Donald Trump (photo: public domain)Axios reports there could be a flurry of presidential pardons issued today by Donald Trump.
Trump has been considering pardons for friends and allies, as Axios reported, interrupting conversations with associates to spontaneously suggest he add them to his pardon list. He already pardoned his former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Sen. Rand Paul called on Trump to pardon Edward Snowden in an article for The Federalist on Thursday. A source with direct knowledge of the planning said they did not expect Trump to follow through with a Snowden pardon.
Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are said to be in the mix for consideration.
First the leak that Trump is planning to pardon a bunch of people today. Now the visual confirmation that Rudy Giuliani has just arrived at the White House. Today could get really stupid. Keep in mind that pardons aren't magic wands. Rudy likely goes to prison anyway.
According to The Hill, the folks in Georgia are fired up and showing up to vote in the upcoming runoff election for two U.S. Senators that will decide who controls the Senate in the next year.
Roughly 168,000 Georgians went to the polls on Monday, the first day to vote early in-person in the state’s two critical Senate runoff elections, according to numbers provided by the Georgia secretary of state’s office. By comparison, some 128,000 voted on the first day of early voting for the November general election.
Another 314,000 people cast absentee ballots on the first day of the early-voting period.
The first-day early in-person turnout broke a record previously set in October when early in-person voting began for the 2020 general election.
Georgia doesn’t break down early voting by political party, so not sure if these are Democrats or Republicans, or both showing up. The U.S. Elections Project reports 24,000 voters who did not take part in the general election have cast ballots in the runoff election so far.
Austin Wolf scored at the 3rd annual PornHub Awards (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • OUT: Adult entertainment giant Pornhub held its third annual awards last night. The winners are decided by real data (based on what users searched, viewed, and sought after the most this year) from PornHub.com, which according to its website brings in over 140 million daily visitors and over 55 billion searches. Among the winners was Austin Wolf (above) who scored as ‘Top Daddy Performer’ of the year. • Boy Culture: Patti LaBelle’s gay Trumper nephew made headlines when he became involved in a deeply weird online mystery, in which he was apparently tweeting on behalf of a white Republican. Miss Patti had some words with her nephew. • LGBTQ Nation: Federal judge slaps down an Ohio law that bans transgender people from correcting birth certificates. Score one for the good guys! • Instinct Magazine: Josh Brolin is breaking the internet with his birthday suit photo. • TMZ: Atlantic City is auctioning off the opportunity of demolishing the long-closed, decaying Trump Casino. • The Advocate: Legendary gay actor Sir Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, X-Men movies) is among the latest to get the new vaccine for the COVID-19 virus. The 81-year-old star said he’s feeling “euphoric” after getting his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. “I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.”
I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. https://t.co/gBLRR0OeJc
Excellent news! An FDA advisory committee has recommended approving the coronavirus from Moderna for use in the fight against COVID-19. From the Washington Post:
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine got the greenlight from a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee Thursday, paving the way for authorization of a second shot aimed at slowing a pandemic that has killed nearly 310,000 people in the United States.
The panel voted that the benefits of the highly effective vaccine outweighed its risks for people individuals 18 years of age and older.
The FDA plans to authorize the vaccine Friday, according to knowledgeable individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the schedule.
Gen. Gustave F. Perna, who is leading the federal effort in getting vaccine shipments out to states, has already prepped his team to ship nearly 6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to 3,285 locations in the first week upon approval.
A little Throwback Thursday action here as Tony/Emmy/Grammy Award-winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots, Pose) delivers a powerhouse performance of “O Holy Night” for the holiday CD,A Rosie Christmas.
This clip is from a TV special Rosie O’Donnell hosted December 5, 1999, at Broadway’s Longacre Theater which also included Trisha Yearwood, Celine Dion, ‘NSYNC and Gloria Estefan. Porter’s holiday season is certainly merry and bright as he’s currently shooting season 3 of his hit series Pose, and will be co-hosting Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31. Watch him wail below. Merry merry, folks.
Christian Walker (screen captures via Twitter) Comedian Kathy Griffin clapped back at little Christian Walker, son of former NFL player Herschel Walker, for his rather deranged rant on Twitter telling people to chill because “this isn’t over yet” and the Donald will somehow continue to be president after Congress meets on January 6. Walker, who’s biggest claim to fame is apparently having been a ‘Spirit of Texas Royalty’ cheerleader (???), seems to find some consolation that a handful of states that Joe Biden flipped to blue have some crazed loons who ‘elected’ their own slate of Trump-supporting electors. Said loons hope that Congress might count their electoral votes instead of the official electors, or at least muddy the waters for Congress.
