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‘Smirking’ Teen’s $250 Million Lawsuit Against Washington Post Dismissed

L-R Nick Sandmann, Nathan Phillips

You may recall the sad tale of the ‘smirking teen’ who became the center of attention when he stood across from a Native American elder on the National Mall, appearing to block the elder’s path.

The teen, Nick Sandmann, eventually filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Washington Post for defamation in regard to the newspaper’s coverage of the incident.

Today, that lawsuit has been dismissed by a federal judge.

From Cincinnati.com:

William Bertelsman, who heard oral arguments in the case earlier this month, issued the ruling on Friday.

Nick and his attorneys, Todd McMurtry and L. Lin Wood, alleged that the gist of The Washington Post’s first article conveyed that Nick had assaulted or physically intimidated Nathan Phillips, engaged in racist conduct, and engaged in taunts.

But, Bertelsman wrote, “this is not supported by the plain language in the article, which states none of these things.”

Bertelsman accepted Nick’s assertion that he was only standing motionless across from Phillips, without ill intent.

But the Eastern District of Kentucky judge ruled that Phillips, who told the media he felt threatened, had a First Amendment right to express his opinion.

“He concluded that he was being blocked and not allowed to retreat,” Bertelsman wrote. “He passed these conclusions on to The Post. They may have been erroneous, but, as discussed above, they are opinion protected by the First Amendment.”

Phillips and Nick were captured on videos that went viral in January when they stood across from each other on the National Mall. Nick stared at Phillips as Phillips participated in a song with other Native Americans.

This video clip went viral, throwing Covington Catholic into the national spotlight. Longer video has since emerged showing how the incident started.Louisville Courier Journal

Bertelsman also ruled it was irrelevant to the defamation case that “Sandmann was scorned on social media.”

Sandmann has also filed lawsuits againt NBC and CNN for their media coverage as well.

Prior to today’s ruling, the teen was looking for a $750 million payday from the three news outlets for the ‘scorn’ he endured.

The other two lawsuits are still pending.

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London: Four Teens Arrested & Charged In Late Night Hate Crime

Four teenagers have been arrested in connection to a brutal homophobic attack on a London bus that left two women bloodied and severely injured.
Melania Geymonat (R) with her girlfriend, Chris after being attacked on a London bus

Police have arrested four teenagers in connection to a brutal homophobic attack on a London bus that left two women bloodied and severely injured.

London’s Metropolitan Police report the four teens, ranging in age from 15 to 17, have been charged for committing an aggravated hate crime.

One suspect was also charged with possession of cannabis, and another with theft and handling stolen goods.

I previously reported on the attack which occurred in the late-night hours of May 29.

Melania Geymonat and her girlfriend Chris say they were approached by the four suspects who began taunting them and demanding they kiss. When they refused, the teens reportedly assaulted them.

“We must have kissed or something because these guys came after us,” Geymonat said in a Facebook post. “They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us ‘lesbians’ and describing sexual positions.”

The incident soon escalated as Geymonat shared, “The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them.”

“On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up,” she continued. “The next thing I know is, I’m being punched. I got dizzy at the sight of my blood and fell back. I don’t remember whether or not I lost consciousness.”

Geymonat’s nose was broken and had to be reset, and Chris was taken to a hospital where she received treatment for a fractured jaw.

After the attackers fled, the couple asked a witness to photograph them. Posted on Geymonat’s Facebook page a few days later, the bloody photo went viral.

Geymonat later told BBC Radio 4’s World At One that, while she had experienced verbal attacks in regard to her sexuality prior to the incident, this was the first time she had been physically harmed.

Police Detective Superintendent Andy Cox publicly denounced the “disgusting attack.” And London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that “hate crimes against LGBT+ people will not be tolerated in London.”

The four suspects are scheduled to appear in Youth Court on August 21.

In the aftermath of the attack and ensuing press coverage, Chris penned an op-ed for The Guardian in which she noted the disproportionate media coverage versus that of violence on people of color, transgender people and more.

The essay read, in part:

A refrain I’ve heard ad nauseum is “I can’t believe this happened – it’s 2019”. I disagree. This attack and the ensuing media circus are par for the course in 2019. In both my native United States and here in the United Kingdom, it always has been and still is open season on the bodies of (in no specific order) people of colour, indigenous people, transgender people, disabled people, queer people, poor people, women and migrants.

I have evaded much of the violence and oppression imposed on so many others by our capitalist, white supremacist, patriarchal system because of the privileges I enjoy by dint of my race, health, education, and conventional gender presentation. That has nothing to do with the merit of my character.

The press coverage, and timely law enforcement response, was not coincidental to our complexions. Neither was the disproportionate online reaction over the victimisation of a pretty brunette and blonde. The commodification and exploitation of my face came at the expense of other victims whose constant persecution apparently does not warrant similar moral outrage.

Make the extraordinary reaction to our attack the norm. I beg you to amplify and channel this energy to hold accountable the intersecting web of elected politicians, government agencies and corporations who have reinforced a status quo of clearly delineated inequality long before this single attack in 2019.

