Category: Uncategorized

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North Carolina: Raleigh Has Already Lost Hundreds Of Thousands In Tourism Dollars Over HB2

The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau is reporting that the Raleigh area has already lost $732,000 in tourism dollars and economic benefits thanks to the recently signed HB2, which legalized discrimination against LGBTs in the state.

The report went on to say another $24 million could be lost to the local economy if the “hate law” isn’t repealed. The report cited at least 16 organizations that have indicated they may move their scheduled events to another state that might be more “inclusive.”

Via Raw Story:

The city’s biggest loss could be a four-year contract for an undisclosed sports tournament that would have brought 51,000 people and $4.5 million in benefits to the area each year.

“We just felt that it’s not in the best interest of our membership to go someplace that’s not inclusive,” Johnstone Supply spokesperson Janet Tipton told The News & Observer.

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Tweet Of The Day: Ted Cruz’s College Roommate

This follows a story in the current news cycle recalling when then Texas solicitor general Ted Cruz argued in a court case in 2007 that “there is no substantive-due-process right to stimulate one’s genitals for non-medical purposes unrelated to procreation or outside of an interpersonal relationship.”

As I always say: “Ye who protesteth the loudest, do it the mosteth.”

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Poll: North Carolina Governor Trailing Opponent After Signing HB2 Into Law

Poll results from SurveyUSA for Raleigh’s WRAL shows that HB2 – the anti-LGBT law that Governor Pat McCrory recently signed into law – could be dragging down the governor’s reelection chances:

HB2 may be taking a toll on incumbent Republican Governor Pat McCrory, who signed HB2 into law 3 weeks ago, and who now finds himself trailing Democratic challenger Roy Cooper, the state’s attorney general, 43% to 47% among likely 11/08/16 voters.

McCrory has a Minus 4 Net Job Approval Rating today: 43% of voters approve of the job he is doing as Governor, 47% disapprove.

Cooper has a Plus 28 Net Job Approval Rating today: 53% of voters approve of the job Cooper is doing as Attorney General, 25% disapprove.

Compared to a 03/08/16 SurveyUSA WRAL-TV poll, McCrory’s job approval is largely unchanged, but Cooper has gone from Plus 18 five weeks ago to Plus 28 today.

Cooper opposes the law and says he will not defend it.

McCrory had previously been leading in polling prior to signing HB2.

The same poll shows only 38% of those surveyed support the anti-LGBT legislation, while 50% oppose.

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Sarcastic Tennessee Tourism Ad Skewers State For Anti-LGBT Legislation

Funny Or Die skewers the state of Tennessee for the recently passed anti-LGBT law that allows health care providers to deny services to LGBT patients based on discriminatory religious beliefs.

This video serves up a satirical invitation to visit Tennessee:

“Soon you could cross the bridge to unenlightenment, ride a horse without worrying a gay guy is looking at your butt, tiptoe across humanity to relive a time when people were unequal, sing a sad country song about your gay friends being refused counseling services, enjoy live music, if we can convince anyone to perform here, gaze at the beautiful rolling hills where the fog is as thick as our ignorance, and laugh at an effeminate child!”

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DWTS’ Nyle DiMarco Teaches Tyler Oakley How To Flirt

The uber-handsome Nyle DiMarco (America’s Next Top Model winner, currently killing it on Dancing with the Stars) teaches Tyler Oakley how to flirt via sign language.

How charming can two people be?

I’m cheering for Nyle on DWTS this season, where he’s really inspiring so many with his amazing dances, even though he can’t hear the music. I’m really liking this guy.

I’ve previously written about Nyle here and here and here.

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Ivanka Trump: New York’s “Onerous” Rules Are Keeping Me From Voting For My Dad

Last night during the CNN town hall with Donald Trump and his family, Ivanka Trump and brother Eric were asked why they failed to register to vote in the upcoming New York primary.

Ivanka’s answer:

“I’m an independent, and I’ve always voted based on the candidate as opposed to based on the party, and it was actually a very interesting experience,” Ivanka Trump told CNN during Tuesday’s town hall. “So, we’re not a family of politicians. We haven’t been in politics very long.”

“New York has one of the most onerous rules in terms of registration and it required us to register a long time ago, almost close to a year ago,” she added. “And, we didn’t do that.”

“Onerous” and “almost close to a year ago” aren’t really accurate phrases to use here.

