News Round-Up: March 3, 2021

Some news items you might have missed: • Out: A transgender woman has filed a lawsuit against staff at the Michigan Department of Corrections where she was imprisoned, claiming she was raped after staff forced her to share a cell with a convicted rapist and murderer. She was raped a second time by another inmate after staff forced her to share a cell with him (another convicted rapist) following her return from the hospital. • Greg In Hollywood: Today marks the 12th anniversary of the longtime LGBTQ blog run by the awesome Greg Hernandez. In recognizing the date, Greg says he’s going to take some time off – but not permanently – before heading into his next year of celebrity/entertainment news. • The Hill: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a Trump ally and fiscal conservative, says he plans to force the Senate clerks to read aloud the entire $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill on the Senate floor, which could slow it down by as much as 10 hours. It’s worth noting a wide a majority of Americans support the legislation: a new Morning Consult poll shows 77% of Americans support the bill.

Ron Johnson: “I’m going to make them read their 600-700 page bill.”

Johnson also plans to force votes on a HUGE amount of amendments to drag it out. “We need to keep this process going…I’m going to lead the effort to resist this thing.” Suggests it could drag into Sunday — Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 3, 2021

• Washington Post: The House of Representatives will not be in session on Thursday as planned after officials warned of credible threats of violence circulated by right-wing extremists that March 4 is the “true Inauguration Day” when former president Donald Trump will be sworn in for a second term. • CBS News: Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York addressed the mounting sexual harassment allegations against him Wednesday. “I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it and, frankly, I am embarrassed by it.” Cuomo said he will “fully cooperate” with the attorney general’s investigation, adding he’s “learned an important lesson.” • InstaHunks: Woofy Dr. Yazan Abou-Ismail (top photo) is giving you serious furry goodness. He also has a fun sense of humor.

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