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Podcast: World AIDS Day 2017

In this special World AIDS Day episode of The Randy Report podcast:

• What is World AIDS Day?

• What exactly is HIV/AIDS? We’ve lived with the disease so long, many may not know what the virus actually does.

• What’s the latest development in terms of treatment for HIV/AIDS?

• What can YOU do on World AIDS Day?

Plus, we share excellent resources for information about HIV/AIDS.

Hit the play button and catch up a bit about why we still need to observe World AIDS Day.

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White House Office Of National AIDS Policy Web Page Blank On #WorldAIDSDay

With today being World AIDS Day, I thought I’d take a virtual stroll over to WhiteHouse.gov to see what Donald Trump’s Office of AIDS Policy had to say.

Check out the screen capture from the site’s page just minutes ago.

As a metaphor, I think this speaks volumes.

Trump’s proclamation for World AIDS Day somehow did not mention gay men, transgender folks or people of color.

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Broadway Casting Director Fired Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Justin Huff (image via Facebook)

A top Broadway casting director has been fired from his agency after being accused of inappropriate behavior.

Justin Huff, who is openly gay, was dismissed as a senior staffer at powerhouse casting firm Telsey + Company.

Huff had been involved in casting major Broadway productions like Kinky Boots, Newsies, On Your Feet!, Honeymoon In Vegas, and The Color Purple,

On November 30, agency founder Bernard Telsey announced Huff’s firing.

“I was given reports of inappropriate behavior which I took very seriously,” agency founder Bernard Telsey told Variety, “and once I was able to get some information, it was very clear he had to leave this office.”

Without providing any details, Telsey admitted there were allegations of sexual misconduct.

Huff is married to actor Mo Brady, whom he cast in the short-lived Broadway musical, Catch Me if You Can.

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Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Observe #WorldAIDSDay In First Public Appearance Since Engagement

Prince Harry and new fiance Meghan Markle made their first public appearance today since their engagement was announced by observing World AIDS Day.

Prince Harry has long been involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS just as his mother, Princess Diana, was.

Prince Harry has been to Nottingham many times before and is delighted to be introducing the city to Ms. Markle. pic.twitter.com/wyLn1v0QfQ

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 1, 2017

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White House: Flynn Only Served 25 Days In Trump Administration, Pled Guilty To Only One Count Of Lying

Donald Trump’s lawyer, Ty Cobb, attempted to downplay today’s guilty plea by Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, as a “single” count of lying to the FBI by someone who only worked in the Trump administration for 25 days.

Cobb goes on to say regarding the false statement to the FBI:

“The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year. Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn. The conclusion of this phase of the Special Counsel’s work demonstrates again that the Special Counsel is moving with all deliberate speed and clears the way for a prompt and reasonable conclusion.”

This follows the Trump pattern of minimizing former Team Trumpers when they have been charged with crimes.

When former campaign chair Paul Manafort was charged the story was he “was part of the campaign for only a short amount of time.”

When George Papadopoulos was indicted for lying to the FBI, again, the story was “he was only low-level advisor no one knew.”

The statement also makes a point to include that Flynn was once a part of the Obama administration.

Of course, Flynn hasn’t been found guilty of any activities during his time in the Obama administration.

Watch coverage of the White House statement below.

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Former Oklahoma “Family Values” State Senator Requests And Is Denied Release Pending Sentencing For Child Sex Trafficking

On Thursday, former Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey, who pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking in connection to meeting a 17-year-old boy at a motel for paid sexual favors, asked Judge Timothy Deguisti to release him pending sentencing.

According to police investigations, the teenager apparently needed money and offered sex acts in exchange for money. Shortey showed up with marijuana and condoms.

Shortey’s lawyer based the request for release predicated on Shortey not being a flight risk due to having a wife and his four children who are all homeschooled.

Judge Deguisti denied the request and had Shortey taken into custody.

Shortey, an anti-LGBT, “family values” Republican acted as Donald Trump’s Oklahoma state campaign chair during the 2016 presidential election.

(source)

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Former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn Pleads Guilty To Lying To FBI

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn with “willfully and knowingly” making “false, fictitious and fraudulent statements” to the FBI regarding conversations with Russia’s ambassador.

According to CNN, a federal judge has accepted Flynn’s plea of guilty to the one charge of perjury charge related to four separate false statements made to the FBI.

Specifically, Flynn is charged with falsely claiming that he had not asked Russia’s ambassador Sergey Kislyak “to refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed against Russia that same day” last December 29.

As most legal experts are explaining on news outlets right now, the only reason for Mueller to cut a plea deal with Mike Flynn would be in exchange for information regarding higher up actors in the Russian collusion investigation.

ABC News is reporting that Flynn has promised full cooperation to the Mueller team and is prepared to testify that candidate Trump “directed him to make contact with the Russians.”

Flynn was forced to step down as national security adviser after the Trump administration revealed he had reportedly lied to Vice President Mike Pence about conversations with Russian actors.

It’s worth noting that Flynn is the 4th Trump team member to be charged with a crime following Paul Manafort, Rick Gates and George Papadopoulos.

According to folks on Twitter, it took Flynn 499 days to go from leading “Lock her up” chants at last year’s GOP National Convention regarding Hillary Clinton to copping to committing a felony. Let’s go back to the videotape.

By the way, you know who’s NOT pleading guilty to ANY federal charges today? Hillary Clinton.

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News Round-Up: November 30, 2017

Some news items you might have missed:

• Andrew Serkin (above) handles the cold in Miami with a stylish vest sans shirt. I’m good with that 🙂

• Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson was not extended an invitation to the White House’s annual Christmas party this year. Johnson attends the White House press briefings almost daily, and has attended the holiday fest at the White House the last seven years. Now, why do you think Team Trump would snub a gay reporter… Oh, got it. Nevermind.

• Jim Nabors, of Gomer Pyle, of The Andy Griffith Show, and the show’s spinoff, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., died at the age of 87. He married his partner Stan Cadwallader in 2013. They had been together 42 years. Thanks to his “Gomer Pyle” role, Nabors was one of the few ever to be named an Honorary Marine.

• Crediting the preventative drug PrEP, the Department of Health says 2016 had the lowest number of new HIV diagnoses in New York City history, an 8.6% decrease in new infections as opposed to the year before.

• Timothée Chalamet had a great night at the New York Film Critics Circle last night where he snagged the Best Actor award for his stunning work in the coming-of-age gay romance, Call Me By Your Name. Chalamet also saw another film he is appearing in, Lady Bird, win for Best Film.

• Check out this year’s holiday commercial from H&M titled “A Magical Holiday” starring Nicki Minaj, Grey Anatomy’s Jesse Williams, and John Turturro as the villain who stole Christmas presents from children across the globe. Three minutes of non-Trump, holiday cuteness – watch below.

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Russell Tovey & Wentworth Miller Deliver Same-Sex “Super-Kiss” In Primetime

Wentworth Miller (L) and Russell Tovey (R)

Being the comic book geek that I am, I caught up on The CW’s “Crisis On Earth X” last night in one four-hour binge.

I loved it! So well done across all four CW shows – The Flash, Supergirl, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.

Plus, there were two (TWO!) same-sex relationships incorporated into the storylines.

First, we saw Supergirl’s sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh) connecting with White Canary (Caity Lotz).

And, we were treated to two gay super-heroes kiss in primetime! And the heroes were played by two openly gay actors (Wentworth Miller, Russell Tovey).

Check out the liplock between Tovey and Miller below. And if you like the super-hero genre, use that On Demand thingy and watch “Crisis On Earth X.”