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Former National Security Adviser Will Testify In Trump Impeachment Trial If Subpoenaed

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton in May 2019 (image via White House – public domain)
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has issued a statement saying he will testify during the impeachment trial of Donald Trump if subpoenaed by the Senate.

During the present impeachment controversy, I have tried to meet my obligations both as a citizen and as former National Security Advisor. My colleague, Dr. Charles Kupperman, faced with a House committee subpoena on the one hand, and a Presidential directive not to testify on the other, sought final resolution of this Constitutional conflict from the Federal judiciary. After my counsel informed the House committee that I too would seek judicial resolution of these Constitutional issues, the committee chose not to subpoena me. Nevertheless, I publicly resolved to be guided by the outcome of Dr. Kupperman’s case.

But both the President and the House of Representatives opposed his effort on jurisdictional grounds, and each other on the merits. The House committee went so far as to withdraw its subpoena to Dr. Kupperman in a deliberate attempt to moot the case and deprive the court of jurisdiction. Judge Richard Leon, in a carefully reasoned opinion on December 30, held Dr. Kupperman’s case to be moot, and therefore did not reach the separation-of-powers issues.

The House has concluded its Constitutional responsibility by adopting Articles of Impeachment related to the Ukraine matter. It now falls to the Senate to fulfill its Constitutional obligation to try impeachments, and it does not appear possible that a final judicial resolution of the still-unanswered Constitutional questions can be obtained before the Senate acts.

Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify.

ABC News reports Bolton informed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of his statement before it was released, but did not tell the White House. While publicly saying he wants to see witnesses testify at the Senate trial, Trump has repeatedly blocked White House officials from doing so. McConnell has said he doesn’t see the need for witnesses or documentary evidence during Trump’s trial. CNN’s Manu Raju reports that with this new development, Democrats say Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s decision to withhold the articles of impeachment until now has been vindicated.

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Britain’s ‘Most Prolific’ Serial Rapist Gets Life In Prison After 190+ Victims

Reynard Sinaga (mugshot via Greater Manchester Police)
Reynard Sinaga, 36, has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of raping 48 men in Manchester, England. The Guardian reports Sinaga may have sexually assaulted at least 190 men during a two-and-a-half-year period. According to police reports, Sinaga would target young men in the early hours of the morning outside nightclubs in Manchester. Pretending to be a ‘Good Samaritan,’ he would offer them more alcohol or a place to charge a phone, wait for a taxi or sleep off their buzz at his home. Once there, he would drug them (police believe he used GHB) and then record himself raping the men as they slept. Most of his victims were white, heterosexual men whose average age was 21. His crimes included 136 counts of rape, eight counts of attempted rape, 134 counts of sexual assaults, and two counts of assault by penetration. Sinaga’s crime spree only became known to the authorities when one of his victims woke up during the assault in June 2017. The young man fought Sinaga off then reported the incident to the police. Authorities say they found video and photographic evidence of at least 136 rapes on two cell phones. From the video recordings, police were able to identify most of the victims. Once contacted, many had no idea they had been violated while under the effects of the drug. Police also found Sinaga would often keep ‘trophies’ from his attacks including watches, IDs and cell phones. Sinaga was sentenced on Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 30 years. But there’s more. Today’s news ends a two-year media blackout during which Sinaga had already been convicted of similar charges in two earlier trials relating to 25 other victims. For those crimes, he is already serving 88 concurrent life sentences with no chance of parole for 20 years. Britain’s laws require strict media blackouts in such cases while the trials are ongoing. During his trials, Sinaga claimed all of the assaults were consensual and his victims were ‘acting out a sexual fantasy.’ But prosecutors called the defense “ludicrous.” The Guardian reports many of the men could be heard snoring in the video recordings of their assault shown throughout the trial.

Many of his victims came forward to explain the deep psychological consequences they suffered due to the attacks. The effects ranged from anger and anxiety to thoughts of suicide. “I have never been in such a bad place in my life and I don’t know how to get out of it,” said one victim. “I was diagnosed with severe depression and put on anti-depressants. I also started counseling.” Said another: “The perpetrator has taken a part of me that I will never get back, and deserves the largest sentence possible.” “It changed my life forever,” a third told the court. Juries were shown text messages Sinaga had sent to friends during the crime spree often boasting about his conquests. He wrote of one victim: “He was straight in 2014. 2015 is his breakthrough to the gay world hahaha.” Sinaga was found guilty on every charge brought against him. As Judge Suzanne Goddard QC described him as a “dangerous, deeply disturbed and perverted individual with no sense of reality” during sentencing, Sinaga reportedly yawned and played with his hair. After sentencing, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Ian Rushton called Sinaga “the most prolific rapist in British legal history.” Sinaga arrived in Britain in 2007 from his native Indonesia on a student visa. He received two degrees from the University of Manchester and was studying for a Ph.D. at the University of Leeds when police finally arrested him. (source: The Guardian)

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Out Music: Pet Shop Boys “Monkey Business”

The Pet Shop Boys dropped their latest track, “Monkey Business,” from the forthcoming studio album Hotspot. The new collection from the pop music icons is available January 24.

