Washington D.C. (photo: Maria Oswalt/Unsplash) By a vote of 216-208, the House of Representatives voted in favor of statehood for the District of Columbia. From the Washington Post:
For the second time in history, the House passed legislation Thursday to make the District of Columbia the nation’s 51st state, bolstering momentum for a once-illusory goal that has become a pivotal tenet of the Democratic Party’s voting rights platform.
Democrats approved Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Washington, D.C. Admission Act 216-208 in a party-line vote, describing it as a bid to restore equal citizenship to the residents of the nation’s capital and rectify a historic injustice.
But the political odds remain formidable, with the Senate filibuster requiring the support of 60 senators to advance legislation.
The District has no representation in the U.S. Senate, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is a non-voting member of the House. Republicans have long opposed statehood for D.C. because the District has a large Black community and votes overwhelmingly Democratic. In most probabilities that would produce two new Democratic Senators increasing the Dems hold on a Senate majority. Read the full article. Some say the District is ‘too small’ to warrant statehood. But there are approximately over 692,000+ citizens living in D.C. Wyoming has just over 578,000 residents and the population of Vermont is just over 623,000. So…?
Antonio aka FitnessPapi (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: Antonio, aka FitnessPapi (above), is IM’s ‘InstaHottie of the week’ – and for good reason. Follow him on Instagram here. • The Advocate: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat in a state with a GOP-controlled legislature, has quietly implied she may veto an anti-transgender bill that would bar trans girls and women from competing on female sports teams at the state’s public schools, colleges, and universities. • Gr8erDays: Tony Danza (Taxi, Who’s The Boss?) turns 70 today. The forever hunk never stops working it seems from his TV shows to Broadway (The Producers, Honeymoon in Vegas) to hosting gigs. Happy happy, Tony D! https://www.instagram.com/p/CN6H1rFh4rE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • NewNowNext: Australian superstar Kylie Minogue, along with her equally fabulous sister Dannii Minogue, have been ‘RuVealed’ as guest judges for the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under. • Democracy Docket: The Arizona House has approved a new bill that would purge over 100,000 voters from the state’s Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL). SB 1485 would remove voters who don’t vote in two consecutive primary and general elections from the list. • Omaha.com: Conservative radio personality Chris Baker was fired Wednesday after posting an offensive tweet about the Derek Chauvin verdict. In a statement, iHeartRadio called the tweet “completely inappropriate and unacceptable.” Baker blamed the ‘mistake’ on being “a fat-fingered boomer on Twitter.”
This is a tweet that was posted then quickly deleted by Nebraska radio host @CBakerShow when the verdict was announced in the Derek Chauvin trial.
Racism like this is a FEATURE of conservative talk radio but they usually mask it with dog whistles. But not this time. @kfabnewspic.twitter.com/3lr5TFyBhi — Senator McCollister (@SenMcCollister) April 21, 2021
In a somewhat surprising move, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has vetoed legislation that would have curtailed the state’s sex education laws and would have prohibited any mention of LGBTQ issues or history. In a statement, the governor called the bill, SB 1456, “overly broad and vague” adding he was concerned about “unintended consequences.” From Goshen News:
The proposed law, Senate Bill 1456, would have barred all discussions about gender identity, sexual orientation or HIV/AIDS in sex education classes unless parents are notified in advance and specifically opt in for the instruction.
The proposal applied outside of sex ed classes as well, requiring parents to agree to have their children learn about historical events such as a discussion of the modern gay rights movement that sprang from the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York.
It also banned any sex ed classes before 5th grade, which opponents have said will put young students who now learn about “good touch-bad touch” to avoid molestation at greater risk.
Although he vetoed the bill, Ducey did issue an executive order requiring schools to post sex education course materials in advance online. He also ordered there to be early notice of school board meetings where sex ed might be discussed. Democratic lawmakers in the state opposed the legislation saying it was dangerous for already-marginalized LGBTQ youth. Kathy Hoffman, superintendent of schools for Arizona, publicly opposed the bill as well calling for the veto. And she applauded his move today.
