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News Round-Up: January 16, 2020

(image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: #TBT to when woofy Fran Dullon (above) was feeling a bit ‘country.’ #MamasPleaseLetYourBabiesGrowUpToBeCowboys • The Courier: It’s rare for people in the UK to die of AIDS-related illnesses, with the National Health Service immediately placing those diagnosed with HIV on antiretroviral therapy. Ross Scott, of Kirkcaldy, found out he had HIV in early 2017 after he began to develop health problems. A week ago he was placed in hospice care and warned he didn’t have long to live. Just hours after sharing his story yesterday, Scott passed away at the age of 25. • Bloomberg News: Vimeo Inc. defeated a lawsuit by a self-described “former homosexual” who accused the video hosting website of discrimination after it removed his videos promoting sexual orientation conversion efforts, according to a Wednesday ruling by the Southern District of New York. • Boxers NYC: Celebrating the sports gay bar’s first ten years in business, Boxers NYC shares this behind-the-scenes look at the hunky bartenders posing for its free (while supplies last) 2020 calendar.

• NBC News: Just hours before the deadline to file new bills for the coming legislative session, seven Republican lawmakers in Florida filed anti-LGBTQ bills late Monday. If passed, the bills would ban gender-affirming health care for transgender children, repeal municipal and county ordinances protecting LGBTQ workers, and legalize so-called gay conversion therapy in places that had banned the medically debunked practice. • AP: Ken Jennings won the “Jeopardy!” greatest-of-all-time title (and $1 million) by going all in with his 32,800 points for the Final Jeopardy round. The clue: “This area of Greece, home to Pan, is synonymous with a rural paradise; it’s a setting for Vergil’s shepherd poems the ‘Ecologues.'” And Jennings wrote the correct answer: “What is Arcadia?” • Netflix: A new fashion competition series from the streaming giant that features designers teaming up to create visionary looks that work for everyone. The winner will receive a $250,000 prize and the opportunity to debut their collection with fashion retailer Net-a-Porter. Hosted by Queer Eye’s Tan France and designer Alexa Chung, all 10 episodes of Next In Fashion launch on Netflix January 29.

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Trump On Lev Parnas: ‘I Don’t Believe I’ve Ever Spoken To Him’

From USA Today:

President Donald Trump and aides sought Thursday to distance him from a Soviet-born businessman who said Trump knew all about efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating U.S. political rival Joe Biden – a pivotal point in the Senate impeachment trial of the president. “I don’t believe I’ve ever spoken to him,” Trump told reporters about Lev Parnas, taking questions after an event announcing new federal guidance he has said will “safeguard” the rights of students to pray in school. Parnas said Trump knows him well and there are pictures of the two of them at various events. In an interview with CNN, Parnas said that every time Trump denies knowing him, “I’ll show him another picture. He’s lying.”

Here’s Trump telling reporters he meets thousands of people and doesn’t remember them, and that’s followed by tweets of photos and video showing the two men together.

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Pete Buttigieg Calls ‘Bullshit’ On NY Times Journalist

Pete Buttigieg (screen capture via NY Times)
In advance of announcing its endorsement for the Democratic primary this coming Sunday, the editorial board of the New York Times sat down with White House hopefuls Sens. Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and business executives Tom Steyer and Andrew Yang. In this clip from the roughly 80 minute interview with Buttigieg, he’s asked why he doesn’t seem as emotive or angry as other young people. The question comes from Binyamin Appelbaum, a leading writer for the board on the subject of economics. In framing his question, Appelbaum asserts that Buttigieg has been “on the front lines of corporate price fixing,” prompting Mayor Pete to call ‘bullshit.’

You can read the full transcript of Buttigieg’s 80-minute interview here. But below is the excerpted transcript with the Times’ annotations in italics.

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Binyamin Appelbaum: If I can put this question in a slightly different way, you’ve been on the front lines of corporate downsizing. You’ve been on the front lines of corporate price fixing. Buttigieg: Whoa, whoa whoa, that’s, that’s, I’m sorry, that’s —— Appelbaum: You’ve been on the front of our misadventures in foreign policy. You’ve had direct experience in many of the things that make a lot of young people very angry about the way that this country is operating right now. You don’t seem to embody that anger. In 2003, Mr. Buttigieg — then a junior at Harvard — spoke at an antiwar rally in Cambridge, Mass., protesting the invasion of Iraq. More than a decade later, in 2014, he served seven months in Afghanistan as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Buttigieg: So the proposition that I’ve been on front lines of corporate price fixing is bullshit. Just to get that out of the way. Appelbaum: You worked for a company that was fixing bread prices. Buttigieg: No, I worked for a consulting company that had a client that may have been involved in fixing or was apparently in a scandal. I was not aware of the Canadian bread pricing scandal until last night. Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign has maintained that he only recently heard of the bread price-fixing scheme and while he was working with Loblaws focused on price cuts more broadly across the grocery store chain.