Ivanka’s dad announced his candidacy on June 16, 2015. The closing date for Independents to change their registration was October 9th, 2015. That’s four months of their dad campaigning across the nation, and they didn’t think to make sure they took care of business.

And, let’s face it, counting back from today to October 9th is NOT “almost a year.”

It’s important to note: this isn’t some new rule change in New York. Responsible voters knew how and where to find this info.

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“Affluenza” Teen Gets Two Years In Prison After Violating Parole

Ethan Couch – the “Affluenza” teen whose drunk driving caused the death of four people in June of 2013 – has been ordered to spend the next two years behind bars after attempting to flee the country and violating his parole.

“You’re not getting out of jail today,” Fort Worth Judge Wayne Salvant told Couch, who turned 19 on Monday.

A judge ordered Couch to serve four consecutive 180-day jail sentences for each of four counts of intoxication manslaughter under a separate part of Texas code.

The teen has been held in Texas since January, when he was flown back to the U.S. following his arrest in Mexico. The Wednesday appearance was his first in adult court; he was transferred out of the juvenile system and into an adult jail in February.

The teen and his mother were arrested in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta, after a call for a pizza delivery tipped authorities to their whereabouts. They had left the country in hopes of avoiding any jail time for Ethan after he had apparently violated his parole by drinking at a party.

His mother, Tonya Couch, was brought back to the U.S. from Mexico, while her son hired a Mexican attorney and fought deportation for a month. He was finally returned to Texas in January.

The teen’s mom is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon for the pair’s great escape. She faces a sentence of 2 to 10 years in prison if convicted, and is currently under house arrest.

Couch avoided prison time two years ago after his attorneys successfully argued the brat suffered from “affluenza,” and his spoiled upbringing meant he didn’t understand the consequences of his actions. He needed rehabilitation, not a stiff jail sentence, his legal team said.

(source)

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North Carolina Transgender Residents Share Their Shock & Frustration Over HB2

Produced by the Raleigh News & Observer, this video shares the confusion, shock, dismay and frustration of North Carolina transgender residents in the aftermath of the passage of HB2, which makes using a public bathroom which corresponds to their gender identity illegal.

Watch as these transgender residents explain the impact of HB2 on their lives.

Look at these folks – is it hard to guess which restrooms they should be using?

Imagine the men pictured here walking into a women’s room. Or, this woman strolling into the men’s room.

Once you do, I think you’ll understand the issue.

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New York Daily News Endorses “Super-Prepared Warrior Realist” Hillary Clinton

The New York Daily News has enthusiastically endorsed former Secretary of State just days before the New York state Democratic primary.

From the paper’s editorial board:

On April 19, New York Democrats will have unusual say over the party’s nominee. They have in Clinton a superprepared warrior realist. They have in opponent Bernie Sanders a fantasist who’s at passionate war with reality. By choosing Clinton, Empire State Dems would powerfully signal that the party has gotten real about achieving long-sought goals.

Clinton is unsparingly clear-eyed about what’s wrong with America while holding firm to what’s right with America.

She fully understands the toll that adverse economic forces have taken on the country.

She is supremely knowledgeable about the powers a President can wield to lift fortunes in need of lifting.

She possesses the strength and the shrewdness to confront the tough politics of advancing an ambitious Democratic agenda in the White House.

Still more, she is a cauldron-tested globalist who had the spine to give Obama a thumb’s up for taking out Osama Bin Laden and who is far the wiser about the use of American power, having served as secretary of state and seen the consequences of the war in Iraq.

These truths about America’s most well-known public figure are long past debating among Democrats, above all in New York, the state Clinton represented in the U.S. Senate.

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Donald Trump Says GOP Primary System Is “Unfair”

So, this is how a hypothetical Trump presidency would go? “That’s not fair” every time something doesn’t go his way?

Via The Hill:

Trump is furious with several aspects of the Republican nominating process, including how Colorado recently awarded all of its 34 delegates to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) without having a primary or a caucus. He doesn’t agree that some delegates aren’t bound to vote for their state or district winner at this summer’s GOP convention in Cleveland.

“It should go to a vote in Colorado like other places. … The best way to do it would be just a vote, should be a vote of the people. That’s the way it should be done. The delegate situation is a very unjust way of doing things.”

In an emailed statement, Sean Spicer, the RNC’s chief strategist and communications director, said, “Each state and territory submitted a plan on how to allocate and select their delegates last year. Those plans were made available to every campaign. Understanding the delegate selection and allocation is a basic part of the campaign.”