Category: Uncategorized

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Viral Video: Chilling Montage Of News Anchors Reading The Same “Editorial” From Sinclair Broadcasting

For folks who may not be aware, there is a company called Sinclair Broadcasting Group that has been quietly acquiring local TV stations in markets across the US.

SBG is the largest television station operator in the United States by number of stations, and largest by total coverage; owning and/or operating a total of 193 stations across the country in over 100 markets (covering 40% of American households), many of which are located in the South and Midwest.

Gee, isn’t that where Republican politicians do well?

Nothing wrong with that. Except…

Sinclair Broadcasting Group is a right-leaning news organization that regularly sends out prepared “op-ed” material which news anchors are told to read on the air as “must run” pieces.

Presented as “editorials,” these are not the anchors’ opinions or even the station’s opinions. They are the thoughts and messaging of a specific political bent meant to influence how folks watching their local news feel about certain subjects.

I have no problem with a company having a public position on a political issue. But, these editorials aren’t prefaced by “from the corporate home office” or “from the station owner.”

Most folks think these are original thoughts and opinions of the people they get their news from every day. People viewers have come to trust.

This is incredibly insidious approach to influencing public opinion is, to use Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s term, “extremely dangerous to our democracy.”

Here’s a list of SBG stations. You might find out one of your local stations is owned by SBG.

Watch the chilling viral video below as news anchors across the country were ordered to read the exact same “editorial” from Sinclair Broadcasting Group attacking “fake news.”

Gee – “fake news.” Does that term sound familiar?

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RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel: Democrats Hate Trump More Than They Love Our Country

Ronna Romney McDaniel

Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel stepped in it this morning when she took to Twitter to announce that “Democrats hate Trump more than they love America.”

It took less than two seconds for folks to point out that McDaniel must love the Trumpster more than she loves her own family since she was reportedly asked by the White House to drop her family name before becoming RNC chair since it is a constant reminder that McDaniel’s uncle is Trump foe, Mitt Romney.

In truth, the reason why Trump has encountered the resistance he has is because Democrats love the country more than they love Trump.

The Twitterverse took note of the chairwoman’s dumbassery:

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Update: 18 Sponsors Have Dropped Laura Ingraham’s Fox News Show

High school student David Hogg (L) and Laura Ingraham (R)

Just a little update to share that 18 sponsors now say they will no longer advertise on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show.

Advertisers have been fleeing in droves since Ingraham mocked David Hogg, one of the survivors of the Parkland school shooting, for getting rejection letters from colleges.

Unsurprisingly, Ingraham says she’s taking a “vacation” next week.

You’ll recall when Bill O’Reilly got into hot water last year over payments to women for sexual harassment/inappropriate behavior charges, he went on vacay.

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WILL & GRACE Creator Donates Copies Of Gay Bunny Book To Indiana School Libraries

Talk about a story with a “hoppy” ending!

Earlier this month, I reported that John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, announced his team had written and published A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a children’s book spun from the news that Vice President Mike Pence’s family had penned and illustrated their own children’s book, Marlon Bundo’s: A Day in the Life of the Vice President.

Jill Twiss, a writer on Oliver’s Last Week Tonight show penned the charming book with illustrations by E.G. Keller.

Marlon Bundo is the actual pet rabbit of the Veep’s daughter and both books follow Marlon as he hops around D.C.

But in the Last Week Tonight tome, Marlon Bundo falls in love with another male rabbit named Wesley, which probably irked the Veep as he’s known for his notoriously anti-LGBT positions and policies.

The LWT book sold-out and became a #1 bestseller on Amazon.

But wait – there’s more!

This week, Max Mutchnick, one of the creators of Will & Grace, has purchased and donated a copy of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo to every elementary school in the Pence’s home state of Indiana.

Along with the books, Mutchnik sent a letter which read, in part:

“I would like to donate this copy of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo to your library. After hearing about the book, I brought it home and read it to my twin daughters. It’s a poignant story about how love and community can rise above intolerance.”

You can check out A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo on Amazon here. Maybe there’s a child in your life that could benefit from some good, wholesome storytelling 🙂

I was blown away by the new John Oliver children’s book, “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.” With Easter upon us, I wanted to not only support the brilliance of John Oliver, but also celebrate the Gayest Bunny of Them All: The Easter Bunny. So I decided to buy a copy of Oliver’s “Bundo” (written by Jill Twiss) for every public grammar school in Indiana. All 1,121 of them. Here’s why: Mike Pence has had an enormous platform in Indiana, and as it relates to gay people, he’s used it to spread a message of intolerance. By donating these books, I hope to counter those efforts and provide positive role models and a story of inclusion for children in Pence’s home state. If this book can help one boy or girl in Indiana love and accept who they are, I know both Marlon Bundos would be proud—even though one of them is on the downlow.
A post shared by Max Mutchnick (@maxmutchnick) on Mar 30, 2018 at 2:12pm PDT

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Today Is International Transgender Day Of Visibility

Today marks International Transgender Day of Visibility. Founded by prominent transgender activist, Rachel Crandall, back in 2009, the day was created to raise the visibility of transgender people, bring attention to the accomplishments of trans people around the world, while fighting transphobia through the spread of knowledge. It is a time to celebrate transgender people around the globe and the courage it takes to live openly and authentically, while also raising awareness around the discrimination trans people still face. The journey toward living openly and authentically looks different for everyone, and, given the levels of violence and discrimination faced by transgender and gender expansive people, revealing and expressing one’s gender identity can be a complex and difficult process. The chart below illustrates why transgender folks need more visibility (click to enlarge):

For more information, head over to Trans Student Educational Resources  

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Breaking Barriers: Two Men Become 1st NFL Cheerleaders

For the first time in NFL history, two men will become cheerleaders for an NFL team.

