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Fox News Polls Shows Biden Leading Trump 12+

L-R Former Vice President Joe Biden, Donald Trump
The latest Fox News poll shows:

Biden performs best against Trump (51-39 percent) in hypothetical head-to-head matchups. He leads by 12 points, garners over 50 percent and keeps Trump below 40 percent.

In early October, Biden led by 10 (50-40 percent).

More Democrats (91 percent) back Biden than Republicans (86 percent) support Trump, and 88 percent of 2016 Trump voters would stick with him, while 91 percent of Clinton voters would support Biden.

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Looking Back As Our Tyler Crosses The Rainbow Bridge

Tyler as a puppy in 2003, and on our last day together

Tyler as a puppy in 2003, and on our last day together
Tyler as a puppy in 2003, and at 16 and a half on our last day together
Michael and I helped our prettiest, Tyler, cross the rainbow bridge Friday evening. She was diagnosed with Cushings Disease last week and we started medications, but they overwhelmed her causing her to throw up for about four days. We stopped them, with vet’s advice, hoping they’d work out of her system and she would bounce back. But by Friday, she hadn’t taken any water or food for three days. No treats, nothing. At sixteen and a half, she was very weak, and we had to be ‘the adults.’ Sad doesn’t begin to describe where we are emotionally. Numb is about all I can come up with. When we moved to Las Vegas 15 years ago, in the spring of 2004, the house was full of dogs.
Moving into Vegas house, dogs in the backyard (L-R Bear, Bruno, Sabrina, Bandit, Tyler)
Bruno and the puppies nap in the sun
Life at Casa Caprio
When Michael and I met, he had Olivia the chihuahua, named after iconic pop goddess, Olivia Newton-John. About a year and a half after I moved from New York City to Los Angeles to be with Michael, he gifted me Sabrina at Christmas 1997.
L-R Olivia and Sabrina in 1998
In 2002, my friend David and I walked into a pet store on the Upper East Side of NYC, and I met Bruno the wonder dog for the first time. ‘It only takes a moment, for your eyes to meet and then…’ While I played with him, David went to the front of the store and paid for ‘the Brun,’ who would become my best friend.
Bruno the wonder dog
In spring 2003, the night before Bruno was going to be fixed, he clearly sensed ‘a disturbance in the force.’ We heard yelping and ran to the kitchen where he and Sabrina looked like guilty teenagers. Sixty-two days later, their three puppies – Tyler, Bandit, and Bear – were born. I was on tour with Chicago the Musical (for a change). Michael and I agreed we’d give two puppies to friends and keep one. But when I returned home, there were still six dogs at Casa Caprio. So, life went on – with six small dogs and two adults making up our unexpectedly large family. And it just worked.
Michael and the kids in his office
L-R Bandit, Tyler, Bear, Bruno and Sabrina
Randy and family
As I mentioned, we moved to Vegas in 2004. Olivia passed from old age in the summer of 2005, and Sabrina – the mama – passed in 2010. Bandit (who knew he was a supermodel) crossed over in February 2017 after a six-month cancer journey.
Bandit, who always knew deep inside he was truly a super-model
The Brun, my bestie, left us a year later in February 2018, after a long bout with Cushing’s disease. And now, Tyler joins her dad, mom, brother and Olivia. Bear, who entered the world last on July 19, 2003, is still with us. He licked Tyler’s face after she passed and has spent the day on the pillow where Tyler always slept.
Bear at Tyler’s pillow
Circle of life. This is what happens. We certainly get more from them than we could ever give back. It’s definitely been a rough day. Tyler’s passing has triggered a trip down memory lane, and I’m struck by how quickly a generation has passed as this family graced us with their lives. It feels like this amazing doggy adventure has gone by in the blink of an eye. As I walked through the living room today I was keenly aware that I wasn’t being followed by a herd of dachshunds. Thank god for the advent of phone cameras and video. They all continue to live so vibrantly, not just in my memory, but on my computer screen in bold, bright living color. I step back and say thank you for the blessing, joy, laughter, and love from these spirited, furry family members. We are sad but immensely grateful. Tyler, “the prettiest,” leaves her paw print on our hearts forever.
Tyler (in front) napping with brothers Bear and Bandit

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New Poll: 49 Percent Support Impeaching/Removing Trump From Office

The results of a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows 49 percent of American voters support impeaching and removing Donald Trump from the presidency while 46 percent oppose. That’s an increase in support of impeachment by 6 points in a month, while the opposition has dropped 3 points. The poll also shows former Vice President Joe Biden would beat Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup by 9 points. Sen. Elizabeth Warren would also trump the Trumpster by an 8 point margin. Meanwhile, the Donald’s approval/disapproval rating has pretty much remained in the same range: 45 percent give Trump a thumbs-up while a majority of 53 percent disapprove of the job he’s doing. When you dive into the details, though, 31 percent say they ‘strongly’ approve versus 45 percent who say they ‘strongly’ disapprove. Here are the full results of the poll.

