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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ Crash & Burn Interview On 60 MINUTES

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos struggled mightily last night in a sit-down interview with 60 Minutes journalist Lesley Stahl to answer even simple questions about public school’ performance.

Even on questions about schools in her home state of Michigan, where public schools there have gotten worse, DeVos admitted she hadn’t “intentionally visited schools that are underperforming.”

Stahl’s response? “Maybe you should.”

DeVos became Education Secretary as reward for her family’s huge donations to Republican campaigns and causes. She married an heir to the Amway fortune and has made destroying the public school system the cause of her life.

DeVos says her actions have been to champion “choice” but in truth her goal is for religious schools to take over education in America.

Rather than address the issues with traditional public schools, DeVos’ battlecry is to allow parents to take their children out of public school systems, give them funds in the form of a voucher and then let the parents enroll their children in private religious schools. The problem is that the funds pulled out of public schools cause those schools to slide even further in decline.

And since the vouchers don’t cover the full cost of private schools, lower income families are left behind with the remains of a decaying public school system.

Put simply, DeVos is a huge threat to public education and the separation of church and state in America.

Like the rest of Donald Trump’s cabinet, DeVos is a champion of deregulation. As Secretary of Education she is tasked with overseeing guidelines that protect the civil rights of students.

But mere days after being confirmed, she rescinded Obama-era guidelines that allowed transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice. What a surprise.

Here’s a link to the full transcript of last night’s debacle.

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FOX Airs OJ Simpson’s “Lost Confession”

While this almost feels like Geraldo Rivera is going to jump out of the wings with a wild conspiracy theory or a second vault that might have belonged to Al Capone, last night FOX aired O.J. Simpson – The Lost Confession?

FOX planned on airing the interview in 2006 in conjunction with Simpson’s book If I Did It but an outcry of objections pressured the network into cancelling the TV special.

After being acquitted of the double murder of his wife Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1995, O.J. Simpson gave this “interview” to publisher Judith Regan in 2006 wherein he explains a “hypothetical” version of events the night of the murders.

It’s hard to understand why Simpson would even go down this road. Throughout his “hypothetical,” he slips with “I remember” and “I was” comments that really help cement that this was a kind of subconscious confession.

Regan joined moderator Soledad O’Brien along with prosecutor Christopher Darden, Nicole’s friend Eve Chen and retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente for a panel to discuss Simpson’s comments as part of the TV event.

While he escaped punishment for the 1995 murders, Simpson was arrested and convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas and spent 9 years in prison. He was paroled last October.

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Fox News Host Jesse Watters In Divorce Proceedings After Affair With Younger Co-Worker

Jesse Watters with estranged wife Noelle Watters
(Image via Facebook)

Fox News host Jesse Watters is in divorce proceedings due to an affair with a 25-year-old associate producer at the network.

And no, this does not surprise me. Look at him. Tells you everything you need to know.

From The New York Daily News:

The network’s prominent host Jesse Watters — who dined on Monday with President Trump — is in the midst of divorce due to an affair with a 25-year-old associate producer.

Watters’ wife, Noelle Watters, filed for divorce in October. The couple has twin girls.

Sources said the 39-year-old host informed the network of his adulterous relationship with Emma DiGiovine shortly after Noelle filed divorce papers.

DiGiovine was transferred to “The Ingraham Angle.”

DiGiovine and Watters are still dating, sources said.

Watters met his now-estranged wife at Fox News as well.

Jesse Watters new 25-year-old girl friend, Emma DiGiovine
(image via Facebook)
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Report: Trump Privately Trashed GOP Candidate Rick Saccone As “Weak”

Donald Trump with Rick Saccone

Folks noticed that during Donald Trump’s 75 minute campaign-mode speech last night in Pennsylvania Trump barely mentioned the actual candidate running for office, Republican Rick Saccone.

It turns out Trump doesn’t think much of Saccone and considers him a weak candidate.

From Jonathan Swan at Axios:

There’s a reason Trump said hardly anything about Republican candidate Rick Saccone during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night that was supposed to promote his candidacy. The reason: Trump thinks Saccone is a terrible, “weak” candidate, according to four sources who’ve spoken to the president about him.

Trump held that opinion of Saccone before leaving for the rally, and I’ve not been able to establish whether his time on the ground with the candidate changed his mind.

Trump isn’t the only top Republican who’s found Saccone underwhelming. The widely-held view from Republican officials:

• Democrat Conor Lamb is a far superior candidate to Saccone and running a far better campaign. Lamb is running effectively as Republican Lite. He’s pro-gun and says he personally opposes to abortion (though he supports abortion rights).

• The thing that most irks senior Republicans involved in the race: Saccone has been a lousy fundraiser. Lamb has outraised Saccone by a staggering margin — nearly 500 percent.

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Los Angeles: Adam Rippon Honored With HRC Visibility Award

Adam Rippon (All images via Getty Images for HRC)

Out Olympian Adam Rippon was honored in Los Angeles last night with the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award.

Adam’s fellow “out Olympian” Gus Kenworthy, who received the same award last year, presented Adam with the Visibility Award.

Here’s Gus’s introduction and Adam’s full speech, which is very much worth the watching.

Additionally, Adam finally met Oscar-winner Sally Field’s son, Sam Greisman, who she very publicly campaigned to meet Rippon.