My statement on the legislature’s passage of #SB1456. I urge Governor @dougducey to veto this bill and encourage the legislature to focus on more pressing issues. pic.twitter.com/jOvM5ovoxx
Gov. @dougducey made the right decision by vetoing SB1456 and I want to thank him for standing up to bigotry and intolerance. All students are welcome in Arizona’s public schools and today’s veto reaffirms that.
Tom Berklund in parody video ‘John Smith Fitness’ (screen capture)
Sometimes, when I need a mid-day brain break, I fire up Instagram for a few minutes to scroll past some InstaHunks for a momentary man-candy distraction.
You know the accounts: woofy workout guys paired with some casual commentary of aspirational uplift. And yes, positivity is a good thing in these wild and crazy times. But, I can admit – every now and then – some of the motivational messaging can seem a bit by-the-book. Still pretty but perhaps a bit ponderous.
A trio of funny guys collaborated on a short video that takes a playful poke at those accounts complete with faux ‘inspirational’ messaging.
“Two roads diverged in a wood…one of them goes to the gym.”“Just recite my wisdoms, and the muscles will follow.” In the clip, New York City actor Tom Berklund plays ‘John Smith’ of John Smith Fitness, who’s ready to pump you up. “This isn’t a scam – I’m not selling sex, I’m selling motivation. So buy my motivation today.”
“I’ll start your program easy with a daily running regimen of only six miles a day,” says our hunky fitness guru. “Just a little jog to get the blood pumping.”
“Because at John Smith Fitness, it’s inside that counts – because inside the skin is muscle. So, muscles are the insides we’re talking about here.”
The comic short was conceived and directed by Eric Blume, a former writer/director at Comedy Central who’s created tons of commercials and narrative projects.
New York City actor and writer David Morton (Upright Citizens Brigade) penned the script, and the buff Berklund is an experienced Broadway actor (Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, The Addams Family).
The creative team offers a cheeky disclaimer that “one of the three of them went to the gym extensively to make this little project happen.” Wonder which one…?
Hit the play button for a bit of Hump Day distraction. Warning: some slightly NSFW content.
Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: Celebrity Page TV host Jaymes Vaughan and actor Jonathan Bennett are the first gay couple to grace the cover of The Knot magazine. • The Advocate: Black LGBTQ activists see justice in Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdicts in the murder of George Floyd, but also acknowledge the work ahead. “Today, humanity won over indifference.” • Instinct Magazine: After many queens have impersonated her on RuPaul’s Drag Race, the indomitable Cher is hinting she may finally appear on the Emmy Award-winning series as a guest judge. https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5o1w_hy64/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • NewNowNext: Gender-affirming healthcare bans are making life hell for transgender kids. Trans kids and their families are “in a state of panic,” one doctor in Arkansas told the AP. • HuffPost: Former boy-bander Lance Bass says ‘Bachelor’ star Colton Underwood is catching flack from the LGBTQ community because some queer folks aren’t down with him ‘monetizing’ coming out. • The Daily Beast: Ted Nugent, the right-wing rocker who’s spent the past year declaring the coronavirus a ‘scam’ has announced that he’s fallen badly sick with COVID-19.
Ted Nugent—the right-wing singer who’s spent the past year boring on about his ridiculous coronavirus and anti-vaccine conspiracy theories—has announced that he’s fallen badly sick with COVID-19 https://t.co/UsKNl41Qk0
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer has been convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was captured on video last May kneeling on the neck of Floyd during the course of an arrest until he lost consciousness and died. From the New York Times:
After deliberating for about 10 hours over two days following an emotional trial that lasted three weeks, the jury found Mr. Chauvin, who is white, guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter for the killing of Mr. Floyd, a Black man, on a street corner last year on Memorial Day.
Mr. Chauvin faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced in the coming weeks but is likely to receive far less time. The presumptive sentence for second-degree murder is 12.5 years, according to Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines, although the state has asked for a higher sentence.
“While justice landed Derek Chauvin behind bars for killing George Floyd, no amount of justice will bring Gianna’s father back. The same way a reasonable police officer would never suffocate an unarmed man to death, a reasonable justice system would recognize its roots in white supremacy and end qualified immunity. Police are here to protect, not lynch. We will not rest until all in our community have the right to breathe.”
