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News Round-Up: July 31, 2017

Some news items you may have missed:

• Fitness model Nick Sandell all fresh and ready for a new week (above via Instagram).

• In light of Donald Trump’s proposed ban on transgender military service members due to medical costs, this doctor has offered free gender reassignment surgeries for some trans military personnel. #ProblemSolved

• Los Angeles books the 2028 Summer Olympic Games! Traffic jam, anybody?

• President Trump’s favorite polling outfit, Rasmussen Reports, shows President Donald Trump‘s approval rating plummeting to 39%, the first time the right-leaning poll has reported the Trumpster dropping below 40%.

• Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been found guilty of criminal contempt for willfully violating a federal judge’s order to stop racial profiling.

• In case you can’t keep track, here’s a list of the folks who’ve come and gone in the first six months of the Trump administration.

• It’s the beginning of a new week, so how about something to put some pop in your bop? Charli XCX keeps busy dreaming about “Boys” in her new video of the same name which features musicians as eye-candy like Joe Jonas, Charlie Puth, Olympian Tom Daley and YouTube star Connor Franta. #HappyMonday!

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The Mooch Is Loose – “Cut Loose” As White House Comm Director

Snork!

According to the New York Times, the removal comes at the request of newly-installed Chief of Staff John F. Kelly:

President Trump has decided to remove Anthony Scaramucci from his position as communications director, three people close to the decision said Monday, relieving him just days after Mr. Scaramucci unloaded a crude verbal tirade against other senior members of the president’s senior staff.

Mr. Scaramucci’s abrupt removal came just 10 days after the wealthy New York financier was brought on to the West Wing staff, a move that convulsed an already chaotic White House and led to the departures of Sean Spicer, the former press secretary, and Reince Priebus, the president’s first chief of staff.

The decision to remove Mr. Scaramucci, who had boasted about reporting directly to the president not the chief of staff, John F. Kelly, came at Mr. Kelly’s request, the people said. Mr. Kelly made clear to members of the White House staff at a meeting Monday morning that he is in charge.

It was not clear whether Mr. Scaramucci will remain employed at the White House in another position or will leave altogether.

CNN adds that Kelly asked for Scaramucci to be removed as the communications director because he did not think he was “disciplined” and had “burned his credibility.”

Scaramucci reportedly missed the birth of his son last week to have dinner with President Trump. The Mooch texted congrats to his wife.

But remember – “no WH chaos!:”

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Laverne Cox Schools Lil Duval After Saying He’d Kill A Trans Woman If They Slept With Him

Lil Duvall

On Friday’s episode of Breakfast Club, a radio show that loves to bill itself as “The World’s Most Dangerous Morning Show,” the hosts egged on a transphobic rant from guest and minor comedian, Lil Duval.

Host DJ Envy asked the comic what would be his reaction if he found out he’d slept with a trans woman. His response? “This might sound messed up and I don’t care: she’s dying.”

One of the hosts pressed Duval saying you can’t say you’ll kill trans women. But, Duval deflected: “I didn’t say I was gonna kill transgenders. I said if one did that to me, and they didn’t tell me, I’ma be so mad I’d probably kill them.”

Eventually, Duval’s defense to his indefensible comments was, “I can say what I want and do what I want, and people understand where I’m coming from. They understand I’m not coming from a place of malice. They know I’m just speaking my mind.”

According to reports, at least 15 transgender people have been murdered in 2017. So far.

Last year, there were 22 violent deaths recorded by the Human Rights Campaign.

Trans actress and activist Laverne Cox responded to the ignorance with a lengthy Twitter message:

“After taking several deep breaths I just got teary thinking about all my sisters experiencing violence, beaten, raped, murdered and some … I think what’s also so upsetting for me is @janetmock was on that show last week with so much love brilliance and trans 101 education and A week later this happens. Some folks think it’s ok to joke about wanting to kill us. We have free speech but that speech has consequences and trans folks are Experiencing the negative consequences with our lives. It hurts my spirit cause this isn’t funny. Our lives matter. Trans murder isn’t a joke. I think the issue is when this kind of violence is expressed publicly and goes unchallenged. This is why I am speaking up to challenge It.”

Janet Mock also chimed in:

At the end of the day, though, Lil Duvall remained non-plussed about the whole incident:

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Trump Takes Credit For U.S. Economy, Former Obama Comm Director Sets Him Straight

Donald Trump took to Twitter this morning to take credit for the current conditions in the U.S., writing, “Highest Stock Market EVER, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages raising, border secure, S.C.: No WH chaos!”

Remember when Trump said unemployment numbers were fake?

It’s worth noting that the day the Donald took office, the stock market was already at an all-time high after risen nearly 150% from the depth of the great recession to Obama’s final day in the White House.

Regarding unemployment, Trump was fortunate to inherit an unemployment rate that had declined from 10% during the worst of the recession to 4.7% as President Obama left office.

Regarding border security, it’s good to know Trump says the border is “secure.” I guess we don’t need to build a wall on the Mexican border now.

In any case, it was President Obama’s former White House Communications Director, Dan Pfeiffer, who had the perfect response:

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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright Sam Shepard Passes Away At 73

Sam Shepard

Sad to read of the passing of Pulitzer Prize-winning avant-garde playwright and actor, Sam Shepard, who passed away last Thursday at the age of 73 due to complications from ALS.

From the New York Times:

One of the most important and influential early writers in the Off Broadway movement, Mr. Shepard captured and chronicled the darker sides of American family life in plays like “Buried Child,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1979, and “Curse of the Starving Class” and “A Lie of the Mind.”

