President Donald Trump moaned about renewed speculation about his sudden visit last year to the Walter Reed Medical Center.
New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt reports in his new book that Vice President Mike Pence was put on standby in November 2019 when the president was rushed on a Saturday afternoon to the military hospital, which the White House later explained as routine testing, but others have speculated was more serious.
Schmidt’s book claims Pence was placed on standby if the president had to undergo a medical procedure that would require anesthesia, although he didn’t specify the sourcing of that claim.
In other Trump news, folks were gagging as Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham last night that there are people in black uniforms on planes controlling the streets and compared police officers who shoot civilians to a golfer who ‘chokes’ on a three-foot putt. Watch the clips below and make up your own mind.
The new book that Trump is alluding to does not in fact say that Trump suffered from “mini-strokes.” https://t.co/M45B9TMnKd
Trump is claiming an airplane full of “thugs” in “black uniforms” is out “to do big damage.” Is he A. physically unwell (stroke)? B. nuts (full-scale paranoia)? Either way, this is a serious problem. He still controls the nuclear codes.
Shooting an innocent, unarmed black man seven times in the back is like blowing a putt in a golf tournament, according to @realDonaldTrump. Goodnight everyone. Good luck. https://t.co/26TR5o16bt
Shooting people in the back is just like choking at golf. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/rKewGq66xN
Cher (photo: Machado Cicala via Karpel Group) Some news items you might have missed: • Washington Blade: The one and only Cher (above) headlined an LGBTQ fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden Monday evening which raised over $2 million in half an hour. Paraphrasing her hit song “Believe,” the icon asked the viewing audience, “So ask yourself, do you believe in life after Trump?” • Insider: A straight-identifying man in his 20s says he’s only ever slept with women, but lately sex has been slowed up, so he’s been chatting with dudes on Grindr and he’s not sure why, so he’s seeking advice. “I’ve been going on Grindr and talking to other men with no intention of ever meeting them. I just like flirting with the people on there.” • Dad of the Day: Channing Tatum shared the pic below surrounded by unicorns with the news that he’s penned his first children’s book, “The One and Only Sparkella,” dedicated to his 6-year-old daughter, Everly. “Guys, I don’t know about you but things got a little weird for me in quarantine. I ended up accidentally locking myself in my 7-year-old daughter’s room. And I ended up finding my inner child. So this is what I created for my little girl. From what is, I guess, the little girl in me. Thanks for reading.”
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A federal judge on Monday extended the deadline for absentee ballots to be returned in Georgia, ruling that they must be counted if postmarked by Election Day and delivered up to three days afterward. The ruling invalidates Georgia’s requirement that ballots had to be received at county election offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day. • The Gaily Grind: Actress/comedian Niecy Nash dumped her husband in December, and announced her marriage to musician Jessica Betts on Instagram on Monday, coming out in the process. • Instagram: Director/producer Ryan Murphy, who is heading up Netflix’s upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Prom, shared a cast photo teasing in the caption, “Christmas is right around the corner…” The pic is our first look at several of the stars in costume: Meryl Streep as Dee Dee Allen, Nicole Kidman as Angie Dickinson, James Corden as Barry Glickman, Andrew Rannells as Trent Oliver, Ariana DeBose as Alyssa Greene, Keegan-Michael Key as Mr. Hawkins, Kerry Washington as Mrs. Greene, Kevin Chamberlin as Sheldon Saperstein, and newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma Nolan.
Nitty Scott (courtesy photo)SummerStage Anywhere Digital Series has teamed up with Amazon and September 1 they will be presenting the “Solidarity for Sanctuary” show, featuring a full Latinx lineup featuring queer Buddhist rapper Nitty Scott, as well as Carala Morrison, Lideo Pimiento, Kaina, Alaina Castillo, Linda Diaz, and Gabriel Garzón Montano. Nitty Scott is an Afro-Latina recording artist, poet, influencer and social justice advocate via NYC who most recently dropped her second full-length album Creature!, which explores her Afro-Boricua identity through sonic references to Afro-Caribbean musical cultures. She’s being noticed by artists such as Cardi B and has recently been featured on Bustle, Billboard, People en Espanol, and more. The 90-minute show goes live on Amazon’s Twitch Channel starting at 7pm ET.
Donald TrumpYahoo News reports Donald Trump ignored warnings from the White House coronavirus task force about rising infection rates for months.
Even as President Trump spurred states to lift lockdown measures and resume normal economic activity in the early summer, reports from his own White House coronavirus task force were presenting regular evidence that infections were rising in many parts of the country.
Critics have maintained that by not acting on evidence that the virus was not in remission, Trump and his advisers only prolonged the nation’s battle with the pandemic, which has killed more than 180,000 Americans to date.
The task force reports are customarily not made public, but eight of them from June and July had been requested late last month by the coronavirus subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.
