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News Round-Up: March 9, 2021

Pfizer announced its new antiviral pill reduced risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 89 percent

A new once-a-month pill for PrEP is proving to be ‘extremely potent’ in testing
Some news items you might have missed: • Metro Weekly: Pharmaceutical company Merck has released data from the second phase of trials into its antiretroviral drug islatravir, a once-a-month pill to protect against HIV infection, which has proven to be “extremely potent.” • Billboard: Of the eight Grammy nominees for best new artist, three — CHIKA, Kaytranada and Phoebe Bridgers — openly identify as LGBTQ. • New York Daily News: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said on Monday that she’s “excited” to sign a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in sports teams that correspond to their gender identity. South Dakota is the second U.S. state this year, after Mississippi, to pass legislation targeting transgender sports athletes. • Amazon Prime: “Love The One You’re With” (2021) is a dramatic comedy from award winning comedian and filmmaker Sampson McCormick that follows a couple, Miles and Avery as they navigate the possible ending of a long term relationship. The story offers surprise twists, lots of laughter and a mind stirring story line.

• The Independent: The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was able to combat a new variant that was rapidly circulating in Brazil, a new study has found. • Des Moines Register: Four months after Iowans voted in record numbers, Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed legislation cutting the state’s early voting period and closing the polls an hour earlier on Election Day. Every Republican present for debate in the House and Senate voted for the legislation. Every Democrat voted against it. #AndSoItBegins • Palm Beach Post: Despite his false claims about mail voting during the 2020 election cycle, Donald Trump requested a mail ballot on Friday for the third time in his Palm Beach County voter history. • Law and Crime: In their bid to get him out of the Grady County Jail in Oklahoma, attorneys for an 18-year-old defendant in the U.S. Capitol siege said another inmate attacked him. They also said their client caught COVID-19 while behind bars. He allegedly assaulted a police officer and was armed with a baton.

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Buckingham Palace Breaks Silence After Prince Harry & Meghan Interview

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (photo: Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions)
After a compelling interview by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with Oprah Winfrey, Buckingham Palace has finally broken its silence after two days. From the New York Times:

Buckingham Palace broke nearly 48 hours of silence Tuesday about a bombshell interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, saying “the whole royal family is saddened” and expressing concern about the issue of racism the couple had raised.

Assertions that a member of the royal family had raised concerns about the skin color of the couple’s son, Archie, and that a desperate Meghan had contemplated suicide dominated national discussion in Britain, where the interview with Oprah Winfrey was broadcast Monday evening.

On Tuesday, Piers Morgan, the co-host of “Good Morning Britain” on ITV news, who came under attack for saying he “didn’t believe a word” of the interview, resigned, the network said. Britain’s communications regulator received more than 41,000 complaints about his comment, it said.

Read the full article.

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QAnon Rep. Thinks Guam Is A Foreign Nation That Shouldn’t Receive US $$$

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
During remarks made at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, last month, QAnon Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) lumped the U.S. territory of Guam in with a list of foreign nations she doesn’t believe should be receiving American aid. From The American Independent:

“We believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America. Not for, what? China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam, whatever, wherever,” said Greene.

People born in Guam are U.S. citizens. More than 160,000 Americans live in Guam, and 7,000 members of the American military are stationed at U.S. Naval Base Guam and Andersen Air Force Base on the island.

While citizens of Guam cannot vote in presidential elections, in 2020 Republicans in the territory caucused during the primaries and awarded 9 delegates to Donald Trump, helping him to secure the Republican presidential nomination.

You’ll recall Donald Trump was slow to send aid to Puerto Rico. At the time, many felt the Donald might not have known that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.

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Can A ‘Bad Boy’ Make Right What Once Went Wrong?

Drew Canan and Artie O'Daly have a complex relationship in the Bad Boys web series
Jim Canan and Artie O’Daly in the Bad Boys web series

In this latest installment of Artie O’Daly’s wacky Bad Boys web series, Scott (played by O’Daly) considers alternate realities after his evening is ruined by some bad choices.

It seems Scott’s hottie maybe-boyfriend Brian (Doug Rogers) broke things off some time ago worried that some hanky-panky might be in the making with ‘Bad Boys’ Jim (Drew Canan) and James (Alex Dyon).

Ok, there was a shower three-way with the Bad Boys, but Scott kept his underwear on, so it doesn’t really count, right?

The wet and wild three-way was one of those ‘bad choices’ Scott is now reconsidering.

Scott texts Brian to try and patch things up but Jim criticizes the overly long Harry Potter length of his ‘heart-felt’ message. There’s also spilled wine, an off-her-rocker FBI agent (Alina Bock), and the possibility of a four-way dashed.

But Jim insists Scott’s life would be smoother if he took Jim’s advice more often.

In that re-imagined universe, Jim is a dapper relationship expert who’s to-the-point text message to Brian inspires him to break the international speed record for a booty call showing up in a dazzling disco-tastic gold sequined shirt.

Doug Rogers as ‘Brian’

That crazed FBI agent might (or might not) be foiled again, some tasty buns are served, and a leather harness makes an appearance.

Will things work out for Daddy Scott and Brian? We don’t want to spoil the ending but we definitely want to see more of the Bri-man. #woof

If that all sounds wild, that’s because it is. The absurdist comedy never stops as O’Daly’s dialogue practically bounces off the walls making for a perfect mid-day brain break.

Make sure you stick around for the uber-clever end credit graphics by Charlie Branigan.

Hit the play button below, and you can check out more of my coverage of the Bad Boys web series here.

