(photo: Maurício Mascaro/Pexels) From Axios: A database compiled by AP, USA Today and Northeastern University finds more mass killings in 2019 than any year dating back to at least the 1970s, AP’s Lisa Marie Pane reports.
There were 41 mass killings — defined as four or more killed, excluding the perpetrator. (33 were shootings.)
James Densley, a criminologist and professor at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota, believes it’s partially a byproduct of an “angry and frustrated time” that we are living in: “This seems to be the age of mass shootings.”
Most of the mass killings barely became national news, failing to resonate among the general public because they didn’t spill into public places like massacres in El Paso and Odessa, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Jersey City, New Jersey.
Research going back to the 1970s shows no other year with as many mass slayings. The second-most killings in a year prior to 2019 was 38 in 2006.
The 211 people killed in this year’s cases is eclipsed by the 224 victims killed in 2017 — when Vegas had the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Donald Trump A new study from the Federal Reserve shows Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports led to higher prices for American consumers and job losses. Trump told Americans his tariffs would boost the economy. From The Hill:
“We find that tariff increases enacted in 2018 are associated with relative reductions in manufacturing employment and relative increases in producer prices,” the report by Fed economists Aaron Flaaen and Justin Pierce reads.
MarketWatch first reported the study, noting that 10 primary industries were hit by retaliatory tariffs and higher prices, including producers of magnetic and optical media, leather goods, aluminum sheet, iron and steel, motor vehicles, household appliances, sawmills, audio and video equipment, pesticide, and computer equipment.
In September of this year, U.S. consumers and businesses paid a record $7.1 billion in tariffs.
As a reminder:
Trump announced steel tariffs on 3/1/18 – US Steel stock price was $45.39/share on 3/2/18.
Today, US Steel stock price is $11.82/share. Steel workers are losing jobs.
Minimum wage Employees are doing a little better but self employed farmers still going bankrupt at fastest rates since Great Depression thanks to Trump tariffs:( pic.twitter.com/g86DmmsDGe
Olivia Newton-John (image via Facebook) The BBC reports that international pop-star Olivia Newton-John will be honored in 2020 as ‘Dame Olivia Newton-John.’ The honor is in recognition of her services “to charity, cancer research and entertainment.” According to PopSugar, a damehood is the female equivalent of a knighthood, so the title of Dame is equivalent to Sir. It’s the most senior honor in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which was created in 1917 by King George V. In a statement, the forever-effervescent actress and singer said, “I am extremely excited, honoured and grateful beyond words to be included with such an esteemed group of women who have received this distinguished award before me.” “As a girl born in Cambridge, I am very proud of my British ancestry and so appreciative to be recognised in this way by the United Kingdom,” added the Grease star. In addition to over 100 million albums sold worldwide, Olivia helped raise over $200 million to build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Australia. Truly a worthy honoree. Congratulations to Olivia! Olivia in front of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Australia
(image via Instagram/Chippendales) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: My brother is in town for the holidays, and that means we have to head down at some point to see the world-famous Chippendales (above) at the Rio Hotel here in Las Vegas. The sold-out show totally rocked. If you can’t get to Vegas, the Chipps just announced a 30 city tour beginning in late January. Click here for dates and tix. #Grrr • JoeMyGod: A teenage boy who alleges sexual abuse by a priest killed the priest by shoving a crucifix down his throat. • The Gaily Grind: Disney has cut a brief scene featuring Star Wars’ first same-sex kiss from its new movie “The Rise of Skywalker” in Singapore, a country where same-sex marriage is illegal and sex between men is punishable by up to two years in prison. • KIT212: Kenneth has the lowdown on the what’s what in gay rags across the country like Chicago’s GRAB Magazine celebrating ‘The Men of Bullies and Biceps.” • Washington Blade: Amid speculation Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will leave his position to pursue his old job as U.S. senator in Kansas, Donald Trump is considering U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell – who’s also the highest-ranking openly gay person in his administration – as a replacement. • NY Times: Foreign teachers at some private schools in Indonesia have been required to answer questions and many more like them in what has been billed as a psychological exam to determine teachers’ sexual orientation and attitude toward gay rights. A 2015 government regulation prohibits international schools from hiring foreign teachers who have “an indication of abnormal sexual behavior or orientation.” • HuffPost: Donald Trump likes to brag that he donates his $400,000 annual salary as president to charities. But according to folks tracking the Trumpster’s golf habit, his passion for the links has now cost taxpayers $118 million – or about 296 years of that presidential salary. Remember when he said if elected he’d “never leave the White House…?”