The subcommittee is headed by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a leading House Democrat who is also a close ally of Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president. Biden has made the absence of a national plan to deal with the coronavirus a centerpiece of his campaign.
“Rather than being straight with the American people and creating a national plan to fix the problem,” Clyburn said in a statement on Monday morning, “the President and his enablers kept these alarming reports private while publicly downplaying the threat to millions of Americans.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden (screen capture) Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden denounced the violence and looting that has been taking place during protests across the country in the name of Black Lives Matter. From CNN:
“I want to be very clear about all of this: Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It’s lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted,” Biden said. “Violence will not bring change, it will only bring destruction. It’s wrong in every way.”
Responding to Trump’s claims that the suburbs, where Trump needs to win back White voters who have abandoned the GOP in droves on his watch, would not be safe if Biden wins, Biden asked, incredulously: “You know me. You know my heart. You know my story, my family’s story. Ask yourself: Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?”
“I want to make it absolutely clear … Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting — it’s lawlessness. Plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted,” Joe Biden says. pic.twitter.com/2pcW8GxzyO
Michael Flynn (photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr) A federal appeals court has denied a request by Michael Flynn and the Department of Justice to shut down the investigation against him. From CNN:
The 8-2 decision restores power to a judge to question the Justice Department’s moves in the politically divisive case when Attorney General William Barr dropped charges against President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser earlier this year despite twice pleading guilty to lying under oath to lying to the FBI.
Flynn had fought District Judge Emmet Sullivan’s decision to ask a third-party lawyer to argue against the Justice Department’s dismissal in the case, and his plans to hold a hearing, which has not yet happened.
Monday’s decision adds what may be the most consequential round yet to what’s become an unusual and deeply political court case in an election year, and one of the most symbolic prosecutions of a Trump adviser during this presidency.
In an earlier decision, a panel of three judges on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to allow Flynn’s case to be tossed. Today’s ruling from the full court reverses that decision. The appeals court also declined to reassign Flynn’s case to another trial judge, after Flynn’s attorneys accused Judge Sullivan of being biased against Flynn. I still maintain that, at the end of this whole sordid affair, Donald Trump will pardon Flynn.
The full DC Circuit vote, split 8-2, is a flex of power to check the executive branch: “We have no trouble answering that question in the negative," the appeals court wrote.
It’s interesting watching the department of justice that is funded by our tax dollars arguing to have charges dropped for a self-admitted criminal. Never imagined seeing something like that in my lifetime. This administration is more corrupt than every past one combined.
Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke, Massachusetts (image via Facebook) College Democrats in Massachusetts have issued an apology to openly gay Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke for their role in what turned into unfounded attacks on Morse and “played into homophobic stereotypes that have been used to oppress gay men in politics.” Morse, currently in his 4th term as mayor, is running to unseat Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) who has represented Massachusetts in the House of Representatives since 1989. The Democratic primary will be held on Tuesday, September 1. Earlier this month, Instinctreported on a letter sent to Morse from three groups of College Democrats, including the UMass Amherst Democrats, informing him he was no longer welcome at College Democratic events and accusing him of using his “position of power for romantic or sexual gain, specifically toward young students.” Morse had been a guest lecturer at UMass Amherst in 2019 and attended one event hosted by the school’s College Democrats. Morse, 31, quickly responded to the allegations saying as an openly gay man he has dated younger people but all interactions were consensual and none were with any students who might have attended his lectures. No students have come forward to say otherwise. The story quickly spiraled and went national with ugly tones of homophobia. The story became much bigger when The Intercept followed up the story with reporting that revealed leaders of the UMass Amherst Democrats had been discussing ways to discover Morse’s dating app profiles and perhaps “lead him into saying something incriminating that would then damage his campaign.” The chief strategist of the chapter at the time, Timothy Ennis, wrote in chat messages that while he was unsure about digging up dirt on Morse, he was a “Neal Stan” and hoped to land a position in the congressman’s office. “But I need a job,” wrote Ennis according to The Intercept. “Neal will give me an internship.” A second report from The Intercept suggested state Democratic Party leaders might have played a role in the drafting of the letter to Morse as well as making the allegations public. On Friday, the UMass Amherst Democrats executive board sent Morse a letter apologizing for the “public distress that the public reaction to the letter must have cost you.” Admitting the letter was never intended to become public, they added, “We should have realized that the language of the letter was careless and played into homophobic stereotypes that have been used to oppress gay men in politics.” “We understand that no apology of ours can make up for the homophobic attacks you have suffered as a result of our actions; nonetheless, we wish to apologize. We wish you the best of luck in your campaign.” The College Democrats also included a copy of a letter sent to the general membership of the group explaining the board had only been shown the initial letter “briefly” and were asked to sign on by the chapter’s president, Andrew Abramson, “in solidarity.” “We are deeply sorry that Alex Morse has faced homophobic attacks as a result of our actions and that our decision has negatively impacted the LGBT+ community, including our own membership,” read the letter to the general membership. “We wish Alex Morse the best of luck in his campaign and political career.” Morse’s campaign shared the apology with the Daily Hampshire Gazette calling the initial letter “an unfortunate situation that happened.” In an interview with Jacobin Magazine, Morse characterized the attack as “incredibly dangerous to our democracy,” and added the accusations could have “a chilling effect for young people, queer people, single people, basically telling us we can’t or shouldn’t run for office.” Even though the apology was sent to Morse, other groups are still using the story to undermine his candidacy before the primary. American Working Families, a Democratic group, pulled an attack ad it ran after catching flak for homophobic undertones in the spot. The ad went after Morse’s record as mayor, made vague accusations that his campaign is being funded by “outside special interests” and brought up “sexual relationships with college students.” The group told Twitter on Saturday the spot was “never intended to air” adding that “it was accidentally sent to stations instead of a corrected version.”
