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News Round-Up: August 2, 2019

Calum Von Moger (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Bodybuilder and fitness expert Calum Von Moger shares the above pic with a humorous touch embracing his inner peacock as he writes, “I was made for this moment.” • LGBTQ Nation: While crime overall in major cities has declined over recent years, a new study shows hate crimes increased 9% over the last year. That makes for the 5th consecutive increase and the largest jump since 2015. • Gr8erDays: Follow this Instagram account for celebrity trivia from Hollywood days gone by.

• Morning Consult: New polling shows the second round of debates among Democratic presidential candidates did little to shake up current standings. Thirty-two percent of Democratic voters still say former Vice President Joe Biden is their first choice, just 1 percentage point down from MC’s polling after the first debates. None of the candidates shifted more than 2 points. • Wall-Street Journal: While median income in the U.S. has gone up 14% in 30 years, housing prices have gone up 290% and college tuition has risen 311% making life for the middle class even more difficult. • Out Music: Swedish pop star Tove Lo drops her latest single, “Bad as the Boys,” a light, breezy, summertime pop bop which finds the singer teamed-up with Finnish singer ALMA. “’Bad as the Boys’ is about my first summer girl crush when I was in my teens,” says the singer. “It’s about that sting you feel in your heart when you know summer is coming to an end and so is the romance.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fk0YGYsSNA

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Homophobe Israel Folau Sues For $10 Million & His Old Job

Israel Folau pictured center (image via Wikimedia)

Homophobic Australian rugby player Israel Folau has filed a $10 million lawsuit to the Fair Work Commission against Rugby Australia alleging he was sacked for his Christian beliefs.

Not only is the former Wallabies player demanding his job back, but 30-year-old also wants $10 million in compensation.

The Guardian reports Folau issued a statement regarding the lawsuit which read, in part, “No Australian of any faith should be fired for practicing their religion.”

But Rugby Australia maintains that it was Folau’s breach of the players’ code of conduct via his anti-LGBTQ social media posts that caused his dismissal, not “practicing his religion.”

The code of conduct requires players to “treat everyone equally, fairly and with dignity regardless of gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, cultural or religious background, age or disability.”

This is what Folau characterizes as “practicing” his religion:

Those that are living in Sin will end up in Hell unless you repent. Jesus Christ loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him. _______________ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these , adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19‭-‬21 KJV _______________ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:38 KJV _______________ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Acts 17:30 KJV _______________
A post shared by Israel Folau (@izzyfolau) on Apr 10, 2019 at 1:18am PDT

“Whilst Israel is entitled to his religious beliefs, the way in which he has expressed these beliefs is inconsistent with the values of the sport,” said Rugby Australia at the time. “We want to make it clear that he does not speak for the game with his recent social media posts.”

In June, Folau launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay for his anticipated legal fees. But GoFundMe canceled that effort saying, “While we welcome GoFundMes engaging in diverse civil debate, we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion.”

But the Australian Christian Lobby, an extreme religious group, jumped in and helped Folau raise over $2 million for his legal battles to come.

It’s worth noting that Folau is a millionaire several times over. According to TheAustralian.com, he owns 8 homes worth over $5 million and a $500k Lamborghini.

So, why does he need fans to pay his legal bills?

In April of 2018, Folau said he has “no phobia towards anyone” but would not recant his social media antics. At the time he told rugby officials he would “walk away from his contract” if he comments hurt his sport.

I guess $10 million sounds better to him today.

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Trump Withdraws His Nomination Of GOP Rep For Intelligence Dir. Amid Conflicts In Resume

Rep. John Ratcliffe (L), Donald Trump (R)

Donald Trump is reversing course on his nomination of Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe (R) for Director of National Intelligence after reports of alleged resume padding and questions about his lack of intelligence experience.

From the New York Times:

President Trump on Friday abruptly dropped his plan to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas, as the nation’s top intelligence official, following bipartisan questions about his qualifications and pushback over whether he had exaggerated his résumé.

Mr. Ratcliffe, an outspoken supporter of Mr. Trump, has come under intense scrutiny since the president declared Sunday on Twitter that the lawmaker was his pick to succeed Dan Coats, who is stepping down as director of national intelligence on Aug. 15. The selection generated scant enthusiasm among senators of both parties who would have been decided whether to confirm him.

