Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York (D) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a message to the five senators currently running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination – Sens. Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren – the impending impeachment trial of Donald Trump comes first. From CBS News:
President Trump’s trial could tie up senators on the Senate floor for the entire month of January, right before the first contest of the Democratic primary calendar scheduled in Iowa for Feb. 3. With the possibility of close votes on procedural questions such as what witnesses should be called to the Senate floor, Schumer says colleagues should make the trial their first priority, even if it might tread on their campaign plans. “This has to come first. This is one of the most solemn decisions that anyone has to make and I’ve told all members of my caucus that scheduling concerns are secondary to doing this the right way,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday.
Greta Thunberg, who sounded a global clarion call in the climate change crisis has been named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year. From TIME:
Thunberg began a global movement by skipping school: starting in August 2018, she spent her days camped out in front of the Swedish Parliament, holding a sign painted in black letters on a white background that read Skolstrejk för klimatet: “School Strike for Climate.”
In the 16 months since, she has addressed heads of state at the U.N., met with the Pope, sparred with the President of the United States and inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike on September 20, 2019, in what was the largest climate demonstration in human history.
Her image has been celebrated in murals and Halloween costumes, and her name has been attached to everything from bike shares to beetles. Margaret Atwood compared her to Joan of Arc. After noticing a hundredfold increase in its usage, lexicographers at Collins Dictionary named Thunberg’s pioneering idea, climate strike, the word of the year.
The politics of climate action are as entrenched and complex as the phenomenon itself, and Thunberg has no magic solution. But she has succeeded in creating a global attitudinal shift, transforming millions of vague, middle-of-the-night anxieties into a worldwide movement calling for urgent change. She has offered a moral clarion call to those who are willing to act, and hurled shame on those who are not.
She has persuaded leaders, from mayors to Presidents, to make commitments where they had previously fumbled: after she spoke to Parliament and demonstrated with the British environmental group Extinction Rebellion, the U.K. passed a law requiring that the country eliminate its carbon footprint.
She has focused the world’s attention on environmental injustices that young indigenous activists have been protesting for years. Because of her, hundreds of thousands of teenage “Gretas,” from Lebanon to Liberia, have skipped school to lead their peers in climate strikes around the world.
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Men’s Variety reminds us (above) that even on tiresome Tuesdays, dogs rule. Oh, and the sleeping guy is hot, too. • Merriam-Webster: The online dictionary has named the gender-neutral pronoun “they” their Word of the Year. Noting that “they” has often been used to refer to one person whose gender identity is nonbinary, lookups for the word has increased by 313% in 2019 over the previous year. • Yahoo News: The man who purchased Olivia Newton-John’s famous black leather jacket featured in the finale of GREASE surprised the international pop star by re-gifting the jacket to her. He told her it belongs to her “and the collective soul of those who love her.” He requested that it be displayed at her hospital in Australia. • Fox Business: The U.S. government deficit spiked 12 percent to $342 billion during the first two months of fiscal year 2020, according to data from the Congressional Budget Office. The federal deficit was $587 billion when President Trump took office in January 2017, and had ballooned to $984 billion in 2019. • BBC: Homophobic Australian rugby player Israel Folau and Rugby Australia have reportedly agreed to a hefty settlement after terminating his contract last April when he posted “Hell Awaits” gay people and other hateful messages on his social media. • CNN: New York City has reached a major goal against HIV/AIDS two years ahead of schedule. The target, originally set for 2020 by UNAIDS known as 90-90-90, represents the percentage of people with HIV who know their status, who are on treatment and whose viral load is suppressed. New York officials say as of 2018, 93% of people with HIV have gotten a diagnosis, 90% are on treatment and 92% of those on treatment are virally suppressed. • Twitter: A video clip posted to Ricky Martin’s Instagram Story went viral as the Latin hunk got handsy with himself.
(image via Twitter) Conflicting reports coming in today as Donald Trump tweeted he warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Russia should beware meddling in the United States’ 2020 presidential election. Trump says he raised the subject, but Lavrov “No, we didn’t haven’t even discussed elections.” See how Russia works to divide Americans…?
The White House and the Kremlin are at odds tonight over whether Trump raised election meddling today in his meeting with #Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov. The White House says he did; Lavrov says he did not
White House says “President Trump warned against any Russian attempts to interfere in United States elections” In meeting with Lavrov. Lavrov just now: “No, we haven't even discussed elections.”