(source: NBC News, TIME)

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Pelosi On Impeachment: “I’m Not Trying To Run Out The Clock”

In the aftermath of Robert Mueller's testimony before Congress earlier this week, many Democrats in the House have critized Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for not beginning impeachment proceedings against President Trump saying she may be "running out the clock."

In the aftermath of Robert Mueller’s testimony before Congress earlier this week, many Democrats in the House have critized Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for not beginning impeachment proceedings against President Trump saying she may be “running out the clock.”

Today, Pelosi addressed the criticisms publicly, saying she and the Democratic caucus would move forward “when we have what we need to proceed, not one day sooner.”

“And everybody has the liberty and the luxury to espouse their own position and to criticize me for trying to go down the path in the most determined positive way,” she added.

From CNN:

More than 90 Democratic members — roughly 40% of the party’s caucus — have publicly stated that they support starting an impeachment inquiry, including a handful who made their decision following the hearings this week from former special counsel Robert Mueller.

CNN reported Thursday that House Democrats who are publicly and privately agitating to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump are growing worried that their time is running short — and that they are missing key opportunities to give them a clear opening to mount a formal probe.

“Their advocacy for impeachment only gives me leverage,” Pelosi said Friday of impeachment supporters. “I have no complaint with what they are doing.”

Pelosi said she’ll continue to stay the course, adding she’s “willing to take whatever heat there is.”

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Same-Sex Married Couples Could See Big Tax Refunds As U.S. House Unanimously Approves PRIDE Act

In a rare, wholly bipartisan move, the House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation that would allow same-sex couples eligible for tax refunds if they were married before the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was struck down in 2013.

In a rare, wholly bipartisan move, the House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation that would allow same-sex couples to apply for tax refunds going back years if they were married before the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was struck down in 2013.

The bill, known as The PRIDE Act (Promoting Respect for Individuals’ Dignity and Equality Act), passed on a voice vote with zero opposition. The legislation was introduced by Reps. Judy Chu (D-CA) and Andy Levin (D-MI).

Until the 2013 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court which struck down DOMA, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, married same-sex couples were not allowed to file federal tax returns jointly. As a result, those couples potentially lost out on considerable tax benefits.

After the SCOTUS ruling, the IRS allowed those couples to file amended tax returns for the three years before the decision – 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The PRIDE Act, if enacted, would allow same-sex married couples to refile tax returns for the entire period they were legally married if they lived in a state that recognized their marriage.

Before the DOMA ruling, those jurisdictions would include Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

Additionally, the legislation would remove gendered language (“husband,” “wife”) from the federal tax code.

The Washington Blade reports the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates those couples could stand to recoup up to $67 million in tax refunds.

Despite the unanimous approval in the House, the issue now moves to the Senate where its fate is uncertain.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has introduced similar legislation known as the Refund Equality Act.

However, there’s no guarantee that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will allow his chamber to even vote on the bill.

Stay tuned.

(source: Washington Blade)

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Trump Twitter Tantrum After Fox & Friends Reads Fox News Poll Showing Biden 10+

L-R Donald Trump, Joe Biden

Donald Trump is now raging at his beloved Fox & Friends morning show on Fox News.

The hosts made the grave error of reading the results of Fox’s own recent poll showing Trump would lose to former Vice President Joe Biden by 10 points.

Remember, this is from Fox News itself.

“FoxNews is at it again. So different from what they used to be during the 2016 Primaries, & before – Proud Warriors! Now new Fox Polls, which have always been terrible to me (they had me losing BIG to Crooked Hillary), have me down to Sleepy Joe. Even considering the fact that I have gone through a three year vicious Witch Hunt, perpetrated by the Lamestream Media in Collusion with Crooked and the Democrat Party, there can be NO WAY, with the greatest Economy in U.S. history, that I can be losing to the Sleepy One. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!”

Cue the sad trombone sound…

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House Judiciary Committee Files Lawsuit To Unseal Mueller Grand Jury Evidence

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler announced today his committee is filing suit to acquire the grand jury material underlying the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler announced today his committee is filing suit to acquire the grand jury material underlying the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

“It is clear that any other citizen of this country who behaved as the president has, would have been charged with multiple crimes,” said Nadler in his announcement. “No one can be above the law, not even President Trump.”

“Because Department of Justice policies will not allow prosecution of a sitting president, the United States House of Representatives is the only institution of the federal government that can now hold President Trump accountable for these actions.”

“To do so, the House must have access to all the relevant facts and consider whether to exercise all its full Article I powers, including a constitutional power of the utmost gravity — recommendation of articles of impeachment.”

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After $700K Fund-Raiser, Pence Skips Town Without Paying $24K Police Bill

As if it wasn't enough that gay quislings were allowing their business to be used by the anti-LGBTQ politician, it seems Pence skipped out of town without paying the local police for the added security to the tune of $24,000.
Vice President Mike Pence

I recently reported that Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to attend a campaign fund-raiser at a gay-owned club in Colorado.

