Category: Uncategorized

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North Carolina Governor Presents Plan To Repeal Anti-LGBT Law HB2

Gov. Roy Cooper

Roy Cooper, the new governor of North Carolina, is not waiting for state Republicans to get around to repealing the hateful anti-LGBT law, HB2.

Today, in an op-ed for the Charlotte Observer, he presents his plan to get rid of the legislation and get his state back on track.

North Carolinians are tired of hearing about this. As I travel across the state, people from Murphy to Manteo tell me that they want their elected officials to come together to solve this problem before HB2 does even more damage.

We came close to repealing it in December. The Republican leadership in the legislature committed to repeal HB 2 if I persuaded the Charlotte City Council to repeal its nondiscrimination ordinance. I kept my commitment. They did not.

However, in order to break the log jam, I have proposed a common sense compromise that includes three parts:

▪ Repeal House Bill 2. It’s time to take this harmful law off the books immediately.

▪ Strengthen punishments for criminals who violate the safety, security and privacy of people in public bathrooms or dressing rooms. I believe this is a manufactured issue and it’s wrong to suggest LGBT individuals are a threat. But time and again, Republicans contend HB2 is about security and safety. This addresses those concerns and increases penalties for crimes committed against anyone in this setting while also removing discrimination against the LGBT community.

▪ Require local governments to give the legislature and the public a 30-day notice before passing new non-discrimination ordinances. Local governments are the closest to the people they represent, and I believe that they should be able to make these decisions on their own. This compromise ensures that there is time for input on new ordinances.

This common sense compromise addresses concerns from both sides. It is a path forward to bringing back businesses and sporting events. It is reasonable, and it will begin to wipe the stain off our state’s reputation.

I will continue working to repeal this damaging law and restoring a North Carolina that works for everyone, but Republican legislative leaders must do their part as well.

I urge Republican leaders to bring this proposal to a vote this week.

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Christine Baranski Readies For CBS’ “The Good Fight”

OMG – I love me some Christine Baranski.

And what’s not to love? After 7 years on the CBS hit series The Good Wife, 2 Tony Awards, 15 Emmy nominations (with a win in 1995 for the sitcom Cybil) she’s now anchoring CBS All Access’ first original scripted series, The Good Fight.

The new series is a spin-off of The Good Wife, and will premiere on CBS February 19th before shifting over to the online CBS All Access.

Can’t wait.

Check the fab Baranski last night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert talking on the new series.

Her character, “Diane Lockhart,” is a drop-dead Democrat. And in the series premiere, the audience watches as “Diane” takes in the horror that is the Trump inauguration.

“I hadn’t had the opportunity of seeing the inauguration,” Baranski said. “But the director said, ‘Well, you know, imagine that you’re shocked.’ And I said, ‘No worry, I can play this.’”

Watch the fun interview below and make sure you tune in for the premiere of The Good Fight this Sunday on CBS.

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Music Video: Maroon 5 Feat. Future “Cold”

Adam Levine goes on an acid trippy journey in Maroon 5‘s latest music video, “Cold.”

The new music video takes the viewer on a wild ride through a fun, sexy, dark party at Future’s place, making the clip a worthy addition to the band’s catalog of visually creative music videos.

The single entered at #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks, scoring the group’s third chart-topping start which reached #1 on iTunes, Top 40 and Hot AC charts.

You can find “Cold” on all digital download sites including iTunes and Amazon.

The band kicks off the final leg of their world tour with North American dates beginning February 20 in Milwaukee.

Watch the acid-inspired music video for “Cold” below:

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Trump’s Labor Secretary Expected To Withdraw His Name From Consideration

Andy Puzder (center) photo via Gage Skidmore

President Trump’s nominee for Department of Labor Secretary will be pulling his name from consideration.

According to reports, there are four firm Republican  “no” votes against  nominee Andy Puzder, and possibly as many as twelve. With a Republican majority in the Senate of only 52, Puzder is clearly doomed.

From The Hill:

President Trump’s nominee to lead the Labor Department, Andy Puzder, is expected to withdraw his nomination, according to a number of reports Wednesday.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was scheduled to consider his nomination in a hearing that had previously been delayed five times.

Puzder, the CEO of the fast-food conglomerate that owns the burger chains Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., has been under attack by Democrats and outside groups for weeks for admitting he hired an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper and allegations that he abused his ex-wife and treated employees poorly.

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List: Presidential Succession

As folks are getting all heated up over the current turmoil going on with the Trump administration, I’m seeing people talking “impeachment” and more.

Just for interest’s sake, here’s a reminder of the order of succession should President Trump (or more) leave office.

Via New York Daily News:

1. Vice President Pence

2. House Speaker Paul Ryan

3. President pro tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch

4. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

5. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin

6. Defense Secretary James Mattis

7. Attorney General Jeff Sessions

8. Acting Secretary of the Interior Kevin Haugrud (nominee Ryan Zinke has not been confirmed by the Senate)

9. Acting Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse (nominee Sonny Perdue has not been confirmed)

10. Commerce Secretary (vacant seat; nominee Wilbur Ross has not been confirmed)

11. Acting Labor Secretary Ed Hugler (nominee Andy Puzder has not been confirmed)

12. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price

13. Acting Housing and Urban Development Secretary Craig Clemmensen (nominee Ben Carson has not been confirmed)

14. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao

15. Acting Energy Secretary Grace Bochenek (nominee Rick Perry has not been confirmed)

16. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

17. Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin

18. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly

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Trailer: “Feud – Bette And Joan”

With high camp possibilities, plus A-list stars, Feud: Bette and Joan looks to be delicious TV watching.

The new anthology series, by hit maker Ryan Murphy, will focus its’ first season on the legendary riff between What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? stars Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange).