Mr. Trump’s announcement that Mr. Ratcliffe would not be his nominee after all, also made on Twitter, spoke bitterly of the attention Mr. Ratcliffe’s claims about his experience as a federal prosecutor quickly received from the news media.

Trump has demonstrated a pattern of ‘picking’ nominees for appointments without any vetting other than liking the person. He told Yamiche Alcindor of PBS News that he lets the press do his vetting for him because it’s “much cheaper.”

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Half Of House Democratic Caucus Now Supports Impeaching Donald Trump

Half of House Democrats now support impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (L), Donald Trump (R)

From Buzzfeed News:

The gradual trickle of Democrats coming out in support of beginning impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump reached a milestone Thursday, with half of the Democratic caucus now publicly supporting it.

The inquiry would spur an investigation by the Judiciary Committee, which would determine if there is enough evidence to draft articles of impeachment.

Rep. Pete Aguilar of California was the most recent member to voice support of impeachment proceedings, which, according to a BuzzFeed News analysis, raises the count to 118, half of the Democratic caucus.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi continues her call for investigations to continue and maintains she will call for articles of impeachment when she feels House Democrats have their “strongest hand” to move forward.

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North Carolina Gov. Signs Executive Order Prohibiting Use Of State Funds For ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (image via Instagram/NC_Governor)

It may not be a full ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ but North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an executive order that prohibits state tax funds from being used for the harmful practice on LGBTQ children in his state.

Conversion therapy, also called ‘ex-gay therapy’ by some, is the dangerous practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Conversion therapy has been widely denounced as discredited pseudoscience by leading professional medical associations including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association.
Executive Order No. 97 blocks medical/mental health providers who receive state or federal funds allocated to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from using those funds for ‘ex-gay’ therapy on minors.

The EO made note of statistics from The Trevor Project indicating 42% of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens who undergo the discredited practice attempt suicide. And 57% of transgender minors who are subjected to conversion therapy have made suicide attempts.

In a statement on the executive order, Gov. Cooper said, “State taxpayer money shouldn’t be used for a practice on children that major medical associations agree is harmful and ineffective. Conversion therapy has been shown to pose serious health risks, and we should be protecting all of our children, including those who identify as LGBTQ, instead of subjecting them to a dangerous practice.”

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 18 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico ban conversion therapy for minors.

The Trevor Project issued a statement commending Cooper “for taking decisive action to highlight the dangers of conversion therapy.”

“While his executive order is a great first step in protecting North Carolinian youth, we must continue to push for comprehensive protections,” said Sam Brinton, Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project.

Brinton included a call to action asking the North Carolina state legislature “to take up legislation to stop licensed practitioners from violating the ethical guidelines of their profession, and harming the most vulnerable youth in the Tar Heel State.”

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Trump Promises To End AIDS Epidemic ‘Shortly’

President Trump made some surprising announcements at his Thursday night campaign rally in Ohio, promising to put astronauts on Mars, end the AIDS epidemic and cure childhood cancer “very shortly.”
Donald Trump (screen capture)

President Trump made some surprising announcements at his Thursday night campaign rally in Ohio, promising to put astronauts on Mars, end the AIDS epidemic and cure childhood cancer “very shortly.”

“We will come up with the cures to many, many problems to many, many diseases including cancer, and others, and we’re getting closer all the time,” Trump told rally attendees. “We will eradicate AIDS in America, and we’re very close. We will lay the foundation for landing American astronauts on the surface of Mars.”

“The things we’re doing in our country today, there’s never been anything like it,” the Donald continued. “We will be ending the AIDS epidemic shortly in America, and curing childhood cancer very shortly.”

Now, these are certainly worthy goals. But for a president who seems to doubt science more than embrace it, the path to achieving these goals isn’t entirely clear.

After all, this is the man who declared the noise from wind turbines “causes cancer.”

Let’s take a look at the issue of HIV/AIDS.

In his 2019 State of the Union address, Trump announced he would end all HIV transmission in the U.S. by 2030. The president didn’t elaborate on how he would achieve that goal.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are over 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States, including 38,700 new infections in 2016.