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Trump Booed Bigly At UFC Match In NYC

Donald Trump has ordered US military forces to the Middle East following an Iranian attack on Saudi oil facilities

Donald Trump has ordered US military forces to the Middle East following an Iranian attack on Saudi oil facilities After being booed at Game 5 of the World Series last Sunday, you’d think Donald Trump might have thought twice about attending another public sporting event. But I’m guessing the Trumpster assumed he’d be in safe territory taking in an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match. However, when the president entered Madison Square Garden Saturday night he was greeted by a huge chorus of boos from the audience.

Joe Jervis, of JoeMyGod, was on the scene tweeting the ‘atmosphere:’

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Fail: People Are Sawing Through Trump’s Wall With $100 Power Tool

Donald Trump inspects his Mexican border 'wall' near San Diego (public domain)

Donald Trump inspects his Mexican border 'wall' near San Diego (public domain)
Donald Trump inspects his Mexican border ‘wall’ near San Diego (public domain)
“All the best walls!” From the Washington Post:

Smuggling gangs in Mexico have repeatedly sawed through new sections of President Trump’s border wall in recent months by using commercially available power tools, opening gaps large enough for people and drug loads to pass through, according to U.S. agents and officials with knowledge of the damage.

The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100.

When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barrier’s steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques.

After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. 

The barrier, which currently has cost taxpayers $10 billion price tag was one of Trump’s biggest promises made during the 2016 campaign. At recent campaign rallies, Trump has bragged about the wall describing it “virtually impenetrable” that border-crossers cannot get over, under or through.

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Nationals Pitcher Sean Doolittle Won’t Attend White House Event

Sean Doolittle with President George H.W. Bush's service dog, Sully (public domain)

Sean Doolittle with President George H.W. Bush's service dog, Sully (public domain)
Sean Doolittle with President George H.W. Bush’s service dog, Sully (public domain)
Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle, in the afterglow of the team’s World Series championship, has shared he will not be attending a visit to the White House. He’s the first Nationals player to confirm that, although there are reports other team members are also weighing whether to accept the invitation. Doolittle told the Washington Post the decision begins with not wanting to compromise his beliefs.

“There’s a lot of things, policies that I disagree with, but at the end of the day, it has more to do with the divisive rhetoric and the enabling of conspiracy theories and widening the divide in this country. My wife and I stand for inclusion and acceptance, and we’ve done work with refugees, people that come from, you know, the ‘shithole countries,’ ” Doolittle said, mimicking when Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as “shithole countries” in a January 2018 meeting.

“At the end of the day, as much as I wanted to be there with my teammates and share that experience with my teammates, I can’t do it,” Doolittle continued. “I just can’t do it.”

“I feel very strongly about his issues on race relations,” Doolittle said, and he listed the Fair Housing Act, the Central Park Five and Trump’s comments following a white supremacist rally in 2017. He also mentioned that his wife, Eireann Dolan, has two mothers who are very involved in the LGBTQ community.

“I want to show support for them. I think that’s an important part of allyship, and I don’t want to turn my back on them,” Doolittle said. “I have a brother-in-law who has autism, and [Trump] is a guy that mocked a disabled reporter. How would I explain that to him that I hung out with somebody who mocked the way that he talked or the way that he moves his hands? I can’t get past that stuff.”

Doolittle admits he wrestled with the decision as he and his current world championship teammates have only a little more time together as this Nationals team. He also shares he took a look at how other athletes chose to discuss their decisions to skip visits to the White House.