In a text message to her son during the Olympics Field wrote, “He’s insanely pretty. Find a way.” Looks like mission accomplished:

More pics from the event courtesy of Getty Images for the Human Rights Campaign:

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy introduces Adam Rippon

Presenting the Visibility Award

Josh Duhamel of Love, Simon

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

DWTS/ANTM champ Nyle DiMarco with Adam Rippon

Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin
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News Round-Up: March 11, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• Did your first meaningful relationship end well? Kenneth-in-the-212 recently shared this pic of the 70s hottie above linking to the very sweet story behind the photo.

• Marvel’s Black Panther has broken the $1 billion mark in just 26 days.

• Tom Jackson, the first subject of Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot, has reunited with his ex-wife thanks in part to the “Fab 5.”

• A Toronto psychiatrist who believes homosexuality is a sexual disorder has been found guilty of sexually abusing two of his male patients. The doc told his patients the sexual activity was part of the therapy. #Hypocrisy

• Gay coming-out/coming-of-age movie Love, Simon delivered strong box office at Friday night sneak previews.

• Check out the first episode of Mikalah Gordon’s new YouTube series, Inside Melania.

Synopsis – “After Melania leaves Donald, she realizes it’s time to explore being a regular person. This is her first attempt at becoming a vlogger, in efforts to explain her side of “THE OTHER WOMENS.”

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#FakeNews: Trump Claims Rasmussen Poll Approval Is “Around 50%”

(click image to enlarge)

Donald Trump took to Twitter (where else?) to lie that news outlets aren’t touting his “around 50% approval rating” from pollsters like Rasmussen.

Ah ha! Fake News!

In truth, the latest Rasmussen daily tracking poll shows Trump at 44% approval.

Real Clear Politics averages his approval at 41%. See graphic above.

These are all facts anyone can look up. Which, from the looks of Twitter, is what everyone did:

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Trump Rants At Reports He’s Hiring Clinton Impeachment Lawyer

Donald Trump

For all his bravado of “no collusion” and pretending Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election will end “soon,” Donald Trump is looking to hire the lawyer who handled Bill Clinton’s impeachment proceedings.

Trump can’t be feeling all THAT confident.

From The New York Times:

The lawyer, Emmet T. Flood, met with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office this past week to discuss the possibility, according to the people. No final decision has been made, according to two of the people.

Should Mr. Flood come on board, the two people said, his main duties would be a day-to-day role helping the president navigate his dealings with the Justice Department.

Two people close to the president said that the overture to Mr. Flood did not indicate any new concerns about the inquiry. Still, it appears, at the least, to be an acknowledgment that the investigation is unlikely to end anytime soon.

Mr. Flood would not replace Ty Cobb, the White House lawyer who since the summer has taken the lead role in dealing with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. But Mr. Cobb has told friends for weeks that he views his position as temporary and does not expect to remain in the job for much longer.

And, of course, here comes the predictable Twitter rant from the Trumpster:

Now, the candidate Trump backed in the Alabama Senate race lost. A Republican LOST in Alabama. He doesn’t count a Senate race as part of “Congress?”

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Podcast: Catch Up On This Week’s LGBTQ Headlines In Less Than 20 Minutes

Hit play below – you know you want to hear me chat 🙂

In this week’s podcast:

• The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals handed down an important ruling for transgender protections in the workplace

• Should we boycott Bermuda for taking away marriage equality?

• An out high school football star is targeted by the haters of Westboro Baptist Church but his classmates aren’t having it

• A gay couple found their wedding photo used in a political attack ad by the Tennessee state Republican Party #WTF?

• Take two – Starkville, Mississippi, is getting it’s first Pride parade

• The 2018 Paralympics have begun and there’s at least one out and proud Paralympian this year

• Mindy Kaling’s new series Champions on NBC features a 16-year-old out character who’s never seen the inside of a closet

• VICE follows gay married couple Rick & Griff in Atlanta to learn how folks are monetizing their social media following

• NBC’s “The Voice” made history this week with the series’ first transgender contestant

• Randy Rainbow takes on the NRA with his parody of “Kids” from the 1960s Broadway hit Bye Bye Birdie

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At Least One Paralympian In PyeongChang Is Out & Proud

Canadian Paralympian Cindy Ouellet

I’ve been meaning to remind folks to watch the 2018 Paralympics which began yesterday in PyeongChang and last to March 18.

It’s not just the Olympics that offer up amazing physical achievement and inspirational stories. I’ve been watching the Paralympics for years and you should, too.

On the community level, Outsports is reporting that there is at least one out and proud Paralympian competing this year.

Cindy Ouellet didn’t know if she would qualify for these Olympic Games, pinning her hopes on cross-country skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Yet here she is, competing in three events in Pyeongchang: the women’s 1.1km, 5km and 12km sitting cross-country skiing events.

Ouellet competed in women’s wheelchair basketball in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Paralympics. Her Canadian team lost in the semifinals of the most recent Summer Paralympics in 2016.

She has a gold and a bronze medal in the World Championship of wheelchair basketball, but a Paralympic medal has eluded her.

According to the Winter Paralympics Web site, Ouellet was “diagnosed with bone cancer in her hip at age 12. She suffered nerve damage from the chemotherapy treatment she received.”

A Summer AND Winter Paralympian? Jeez, what a slacker…

In all seriousness, what a true inspiration Ouellet is. You can learn more about her athletic achievements here.

Wishing her the best in her quest for gold.

Regarding Team USA, we’re already off to a strong start as Lt. Cmdr. Dan Cnossen, the only double-amputee Navy SEAL in history, has won gold in the men’s sitting 7.5km.

The US won 18 medals in Sochi, so who knows how we’ll fare this year?

Here’s a schedule of events you can watch on NBC’s range of networks including NBC, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel.