After a series of hospitalizations, 92-year-old Former First Lady Barbara Bush has decided to decline any further medical care and will focus instead on “comfort care” signaling an end-of-life palliative phase.
Statement by the Office of George H.W. Bush:
“Following a recent series of hospitalizations, and after consulting her family and doctors, Mrs. Bush, now age 92, has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.”
“It will not surprise those who know her that Barbara Bush has been a rock in the face of her failing health, worrying not for herself — thanks to her abiding faith — but for others.”
“She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving.”
Mrs. Bush and her husband have been married 73 years – the longest marriage in presidential history.
White House Press Secretary tweeted out the above message and photo in an attempt to show Donald Trump in a strong, military moment.
Unfortunately, her tweet was misleading because Vice President Mike Pence (pictured on Trump’s right in the photo) was in Peru at the time of the Syria bombings.
What she really wanted was a “bin Laden war room pic,” but the reality is there isn’t one.
So she tried to fudge it hoping folks wouldn’t notice.
Folks noticed…
Fun fact: This picture is NOT from last night as Mike Pence is mysteriously in the room while also out of the country.
The cast of Broadway’s Once on This Island joined Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts to discuss the revival of the musical and perform the show’s finale, “Why We Tell the Story.”
The neat new digital series from GMA, “Dressing Room Reveal with Robin Roberts,” goes backstage to Robin Robert’s dressing room for intimate performances and conversations.
Ah. This gives me life.
Once on This Island unfolds as a group of storytellers, during a nighttime rainstorm, calm a young girl of their village with the story of Ti Moune, a Caribbean island country girl who falls in love with an aristocrat.
I love this show so much: the message, the music, the people.
And speaking of the people I love a lot :)…
T. Oliver Reid, the show’s dance captain, and I worked together in two Broadway shows – Chicago and Follies. As much as I’ve laughed through the years with T, I’ve also always enjoyed his talent and awesome work ethic. When you’re on stage with T, you know you better keep up!
And the wondermous and handsome Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis (Porgy & Bess, Phantom of the Opera, Side Show), who I’ve known for even longer than T., was playing the role of “Agwé,” god of water, when this was filmed.
So, double joy for me watching this clip.
Watch the gorgeous cast of Once On This Island perform “Why We Tell the Story” below and feel your spirit renewed.
Happy Sunday!
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis and GMA’s Robin Roberts
In an apparent crackdown by China’s Communist Party to denounce any and everything to do with LGBT folks, the country’s microblogging platform Sina Weibo began deleting “homosexual” content even as protesters reacted with the hashtag #IAmGay.
Weibo said in a statement Friday it had begun a “clean-up campaign” to remove “illegal” content, including “manga and videos with pornographic implications, promoting violence or (related to) homosexuality”.
It is the latest sign in a crackdown by the ruling Communist Party to purge the Internet of any content deviating from its “core values of socialism” while stifling criticism of social norms and established policies.
The popular Twitter-like platform, which boasts 400 million active monthly users, said it was implementing China’s new cybersecurity law and had already removed some 56,240 items by Friday evening.
The announcement provoked a flood of reaction from stunned or outraged Chinese Internet users, with protesters rallying behind the hashtag “I am gay”.
By midday Saturday, it had been used by some 170,l000 Weibo users, before it was apparently banned by the platform.
“There can be no homosexuality under socialism? It is unbelievable that China progresses economically and militarily but returns to the feudal era in terms of ideas,” one angry commenter said.
China only decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, but conservative attitudes remain widespread.
#Gay#LGBT Yesterday，one of the biggest app in China，like the Twitter, instagram, named Weibo，issued a statment that prohibit every article, picture, comment，topic—every thing about homosexuality. How I am disappointed about our country… pic.twitter.com/MoLKHJoNRZ
The most meaningful hashtag I’ve seen around Chinese social media in a long time following announcement of ban on gay content: #IAMGAY#我是同性恋. Some say: “If this is not the time to speak out, then when will we?” https://t.co/CLMCHP4cWk
Many social media users in China protested with messages saying, “I am gay, not a pervert” following a Sina Weibo ban on gay-themed content https://t.co/LEyelq2KXX
Robert De Niro as “Robert Mueller” and Ben Stiller as “Michael Cohen”
Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller reprised their “Meet The Parents” roles for this week’s “Saturday Night Live” cold open, with De Niro playing Special Counsel Robert Mueller and Stiller playing Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
In a throwback to the movie’s lie detector test scene, with Mueller interrogates Cohen about his work for the President.
The skit even included lines pulled straight from the film.