Just had a very good meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and representatives of Russia. Discussed many items including Trade, Iran, North Korea, INF Treaty, Nuclear Arms Control, and Election Meddling. Look forward to continuing our dialogue in the near future! pic.twitter.com/tHecH9a9ck
Billy Porter in ‘Like A Boss’ (screen capture) Check out the trailer for the upcoming Like A Bossstarring Salma Hayek, Rose Byrne, and Tiffany Haddish. Here’s the official description:
Best friends Mia and Mel (Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne) are living their best lives running their own cosmetics company they’ve built from the ground up. Unfortunately, they’re in over their heads financially, and the prospect of a big buyout offer from a notorious titan of the cosmetics industry Claire Luna (Salma Hayek) proves too tempting to pass up, putting Mel and Mia’s lifelong friendship in jeopardy. The beauty business is about to get ugly.
Emmy Award winner Billy Porter plays a cosmetics chemist who apparently gets fired when Hayek says he’s got to go. Porter’s character seems about as shy as Porter himself in real life. The Pose star shared his excitement about the film in a recent interview for Palm Springs Life Magazine saying, “Praise the Lord, I got a really good part.” The film also stars Jennifer Coolidge (who I love), Ari Graynor, Natasha Rothwell, Jessica St. Clair, and Karan Soni. Like A Boss lands in theaters January 10.
Radio host & MMA fighter Jason Ellis (photo: John Tsaivis) Openly bisexual SiriusXM radio host and MMA fighter Jason Ellis knows he’s a rough-looking dude. “I have a tough exterior,” writes Ellis in a personal essay for The Advocate. “I fight MMA. I’m a skateboarder. I’m tattooed from head to toe. But if you get to know me you know I’m a sensitive man.” “And the rejection of me being a bisexual man by other LGBTQ people hurts,” adds Ellis. In his new book, Still Awesome: The Trials and Tribulations of an Egotistical Maniac, the former pro skateboarder from Australia talks candidly about being openly bi, his adventures in Grindr land, and his personal work on putting quality over quantity when it comes to his sex life. Ellis says he doesn’t feel very welcome in the community right now. Recalling times when he’s told men he’s had sex with that he’s married to a woman, he gets responses like “it’s just a phase” and “you’ll eventually be gay.” “I’m a bisexual man and I’m married to a woman I love. I’m lucky enough to be able to have sex with men as well. I find diverse people of all genders sexy and attractive.” Ellis publicly came out as bisexual in 2016, and married his wife, Katie Gilbert, in August 2017. But he says while others might doubt the idea of bisexuality, he’s clear on who he is. “Ask my wife,” he told Outsports in a recent interview. “I’m trying to have sex with her all the time. She’s not my beard. And I love having sex with guys too.” Sometimes, he says guys call him ‘straight,’ which he finds confusing. “I’m standing next to you with my pants off. How straight could I be?” The radio host makes a point of saying that he doesn’t want his inclusion in the community to be merely sexual. “I want LGBTQ friends,” he says adding “After all, ‘B’ is the third letter listed!” The Aussie admits the heterosexual community doesn’t do much better in welcoming bisexual men: “Watch any straight porn and a bi scene between two chicks is de rigueur, but it rarely happens between the men.” Ellis told Outsports that the phone lines on his SiriusXM radio show (where he’s often talked about his sexcapades in the past) go quiet when he talks about the LGBTQ aspect of his life like going to gay sex clubs: “Nobody wants to talk about that.” That reaction led him to venture into podcasting where he’s noticed more support and a different kind of crowd that just “guys in their cars.” On the topic of bisexuality, it’s worth noting that a 2018 report from Gallup showed that the estimate of LGBT people in the U.S. increased to 4.5 percent in 2017, and a huge number of those folks are bisexual. According to the Williams Institute, studies suggest that about 50 percent of people who say they are either gay, lesbian or bisexual, identify as bisexual, making them the single largest group within the LGBTQ community.