This is Christian Walker. His dad is Herschel Walker, an NFL player who won the Heisman and has been friends with Donald Trump for almost 40 years. Christian Walker was raised in a pro-Trump bubble that blinded him so he rejects reality as a coping mechanism. pic.twitter.com/Eu7LEwnoiZ
Here’s the official deal – Section 4 of the Electoral Count Act of 1887 dictates that the votes counted and certified during the meeting of the Electoral College stand. They cannot be changed between now and January 6. IF there are two sets of electors, both houses of Congress decide separately which is the legal ‘will of the people’ slate of electors. If the (GOP-controlled) Senate and the (Democratic-controlled) House cannot agree, “the votes of the electors whose appointment has been certified by the executive of the State, under the seal thereof, shall be counted.” Those would be the electors who have been signed off by the governor of each state. Those electors total 306 for Joe Biden. Done. After the young gay’s misguided remarks, Griffin intoned fellow gay icons Bette Midler, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé wondering, “Ladies, how could we let this happen? HOW?”
Me calling Gaga, Bette and Beyoncé… “Ladies, how could we let this happen? HOW?” https://t.co/dFTtQLnY9P
Jan 20th gonna be an eye opening day for a LOT of delusionsal people!!! and that’s not jumping the gun, that’s just how this thing works! never have I ever seen such delusion… and FROM A GAY… SHRED HER CARD!!! pic.twitter.com/8y3wVYfa21 — Brandon Hilton (@BRANDONHILTON) December 16, 2020
I am sorry dear, we breeders have closed the returns counter on this one. Maybe Walmart might take him on trade. XO
Donald Trump (photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr – CC License) With the Electoral College affirming the results of the 2020 presidential election this week, followed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recognizing President-elect Joe Biden as the winner, one might think Donald Trump would begin to accept the reality that his time in the White House is coming to an end. But…no. From CNN:
Yet even amid the intractable movement of the transition and the hurried lame-duck activity — some of which he is participating in himself — Trump is steadfastly refusing to acknowledge that he lost.
In his moments of deepest denial, Trump has told some advisers that he will refuse to leave the White House on Inauguration Day, only to be walked down from that ledge. The possibility has alarmed some aides, but few believe Trump will actually follow through.
“He’s throwing a f***ing temper tantrum,” an adviser said. “He’s going to leave. He’s just lashing out.”
The White House declined to comment for this report.
“Temper tantrums, lashing out, talking about not leaving the White House. Trump is not 4, right? He's 74,” @ErinBurnett says.
Will Jardell and James Wallington on The Amazing Race (image via CBS) Not only did James Wallington and Will Jardell dominate this season of The Amazing Race, but the gay couple was first to cross the finish line and win the $1 million prize. Known as ‘the boyfriends’ in this season, the guys were able to beat brothers Riley and Maddison McKibbin, and married couple Hung Nguyen and Chee Lee to the winner’s platform located in the Superdome in New Orleans. And then…there might have been an emotional proposal.
In the clip, Will breaks down as he shares how his grandmother used to take him to Mardi Gras, James explains why he was surprised by Will’s marriage proposal, and they talk about wanting to adopt children. Hung and Chee arrived at the finish line second, with the McKibbin brothers coming in third. Congrats to James and Will!
(image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Fitness trainer Dominik Scherl (above) wants to know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice? 😉 • NY Times: Congressional leaders are on the verge of cementing a roughly $900 billion stimulus deal that is expected to provide a new round of direct payments to millions of Americans as well as additional unemployment benefits, food assistance and rental aid. • Twitter: After President-elect Joe Biden formally announced Pete Buttigieg today to be his pick for Transportation Secretary, Buttigieg shared his thoughts of a time when gay people had a much more difficult time making progress in Washington, D.C. With this nomination, Buttigieg could become the first LGBTQ cabinet appointee confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
I’m mindful of the history of this appointment, knowing this is the first time an American president has ever sent an openly LGBTQ cabinet appointee to the Senate for confirmation. pic.twitter.com/txVuqO4o59
• Washington Blade: As the Trump administration is nearing its end, federal agencies are hurriedly finalizing regulations granting leeway to religious institutions that are federal grantees and contractors, which critics say would enable anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Because these regulations went through a rule-making process, the Biden administration won’t be able to easily undo them. • KIT212: Kenneth takes a look at the popular podcast, Gayest Episode Ever, which looks at LGBTQ+ themed episodes from shows past, back when LGBTQ+ characters and storylines were rare and (often) done terribly. The podcast is not only touching, funny and smart, but it also provides insightful commentary on the evolution of queer representation, gay rights and how culture can both affect, and be affected by, what we see on TV. • The Advocate: The venerable queer magazine offers its list of the ‘Top 15 Best LGBTQ+ TV Shows of 2020.’ Hit the link to see if your favorite made their list. • Texas Tribune: A former Houston police captain was arrested after allegedly running an air conditioner technician off the road and threatening him at gunpoint on October 19 in an attempt to ‘prove’ the man had over 700K fake ballots. “There were no ballots in the truck,” according to a Harris County district attorney’s office press release. “It was filled with air conditioning parts and tools.” • InstaHunks II: One more from furry Santa man Dominik Sherl…
The men of Atlanta’s world-famous Swinging Richards want you to get your ‘pole to the polls’ and help ‘swing the Senate.’ As the guys spell out so vividly, Georgia will decide on January 5 which political party will control the U.S. Senate. So, if you live in the Peach State, make sure you vote in the runoff elections. Blah, blah, blah… On to the video and the guys 🙂