President Biden and VP Harris call the Floyd family after the GUILTY verdict! Thank you @POTUS & @VP for your support! We hope that we can count on you for the police reform we NEED in America! ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/cg4V2D5tlI
Today, a jury did the right thing. But true justice requires much more. Michelle and I send our prayers to the Floyd family, and we stand with all those who are committed to guaranteeing every American the full measure of justice that George and so many others have been denied. pic.twitter.com/mihZQHqACV
Guilty. The Hennepin County jury’s #verdict is a historic move for accountability in the #DerekChauvinTrial for the murder of George Floyd.
No verdict can correct the injustice done to George Floyd, his loved ones & their community. And so our fight must continue. (1/5) — Rashad Robinson (@rashadrobinson) April 20, 2021
Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner and former DC Police Chief Charles Ramsey says of the effects of the Chauvin ruling on police: “This doesn’t hurt them. It supports them.”
Derek Chauvin almost was not even charged with 2nd-degree unintentional murder, the most serious of the 3 charges of which he was found guilty today — and it only took a jury of his peers about 10 hours to decide it was a charge of which he was guilty.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin (screen capture) The jury in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with manslaughter and murder charges for the death of George Floyd, has reached a verdict in less than a day. The verdict will be read at 4:30 pm ET. From NBC News:
The panel of seven women and five men began deliberating Monday after three weeks of witness testimony.
Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The third-degree murder charge had initially been dismissed, but it was reinstated after an appeals court ruling in an unrelated case established new grounds for it days before jury selection started.
Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years. Third-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. Second-degree manslaughter is punishable by up to 10 years.
Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Floyd’s neck for several minutes as Floyd, who was Black, was handcuffed and lying on the ground.
During the trial, prosecutors called 38 witnesses. The defense called seven witnesses, two of whom were experts.
My hubby Michael just sent this to me. I had to laugh out loud because this is SOOOOO me in the mornings. I generally wake up pretty early (around 5am), quietly get my coffee, crawl back into bed, and check out the news landscape in silence 🙂 I don’t know who created it, but happy to give credit if I find out.
New cases of COVID1-9 worldwide have now exceeded their previous peak with the number of infections higher than it’s ever been. According to the Washington Post, a leading factor for the increase is the intensity of India’s second wave. That country now accounts for nearly one third of all new cases.
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Earlier this year, India appeared to be weathering the pandemic. The number of daily cases dropped below 10,000 and the government launched a vaccination drive powered by locally made vaccines.
But experts say that changes in behavior and the influence of new variants have combined to produce a tidal wave of new cases.
India is adding more than 250,000 new infections a day — and if current trends continue, that figure could soar to 500,000 within a month, said Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistician at the University of Michigan.
One crematorium in the city of Surat says it used to receive about 20 bodies a day, but now it is receiving 100. As of Monday evening, at least 3,023,700 people have died worldwide from coronavirus.
More coronavirus cases are being reported worldwide than ever before. A key factor in the rise: the ferocity of India’s second wave. https://t.co/w1qu0GODW2
(scene from Nomadland)Nomadland, the spare and fact-based drama of a group of struggling Americans living off the grid; the vivid blues woman biopic Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; the family-happy fish-out-of-water fable Minari; writer-director-actress Radha Blank and her biting showbiz satire The Forty-Year-Old Version; the death-to-misogyny revenge thriller Promising Young Woman; and the urgent human-rights documentaries Disclosure and Welcome to Chechnya all scored more than one Dorian Award from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics via a televised special. GALECA’s Dorian Awards honor the best in all of film and TV, from mainstream to LGBTQ fare, on separate occasions. As revealed during the three-hour Dorians Film Toast 2021, shown on LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry and hosted by famed entertainer