Ellis says in writing about his sexuality, he’s looking for “pity,” but perhaps some empathy. And to raise awareness on the reality of bisexuality. “I would like to be part of the community,” he writes. “The ‘B’ was put there for a reason. And if you’re going to use it, then I ask the community to make more of an effort to find people like me and include us in the community and at your events.” “Too many of us long to be in a community that will have us,” says Ellis. “Please be a little more welcoming, show us a little encouragement, and for fuck’s sake, believe me when I tell you I am equally attracted to men and women.” Acknowledging his tatted-up appearance might look “a little different,” he offers, “I clean up nicely and work really hard to be charming.” Still Awesome, Ellis’ third autobiography (co-written with Mike Tully) is available now. You can find his previous best-selling releases here. (photo: John Tsaivis)
The latest Monmouth University polling on the Democratic race for the 2020 presidential nomination shows former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the pack of contenders. Biden leads with 26 percent support with Sanders statistically within the margin of error at 21 percent. Sen. Elizabeth Warren trails Biden by nine points at 17 percent, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg is in single digits with 8 percent support. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has already moved up to 5 percent support thanks to heavy campaign ad spending. As I’ve said on The Randy Report before, I don’t put much stock into national polls because the race will be won in individual states. But I do find them to be interesting as a snapshot in time in gauging something of a ‘national mood.’ The current RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Biden averaging 28.6 percent nationally with Sanders (his nearest competitor) 11 points behind at 17 percent.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders continue to hold the top two spots in the Democratic 2020 primary field, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren is in third place, according to a new Monmouth University poll. https://t.co/ix9qvoe71Ypic.twitter.com/KoZBGsyGRt
Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain) The U.S. House of Representatives, for only the third time in the history of our nation, today announced Articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump. The two articles of impeachment allege: • Article I: Abuse of Power for asking the president of Ukraine to announce an investigation into his perceived political opponent for the 2020 election, former Vice President Joe Biden. In saying during a phone call with the Ukraine president “We need a favor though…” he conditioned military aide that had already been approved by Congress. Article I also notes a head of state meeting was held at arm’s length unless the investigation was announced. • Article II: Obstruction of Congress for directing unprecedented defiance of subpoenas issued by the House of Representatives in the form of withholding documents requested by House Committees, and directing current and former Executive branch officials to not cooperate with those Committees. You can, and should, read the Articles of Impeachment here. It’s not long and Americans should be fully informed on this episode of U.S. history. According to The Hill, Trump would like the trial to begin “sooner than later.” Should the Articles of Impeachment pass in the House as expected, a trial will be held in the U.S. Senate where the 100 Senators will act as the jury. There are currently 53 Republican senators. A super-majority of 67 senators will be required to find Trump guilty. I do not see 20 GOP senators voting against their own president as long as he’s appointing the federal judges they want. Article I will be argued as semantics as to whether “We need a favor though” and other evidence will convince those 20 senators to cross the aisle. Article II seems obvious – Trump did obstruct the investigation. But his Republican soldiers in the Senate will turn a blind-eye to that. That’s my prediction. In the end, the ‘point’ will be history showing House Democrats doing their appointed jobs. What is very, very unclear is whether the impeachment proceedings will energize Trump’s base to get out and reelect him next fall, or will more Democratic and Independent voters show up to vote him out? We shall see. The Trumpster, predictably, responded on Twitter:
To Impeach a President who has proven through results, including producing perhaps the strongest economy in our country’s history, to have one of the most successful presidencies ever, and most importantly, who has done NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political Madness! #2020Election
Out lesbian U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe has been named Sports Illustrated‘s Sportsperson of the Year. Among the athlete’s many accomplishments in 2019 was leading the American team to victory at the 2019 FIFA World Cup in France. Rapinoe becomes only the 4th solo woman in 66 years to be named Sportsperson of the Year.
In its profile of Rapinoe, Sports Illustrated calls a photo of the 34-year-old posing after scoring the winning goal in the World Cup the “signature sporting image of 2019.” Rapinoe said her winning pose was a direct response to the president. “It was kind of like a ‘F— you,’ but with a big smile and a s— eating grin,” Rapinoe says. “You are not going to steal any of our joy.”
— The Resistance Movement – is Merry🎄💎 (@ResistMoveTRM) December 9, 2019
The magazine also highlighted her refusal to visit Trump’s White House after she brought the U.S. to victory and how she bravely faced down temper tantrums from Donald Trump, who tweeted his disapproval of the athlete. “I’m going to do me,” she told the magazine.
The nominations for the 77th Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning, and Billy Porter received a nod for his star turn as Pray Tell in the groundbreaking FX series, Pose. Porter was nominated for the same role last year but lost the trophy to Bodyguard’s Richard Madden. He may have lost out on the GG, but he did take home the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series,’ becoming the first openly gay black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category at the Primetime Emmys.