This is the ad they sent to stations with the concluding sentences: “Now Alex Morse admits to sexual relationships with college students — even while he was a university lecturer. Alex Morse, terrible judgment, we don’t need in Congress.” https://t.co/GcTSzmXBzVpic.twitter.com/6KyGT8p2Xw
There have also been robocalls reported that were “disguised as surveys” asking if respondents would still support Morse if he had “sent sexually explicit emails to college-aged students.”
The smearing of Morse continues. Voters are getting robocalls disguised as surveys telling them he sent sexually explicit to college students. Advocates for Neal wouldn't be doing this if they didn't think it was working. https://t.co/OZpvKFFsLGpic.twitter.com/I5B7uSZUxB
Emmy/Grammy/Tony Award winner Billy Porter recently released this earthy JLG Remix of his acclaimed cover of the 1960s protest anthem, “For What It’s Worth.” Porter dropped his original take on “For What It’s Worth” back on April 24 as an effort to encourage and support voter registration and voter initiatives across the country. In light of recent events, the song is now organically taking on its original intent as the ultimate protest anthem. I’m not one to share lots of remixes of a single after covering the original, but this new iteration takes a solemn, soulful, gritty turn instead of a traditional dance remix that definitely strikes a chord. The new track is available on all digital download/streaming sites now.
Unhinged in Alaska (screen captures) What in the hell is wrong with this man? The video clip below went viral thanks to the crazy-ass man ranting at employees at a Walmart in Alaska about being asked to wear a face mask. At the beginning of the clip, the loon is yelling, “Get back on your highway to hell and get out of a godly man’s face.” “By your very blind ignorance, you don’t have the ability to even come up with your own fucking ideas,” he adds. In the background, you can hear folks asking him to leave, to which he responds, “I will leave when I choose.” Another choice tidbit from the clearly deranged covidiot, “Please, return to your service of Satan and your ignorant belief in your rights.” When he gets within inches of an employee and yells in her face, I really began to wonder: even if he doesn’t TOUCH her, isn’t there some crime in getting up in a person’s face and screaming at them? Do these employees – following corporate and public health protocol – not have ANY recourse in dealing with these belligerent people? Major props to the female manager who exhibited incredible self-control offering a repeated “Have a nice day” to the idiot. She is a true QUEEN. Walmart – give this woman a raise.
Former Vice President Joe Biden (photo via campaign) After Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, announced in-person security briefings to Congress would be curtailed due to recent leaks, former Vice President Joe Biden issued this statement:
This is not how democracy works. But it is how American national security and sovereignty are violated.
The tools of our government are meant to defend the American people and our system of governance against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
And yet, at a moment when we know that our elections are under threat from foreign interference — and when the President of the United States has invited interference from Russia and China — the Director of National Intelligence is failing to provide full information about the danger.
For the DNI to curtail one of the most basic duties of our nonpartisan Intelligence Community — to keep the United States Congress fully informed about threats to our nation, in this case, about the real and rising threat of foreign election interference — is nothing less than a shameless partisan manipulation to protect the personal interests of President Trump. And it is a betrayal of the oath sworn to the American people and our Constitution.
Nothing is more important than the security and integrity of our elections. And we know that President Trump is unwilling to take action to protect them.
That leaves Congress as the best defender of our democracy. But now President Trump, through his hand-picked DNI — chosen for loyalty, not experience — is attempting to deprive Congress of the information they need to do their part.
There can be only one conclusion: President Trump is hoping Vladimir Putin will once more boost his candidacy and cover his horrific failures to lead our country through the multiple crises we are facing.
And he does not want the American people to know the steps Vladimir Putin is taking to help Trump get re-elected or why Putin is eager to intervene, because Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been a gift to the Kremlin.
Emmy/Grammy/Tony Award winner Billy Porter recently released this earthy JLG Remix of his acclaimed cover of the 1960s protest anthem, “For What It’s Worth.” Porter dropped his 