Stiller: “You can milk anything with nipples.”
De Niro: “Really? I have nipples. Can you milk me, Mr. Cohen?”
When Cohen accuses Mueller of bias, Mueller denies the allegation noting that his team uses codenames for the President and his family to prevent personal opinions from coloring the work of his team.
Trump’s codename is “Stormy’s little bitch,” Ivanka Trump is “Girlfriend,” and Erik and Donald Jr. are “Two Fredos.” Cohen is tagged “Dead Man Walking.”
Says De Niro’s Mueller, “Now you listen to me, you little weasel, I don’t know what rights you think you have but you broke the law and now we’re gonna catch all you little Fokkers.”
Donald Trump woke up this Sunday morning on a mission – to help James Comey sell as many books as possible when Comey’s memoir, A Higher Loyalty, is released on Tuesday.
From some tried-and-true “Crooked Hillarys” and a “Slimeball!” thrown in for good measure, Trump tried to create his own reality denying he ever asked Comey for his loyalty.
Since Trump now likes the phrase “Mission Accomplished!” so much, I’ll point out that his Twitter rant took Comey right to #1 on the Amazon book charts.
Check out the fevered meltdown below.
Unbelievably, James Comey states that Polls, where Crooked Hillary was leading, were a factor in the handling (stupidly) of the Clinton Email probe. In other words, he was making decisions based on the fact that he thought she was going to win, and he wanted a job. Slimeball!
The big questions in Comey’s badly reviewed book aren’t answered like, how come he gave up Classified Information (jail), why did he lie to Congress (jail), why did the DNC refuse to give Server to the FBI (why didn’t they TAKE it), why the phony memos, McCabe’s $700,000 & more?
Comey throws AG Lynch “under the bus!” Why can’t we all find out what happened on the tarmac in the back of the plane with Wild Bill and Lynch? Was she promised a Supreme Court seat, or AG, in order to lay off Hillary. No golf and grandkids talk (give us all a break)!
Six police officers arrest two men at a Philadelphia Starbucks for asking to use the restroom
The arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks has gained national attention as cellphone video footage has gone viral showing six officers handcuffing the men whose only crime seems to have been asking to use the bathroom while waiting for a friend.
According to reports a white female manager called the police.
A chagrined Starbucks CEO has now issued an apology to the men saying company training “led to a bad outcome.”
In a statement to Starbucks customers and employees Saturday, CEO Kevin Johnson acknowledged “a disheartening situation in one of our Philadelphia-area stores this past Thursday, that led to a reprehensible outcome.”
Cellphone videos captured the tense moment Thursday afternoon when at least six Philadelphia Police Department officers stood over two seated black men, asking them to leave. A man named Andrew Yaffe arrives to tell police that the two men were waiting for him. The officer says that they were not complying and were being arrested for trespassing.
Lauren Wimmer, the attorney for the two men, told The Washington Post that her clients told a Starbucks employee that they were waiting for Yaffe. Shortly after, a white female employee called the police, Wimmer said.
The two men, whom she declined to identify, were taken to a police station, fingerprinted and photographed. One officer suggested that they faced charges for “defiant trespassing,” Wimmer said. They were held for nearly nine hours before they were released, she said, after prosecutors said they would not pursue charges.
Benjamin Waxman, a spokesman for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, said the office decided that there “wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge [the men] with a crime.”
In his statement, Johnson said the video was hard to watch and that he hopes to meet the two men to offer “a face-to-face” apology, adding that the company’s practices and training “led to a bad outcome — the basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong.”
“Our store manager never intended for these men to be arrested and this should never have escalated as it did,” Johnson said.
An official at Starbucks told the WaPo that there is no official company-wide policy on asking member of the public to leave. Apparently store managers are left to make such decisions.
Why this store manager decided to let this incident escalate to such a degree is not clear.
The official went on to say the handling of this matter was not how most store managers would have handled the situation.
As a white male, I’ve spent hours and hours in Starbucks all over the world. I’ve never been asked to leave.
@Starbucks The police were called because these men hadn’t ordered anything. They were waiting for a friend to show up, who did as they were taken out in handcuffs for doing nothing. All the other white ppl are wondering why it’s never happened to us when we do the same thing. pic.twitter.com/0U4Pzs55Ci
First, to once again express our deepest apologies to the two men who were arrested with a goal of doing whatever we can to make things right. Second, to let you know of our plans to investigate the pertinent facts and make any necessary changes to our practices that would help prevent such an occurrence from ever happening again. And third, to reassure you that Starbucks stands firmly against discrimination or racial profiling.