GOLF UPDATE — 27 DEC 2019:
Trump is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. He has now spent 232 days on a golf course he owns in his 1,072 days in office. It is his 67th day at his course in West Palm Beach. Taxpayer-paid golf tab: $118.3 million.https://t.co/acbH3EXZ5s — S.V. Dáte (@svdate) December 27, 2019
Donald Trump The Trump administration just can’t stop trying to erase the LGBTQ community. The Department of the Interior removed language regarding lesbian, gay and bisexual people from its anti-discrimination guidelines. According to HuffPost, the words “sexual orientation” were removed from the department’s ethics manual. On page four of the 2017 edition of the manual regarding Basic Obligations of Public Service, one principle reads, “You shall adhere to all laws and regulations that provide equal opportunities for all Americans regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, or handicap.” However, the 2009 version of the ethics guide – during Barack Obama’s administration – included the categories “race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.” Bolding is mine. HuffPost also reports that on his first day on the job in August 2017, then-Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt redlined the words “sexual orientation” on an email to agency staff. When HuffPost asked the Interior Department about the edits, agency spokesperson Carol Danko replied saying the new language – substituting the word “sex” for “gender” and “sexual orientation” – was merely an effort to avoid redundancy. “Per the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, under Title VII the term ‘sex’ includes gender, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, and pregnancy,” Danko told HuffPost. The confusing part of that statement is the Trump administration’s Department of Justice recently took the completely opposite position on the issue at the U.S. Supreme Court. The DOJ argued that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not provide protections for LBG people via the word “sex” in the legislation. Assuring HuffPost that the Interior Department has “zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind,” Danko told the news site that since Bernhardt became the agency chief in April 2019, “our internal policies have been redrafted with a broader brushstroke to explicitly capture inappropriate conduct beyond the legal standards of harassment and discrimination such as political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, and status as a parent.” However the Interior Department parses this language, the fact is the Trump administration has led a continued assault on LGBTQ people since Donald Trump took office. GLAAD has been tracking the many ways the community has been diminished or erased since January 2017 including banning transgender people from serving in the military, making no mention of the LGBTQ community in World AIDS Day proclamations, and allowing tax-payer funded adoption agencies to use “religious beliefs” to deny placing children in homes of LGBTQ couples. (source: HuffPost, GLAAD)
(image via Luka Malic/Unsplash) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially raised the legal age to buy tobacco products in the United States from 18 to 21, reports The Hill.
The move applies to all tobacco products, e-cigarettes and vaping cartridges, and comes after President Trump last week signed a $1.4 trillion spending package that included a measure raising the tobacco-buying age.
Initially, it was unclear when the age change would take effect. The FDA had six months to amend their policies after Trump signed the bill into law and then 90 days to put the change in place.
However, the FDA said in a message posted on its website that the change is now in effect.
We need to land on an age where someone can be considered an adult. It's confusing right now
18 – Serve in the military and potentially give up your life 18 – Vote 18- Buy a firearm in many states
Broadway composer Jerry Herman (image via official website) Broadway legend Jerry Herman, who wrote blockbuster musicals including Mame, La Cage aux Folles, and Hello, Dolly!, has passed away at the age of 88. The Associated Press reports Herman was taken to the hospital Thursday night after experiencing chest pains. He died of pulmonary complications in Miami, Florida, where he had been living with his longtime partner, Terry Marler. He made his Broadway debut contributing songs to a revue titled, From A to Z (which included material by Woody Allen and Fred Ebb) in 1960. His first full-fledged Broadway score (and first Tony Award nomination) was for Milk and Honey, about a couple on vacation in Israel. But in 1964, he penned the songs to mega-hit Hello, Dolly! which snagged a record-breaking 10 Tony Awards including one for Herman for ‘Best Score,’ and one for its luminous leading lady, Carol Channing. The production ran for 2,844 performances becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history at the time.
The show would be revived several times on the Great White Way, most recently in 2017 with Bette Midler earning the Divine Miss M a Tony Award for her performance as the indomitable Dolly Levi. Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters followed Midler in the show-stopping role.
How Sad,,,Jerry Herman has passed away ,,,of course he made it to Christmas and left us the next day !! He was always so enthusiastic and uplifting about things and gave us the wonderful show Hello Dolly among others !!RIP Jerry Dearest ❤️❤️❤️❤️🎄
He scored again with Angela Lansbury starring as the glamorous title character in Mame in 1966. Winning several Tony Awards (including trophies for Lansbury and Bea Arthur), the show went on to run for 1,508 performances.
As the 1970s came around, musicals began to become darker and more experimental, and Herman’s shows (Dear World, Mack & Mabel, The Grand Tour) didn’t fare as well. But in 1983, Herman found the inspiration for his next hit in the French film, La Cage aux Folles, about a gay couple living on the French Riviera running a drag nightclub. He would win his second Tony Award (among six awarded the production) for the score of the groundbreaking La Cage which gave the world one its first gay anthems written to be a gay anthem, “I Am What I Am.”
