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Trump Claims “Total Vindication” By Nunes Memo But The Facts Prove Otherwise

Taking to Twitter this morning, Donald Trump claimed the now-infamous Nunes memo “totally vindicates” him and his campaign of any wrong doing asserting yet again that the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election is an “American disgrace.”

It’s not clear if Trump actually read the memo he authorized to be released. If he had, he would have seen the sentence that read “The Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 by FBI agent Peter Strzok.”

So the FBI was already investigating the Trump campaign before the Carter Page FISA warrant was issued.

Additionally, the FISA warrant was re-upped three times after it’s initial issuance. Different judges (appointed by Republicans presidents) approved these along the way.

The full memo can be read here.

Here’s how the Twitterverse responded.

And just for extra credit, can we through in this tweet from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders? She had no idea how right she was at the time…

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News Round-Up: February 2, 2018

Jim Newman (photo via Instagram – Isauro Cairo)

Some news items you might have:

• I loved actor/singer Jim Newman in “Daddyhunt The Serial” – and now I just discovered his Instagram! I had no idea he performs with the Village People as “The Cowboy.” #SaveAHorse

• Out transgender actress Candis Cayne will star in “ground-breaking” trans storyline on Grey’s Anatomy.

• Tickets went on sale for Elton John’s final world tour and sold out in minutes. #NoSurprise

• Pride.com shares 13 questions straight people have about gay sex (but are afraid to ask…)

• For her 60th birthday, Ellen DeGeneres gave her studio audience $1 million to split.

• A hater trolled the Pittsburgh Penguins on the announcement of taking part in diversity/inclusion program “Hockey Is For Everyone.” And the Penquins clapped back:

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Coca-Cola Unveils New LGBT-Inclusive Commercial for The Super Bowl

You’ve got to stop, drop and scroll down to watch this terrific new inclusive/diverse Super Bowl ad spot from Coca-Cola.

Straight, gay, lesbian, trans, older, younger, race – we get it all here.

From the voice-over:

There’s a Coke for he, and she,
and her, and me, and them.
There’s a different Coke for all of us––
Especially one for him.

No feet have wandered where you’ve walked,
No eyes saw what you’ve seen.
No one’s lived the life you live,
No head has held your dreams.

To act the same would be mundane—
what a boring thing to do!
That’s why there is just one me
and a billion unique yous.

Bravo, Coca-Cola!

(h/t Boy Culture)

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Republican National Committee Approves Resolution Supporting Trump’s Proposed Ban On Transgender Service Members

The Republican National Committee has approved a resolution supporting President Donald Trump’s proposed ban on transgender military service members.

And along the way, GOPers decided that being transgender is “a disqualifying psychological and physical” condition.

From the AP:

In a resolution passed at its annual winter meeting Friday, the committee voted to support Trump’s August demand that military recruitment policy consider transgender as “a disqualifying psychological and physical” condition

Trump’s order has suffered legal setbacks. Three federal courts have ruled against the ban, prompting the RNC to take the position standing with Trump.

An effect of one court ruling was that the military would be required to allow transgender people to enlist beginning Jan. 1.

The issue has divided the GOP. Some Republicans in the Senate, including military veterans Joni Ernst of Iowa and John McCain of Arizona, have objected to Trump’s ban.

The Defense Department is undertaking a review of recruiting policies, a process expected to be completed in the coming months. RNC member Bob Kabel said he expects Trump to abide by the recommendations in the Pentagon’s review.

As the article mentions, not all Republicans agree with this anti-trans position. Here’s a few more:

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Podcast: Parker Matthews Releases His New Single, “Hit And Run”

On today’s episode of The Randy Report podcast I’m chatting with Parker Matthews who releases his new single, “Hit and Run” today.

A little background on Parker:

He was touched by the power of music at a very early age when he saw Whitney Houston sing “I Will Always Love You” on the 1994 Grammy Awards. #GoodTaste

From focusing on creativity and music in school to staying up nights writing songs, he knew music would be a driving force in his life.

He also found solace in his music as his younger years were impacted by bullying and depression. Instead of letting the bullies win, he pulled himself up and became the artist he is today. He also uses those dark times as an inspiration to advocate for LGBTQ youth by supporting The National Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

With musical inspirations that include Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Adele, Jennifer Hudson and Jessie J, Parker says his music is about the message of human connection.

And speaking of connections, he was one of Music Connection Magazine’s 2017’S Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists & Bands.

Let’s first take a listen to his new single, “Hit and Run” and then chat with Parker Matthews.

“Hit and Run” is now available on iTunes and all digital download sites.

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Kiss Between Tom Brady & Son Left Some Viewers “Uncomfortable”

Tom Brady

A brief moment between New England Patriots QB Tom Brady and his 11-year-old son included in a Facebook docu-series has folks questioning an expression of affection between father and son.

People have lost their minds, folks.

