LGBTQ news and entertainment
Donald Trump is back down to the lowest point of his presidency today according to the Gallup Daily tracking poll: 33% approve, 62% disapprove
This is a lower rating than Reagan, Clinton, or Obama ever had in their presidencies.
Even as all of Washington, D.C. was agog at the news of former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the FBI and that he will be “fully cooperating” with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation, the White House has tried to spin these events into “no news.”
This morning, speaking to reporters, Donald Trump made a point of repeating, “What has been shown is no collusion,” he said. “No collusion. There’s been absolutely no collusion so we’re very happy.”
But behind the scenes, Trump is not so confident. According to several sources close to Trump, he has been concerned for some time that “Flynn turned on me.”
From The Daily Beast:
For weeks, Trump has vented privately to advisers and confidants about his anxiety over signs that Flynn had flipped. He noted the possibility that Flynn had “turned on me,” three sources close to the president independently recall him saying. These sources had relayed details of these conversations to The Daily Beast over the course of the past week.
Trump’s fears came into sharp focus this past month, as several media outlets began to report that Flynn appeared to be cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The president—an avid and voracious consumer of Twitter and cable news—began privately fuming, according to an administration official and two outside allies of Trump. Two of the three sources noted that it sounded at times as if Trump felt personally hurt by the prospect that someone whom he admired professionally and liked personally had potentially turned.
Trump later tweeted that Flynn’s “actions during the transition were lawful.”
Because, folks always lie about “lawful” actions, right?
Watch the Donald address reporters below.
President Trump says he is not concerned about what Michael Flynn might tell the special counsel, saying “there has been absolutely no collusion” https://t.co/pSEiZSEzoR— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 2, 2017
I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017
So the official story is that everyone in TrumpWorld was lying about Russia connections—including to the FBI!—even though there was “nothing to hide.” Got it. https://t.co/txxzgVDQpY— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) December 2, 2017
Some news items you might have missed:
• Andrew Christian begins a month-long celebration of Christmas with a candid photo of “Father Daddy Christmas” after trimming the tree.
• The Riveras reality star Johnny Lopez came out in a touching video after his boyfriend posted a photo of the two of them embracing.
• The New York City Council has banned so-called “conversion/ex-gay therapy” for minors.
• It appears that Republican Sen. Bob Corker will be the only “no” vote from the Repubs on the current (ever-evolving) tax reform bill. That would mean the vote will most likely be 51-49.
• On this World AIDS Day, a new poll in the UK shows 1 in 5 Brits would feel “uncomfortable” wearing a red ribbon in honor of those we’ve lost to HIV/AIDS.
• In case you missed it, check out my podcast for World AIDS Day 2017:
In this special World AIDS Day episode of The Randy Report podcast:
• What is World AIDS Day?
• What exactly is HIV/AIDS? We’ve lived with the disease so long, many may not know what the virus actually does.
• What’s the latest development in terms of treatment for HIV/AIDS?
• What can YOU do on World AIDS Day?
Plus, we share excellent resources for information about HIV/AIDS.
Hit the play button and catch up a bit about why we still need to observe World AIDS Day.
With today being World AIDS Day, I thought I’d take a virtual stroll over to WhiteHouse.gov to see what Donald Trump’s Office of AIDS Policy had to say.
Check out the screen capture from the site’s page just minutes ago.
As a metaphor, I think this speaks volumes.
Trump’s proclamation for World AIDS Day somehow did not mention gay men, transgender folks or people of color.
|
| Justin Huff (image via Facebook) |
A top Broadway casting director has been fired from his agency after being accused of inappropriate behavior.
Justin Huff, who is openly gay, was dismissed as a senior staffer at powerhouse casting firm Telsey + Company.
Huff had been involved in casting major Broadway productions like Kinky Boots, Newsies, On Your Feet!, Honeymoon In Vegas, and The Color Purple,
On November 30, agency founder Bernard Telsey announced Huff’s firing.
“I was given reports of inappropriate behavior which I took very seriously,” agency founder Bernard Telsey told Variety, “and once I was able to get some information, it was very clear he had to leave this office.”
Without providing any details, Telsey admitted there were allegations of sexual misconduct.
Huff is married to actor Mo Brady, whom he cast in the short-lived Broadway musical, Catch Me if You Can.
Prince Harry and new fiance Meghan Markle made their first public appearance today since their engagement was announced by observing World AIDS Day.
Prince Harry has long been involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS just as his mother, Princess Diana, was.
Prince Harry and his fiancée Meghan Markle make their first joint official public engagement at #WorldAIDSDay charity fair in Nottingham https://t.co/NkBdy4pD1i pic.twitter.com/dNg9mhV5ZQ— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) December 1, 2017
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 1, 2017
Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle arrive at the Nottingham Contemporary Exhibition Centre for an event to mark #WorldAidsDay hosted by @THTorguk. pic.twitter.com/MAeEdQ0uyt— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 1, 2017
At each stall, HRH and Ms. Markle spoke to people who work with @THTorguk in Nottingham to encourage people to get tested. #WorldAidsDay pic.twitter.com/CwVeOWh3pR— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 1, 2017
The @THTorguk event on #WorldAidsDay wants to encourage everyone to #SeeRed in solidarity with people with HIV/AIDS and fight the stigmas that surrounds the disease. pic.twitter.com/Qbdfuyjnsg— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 1, 2017
Donald Trump’s lawyer, Ty Cobb, attempted to downplay today’s guilty plea by Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, as a “single” count of lying to the FBI by someone who only worked in the Trump administration for 25 days.
Cobb goes on to say regarding the false statement to the FBI:
“The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year. Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn. The conclusion of this phase of the Special Counsel’s work demonstrates again that the Special Counsel is moving with all deliberate speed and clears the way for a prompt and reasonable conclusion.”
This follows the Trump pattern of minimizing former Team Trumpers when they have been charged with crimes.
When former campaign chair Paul Manafort was charged the story was he “was part of the campaign for only a short amount of time.”
When George Papadopoulos was indicted for lying to the FBI, again, the story was “he was only low-level advisor no one knew.”
The statement also makes a point to include that Flynn was once a part of the Obama administration.
Of course, Flynn hasn’t been found guilty of any activities during his time in the Obama administration.
Watch coverage of the White House statement below.
#BreakingNews: White House statement on Flynn pic.twitter.com/Ty6qMEAwUm— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) December 1, 2017
On Thursday, former Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey, who pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking in connection to meeting a 17-year-old boy at a motel for paid sexual favors, asked Judge Timothy Deguisti to release him pending sentencing.
According to police investigations, the teenager apparently needed money and offered sex acts in exchange for money. Shortey showed up with marijuana and condoms.
Shortey’s lawyer based the request for release predicated on Shortey not being a flight risk due to having a wife and his four children who are all homeschooled.
Judge Deguisti denied the request and had Shortey taken into custody.
Shortey, an anti-LGBT, “family values” Republican acted as Donald Trump’s Oklahoma state campaign chair during the 2016 presidential election.