PSB previously dropped two other tracks from the forthcoming LP, “Burning the Heather” and “Dreamland” featuring Years & Years.

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Australia Is Burning…Still

My husband Michael and I are devastated by the apocalyptic bushfires spreading across Australia for months now. And they show no signs of slowing down. According to reports, about 12.35 million acres have burned, destroying more than 1,400 homes and killing at least 23 people. It is estimated that more than half a billion wild animals have died in the fires. Entire towns have evacuated to the shores and volunteer firefighters have left their families and careers behind to fight the flames around the clock. If you feel inclined to help, it seems the leading organization to donate to is the Australian Red Cross. Australia’s Red Cross Disaster relief and recovery fund helps support evacuation centers and recovery programs for the affected communities. Additionally, the NSW Rural Fire Service has a donation page to support the firefighting efforts in New South Wales.

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Quick Catch-Up On Trump/Iran Conflict

Donald Trump

Donald Trump (photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr – CC License)
In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s decision to assassinate a top Iranian general, the fallout across the Middle East and beyond continued on Sunday. ICMYI: • Iran on Friday vowed “severe revenge” in response to a U.S. airstrike that killed Tehran’s most powerful military commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and dramatically sharpened tensions across the Middle East. • US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the airstrike ordered to kill top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani “saved American lives,” after Pompeo said on Twitter Friday morning that the decision to eliminate Soleimani was in response to “imminent threats to American lives.”

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on the Trump administration to immediately brief lawmakers on the U.S. airstrike and what the White House plans to do next. The strike was carried out without an “authorization for use of military force” against Iran and without the consultation of Congress, the speaker said. Today, Trump tweeted his “official notification to Congress.” I kid you not.

• The United States is sending nearly 3,000 more Army troops to the Mideast as reinforcements in the volatile aftermath of the killing of an Iranian general in a strike ordered by President Donald Trump. • In his first public address since the airstrike, Trump said the U.S. is “ready and prepared to take whatever action is necessary” if Iran threatens American lives. “We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war.” But it looks like the guy who wanted to pull U.S. military out of the middle east may have begun sometime far bigger than he dreamed. • On Saturday, the Trump administration warned members of Congress that Iran is expected to retaliate against the US “within weeks” for the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani even as they failed to convince some that the operation was merited due to an imminent threat against American lives. • As hostilities escalate, Trump has ramped up the pressure on Iran – threatening to hit 52 sites ‘very hard and very fast.’ He also boasted about the U.S. military’s ample resources.

• Iran’s government said Sunday that it was abandoning its “final limitations in the nuclear deal,” the international agreement intended to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. The decision leaves no restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, the statement said, including on uranium enrichment, production, research and expansion. • Lawmakers in Iraq heeded the demands of angry citizens and voted on Sunday to expel United States troops from the country, as hundreds of thousands of mourners poured into the streets of Iran to pay their respects to the slain leader of the elite Quds Force, Maj. General Qassim Suleimani. • The eulogist at the funeral procession of prominent Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Iran put an 80-million-dollar prize on US President Donald Trump’s head on live state TV. “We are 80 million Iranians, if each one of us puts aside one American dollar, we will have 80 million American dollars, and we will reward anyone who brings us [Trump]’s head with that amount,” he said, addressing a large crowd in Iran’s north-eastern city of Mashhad. • Having done his tweeting, Trump arrived at his golf course in West Palm Beach today.

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InstaHunk Round-Up: Weekend Edition

Wilson Cruz (via Instagram)

Checking in with the men of Insta: Wilson Cruz (above) spent his New Year’s celebration in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and came out the other side as a well-rested human (below). #LoveSomePV

 

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A well rested human. Thank you PV.