He was widely regarded as one of the most original voices of his generation, winning praise from critics for his searing portraits of spouses, siblings and lovers struggling with issues of identity, failure and the fleeting nature of the American dream. He was nominated for two other Pulitzers, for “True West” and “Fool for Love,” which both received Broadway productions.

Mr. Shepard was also an accomplished actor, nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in “The Right Stuff.” His most recent work was in the Netflix show “Bloodline,” where he appeared as the character of Robert Rayburn. He also appeared on New York stages, winning strong reviews for his performance in the Off Broadway production of Caryl Churchill’s “A Number” in 2004.

Working at Off Broadway landmarks like La MaMa and Caffe Cino, Mr. Shepard almost immediately received critical acclaim upon embarking on his career, winning Obie Awards for “Chicago” and “Icarus’s Mother” in 1965 and then “Red Cross” and “La Turista” in 1966. He would win seven more.

Over the course of his storied career, Shapard penned 44 plays and several books of short stories and essay.

New York magazine named him “the greatest American playwright of his generation.”

It was during my years at Syracuse University as a theater major that I was first exposed to Shepard’s innovative theatrical voice which could range from absurdism of his early off-off-Broadway plays to the stark realism of Buried Child and Curse of the Starving Class.

For a kid raised on Oklahoma! and My Fair Lady, Shepard could be an eye-opening and thrilling experience.

RIP Sam Shepard.

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Darren Criss Offers Acoustic “I Dreamed A Dream” From Les Miz

Intersecting Broadway, folk and pop, GLEE star Darren Criss released this stripped down, acoustic version of “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables as he announced Elsie Fest 2017.

This third iteration of the popular music fest will again bring together “stars and songs from the stage and screen” on Oct. 8 at City Park’s SummerStage in New York City’s Central Park.

It took me a few phrases to buy into what Criss is doing here, but he proves again that a great song, coupled with authentic story-telling, is always a winning combination.

Watch below.

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Just Because…

Instagram can be a fun place.

You look around, discover people, their lives, their personalities.

I’ve been following model & comic artist Steve Raider for a while. Furry, muscle-hottie who clearly likes to get out and enjoy life.

I think I would like Steve if we ever met.

A post shared by Steve Raider (@steve_raider) on Jul 17, 2017 at 8:54am PDT

A post shared by Steve Raider (@steve_raider) on Jul 8, 2017 at 8:40am PDT

A post shared by Steve Raider (@steve_raider) on May 22, 2017 at 8:00am PDT

And then, he shaved. Still handsome, just a whole different flavor.

A post shared by Steve Raider (@steve_raider) on Jul 28, 2017 at 11:17am PDT

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Trailer: Amazon’s Transparent Season 4

Amazon has shared the first look at season 4 of the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series, Transparent, which premieres September 22nd.

Jeffrey Tambor’s “Maura” is heading to Israel, and of course, the whole Pfefferman clan has to tag along.

The Pfeffermans take off on a spiritual and political journey as they dig deep into their family’s history. Maura heads to Israel to speak at a conference and makes a startling discovery. Before long the rest of the family joins her for an explosive adventure. Adrift in the desert, each member of the family ultimately set off on their own paths to find acceptance, love, and truth.

Arriving just days after Donald Trump’s announcement that he plans to ban all transgender service members in the U.S. military, the cast and creators also released a response to Trump’s surprise move.

Via People:

“We are honored to share the trailer for Transparent season 4. We feel very lucky to get to make art inspired by themes of love, home and boundaries, and how they operate in both human beings as well as nations,” the joint statement begins.

“Sharing this work amidst President Trump’s continued assault on the transgender community is painful. We are outraged that he announced in a tweet that transgender people would not be allowed to serve ‘in any capacity’ in the U.S. military. It is reprehensible to deny an estimated 15,000 current trans service members, and 134,000 trans veterans, the dignity, respect and safety that they deserve,” the statement continues.

“At Transparent we believe in the integrity of the trans community, which we know firsthand because we are all either trans or allies to the trans community. It is a revolutionary act for a trans person to simply leave the house and walk down the street. We tap into the incredible history of survival the trans community has achieved against all odds, knowing that our fight is noble and on the side of justice and human rights.”

“To our trans community members serving in the military and to transgender veterans: We work in solidarity with you and will continue fighting and creating art for our community’s well-being and future,” it reads. “We hope that you’ll enjoy the trailer for season 4 because our visibility and our stories are more important than ever.”

Watch the season 4 trailer below:

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Donald Trump Spends 43rd Day At Golf Course As President

While Donald Trump is working hard tapping on his Twitter feed, he has found the time to make his 58th visit to a Trump property, and his 43rd trip to a golf course as president.

Remember the old days – when Trump abhorred presidents playing golf?

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Trump Threatens GOP-Controlled Congress Over Health Care Reform

Donald Trump has spent the weekend on Twitter (for a change) attacking the lawmakers in his own party for not passing health care reform.

A few days ago, he advocated “letting Obamacare implode.”

But now, he’s back to berating the GOP-controlled Congress saying they should “demand” another vote.

I’m guessing Trump doesn’t understand that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn’t have to “demand” anything. He can call a vote anytime he wants. Like he did this week. When his bill failed to pass.

Among his current threats, Trump is promising to end “BAILOUTS for insurance companies and BAILOUTS  for Members of Congress.”

Remember when Trump was “the only one who can fix” these issues?

He also attacked China for not solving the world’s problems with North Korean aggression.

Trump is just yelling at people. When is he going to “lead?”