and human rights hero Karel, Nomadland earned 3 Dorians: Best Film, Best Director for Chloé Zhao, and Most Visually Striking Film. https://www.instagram.com/p/CN1dlhKJlkJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Minari earned Best Non-English Language Film plus a supporting actress nod for Yuh-Jung Youn. Ma Rainey’s was deemed Best LGBTQ Film by GALECA, and the musical drama’s male lead, the late Chadwick Boseman, earned Best Film Performance—Actor. https://www.instagram.com/p/CN1diICpv_P/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Promising Young Woman star Carey Mulligan, fascinatingly mischievous as a woman out to avenge the death of a female friend, and the mystery’s witty screenwriter, Emerald Fennell, both delighted with their humble acceptance videos for Best Film Performance—Actress and Best Screenplay, respectively. In homage to Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, GALECA’s Dorian “trophies” are actually small pop-art portraits of the winner (sometimes in character) or a rendering of a memorable scene from the champion title (the pieces, fashioned from an existing photo, come with an easel). https://www.instagram.com/p/CN4Dv7sJfT3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.instagram.com/p/CN4DDYQpn8Y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link COMPLETE LIST OF DORIAN FILM AWARD WINNERS (noted in bold) Best Film FIRST COW MINARI NOMADLAND PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN SOUND OF METAL Best LGBTQ Film AMMONITE THE BOYS IN THE BAND I CARRY YOU WITH ME MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM SUPERNOVA UNCLE FRANK Best Non-English Language Film ANOTHER ROUND BACURAU I CARRY YOU WITH ME LA LLORONA MINARI TWO OF US Best DirectorCHLOÉ ZHAO, NOMADLAND EMERALD FENNELL, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN KELLY REICHARDT, FIRST COW LEE ISAAC CHUNG, MINARI REGINA KING, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Best Screenplay (original or adapted) CHLOÉ ZHAO, NOMADLAND ELIZA HITTMAN, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS EMERALD FENNELL, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN LEE ISAAC CHUNG, MINARI RADHA BLANK, THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION Best Unsung Film – Presented by Stoli® DRIVEWAYS FIRST COW THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION MISS JUNETEENTH NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS SHIRLEY THE ASSISTANT Best Documentary (tie) COLLECTIVE CRIP CAMP DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD DISCLOSURE TIME WELCOME TO CHECHNYABest LGBTQ Documentary (tie) A SECRET LOVE BORN TO BE DISCLOSURE MUCHO MUCHO AMOR: THE LEGEND OF WALTER MERCADO WELCOME TO CHECHNYABest Film Performance — ActressCAREY MULLIGAN, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN FRANCES MCDORMAND, NOMADLAND NICOLE BEHARIE, MISS JUNETEENTH SIDNEY FLANIGAN, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS VIOLA DAVIS, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Best Film Performance — Actor ANTHONY HOPKINS, THE FATHER CHADWICK BOSEMAN, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM DELROY LINDO, DA 5 BLOODS RIZ AHMED, SOUND OF METAL STEVEN YEUN, MINARI Best Film Performance — SUPPORTING Actress AMANDA SEYFRIED, MANK CANDICE BERGEN, LET THEM ALL TALK MARIA BAKALOVA, BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM OLIVIA COLMAN, THE FATHER YUH-JUNG YOUN, MINARIBest Film Performance — SUPPORTING Actor CHADWICK BOSEMAN, DA 5 BLOODS DANIEL KALUUYA, JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH LESLIE ODOM JR., ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI PAUL RACI, SOUND OF METAL SACHA BARON COHEN, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Most Visually Striking Film BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) MANK NOMADLAND SOUL WOLFWALKERS Campiest Flick BAD HAIR BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA THE PROM WONDER WOMAN 1984 “We’re Wilde About You!” Rising Star Award ALAN S. KIM KINGSLEY BEN-ADIR MARIA BAKALOVA RADHA BLANK SIDNEY FLANIGAN Wilde Artist Award (to a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment) CHADWICK BOSEMAN CHLOÉ ZHAO DOLLY PARTON ELLIOT PAGE REGINA KING GALECA Trailblazer Award (Special Board-picked accolade) For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity ISABEL SANDOVALTimeless Star Honoring an actor or performer whose exemplary career has been marked by character, wisdom and wit LESLIE JORDAN(via press release)
Some news items you might have missed: • 
My hubby Michael just sent this to me. I had to laugh out loud because this is SOOOOO me in the mornings. I generally wake up pretty early (around 5am), quietly get my coffee, crawl back into bed, and check out the news landscape in silence 🙂 I don’t know who created it, but happy to give credit if I find out.