BA: Do you feel the anger that many young people feel about the state of ——

Yeah, of course, because it destroyed my city. I grew up surrounded by crumbling factories and empty houses.  My city lost 30,000 of its 130,000 people, largely before I was born.

South Bend had an unemployment rate of 13 percent in 2010. Under Mayor Buttigieg, it fell to 3.2 percent, though it rose back to 4.3 percent in 2018.

So I’m under no illusions about the problems that are present in American capitalism generally and were unleashed beginning with the Reagan era specifically. And while I may not be as emotive sometimes about my sense of anger or frustration or injustice — and I would argue that some people are given more room to be emotive than others — I would not be doing any of this if I were not propelled by a level of passion.

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The editorial board’s pick to be the nominee will be revealed on the January 19 episode of “The Weekly,” The Times’s television show on FX and Hulu.

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UK Sees Dramatic Decline In New HIV Infections

A new report from Public Health England shows HIV infection rates in the UK have taken a steep decline since 2012. According to the figures released today, new infections among gay and bisexual men have dropped from 2,800 in 2012 to 800 in 2018, which represents a 71% decrease. Health authorities attribute the decrease to a number of factors. For one thing, encouraging the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has become a focus for health officials. Studies show the once-a-day pill is almost 99% effective in preventing HIV infection. PrEP is currently available for high-risk patients in Wales and Scotland, but the BBC reports “many in England have had to wait until they can gain access to an impact trial that first began in September 2017.” That trial is scheduled to end later this year. Also aiding in reducing new infections is a public campaign encouraging people to get tested regularly for HIV. And when new infections are discovered, those patients are immediately placed on HIV medications to bring their viral load down to undetectable levels, which means the virus can’t be passed on to others. Of the estimated 103,800 people believed to be living with HIV in the UK in 2018, 93% of those had been diagnosed and 97% of those diagnosed were receiving treatment. Among the HIV patients on medications, 97% were found to have undetectable viral loads. Contrast that with the United States where the Centers for Disease Control estimate 83% of folks living with HIV have been diagnosed and just 63% have been deemed to be virally suppressed. However, Debbie Laycock, head of policy at the Terrence Higgins Trust, noted the new report isn’t all good. Laycock told BBC News that 43% of new diagnoses are being discovered at a late stage, particularly with men who identify as straight and those over 50 in age. Late-stage infections result in a much higher risk of death compared with early detection. And, there have been slight increases in new HIV infections among black people and south Asian men. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC he feels the UK is on track to reach its goal of ending HIV transmission by the year 2030. “HIV has brought untold hurt and suffering to so many, so it is encouraging to see transmissions continue to fall across the UK,” said Hancock.

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HIV Campaign Using Condoms With Risqué Double-Entendres Cancelled As ‘Lewd’

(image via Utah Dept. of Health)
A fun, new campaign in Utah meant to bring awareness to HIV has been summarily canceled by Gov. Gary Herbert over the use of condoms labeled with risqué double-entendres. Ben Winslow at Salt Lake City’s FOX 13 reports Utah’s Department of Health was ready to hand out 100,000 condoms with wrappers that took various Utah memes and gave them a sexy spin. Among the humorous designs were: “Greatest Sex on Earth” a riff on the state’s ski slogan ‘Greatest Snow on Earth;’ “SL, UT” as a play on the abbreviation for the state’s largest city; “Fillmore, Beaver” referencing a local landmark; “Don’t Go Bare” featuring an image of a bear; and “This is the Place” pictured over a bed – the phrase was famously uttered by Brigham Young when pioneers found the Salt Lake Valley. Other states, including Alaska and Wyoming, have taken part in similar campaigns. The sex-positive messages were created by the advertising firm Love Communication, which was hired by the Health Department. Before the governor’s action, Erin Fratto, of the Utah Department of Health’s Prevention Treatment and Care Program, told the Salt Lake Tribune, “It’s really just to destigmatize HIV in Utah, and get everybody talking about sexual health.” “If the condoms are fun, relatable, sex-positive — people are more apt to talk about them, which we’ve already seen,” added Frotto. But in a statement to FOX 13, Anna Lehnardt, a spokesperson for the governor wrote, “The Governor understands the importance of the Utah Department of Health conducting a campaign to educate Utahns about HIV prevention. He does not, however, approve the use of sexual innuendo as part of a taxpayer-funded campaign, and our office has asked the department to rework the campaign’s branding.” The Health Department issued an apology regarding the “offensive packaging,” and admitted, “the designs did not go through necessary approval channels.” “We remain committed to running a campaign to help in the prevention of HIV and intend to do so in a manner that better respects taxpayer dollars, and our role as a government agency.” (Source: FOX 13, Salt Lake Tribune)

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Nonpartisan Federal Watchdog Agency Concludes Trump Illegally Withheld Ukraine Aid

From NPR:

A federal watchdog concluded that President Trump broke the law when he froze assistance funds for Ukraine last year, according to a report unveiled on Thursday.