Porter also received a nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series from the Critic’s Choice Awards over the weekend. Pose picked up additional noms in the Best Drama Series and Best Actress in a Drama Series (MJ Rodriguez). Plus, TV Guide declared Porter’s turn on Pose as the #1 performance on television this year. Other LGBTQ-centric nominations for the 2020 Golden Globes include Taron Egerton for the Elton John musical fantasy biopic Rocketman, Ben Platt’s ambitious high school student in Netflix’s The Politician, and Jodie Comer homicidal Russian assassin in the BBC’s Killing Eve. For those who like to count, the Hollywood Reporter writes that Marriage Story leads the film nominees with six nominations, followed by The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with five nods each. Joker and The Two Popes scored four noms each.
On the television side, Chernobyl, The Crown and Unbelievable received four nominations, while Barry, Big Little Lies, Fleabag, Fosse/Verdon, The Kominsky Method, The Morning Show and Succession all garnered three nominations each.
Don’t miss the 77th annual Golden Globes on January 5, 2020, with host Ricky Gervais. You can find the full list of nominees below: Best Motion Picture — Drama 1917 The Irishman Joker Marriage Story The Two PopesBest Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Dolemite Is My Name Jojo Rabbit Knives Out Once Upon a Time in Hollywood RocketmanBest Foreign-Language Motion Picture The Farewell Les Misérables Pain and Glory Parasite Portrait of a Lady on FireBest Limited Series or TV Movie Catch-22 Chernobyl Fosse/Verdon The Loudest Voice UnbelievableBest Television Series — Drama Big Little Lies The Crown Killing Eve The Morning Show SuccessionBest Comedy Series Fleabag Barry The Kominsky Method The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel The PoliticianBest Motion Picture — Animated Frozen II How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Missing Link Toy Story 4 The Lion KingBest Director — Motion Picture Bong Joon-ho, Parasite Sam Mendes, 1917 Todd Phillips, Joker Martin Scorsese, The Irishman Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in HollywoodBest Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Christopher Abbott, Catch-22 Sacha Baron Cohen, The Spy Russell Crowe, The Loudest Voice Jared Harris, Chernobyl Sam Rockwell, Fosse/VerdonBest Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable Joey King, The Act Helen Mirren, Catherine the Great Merritt Wever, Unbelievable Michelle Williams, Fosse/VerdonBest Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or TV Movie Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method Kieran Culkin, Succession Andrew Scott, Fleabag Stellan Skarsgård, Chernobyl Henry Winkler, BarryBest Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited Series, or TV Movie Patricia Arquette, The Act Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown Toni Collette, Unbelievable Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies Emily Watson, ChernobylBest Score for a Motion Picture Little Women Joker Marriage Story 1917 Motherless BrooklynBest Original Song “Beautiful Ghosts,” Cats “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman “Into the Unknown,” Frozen II “Spirit,” The Lion King “Stand Up,” HarrietBest Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method Bill Hader, Barry Ben Platt, The Politician Paul Rudd, Living With Yourself Ramy Youssef, RamyBest Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series Christina Applegate, Dead to Me Kirsten Dunst, On Becoming a God in Central Florida Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll Phoebe Waller-Bridge, FleabagBest Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series Brian Cox, Succession Kit Harington, Game of Thrones Rami Malek, Mr. Robot Tobias Menzies, The Crown Billy Porter, PoseBest Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show Jodie Comer, Killing Eve Olivia Colman, The Crown Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies Reese Witherspoon, The Morning ShowBest Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureTom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes Al Pacino, The Irishman Joe Pesci, The Irishman Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in HollywoodBest Screenplay Marriage Story Parasite The Two Popes Once Upon a Time in Hollywood The IrishmanBest Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell Annette Bening, The Report Laura Dern, Marriage Story Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers Margot Robbie, BombshellBest Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Daniel Craig, Knives Out Taron Egerton, Rocketman Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in HollywoodBest Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory Adam Driver, Marriage Story Joaquin Phoenix, Joker Jonathan Pryce, The Two PopesBest Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Ana de Armas, Knives Out Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go, Bernadette Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart Emma Thompson, Late Night Awkwafina, The FarewellBest Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama Cynthia Erivo, Harriet Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story Saoirse Ronan, Little Women Charlize Theron, Bombshell Renée Zellweger, Judy
Greta Thunberg, who sounded a global clarion call in the climate change crisis has been named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year. From 