I am what I am I don’t want praise…I don’t want pity I bang my own drum Some think it’s noise…I think it’s pretty And so what if I love each feather and each bangle Why not try to see things from a different angle? Your life is a sham ‘til you can shout out loud, ‘I am what I am’
The song not only packed a punch on stage but also in discos as Gloria Gaynor’s version (which reached #3 on the Billboard Dance chart) resonated with the LGBTQ community everywhere as the gay pride movement was hitting its stride.
Connecting theatergoers with a loving, openly gay couple, the show touched audiences in New York City and around the world. The production’s storyline also put drag front and center. In the end, it’s the nightclub’s star Zaza that saves the day leading a conservative couple out of a tight situation decked in glamorous drag. The show would run for 1,761 performances and return to Broadway twice reminding audiences of the power of drag and the depth of love held by the leading characters for each other. Harvey Fierstein, who wrote the book for La Cage, saluted his colleague on Twitter today:
Jerry Herman lost his hard fought battle last night and we lost one of the greats. A collaborator and friend for almost 40 years, I cannot thank him enough for his love, trust, encouragement, support and laughter. Well done, Mr Herman. Bravo! pic.twitter.com/QYws9jQu6h
“I’m certainly aware of how different popular music is today from when I started in this business, and I realize that my songwriting is not generally in fashion,” he shared with the New York Times in 1985. “But ‘La Cage’ made me feel secure about going on and just being what I am, and writing simple, hummable tunes.” There were other projects following La Cage, including songs for the television movie Mrs. Santa Claus reuniting Herman with Ms. Lansbury. The effort would snag him an Emmy Award nomination. In 2009, he was honored with a Special Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Tony Awards. And the next year, he was celebrated alongside Sir Paul McCartney and Oprah at the Kennedy Center Honors.
In full disclosure, this writer will share that, in another lifetime, I was an actor in New York City, and the 1995 revival of Hello, Dolly! was my Broadway debut. Jerry was very involved in the production as the only living creator of the show at the time, and I was fortunate to witness Jerry’s genius first hand. I give Jerry and Dolly! a lot of credit for my life, both professional and personal, taking a great leap forward. It was on October 17, 1994, at Paisley Park recording studios in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that I met my future husband during the pre-Broadway tour of Dolly! We were recording our Broadway cast album prior to heading into New York City and my Michael was the 24-year-old Vice President of Marketing and PR for the record label. Hubby Michael Caprio with Jerry Herman in October 1994 I won’t go into the details but suffice to say, by the end of the day “Dolly” had worked her matchmaking magic. We’ve been together for over 25 years now. Jerry was always very fond of taking credit for our relationship and we happily saluted him for it. After the show closed on Broadway, Jerry was involved in the decision to ask me to stage the dances for the ensuing national touring company of Dolly. Jerry’s belief in me propelled my career forward again, this time as a choreographer. Since that time, I’ve staged nearly a dozen productions of the show with Jerry’s blessing. Jerry Herman (center) with me on the right in 1995 And in 2011, Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and director Jack O’Brien were in talks to mount a new revival of Dolly! One Saturday morning, my phone rang and it was Jerry. He shared the news of the possible revival and asked me to choreograph the new production. At the time, he wanted the creative team to explore new ideas for the show, but there were a few concepts from the Gower Champion original he wanted integrated into the new production. He told me, “I know you’ll have my back.” As if my life hadn’t been blessed enough by Jerry, his confidence in me was surely the crowning moment we would share. In the end, LuPone and O’Brien exited the production and for several months the lead producer and I thought of a raft of leading ladies to approach, including Midler who would finally say ‘yes’ to the role a few years later. The production never happened, but I’ve never forgotten the buoyant, upbeat confidence he instilled not only in me but in everyone he worked with. The constant theme throughout his work – his songs, his shows, the characters he wrote for – was that life was meant to be lived. The titles of just a few of his songs – “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It’s Today,” “I’ll Be Here Tomorrow,” “The Best of Times,” “Tap Your Troubles Away,” “We Need a Little Christmas” – tell the tale of someone who found his truth in hope and celebration.
Even in the late 1980s, when he was diagnosed with HIV and lost his partner Martin Finkelstein to AIDS, he never stopped embracing the power of positivity. In 2010, he seemed content as he reflected on his long, successful career telling the Washington Post, “It’s a very long, colorful parade. With lots of balloons. And banners. And confetti. And all of that. But it’s also kind of near the end of it. That’s very moving and very rewarding.” Along the way, Herman gave us fabulous, bigger-than-life diva characters to cheer for including a drag queen who told the world (and us) how to love ourselves. Rest in power Jerry Herman, Broadway’s gentle giant.