Napoleon Jinnies and Quinton Peron will be part of the L.A. Rams cheerleaders squad for the 2018/2019 season.

All smiles on Good Morning America, Peron was asked what motivated him to try out: “I thought, ‘Why not me? Why can’t I do this?’ And called my friend and I asked her when auditions were for the Rams and she told me Sunday [March 11] and I showed up.”

Appearing with the men, LA Rams cheerleader captain Emily Leibert extolled the men’s qualifications:

“They really just fit the bill to be a Los Angeles Rams cheerleader. They are intelligent, they are eloquent, they are more than qualified to be ambassadors out in the community. They bring so much energy and there’s something so magnetic about their performance, you really can’t take your eyes off them.”

Full disclosure – in my senior year of high school, the cheerleading coach decided to add 4 guys to what had been an all-girl squad for decades. Just like Quinton, I thought “I want to do that!”

And I did. And had a ball.

When I got to Syracuse University, by a fluke, I happened to be in the university gym when the cheering squad was practicing and I stopped to watch. Eventually, I walked over to say ‘hi,’ and found out they had just lost a male team member. And, in a rarity for a freshman, I got the spot.

I cheered three years for the Orangemen and was captain of the squad my last year. It was thrilling to be on the grounds of the Carrier Dome cheering during football and basketball games.

If you’re a high energy guy in your college years, it’s a great way to burn some of that off. I loved it.

You can check out their amazing dancing at the tryouts and see the moments they discovered they made the cut:

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News Round-Up: March 30, 2018

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• #TGIF!  Israeli fitness model Shalom Bar (h/t Towleroad)

• 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Justice Stephen Reinhardt, who authored the majority ruling that struck down Prop 8 in California in 2012, has passed away at the age of 87.

• This gay couple is living a Kafkaesque nightmare in trying to stay together thanks to Donald Trump’s travel ban.

• The ACLU has filed suit in Ohio for not allowing transgender people to update their birth certificates. The policy is the inconsistent with other state policies that allow transgender Ohioans to update their gender markers on their driver’s licenses and state identification cards. Ohio, Tennessee, and Kansas are the only states that don’t allow trans people to change their birth certificates.

• Country music star Kacey Musgraves told Billboard she regrets that once she laughed as a “gay guy” was bullied.

• Indie singer/songwriter Lauv dropped his latest single, “Chasing Fire” just in time for the weekend. And me like 🙂

Lauv, who Rolling Stone calls “Pop’s up-and-coming heartbreak king,” seems to find mucho inspiration in the relationships that don’t work out.

Lauv said of the single: “’Chasing Fire’ is about fighting for something that’s already over. It’s the beginning of the end. It’s desperation. It’s grand. But it’s hopeless.”

Hit play below and take a listen. I definitely hear some Coldplay/Maroon 5 influences even as Lauv stakes out his own territory.

Happy Friday, kids!

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McCabe Legal Defense Fund Raises Over $462K In One Day

Yesterday, I reported on the establishment of a legal defense fund via GoFundMe for former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, who was fired less than 26 hours of reaching his retirement after a 20+ year career with the FBI.

The move was viewed by many as a punishment from the Trump administration for not “protecting” Donald Trump in the current investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

The “fair and balanced” folks at Fox News aren’t very happy:

Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser and retired three-star Army general, is on the brink of financial ruin, selling his Virginia home in order to pay his mounting legal bills.

Meanwhile, Andrew McCabe – the wealthy ex-FBI official fired by Attorney General Jeff Sessions whose wife is a physician – raised an extraordinary $400,000 online from 10,000 people in one day to pay his lawyers.

Both Flynn and McCabe have been accused of lying. Only Flynn has been charged with a crime. But both are expected to continue racking up enormous legal fees in the months to come.

McCabe, who spent more than 20 years at the FBI, was fired earlier this month by Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the DOJ’s inspector general determined McCabe was not truthful during his review of the Clinton email investigation. The FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility recommended his firing.

Flynn was fired from the White House last year for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador and then pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

You’ll notice how Fox News colors the two men’s situations: McCabe was “not truthful” while Flynn “misled” Mike Pence.

Fox News also makes note that McCabe is “wealthy” but doesn’t mention that Mike Flynn is reportedly worth $7 million.

#FairAndBalancedMyAss

I think the results of McCabe’s legal fundraising shows a lot about who Americans believe and they are putting their money where their mouth is.

It also gives further credence to how fired up Americans are to oppose Donald Trump’s woeful administration.

At this writing, McCabe’s GoFundMe campaign has raised over $462,000 from almost 11,000 donors.

(h/t JoeMyGod)