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Cleveland Cops To Tamir Rice Family: Use Settlement Money To Teach Kids How To Avoid Getting Shot

Taking one final swipe at blaming Tamir Rice for his own death (at the hands of Cleveland Police officers for playing with a toy gun in a public park), the head of the Cleveland police union issued a statement saying he hopes Rice’s family will use some of the $6 million settlement they receive will be used to teach kids to not play with toy guns around police officers.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Steve Loomis, the president of the Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association association, was criticized on a national scale for statements he made to the media in the weeks and months after two officers in his union were involved in Tamir’s death.

The usually talkative Loomis issued a news release that said “we can only hope the Rice family and their attorneys will use a portion of this settlement to help educate the youth of Cleveland in the dangers associated with the mishandling of both real and facsimile firearms.

“Something positive must come from this tragic loss. That would be educating youth of the dangers of possessing a real or replica firearm,” the release continues.

I call this a real ‘dick’ move.

As everyone knows by now, Cleveland police officers drove up to a public park in November 2014, where 12 year old Tamir was playing alone in a park with a toy gun. Video clips showed the officers jumped out of their car and shot him dead without pause. Cleveland police maintain the officers’ actions were warranted.

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Actor Tim Robbins Accuses Hillary & Media Of Voter Fraud

Tim Robbins, actor and Bernie Sanders surrogate, made some noise last night on Twitter where he attempted to make the case that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is stealing the Democratic primary from Sanders based on his observation that actual results don’t match exit polls.

Of course, one yuuuge reason exit polls don’t match actual results is that Sanders’ supporters LOVE to stop and talk to exit pollsters about their candidate any time they are asked.

Sanders supporters believe that if you just pay attention to his message, you too would be voting for him. And the reason he’s not winning has to be a massive conspiracy.

Robbins responded to several commenters on Twitter saying “Thank you for following today’s talking points. Your check is in the mail,” meaning that standing on the side of logic equates being “bought off.”

One commenter shared a very important fact from super-stats guy Nate Silver:

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Nick Jonas & Demi Lovato Cancel North Carolina Concerts

Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas have added their names to the long list of performers cancelling concerts in North Carolina (Raleigh and Charlotte) due to the recently passed anti-LGBT bill, HB2.

Longtime LGBT rights allies, Jonas and Lovato are undeniably the most influential millennials to stand against the hate law.

Via GLAAD:

After much thought and deliberation, Nick and I have decided to cancel our shows in Raleigh and Charlotte. One of our goals for the Honda Civic Tour: Future Now has always been to create an atmosphere where every single attendee feels equal, included, and accepted for who they are.

North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2 law is extremely disappointing, and it takes away some of the LGBT community’s most basic rights and protections. But we will not allow this to stop us from continuing to make progress for equality and acceptance.

We know the cancelation of these shows is disappointing to our fans, but we trust that you will stand united with us against this hateful law.

#RepealHB2

Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and Boston have all canceled North Carolina shows because of HB 2.

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Colorado Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Against Anti-Gay Masterpiece Cakeshop

The haters lose yet again as the Colorado Springs Supreme Court upheld an appellate court ruling that held the Masterpiece Cakeshop violated state public accommodation laws when the bakery refused to sell a same-sex couple a cake for a private wedding ceremony.

From the ACLU:

“The highest court in Colorado today affirmed that no one should be turned away from a public-facing business because of who they are or who they love,” said Ria Tabacco Mar, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT Project, who argued the case. “We all have a right to our personal beliefs, but we do not have a right to impose those beliefs on others and harm them. We hope today’s win will serve as a lesson for others that equality and fairness should be our guiding principles and that discrimination has no place at the table, or the bakery as the case may be.”

In 2012, Colorado residents David Mullins and Charlie Craig, along with Charlie’s mother Deborah Munn, visited Masterpiece Cakeshop to order a wedding cake. Mullins and Craig planned to marry in Massachusetts and then celebrate with family and friends back home. Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips informed the couple that, because of his religious beliefs, it was his standard business practice to refuse to provide cakes to customers for same-sex weddings. Phillips has turned away several other couples for the same reason.

Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act prohibits businesses, such as Masterpiece Cakeshop, from refusing service based on factors including race, sex, national origin, or sexual orientation. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Colorado filed suit on behalf of Mullins and Craig in 2013. In December 2013, an administrative judge ruled that the bakery had illegally discriminated against the couple. In 2014, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission affirmed that ruling. Masterpiece Cakeshop appealed. In a unanimous decision issued on August 15, 2015, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the bakery unlawfully discriminated against David Mullins and Charlie Craig by refusing to sell them a cake for their wedding reception.

When businesses and other institutions that serve the public have sought exemptions to laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the courts have held that businesses are required to comply with anti-discrimination laws. The courts have ruled without regard to whether LGBT people could have obtained the goods or service elsewhere. Instead the courts have recognized the harm to equal opportunity if lesbian and gay people can be turned away from businesses otherwise open to the public because of who they are.

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Hairspray LIVE! Casting News: Harvey Fierstein & Jennifer Hudson To Join Cast

Most excellent casting news for the upcoming live presentation of the Broadway smash-hit Hairspray.

Not only will Academy/Grammy/Golden Globe winner Jennifer Hudson take on the role of “Motormouth Maybelle” (and her show-stopping “I Know Where I’ve Been”), but Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein will reprise his leading role of “Edna Turnblad.”

In my opinion, there’s never been a better “Edna.”