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Parody: Randy Rainbow ‘Mr. Biden (Bring My Vaccine)’

Randy Rainbow drops his first Biden parody video with his take on the classic “Mr. Sandman.” But in this iteration, Randy is getting randy to get his vaccination:

Mr. Biden – bring my vaccine Keep me protected from COVID-19 Tell me the trick to how I might earn a Fix of that magic Pfizer or Moderna

Our musical hero also has a bit of ‘Trump PTSD’ to cope with along the way, but let’s face it – who doesn’t? Hit the play button and enjoy. Happy Tuesday!

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News Round-Up: March 8, 2021

Mykal Kilgore

Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: Click over to read the story of Dontai Carmon, who comes out at the intersection of Black, gay and autistic. • Stonewall Gazette: Mykal Kilgore (lead image) is the first openly gay man to be nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of “Best Traditional R&B.” Kilgore, an award-winning Broadway performer, received the nomination for his single, “Let Me Go”, which is the first release from his debut album, “A Man Born Black.”

• BosGuy: Our favorite Boston-based LGBTQ blogger offered this tasty recipe for pasta with tomato and feta cheese. Who can’t use a new, easy recipe? • Kenneth-in-the-212: In this week’s Mugshot Monday post, Joshua James, 24, threw a 3.5 foot alligator through a Palm Beach County Wendy’s drive-thru window nearly four months ago, according to Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation officials. He was also charged with illegally possessing an alligator and petty theft.

Joshua James (mugshot)
• CNN: Republican Sen. Tom Cotton expressed his displeasure over folks in prison getting ‘stimulus relief’ checks. Prisoners were eligible for checks up to $1,200 per individual from the first bill Trump signed and up to $600 from the second bill Trump signed, depending on their income. Both of those bills were approved by a GOP-controlled Senate — and Cotton voted for both of them. • Twitter: A whole fight (straight out of Dynasty) happened at Bath & Body Works…

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Goldman Sachs Predicts 4.1% Unemployment By End Of Year

President Joe Biden (photo via campaign)
Economists at Goldman Sachs have forecast the unemployment rate dropping to as low as 4.1 percent by the end of the year. Via The Hill:

The research outlook suggests that as the virus recedes, many of the industries that have been stuck in limbo such as leisure and hospitality will spring back to life, and workers who have been on the sidelines will make their way back to the job market.

Ultimately, the bank forecasts that unemployment will drop to 3.2 percent by 2024. If that were to happen, it would surpass the 50-year record set in the Trump administration, notching a significant win for President Biden and boosting his chances for reelection.

But the research note also pointed out that generous unemployment benefits approved in the $1.9 trillion relief plan may play a role in pushing the recovery toward the end of the year.

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CDC Issues Guidance On What’s Safe After Being Vaccinated

New York state is about to drop its face mask mandate as COVID-19 cases continue to drop in the Empire State.

A man wearing a face mask during the pandemic The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued guidance for those people who have been fully vaccinated (two weeks past your final shot) in regard to what is or isn’t safe to do. From the New York Times:

  • Fully vaccinated Americans may gather indoors in private homes with one another in small groups without masks or distancing.

  • Vaccinated people may gather in a private residence with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for developing severe disease if they contract the coronavirus, also without masks or distancing.

  • Vaccinated Americans need not quarantine or get tested if they have a known exposure to the virus, as long as they do not develop symptoms of infection. If they do develop symptoms, they must isolate themselves, get tested and speak with their doctor.

  • In public, vaccinated people must continue to wear masks and maintain social distance, and take other precautions, such as avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands often and following any other protocols that are in place.

  • Vaccinated people should continue to avoid large and medium gatherings, though the agency did not specify the gathering size with numbers.

As I reported yesterday, over 90 million people in the U.S. have received at least one shot of vaccine. In related news, new polling shows 68% of Americans approve of President Biden’s handling of the COVID crisis. By comparison, the highest approval marks Donald Trump received during the COVID pandemic was 55% in mid-March 2020. The poll also showed a majority of Americans (56%) think face mask mandates are being lifted too soon.

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Teen Insurrectionist Begs: ‘I Just Want To Go Home To My Mom & Dad’

From The Daily Beast:

The youngest rioter to be charged with the storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 had begged a judge let him to go home after being denied bond, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, is facing multiple charges including assaulting a federal officer, and has been in jail since Feb. 5. His parents drove him from Atlanta to D.C. for the so-called “Stop the Steal” rally.

Prosecutors say the teen shoved a cop and made it all the way to the Senate floor. Videos show him carrying a baton through the halls of the Capitol.

In a letter submitted to the judge on Thursday, Cua said he is “deeply remoursefull [sic] and regretful. After all, that’s what jail’s for, right? Teaching people a lesson?” He added, “I just want to go home to my Mom and Dad, I am truly sorry.”

Sorry. I have no sympathy. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. Check out some of the screen captured tweets in the second tweet below. He was being tough guy then, he can summon some of that toughness now.

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90.4 Million Americans Have Received COVID Vaccine

Vials of COVID-19 vaccine

Vials of COVID-19 vaccine The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, as of Sunday, 90,351,750 Americans have received at least one shot of coronavirus vaccine. Breaking those numbers down, 58,873,710 Americans have received one shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (which constitutes 17.7% of the population), and 30,686,881 have received both shots (9.2%). So far, 116,363,405 doses of vaccine have been delivered to healthcare professionals to use. Herd immunity would be reached, at the earliest, with an estimated 70% of the 330,000,000 people in the U.S. vaccinated, which would be about 231,000,000 people.

(graphic via CDC)