The Office of Management and Budget blocked the Defense Department from spending money designated by Congress on July 25, “pending a policy decision,” according to OMB General Counsel Mark Paoletta. That hold was lifted on Sept. 12.

But a 1974 law that governs budget procedure within the government “does not permit OMB to withhold funds for policy reasons,” said Thomas Armstrong, general counsel for the watchdog Government Accountability Office.

The law further designates the ways in which Congress has the power of the purse. Under the Impoundment Control Act, it is illegal for OMB to withhold money that has been appropriated by Congress and signed into law.

If the White House wants to delay or deny funds, it must first alert Congress.

Documents and testimony released during and after House impeachment hearings revealed some administration officials had raised concerns that the Ukraine hold might have violated the law known as the Impoundment Control Act.

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Daily Dog: Ripple The Dog Vs Weatherman

For #ThrowBackThursday: In 2014, Ripple the mastiff was a big hit making a guest appearance (courtesy of the Edmonton Humane Society) during weatherman Mike Sobel’s forecast. Sobel tried to handle both his weatherman duties AND Ripple at the same time. Telling Ripple to “sit” had no effect as the handsome 18-month-old dog kept gnawing at his leash. Watch to see how it ends. p.s. Ripple was adopted the very next day 🙂

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Podcast: YouTube Star Blackmailed, Backstage Rumors At ‘Will & Grace,’ 2020 Oscar Nominations

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • Marriage equality comes to Northern Ireland • A gay conservative student who led a drag queen protest was found dead of suicide just hours later • Blackmail forces a YouTube star to come out • The truth behind rumors of backstage fights at NBC’s ‘Will & Grace’ • And the Oscar nominations are out and pretty much without the gays All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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New Music: Michelle Kash “Personal Jesus”

I was immediately taken by the groovy, grungy, soulful cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” by Michelle Kash. In alt-pop mode, Kash serves confident yet moody vocals across a sultry soundscape. The music video is a saturated, evocative vision that’s nearly psychedelic in seductive, shadowy style. “There’s a sensual vibe to everything,” says Kash. “It’s moody, but it’s also dark. Across the music, I feel like what I’m doing is just human.” “When I sing ‘Personal Jesus,’ I have a vision of a sexual savior within myself or whom I look for in others,” she explains. “It’s gritty and shadowy like an after-hours party. I hadn’t seen a woman cover the song, which added a different dimension. It paves the way for where I want to go musically.”

In addition to her music, Michelle has had a lifelong commitment to philanthropy and advocating for gender equality, female empowerment and is a fierce fighter for animal rights. You can follow her on Instagram here. (images via screen capture)

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Whitney Houston To Be Inducted Into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Whitney Houston (screen capture via YouTube/I’m Every Woman)
Legendary singer and LGBTQ favorite Whitney Houston and rapper The Notorious B.I.G. were announced this morning as posthumous inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This was the first time the two artists, who died in 2012 and 1997 respectively, had been on the nominating ballot. Also part of the Rock Hall’s class of 2020 are: experimental/alternative rockers Nine Inch Nails, 1970’s soft rock artists the Doobie Brothers, synth-pop group Depeche Mode and English glam/rock band T. Rex. The six inductees were chosen by an international group of over 1,000 recording artists, industry professionals, and historians. An artist doesn’t become eligible for induction until 25 years after the release of their first single, album or EP, which means that this year’s class had to have released their first eligible music in 1994 or earlier. Diversity has been a consistent criticism for the hall over the years. In her acceptance speech last year, Janet Jackson underscored the dearth of female inductees saying, “2020 – please induct more women.” This year’s list of 16 artists under consideration included only 3 women. In addition to Houston, Pat Benatar made the shortlist for the first time but failed to get the nod, and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan was left out for the fourth time. This is the first year that the winner of the Fan Vote, introduced in 2013, did not get chosen for induction. The Dave Matthews Band led the Fan Vote with over a million votes cast online since October. Pat Benatar came in second with almost 900,000 votes. But neither scored induction honors this year. USA Today reports that music journalist-turned-producer Jon Landau, who worked with Bruce Springsteen, will be honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award given to influential producers, songwriters and music executives. Music manager Irving Azoff will also receive the same honor. For the first time, the induction ceremony will be televised live on HBO. Tickets to the May 2 event in Cleveland go on sale February 27 at ticketmaster.com.