From CBS New York:

In the documentary, called “Tom vs. Time,” there is a scene showing the five-time Super Bowl winner getting a massage, CBS2’s Elise Finch reported. Afterward, his 11-year-old son comes into the room and asks him if he can check his fantasy football standings.

“Oh, hello. I was wondering if I could check my fantasy team,” son Jack Brady says.

“What do I get?” his father replies. Jack leans over and kisses his father and is about to leave the room, while the massage therapist working on Tom Brady’s shoulder says, “You know Jack, everything comes with a cost, bud.”

“That was like a peck,” Tom Brady says.

Jack returns, leans over again and kisses his father on the mouth a second time. And the second kiss shared by father and son prompted tweets from viewers using words like “very disturbing” and “uncomfortably long.”

CBS2 asked New Yorkers what they thought.

“I’m a little uncomfortable with that,” one passerby said.

“I think at a certain age it’s like OK you can kiss them on the cheek; you can give ‘em a hug,” said Emily Hernandez, a mother of two from Harlem. “But not in the mouth and not for that long.”

“Too long, like romantic long,” said Parrish Watson of Parkchester.

“I kiss my son on his lips. I have since day one,” said Kurt Czaplinski of Hempstead. “I would have no problem with my son kissing me like that.”

Lifestyle and parenting expert Lyss Stern says she does not see anything wrong.

“If you kiss your kids too much, it’s the wrong thing. If you kiss your kids too little, it’s the wrong thing. If you hug too much — people need to back off and stop parent shaming,” said Stern, chief executive officer of DivaMoms.com.

While no one is accusing Tom of anything untoward, some say what bothered them was affection being tied to a favor.

I think this is all really over the top. I come from a family not afraid to show affection. I don’t think there’s the slightest sexual context here.

Brady has not commented on the issue.

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John McCain: “We Are Doing Putin’s Job For Him”

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

While Donald Trump continues to whine about “fake news” and “fake investigations,” and his followers all fall in behind him, Republican Sen. John McCain issued a statement that gets to the very heart of the Special Counsel’s investigation.

What’s important for Americans to understand is that our Intelligence agencies all agree Russia interfered in our 2016 election. Whether it was specifically to get Trump elected or not, the disruption that continues today was the point.

Russia is succeeding and Donald Trump is so busy screaming “no collusion” he’s not doing anything to protect future elections.

As McCain writes below, Trump’s continued protests against our own intel organizations only serves Putin’s interests.

Via press release:

“In 2016, the Russian government engaged in an elaborate plot to interfere in an American election and undermine our democracy. Russia employed the same tactics it has used to influence elections around the world, from France and Germany to Ukraine, Montenegro, and beyond. Putin’s regime launched cyberattacks and spread disinformation with the goal of sowing chaos and weakening faith in our institutions. And while we have no evidence that these efforts affected the outcome of our election, I fear they succeeded in fueling political discord and dividing us from one another.

“The latest attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice serve no American interests – no party’s, no president’s, only Putin’s. The American people deserve to know all of the facts surrounding Russia’s ongoing efforts to subvert our democracy, which is why Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation must proceed unimpeded. Our nation’s elected officials, including the president, must stop looking at this investigation through the warped lens of politics and manufacturing partisan sideshows. If we continue to undermine our own rule of law, we are doing Putin’s job for him.”

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January Jobs Report: 200K New Jobs But Black Unemployment Spikes

The new jobs report is out and there’s good and bad news.

Good news is unemployment remains steady at 4.1%

The bad news is the black unemployment rate, which Donald Trump touts as being “the lowest rate ever recorded” spiked upwards more than a full percentage point.

Via Mediaite:

In Trump’s first year in office, he presided over a 1% decline in the black unemployment rate, which is really just the continuation of a 1% per-year decline that started under President Obama.

But now, it looks like Trump won’t have “record low” talking point to kick around anymore.

The January jobs report is in, and black unemployment has spiked, to 7.7 percent, more than one full percentage point higher than it was in December’s report.

Overall, the economy created 200,000 new jobs in January, not a bad number, with economists initially predicting job growth at around 180,000. It must be noted, however, this falls short of January 2017, in which the Barack Obama-led economy created 227,000 new jobs — though, technically, Trump was president for ten of those days.

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Donald Trump Attacks FBI & Justice Department

In anticipation of authorizing the release of the now-infamous “Nunes memo,” Donald Trump took to Twitter to attack the top folks at the Justice Department and FBI.

You know, those people Trump himself appointed.

From The Washington Post:

The Nunes memo is a document created by the staff of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) that alleges the FBI abused its surveillance authority, particularly when it sought a secret court order to monitor a former Trump campaign adviser. The FBI and the Justice Department had lobbied strenuously against its release. On Wednesday, the FBI had said it was “gravely concerned” that key facts were missing from the memo.