In the coming days, I will be joining our regional vice president, Camille Hymes—who is on the ground in Philadelphia—to speak with partners, customers and community leaders as well as law enforcement. Most importantly, I hope to meet personally with the two men who were arrested to offer a face-to-face apology.
We have immediately begun a thorough investigation of our practices. In addition to our own review, we will work with outside experts and community leaders to understand and adopt best practices. The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks Mission and Values.
Creating an environment that is both safe and welcoming for everyone is paramount for every store. Regretfully, our practices and training led to a bad outcome—the basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong. Our store manager never intended for these men to be arrested and this should never have escalated as it did.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney issued a statement which read, in part:
“I am heartbroken to see Philadelphia in the headlines for an incident that — at least based on what we know at this point — appears to exemplify what racial discrimination looks like in 2018. For many, Starbucks is not just a place to buy a cup of coffee, but a place to meet up with friends or family members, or to get some work done. Like all retail establishments in our city, Starbucks should be a place where everyone is treated the same, no matter the color of their skin.
Most interesting line from @Starbucks CEO “Our store manager never intended for these men to be arrested..”. Would be interesting to hear what he/she thought would happen once police were called on 2 black men. https://t.co/YkUuykIK46
Note to Starbucks CEO: I spend $10+ on my Grande Frap and select sandwich almost daily and I find it hard to find a seat sometimes because of people on their mac books for hours using free WiFi not buying anything and I don’t see them arrested. Can you guess race?
FX recently dropped the first full preview of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming new series Pose, which plays across the landscape of drag ball culture in 1980s New York City.
The series initially made headlines after announcing five transgender actors in trans roles as series regulars – Indya Moore, Angelica Ross, Hailie Sahar, Dominique Jackson, and M.J. Rodriguez – easily the most ever cast in a TV series.
The series also stars TV veterans James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Murphy regular Evan Peters, and Tony Award-winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots).
According to press materials, Murphy looks to journey across 1986 NYC finding the intersections of the downtown literary scene, the ball culture and the lavish luxe of the emerging Trump era.
Pose premieres Sunday, June 3 on FX. Watch the preview below.
While Donald Trump was ordering the missile strike on Syria last night, McClatchyDC was reporting that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has found evidence that Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, did travel to Prague in August/September of 2016 at the height of the presidential campaign.
Confirmation of the trip would lend credence to a retired British spy’s report that Cohen strategized there with a powerful Kremlin figure about Russian meddling in the U.S. election.
It would also be one of the most significant developments thus far in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of whether the Trump campaign and the Kremlin worked together to help Trump win the White House. Undercutting Trump’s repeated pronouncements that “there is no evidence of collusion,” it also could ratchet up the stakes if the president tries, as he has intimated he might for months, to order Mueller’s firing.
Cohen denied the allegations last year saying he has “never been to Prague” in his life. He famously produced his passport which showed no stamp of entry into Prague.
But the new reports posit that Cohen may have traveled on private jet to Germany and entered the Czech Republic from there. Because both countries are in the so-called Schengen Area in which 26 nations operate with open borders, a passport would not have been necessary for entry.
The infamous Steele dossier has been declared “debunked” in great part by Trump loyalists because of Cohen’s passport defense. The logic seems to be if that one aspect of the report was untrue then the entire dossier must be a lie.
“Bad reporting, bad information and bad story,” Cohen tweeted, calling out McClatchy reporter Peter Stone by name.
“No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven!”
Bad reporting, bad information and bad story by same reporter Peter Stone @McClatchyDC. No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven! https://t.co/ra7nwjUA0X
Rumor has been swirling for months that Cohen flew into Germany by private jet in early September 2016 and went on to Prague by train or bus—now Mueller has evidence it may be true >> https://t.co/EvUoQB5fBG
BREAKING: From Day 1 this feed has been about the Steele Dossier—and tonight the *one* allegedly false item in the Dossier now appears to *also* be true. So the current status of the Dossier is that much of it has been proven true and none of it dispelled. https://t.co/ipa207fydH
Broadway Bares: Game Night, the annual striptease spectacular benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, will take place June 17 at 9:30 PM and midnight at the Hammerstein Ballroom (311 West 34th Street).
The performances, featuring more than 150 of the most talented dancers in New York City, will put a seductive spin on games you know and love, from a pulsating poke at pinball to saucy virtual reality video games.
Created in 1992 by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell, Broadway Bares has raised more than $17.4 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Tickets for Broadway Bares range from $50 to $3,000. For more information, visit BroadwayCares.org.