Watch the trailer below – the series premieres on FX March 5.

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Jacksonville City Council Approves LGBT Protections

At the end of a five year battle, the city council of Jacksonville, Florida, has finally passed LGBT protections by a vote of 12-6.

Mayor Lenny Curry announced he would allow the law to go into effect without his signature.

The legislation, which bans discrimination against gay and transgender folks, faced a few obstacles on the way to the historic vote.

One councilman, Bill Gulliford, attempted to block or water down the legislation by proposing a citywide vote on the issue, and then tried to strip transgender protections out.

Councilman Danny Becton proposed exempting any privately owned business from the law.

All three amendments were voted down.

Jacksonville is the most populous city in the state of Florida, and the 12th most populous in the country.

Equality Florida issued this statement:

Yesterday, after years of hard work and courageous advocacy from the local LGBTQ residents, businesses owners, faith voices and community leaders, the Jacksonville City Council has voted to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression by a 12 to 6 vote.

This update modernizes the existing city ordinance which previously banned discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations (such as restaurants and stores) based solely on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status or familial status.

“After years of hard work and courageous advocacy, Jacksonville has sent a clear message to Florida and the entire country that discrimination of any kind is wrong and that LGBTQ people are welcomed and accepted,” said Amber Paoloemilio, Field Director of Equality Florida.

Over the last five years, because of the personal stories from LGBTQ people, business owners, and faith leaders, Jacksonville public opinion has transformed. Based on a 2015 poll conducted by the University of North Florida, over 62% of voters support this important update to the Human Rights Ordinance.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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NYT: Trump Associates Were In Regular Contact With Russian Officials During Campaign

President Donald Trump

More bad news for the Trump administration as the New York Times reports several members of Donald Trump’s campaign team were in regular contact with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election, according to four current and former American officials.

American law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted the communications around the same time they were discovering evidence that Russia was trying to disrupt the presidential election by hacking into the Democratic National Committee, three of the officials said. The intelligence agencies then sought to learn whether the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians on the hacking or other efforts to influence the election.

The officials interviewed in recent weeks said that, so far, they had seen no evidence of such cooperation.

But the intercepts alarmed American intelligence and law enforcement agencies, in part because of the amount of contact that was occurring while Mr. Trump was speaking glowingly about the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin. At one point last summer, Mr. Trump said at a campaign event that he hoped Russian intelligence services had stolen Hillary Clinton’s emails and would make them public.

The officials said the intercepted communications were not limited to Trump campaign officials, and included other associates of Mr. Trump.

And, cue the angry tweets from the Trumpster:

But remember when the Donald LOVED leaked info…? Let’s take a ride on the “way-back machine” to the presidential campaign:

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Dan Rather: Flynn Debacle Could Be Worse Than Watergate

Veteran news anchor and iconic journalist Dan Rather writes that “Flynnghazi” could end up being worse than Watergate.

And – if this were all written up as a movie pitch, it would be seen as too “far-fetched” for Hollywood.

This has been shared over 58,000 times on Facebook:

Watergate is the biggest political scandal of my lifetime, until maybe now. It was the closest we came to a debilitating Constitutional crisis, until maybe now. On a 10 scale of armageddon for our form of government, I would put Watergate at a 9. This Russia scandal is currently somewhere around a 5 or 6, in my opinion, but it is cascading in intensity seemingly by the hour. And we may look back and see, in the end, that it is at least as big as Watergate. It may become the measure by which all future scandals are judged. It has all the necessary ingredients, and that is chilling.

When we look back at Watergate, we remember the end of the Nixon Presidency. It came with an avalanche, but for most of the time my fellow reporters and I were chasing down the story as it rumbled along with a low-grade intensity. We never were quite sure how much we would find out about what really happened. In the end, the truth emerged into the light, and President Nixon descended into infamy.

This Russia story started out with an avalanche and where we go from here no one really knows. Each piece of news demands new questions. We are still less than a month into the Trump Presidency, and many are asking that question made famous by Tennessee Senator Howard Baker those many years ago: “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” New reporting suggests that Mr. Trump knew for weeks. We can all remember the General Michael Flynn’s speech from the Republican National Convention – “Lock her up!” in regards to Hillary Clinton. If Hillary Clinton had done one tenth of what Mr. Flynn had done, she likely would be in jail. And it isn’t just Mr. Flynn, how far does this go?

The White House has no credibility on this issue. Their spigot of lies – can’t we finally all agree to call them lies – long ago lost them any semblance of credibility. I would also extend that to the Republican Congress, who has excused away the Trump Administration’s assertions for far too long.

We need an independent investigation. Damn the lies, full throttle forward on the truth. If a scriptwriter had approached Hollywood with what we are witnessing, he or she would probably have been told it was way too far-fetched for even a summer blockbuster. But this is not fiction. It is real and it is serious. Deadly serious. We deserve answers and those who are complicit in this scandal need to feel the full force of justice.

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Obama’s LGBT Envoy Randy Berry To Continue With Trump Administration

Randy Berry

ForeignPolicy.com reports that President Obama’s Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons at the State Department, Randy Berry, will continue in that position for the Trump administration.

The special envoy position was created during the Obama years to fight back against the discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people around the globe. The job’s focus has been to promote the human rights and dignity of LGBT individuals worldwide.

Berry, an openly gay career Foreign Service officer became the first person to hold the position in February 2015.

LGBT advocacy groups expressed cautious support for the move.

Ross Murray, the director of programs at GLAAD, told Foreign Policy, “This is really surprising to me. I don’t think I can applaud it until I see what his mandate becomes in this administration. But, Berry has been really effective in that job.”