(image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Fitness guy Nik (above) says “six-packs are overrated – especially after Christmas!” I second that notion 🙂 • Instinct Magazine: A Manhattan school teacher says he was fired for being gay and for standing up for a non-binary gender-nonconforming student. • Hulu: A trailer has been released for the latest installment of Hulu’s Into The Dark, a monthly horror event series. Each feature-length installment is inspired by a holiday. The latest episode – Midnight Kiss – stars Scott Evans and premieres on December 27. According to the official synopsis, “A group of longtime gay best friends head to a beautiful desert home to celebrate New Year’s Eve. One of their annual traditions is to play MIDNIGHT KISS, a sexy but ultimately dangerous challenge to find that special someone to help you ring in the New Year. As friendships have grown strained with secrets, jealousy and resentment, the group faces another challenge when a sadistic killer wants in.”
• NBC News: Donald Trump said Tuesday he wouldn’t rule out pardoning Republican operative Roger Stone, describing what happened to his former confidant as “very tough” and criticizing federal prosecutors and investigators as “dirty cops” and “evil people.” • Out: Dame Judi Dench says her “Deuteronomy” in the now-infamous film version of Cats is transgender. • CNBC: Trump supporters were outraged to hear a version of Home Alone 2 aired on Canada’s CBC network which omits Donald Trump’s cameo in the film. Chuck Thompson, the CBC’s head of public affairs, said in a statement that the edits to the film “were done in 2014 when we first acquired the film and before Mr. Trump was elected president.” • Instagram: Madonna canceled her final ‘Madame X’ tour date in the U.S. due to “indescribable” pain.
Rapper J Hus (image via Facebook) Rapper J Hus began a Twitter firestorm when he tweeted accusations of Europeans “weaponizing” homosexuality and “forcing LGBT onto” Africa. The London-based rapper’s initial tweet (which has since been deleted) read, “STOP FORCING LGBT ONTO US. Live your life I don’t care but don’t force it onto me especially when you don’t wanna recognize these black struggle.” Of course, that was quickly followed with a denial of being homophobic saying he’s good with the gays because “The more gay men the more women for me.” In another tweet J Hus deleted, he added, “They try force Ghana to include LGBT into their education when its not their culture. You can’t tell me they don’t try force it on us.” After a lot of backlash from the Twitterverse, the rapper stood down saying, “Okay maybe I’m wrong then. Forgive me. I don’t wanna offend anyone. From my point I saw things different. You can school me.” Making a point to say he “never once said” he hated anyone, J Hus threw in, “To me it looked like they was weaponizing it against us. But do ur thing.” “Yeah I see all the tweets,” wrote J Hus as he tried to step away from the issue. “The culture I practise, we’re not familiar with these things that’s why I have a different view. I don’t hate anyone but I stand up for my culture. Don’t take no offence. Live your life happily.” Among those who spoke out during the tweetstorm was rapper MNEK, who is both black and gay, who wrote, “Ok so are you saying that LGBT people are exclusively white? that there’s no such thing as intersectionality? that fans of your music who are both black and lgbt, myself included, don’t understand black struggle either? i just want to be clear.”
.@Jhus ok so are you saying that LGBT people are exclusively white? that there’s no such thing as intersectionality? that fans of your music who are both black and lgbt, myself included, don’t understand black struggle either? i just want to be clear.
1) Black LGBT people exist 2) Many black lgbt people have fought for black liberation – James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, to name a few 3) No one is forcing queerness on you. Ever been beaten up for being straight? No. But many gay & trans ppl are physically attacked
4) The reality is that being straight, or being cisgender, is actually forced on people. Otherwise gay people wouldn’t be scared to hold hands in public, whereas straight couples can do it without fear
(image via public domain) The latest polling shows support to remove Donald Trump from office is the highest it has ever been. From The Independent:
Fifty-five percent of those asked said they were in favor of the US president’s conviction by the Senate, a figure which has shot up from 48 percent the week before.
Meanwhile, the number of people against Mr. Trump’s removal has dropped to an all-time low, according to the MSN poll.
On Christmas Day, 40 percent were opposed to the Senate voting to convict the president, who has been impeached over his dealings with Ukraine and an alleged subsequent attempt to obstruct Congress.
The gap between the two views has become much wider since last week when there was little to divide them (48 percent in favor of Mr. Trump’s removal, 47 percent against).
• 
Of course, that was quickly followed with a denial of being homophobic saying he’s good with the gays because “The more gay men the more women for me.” 