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News Round-Up: November 1, 2019

Tyler Valenzia (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Mixing it up today with fitness guy Tyler Valenzia (above). I realized I practically never feature clean-shaven blond guys. Tyler’s ready for a lazy weekend, and I def don’t hate that. #ProblemSolved • Advocate: On a technicality, the Kentucky Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit brought against a shop that refused to print T-shirts for Lexington’s 2012 Pride Festival. The court didn’t rule on LGBTQ rights or not, but dismissed the case because the party that brought the claim, the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization, lacked standing because it was not the party denied service by the business. • KIT212: Kenneth has the latest on what’s making news in this week’s gay magazine. • BBC: An Indonesian man who worked for an organization that helped draft strict laws making adultery & gay sex punishable by public whipping has been caned after being caught having an affair with a married woman. #karma • Playbill: Tony and Emmy winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots, Pose) and Tony winner Idina Menzel (Wicked) will perform during the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Also joining the festivities (9 AM ET on NBC on Thanksgiving Day) is Broadway alum and Glee star Lea Michele. • Politico: Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has begun closing campaign offices in New Hampshire due to a shortage of funds. The campaign announced the decision was made to go ‘all-in’ in Iowa for the first-in-the-country contest. • New Music: Gryffin & Slander dropped their EDM single, “All You Need To Know” featuring the vocals of Swedish singer/songwriter Calle Lehmann, back in March. The track comes from Gryffin’s full-length debut album, Gravity. I liked it back then, but today they share this acoustic take on the track which reveals a much deeper emotional core to the song. Regular readers of The Randy Report know how I love artists reinventing, and thereby discovering more of, their own art. I like this.

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Beto O’Rourke Exits 2020 Presidential Race

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke is leaving the 2020 presidential race
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke is dropping out of the 2020 presidential campaign. From The Daily Beast:

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) is ending his presidential campaign after struggling for months to gain sustained momentum, as the crowded Democratic primary thins out less than 100 days until the Iowa caucus.

“Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully,” O’Rourke wrote in a Medium post announcing his move on Friday.

“My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee. Acknowledging this now is in the best interests of those in the campaign; it is in the best interests of this party as we seek to unify around a nominee, and it is in the best interests of the country.”

Rumors about O’Rourke’s candidacy began shortly after his Senate campaign concluded. But for months, he put off making a decision, leaving top Democratic operatives who may have signed on with him to look elsewhere. The entrance into the race of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, perceived to occupy the same lane for a young, fresh-faced outsider, appeared to further dull the allure of O’Rourke’s bid.

For months, people in Democratic circles have urged O’Rourke to run for Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) seat. Within minutes of O’Rourke’s announcement, “Run For Senate” began to trend on Twitter. We shall see.

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Trump’s HHS Department To Allow LGBTQ Discrimination Due To ‘Religious Beliefs’

President Trump and Vice President Pence (image via Flickr/White House – public domain)
As we begin National Adoption Month, the Trump administration has proposed a change in regulations aimed at allowing tax-payer funded adoption agencies to refuse to place children with LGBTQ families due to religious objections. The new policy, proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services, would reverse an Obama-era rule that prohibited organizations with contracts with the federal government, including adoption agencies, from discriminating based on sexual orientation. By removing sexual orientation and gender identity from the current list of factors that violate the HHS rules, religious-based adoption, and foster care agencies would be able to accept federal taxpayer money while treating same-sex marriages differently from opposite-sex marriages. Earlier this year, the Trump administration issued a waiver that permits adoption agencies in South Carolina to receive tax dollars while refusing to follow the current non-discrimination policies. The proposed change would go further, however, allowing all recipients of HHS grants to turn away LGBTQ people under the guise of ‘religious freedom.’ Homeless youth shelters, HIV and STI prevention programs, opioid programs, substance-use recovery programs and more would all be allowed to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ advocacy groups were outraged at the news. Julie Kruse of Family Equality issued a statement that read, in part, “The American public overwhelmingly opposes allowing taxpayer-funded adoption and foster care agencies to turn away qualified parents simply because they are in a same-sex relationship.” “Children should never be denied the opportunity to join a stable, loving family – even if that means the family is LGBTQ,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Research has shown LGBTQ families provide the same kind of love, protection, and support as other families and no child should be denied that kind of environment.” “The Trump Administration has once again demonstrated how they prefer to prioritize the gross work of anti-LGBTQ activists over the safety and well-being of our children,” she added. From Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality:

“This rule is an abuse of taxpayer dollars in the name of empowering hatred and bigotry towards society’s most vulnerable members. Stigma and prejudice are fueling a public health crisis among transgender people across the country, one that manifests itself as suicide, addiction, intimate partner violence, and HIV. Enabling providers of life-saving services to worsen these crises by rejecting transgender people is a moral crime and a severe abdication of HHS’s mission to preserve public health.”

More from Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign’s Charlotte Clymer:

Anti-LGBTQ Christian conservatives, however, were thrilled. Tony Perkins, of the anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council, announced, “Thanks to President Trump, charities will be free to care for needy children and operate according to their religious beliefs and the reality that children do best in a home with a married mom and dad.”