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Rodiney Santiago met a new friend inspiring him to share his thoughts on being vegetarian:

 

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“When I see bacon, I see a pig, I see a little friend, and that’s why I can’t eat it. Part of me becoming a vegetarian was due the fact I would look at my burger, then look at dogs, and I wouldn’t see any difference and would suddenly question myself on why dogs have rights and others animals like pigs don’t. What’s the difference? A year ago I personally choose not to eat them anymore because I educated myself on factory farming and animal cruelty, and I suddenly realized that what was on my plate were living beings with feelings. I just couldn’t disconnect myself from the truth for that moment forward in my life. Our rationality does not make us superior to the beings that dwell here on earth, it is in fact, the other way around, we are responsible for all the imbalances that occur here. Once you understand and educate your senses you realize that all animals are here in the planet with us not for us ! ❤️#vegetarian #exuma #pigbeach #exumabahamas #bahamas #loveanimals #loveanimalsdonteatthem #peta #animalrights #awakening #awake #awakenedsoul

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Gus Kenworthy ignored the camera as he gazed pensively at the horizon in Tahiti:

 

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Me (feat. feet)

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Aaron Kodak admired Phi Phi Island from a distance but no one seems to see any island in this photo:

Someone was playing sportsball somewhere:

 

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Caption this!

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Wes Dupee found a cute new look for his last weekend in LA:

 

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Something cute for my last weekend in LA

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In case you’re wondering – no, I never saw anyone just stroll down the street in Beverly Hills looking like Ignacio Pérez Rey when I lived there:

 

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California dreamin’

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And speaking of Beverly Hills, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter shares his first lewk of the awards season, which he calls ‘Handmaids Tale Realness:’

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US Manufacturing Drops To Lowest Level Since 2009

(image via Kateryna Babaieva/Pexels)
Axios reports:

The Institute of Supply Management’s index of manufacturing activity released Friday hit its lowest level since the end of the Great Recession in December.

Why it matters: It shows worsening conditions for the U.S. manufacturing sector, which has been in contraction for five straight months and reignites concerns about the trade war’s impact on the economy. Stocks, already in the red after a U.S. airstrike killed a top Iranian general, fell near the lowest levels of the day following the release of the data.

By the numbers: The index came in at 47.2 in December — worse than the 49 economists expected — falling 0.9 points from the prior month’s reading. (Any reading below 50 suggests the manufacturing sector is in contraction.)

Respondents to the survey, which manufacture goods in 18 different industries, noted sluggish demand for products, as well as suppliers passing tariff-related costs on to manufacturers.

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Poll: Joe Biden Continues To Lead By Double Digits

Former Vice President Joe Biden (image via Instagram)

From The Hill:

Former Vice President Joe Biden leads the field of Democratic presidential hopefuls by double digits a month ahead of the Iowa caucuses, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released exclusively to The Hill.

The poll shows Biden registering 30 percent support among Democrats nationally. In a relatively distant second place is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who notched 17 percent in the survey. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is lingering in the No. 3 spot with 12 percent support. No other candidate registered double-digit support. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg came in fourth place at 7 percent, while former tech executive Andrew Yang notched 3 percent support.

Still, recent polls in early primary and caucus states show a more fluid race. 

An Emerson College survey of likely Iowa Democratic caucusgoers released last month showed Biden and Sanders in a statistical tie for first place, with 23 percent and 22 percent support, respectively.

And a WBUR-MassINC poll of New Hampshire Democrats from December showed Buttigieg and Biden knotted at the top with 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Sanders wasn’t far behind in that survey, with 15 percent support.

And here’s some eye-popping news – former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has tied Warren for third place in the latest Hill/HarrisX poll:

The former New York City mayor is now in a dead heat for third place with top-tier candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who also received 11 percent support. Biden, meanwhile, continues to lead the Democratic field with 28 percent followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at 16 percent.

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Talking Cancer & Fitness With Dr. Phil’s Fitness/Nutrition Expert Robert Reames

Fitness & nutrition expert Robert Reames
I recently did an episode of the American LBS radio/video podcast with Dr. Phil Show head trainer and nutritionist, Robert Reames. The podcast highlights inspirational and motivational stories involving wellness sharing information from some of the best fitness folks in the industry. I’ve known Rob (an awesome source of great fitness info) since the 1990s. He asked me to chat about my cancer journey back in 2009 and how fitness & my dance background played a part in my recovery. While I’ve mentioned my bout with cancer on The Randy Report, this is probably the first time many of you might hear first hand what my little journey was like. Hit play below, and you can find out more info from and about super-smart guy Rob at his official website here.