Via press release:

“We are beyond thrilled with this incredibly talented duo of stars for ‘Hairspray Live!,’” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “Harvey Fierstein created the role of Edna Turnblad on Broadway in an indelible Tony-winning performance that demanded to be memorialized on film, and we’re happy he wanted to step into her shoes one last, unforgettable time. We’re also so grateful that the incomparable Jennifer Hudson will play Motormouth Maybelle and we know her rendition of ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’ will literally stop the show.”

Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, “Hairspray Live!” takes place in 1962 Baltimore. Teenager Tracy Turnblad’s dream is to dance on “The Corny Collins Show,” a local TV program. When, against all odds, Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters, including the resident dreamboat, Link; the ambitious mean girl, Amber; an African-American boy she meets in detention, Seaweed; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, the owner of a local record store. Tracy’s mother is the indomitable Edna Turnblad, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-white “Corny Collins Show.”

Harvey Fierstein, who is also writing the teleplay, will play Edna Turnblad, a role he created and won a Tony Award for in the stage version of “Hairspray.” The quintessential Edna, Fierstein portrayed the character for the show’s first two years of its seven-year run at the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway.

The production will air live on NBC on December 7th at 8PM ET/PT.

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New, “More Presidential” Trump Mocks Kasich On Eating Habits – “It’s Disgusting’

Last week, Donald Trump’s senior advisors told Republican party leaders that the GOP front-runner would be shifting to a new, more presidential version of Trump in the coming weeks.

This, clearly, is not that week.

Via Business Insider:

During a rally in Rhode Island, the Republican presidential frontrunner said that the Ohio governor should learn from Trump’s children, whom Trump has urged to eat modest portions of food.

“Did you see him? He has a news conference all the time when he’s eating. I have never seen a human being eat in such a disgusting fashion,” Trump said of Kasich.

He continued: “I’d say, ‘Children, small, little bites.’ This guy takes a pancake and he’s shoving it in his mouth. It’s disgusting. Do you want this guy for your president?”

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Cruz & Kasich Campaigns Join Forces To Stop Trump From Reaching 1,237 Delegates

Via NBC News:

The campaigns of Ted Cruz and John Kasich announced an agreement Sunday night to coordinate their efforts to prevent Donald Trump from winning the GOP’s presidential nomination before the Republican National Convention.

“To ensure that we nominate a Republican who can unify the Republican Party and win in November, our campaign will focus its time and resources in Indiana and in turn clear the path for Gov. Kasich to compete in Oregon and New Mexico,” Cruz’s campaign manager Jeff Roe said in a statement late Sunday.

The Kasich campaign sent its own statement minutes later.

“Our goal is to have an open convention in Cleveland, where we are confident a candidate capable of uniting the party and winning in November will emerge as the nominee,” Kasich’s chief strategist, John Weaver, wrote.

The Trumpster, unsurprisingly, took to Twitter to share his displeasure:

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North Carolina: Legislation To Repeal HB2 To Be Filed Today In State House

Four North Carolina House Representatives are set to file legislation this morning with the intention of repealing anti-LGBT hate law HB2 in its entirety.

The North Carolina Democratic Party has sent out a press release, which read in part: “The damage to NC’s reputation and economy has been swift and is growing exponentially. House Bill 2 is bad for all NC citizens and it is bad for all NC businesses.”

The Winston-Salem Journal concurs, and has announced it’s support of the repeal:

As the legislature arrives in Raleigh Monday for its short session, we have one important message: Rescind House Bill 2. Rescind it for financial, legal and moral reasons. Throw it away and forget about it. Act like this embarrassment never existed.

Major corporations have withdrawn their investments in North Carolina because of HB2 and threaten to withdraw more. They would prefer to do business in states that welcome and treat everyone with respect. HB2 does the opposite. Hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs are at stake. Rescind it.

HB2 has become the poster child for government overreach, initially promoted as a response to a city bill about bathroom usage, then morphing to impede civil rights, citizens’ access to state courts and cities’ and counties’ ability to regulate their own affairs. Rescind it.

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Last Week Tonight Looks At Puerto Rico’s Debt Crisis

HBO’s Last Week Tonight takes a look at Puerto Rico’s burgeoning debt crisis.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, author/star of Broadway’s HAMILTON, joins host John Oliver to call for relief for the U.S. territory.

Via TIME:

The U.S. territory is in a massive financial crisis, facing nearly $70 billion in debt, with a poverty rate of nearly 45%. “Puerto Rico is like the last Tower Records: everything’s overpriced, everyone’s being laid off, and there is still a really weird number of Ricky Martin CDs,” said Oliver.

In a somber speech, the governor of Puerto Rico stated that the debt situation was not just an election ploy, saying: “This is not politics, this is math.” That means the situation must really be serious, because, as Oliver noted, “‘This is math’ is one of the most dread-inducing sentences in the English language.”

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News Round-Up: April 24, 2016

• Flight attendant serves up sweet “thank you” to Debra Messing for getting him through “coming out” years.

• People hints that Prince may have died due to complications with HIV?

• On May 1st, the Human Rights Campaign will lead a march on the Mississippi governor’s mansion to call for the repeal of the state’s so-called “religious freedom” law.

• President Obama says Mississippi’s anti-LGBT hate law should be overturned.

• Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker finally signals a position on transgender rights bill with hints that he won’t veto the legislation.

• The Republican clerk who wiped thousands off of voter rolls suspended without pay, may be fired this week.

• Add Blue Man Group to the long line of cancellations in North Carolina due to the state’s hate law, HB2.

• Where in the world is ‘totally-not-gay’ former Congressman Aaron Schock?