflix’s Queer Eye lands June 15. The Fab Five have a whole new crop of men to makeover — and a woman!
“We’re doing a lady,” says Bobby. “I haven’t done a lady in years,” responds apparent bisexual legend Antoni. Check out the new trailer below!
(images screen captured from Brush & Nib promotional video)
In the first court case since the ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court this week regarding an anti-gay baker in Colorado, the Arizona Court of Appeals has rejected the argument that businesses can discriminate against a customer based on their sexual orientation.
In 2013, the Phoenix City Council added sexual orientation and gender identity to an already existing non-discrimination ordinance making it illegal to discriminate in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations.
A small printing business in Phoenix, Brush & Nib Studio, which designs and prints wedding invitations, asked a judge to override the city’s ordinance to allow them to legally discriminate against LGBTs.
It’s important to note that NO gay couple had asked Brush & Nib for wedding services.
A three-judge panel today handed down an unanimous ruling citing several federal court rulings from across the nation which upheld laws similar to Arizona’s public accommodation laws.
In the ruling, Judge Lawrence Winthrop wrote, “In light of these cases and consistent with the United States Supreme Court’s decisions, we recognize that allowing appellants based on sexual orientation would constitute grave and continuing harm.”
One of the court rulings referenced in today’s decision is the one involving the Colorado baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple.
But the ruling from SCOTUS only concluded that the baker had not gotten a fair hearing before the Colorado Civil Rights Board. The high court never addressed the question of whether his religious beliefs allowed him to legally discriminate against same-sex couples.
Back in May 2016, blogger JoeMyGod noted that when the Phoenix lawsuit was filed the company didn’t appear to have a physical address, and the artists’ social media accounts were only months old, making it credible that the company might have been created just to file the lawsuit and challenge the city’s ordinance.
The video below, titled “Getting to Know the Artists of Brush & Nib,” was uploaded to YouTube just days before the lawsuit was filed, and the comments section is closed.
In the video, the two artists make a point to say their teaming up was a “God thing,” “beautiful things just come from God,” and how “special” they view their work on wedding invitations.
Interestingly, the video is listed as “Unlisted.”
Now, why would a business have a “getting to know” video be “unlisted” on YouTube?
Check out this sexy new PSA from medsEXPERT Pharmacy based in Toronto, Canada.
Featuring a handsome young urbanite named “Bradley,” the short vid follows his adventures before and after picking up his prescription for PrEP.
Taken on a regular basis, PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis), also marketed as under medication name Truvada, can reduce the risk of HIV infection by over 90%.
It certainly seems to set Bradley free.
Produced by Bulldog Productions and featuring Sofi Tukker’s “Awoo,” busy-boy Bradley’s social calendar gets turbo-charged once he’s in the PrEP swing of things.
“There is still a lot of stigma out there around the sex gay men have, it’s not always easy to find friendly or knowledgeable doctors and healthcare providers for LGBTQ+ folks,” Micheal Fanous, the owner and pharmacist at medsEXPERT told INMagazine. “Through this campaign, medsEXPERT wants to acknowledge the sex that men have and for all of us to be proud of who we are.”
The video ends with this message: “Don’t hate the player or the game itself. Take pride in your health!”
In response to the recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Colorado baker who refused to sell a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding in 2012, a Tennessee hardware store put up a sign which read, “No Gays Allowed.”
Jeff Amyx, who owns Amyx Hardware & Roofing Supplies in Grainger County, Tennessee., about an hour outside of Knoxville, added the “No Gays Allowed” sign on Monday, because gay and lesbian couples are against his religion.
Amyx, who is also a baptist minister, said he realized Monday morning that LGBT people are not afraid to stand for what they believe in. He said it showed him that Christian people should be brave enough to stand for what they believe in.
“They gladly stand for what they believe in, why can’t I? They believe their way is right, I believe it’s wrong. But yet I’m going to take more persecution than them because I’m standing for what I believe in,” Amyx said.
On Tuesday, Amyx removed the “No Gays allowed” sign and replaced it with a sign that says: “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who would violate our rights of freedom of speech & freedom of religion.”