While appreciating good intentions, it’s worth noting what Trump has actually done regarding the fight against HIV/AIDS since taking office.

• He proposed cutting funds to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

• His administration suggested moving $5.7 million from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program to address immigration at the U.S. southern border.

• The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) was dormant for over a yearafter former members quit or were fired in January 2018.

• Trump has also ordered HIV+ soldiers to be discharged under his “Deploy or Get Out” policy announced in 2018.

In light of the above, you’ll pardon me for being a teensy bit skeptical about his new ‘promises.’

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Klobuchar Becomes 8th Democratic Candidate To Qualify For Next Debates

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

NBC News reports eight of the current Democratic presidential contenders have qualified for the next round of debates coming up in September.

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is the latest to meet the increased donor threshold her campaign said early Friday morning. She had previously reached the higher polling qualification of polling at least 2 percent in four major surveys.

Pundits predict the current field of Democrats could be cut in half by debate time rolls around.

In addition to Klobuchar, the other seven candidates to qualify are:

• Former Vice President Joe Biden
• New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
• Mayor Pete Buttigieg
• California Sen. Kamala Harris
• Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke
• Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
• Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

According to NBC News, it may have been what Klobuchar didn’t do in this week’s debate that stood out and that was to avoid attacking her opponents by name or take part in the ‘bloodsport’ that some resorted to.

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Manhattan DA Revives Investigation Into Trump Payments To Stormy Daniels

Manhattan DA Revives Investigation Into Trump Payments To Stormy Daniels

The saga of Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels is not over.

From the New York Times:

State prosecutors in Manhattan subpoenaed President Trump’s family business on Thursday, reviving an investigation into the company’s role in hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to people briefed on the matter.

The subpoena, issued by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, demanded the Trump Organization provide documents related to money that had been used to buy the silence of Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump.

The inquiry from the district attorney’s office, which is in early stages, is examining whether any senior executives at the company filed false business records about the hush money, which would be a state crime, the people said.

The prosecutors say they are also looking at payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said she had an affair with the Donald.

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One Million Moms Rants About Drag Queen Story Hour At Whole Foods

Bigoted anti-LGBTQ group One Million Moms (really just 94k) is throwing a new temper tantrum, this time aimed at Whole Foods Market for hosting a Drag Queen story hour.

In an email to their supporters, the group moans about the retailer who “once promoted organics and clean food” saying the upscale grocer is now “saturated in absolute filth, exploiting America’s children to be ‘groomed’ by drag queens.”

Pointing to a Drag Queen story hour held in Atlanta, Georgia, One Million Moms calls the events an attempt to “indoctrinate children into transgenderism and homosexuality” and “to normalize the LGBTQ lifestyle.”

The group is equally mad at Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for having the nerve to endorse the “disturbing” events.

OMM may try to paint a picture of “child exploitation,” but the fact of the matter is the events have been hailed across the country for encouraging children to get more involved in reading.

The drag queen aspect works because children have no preconceived ideas about bigotry or judgement, and allow their imaginations to take flight during the story hours.

And when you think of it, where does OMM’s get off trying to deny a child learning about being fabulous?

Personally, this just makes me want to go spend money at my nearest Whole Foods Market.

FYI – those so-called ‘one million moms’ have generated just barely 7,000 signatures on their sad little petition.

So, there you go…

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Aquaman Comes Out As Queer In New ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’

(screen capture via Young Justice: Outsiders)

In a new episode of DC Universe’s Young Justice: Outsiders, the character of Aquaman is shown swimming up to his boyfriend Wynnde, a member of the underwater court of King Orion, and delivering a smooch.

The character – whose real name is Kaldur’Ahm – was once known as Aqualad but has since taken up the mantle of Aquaman in the series.

Young Justice, which chronicles the adventures of teenage superheroes and sidekicks, originally ran on Cartoon Network for two seasons from 2010 to 2013 but was cancelled due to low toy sales by partner Mattel.

Fan outcry plus strong viewership on Netflix reruns prompted DC Comics to revive the series this year via its newly-launched streaming platform, DC Universe.

For decades comic books have led the way in terms of LGBTQ representation from the X-Men (whose characters are seen by many as a metaphor for marginalized communities) to the recent announcement that Marvel is looking at “transgender actresses only” to cast a new, upcoming role.