As if it wasn’t enough that gay quislings were allowing their business to be used by the anti-LGBTQ politician, it seems Pence skipped out of town without paying the local police for the added security to the tune of $24,000.

From the Aspen Daily News:

The host has yet to step forward to pay the roughly $24,000 bill for increased security provided by local authorities — and the effect on taxpayers goes beyond Pitkin County, Sheriff Joe DiSalvo noted.

“We had a SWAT team from Garfield County here that I want to see get reimbursed. We had Carbondale officers here that I want to see get reimbursed. They don’t have this kind of money — I don’t have this kind of money,” DiSalvo said.

He estimated that Pence was in Aspen for less than 24 hours. During that time, the vice president headlined Monday’s $35,000-per-couple fundraiser at the Caribou Club and addressed the Republican Governors Association at its closed-door quarterly meeting at the St. Regis Aspen Resort on Tuesday morning. Pence did not speak to the general public.

“We had 64 total police officers on that assignment in the 20 or so hours that he was here, totaling 519 person hours,” DiSalvo said. “Out of those 64, 14 were state troopers, and we don’t have a responsibility to pay them. But the 50 other cops that were here are all on the county dime.

“I guess the whole thing is generally just somewhat disappointing to me,” DiSalvo continued. “You raise $700,000 in an hour, you should be able to pitch in to support the community that made you feel welcome.”

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News Round-Up: July 25, 2019

• InstaHunks: Spanish model Fran Dullon (above) celebrated his birthday yesterday! And - be afraid - he's going to be on the same Atlantis Mediterranean cruise I'm doing in August. So, Ima gonna have to meet him, don't you know? :)
Someone had a birthday…

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunks: Spanish model Fran Dullon (above) celebrated his birthday yesterday! And – be afraid – he’s going to be on the same Atlantis Mediterranean cruise I’m doing in August. So, Ima gonna have to meet him, don’t you know? 🙂

• Gr8terDays: Rutger Hauer, the intense, blond actor who throughout his 50-year career was at his best playing the worst people, died last week following “a very short illness.” He was 75.

• The Independent: Four teenage boys have been charged with an aggravated hate crime over a homophobic attack against two women on a London night bus, the Metropolitan Police has said. Melania Geymonat, 28, and her girlfriend Chris were hospitalised with facial injuries and left covered with blood after the assault on 30 May.

• CNN: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says Americans should be ‘realistic’ about the fact that the only way Trump will be leaving office is by voting him out. Since Senate Republicans would NEVER find a guilty verdict in an impeachment proceeding, he’s right.

• NPR: For the first time ever, wind has surpassed coal as an energy source in Texas. Data released this month by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas shows wind created 22 percent of the electricity used in the first half of the year, edging out coal by 1%.

• CNN: Former Vice President Joe Biden claps back at Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker ahead of next week’s Democratic debate where they will stand side-by-side onstage.

• Out Music: Tegan & Sara drop the lyric video for their latest single, “I’ll Be Back Someday,” from the duo’s upcoming album Hey, I’m Just Like You, due out September 27.

The new collection is comprised of songs that the twins discovered on old cassette tapes that they wrote at the beginning of their career. The duo listened with fresh ears, rewrote and re-recorded the songs into today.

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House Passes Two-Year Budget Deal Increasing Spending With Trump’s Support

The House passed a sweeping two-year budget deal Thursday that increases spending for military and domestic programs and suspends the debt ceiling through mid-2021, sending the White House-backed legislation to the Senate.
Donald Trump used to hate raising the debt ceiling…

From the Washington Post:

The House passed a sweeping two-year budget deal Thursday that increases spending for military and domestic programs and suspends the debt ceiling through mid-2021, sending the White House-backed legislation to the Senate.

A large majority of Democrats voted for the legislation, while a majority of Republicans opposed it despite appeals from President Trump to support the bill.

The 284-149 vote was one of the last acts by the House before lawmakers leave Washington for a six-week summer recess. The Senate is expected to act on the bill next week and sent it to Trump for his signature before senators, too, abandon the Capitol for the summer.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters today, “After the House approves it today with bipartisan support, I expect the Senate to do the same next week.”

Trump is especially jazzed about the deal because it could help goose the economy in the short-term by borrowing tons more cash as we head into the 2020 election cycle. He tweeted his support in advance of the vote:

But, of course, when he was running for president, the Donald was very critical of raising the debt limit.

There’s always a tweet…

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‘Will & Grace’ To End After Season Three Of Revival

The stars of ‘Will & Grace’ (image via NBC)

The producers of the hit NBC sitcom Will & Grace have announced the upcoming third season of the reboot will be the show’s last.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the decison was made by the cast and creators of the Emmy Award winning series.

“We think of the Will and Grace reboot episodes the way Karen Walker thinks of martinis — 51 is not enough, 53 is too many. That is why, after consulting with the cast, we all have decided this will be the final season of Will and Grace,” read a statement from the show’s producers.

“In 2016, Bob Greenblatt came to us with the idea of doing a 10-episode reboot of Will and Grace. They say you can’t go home again, but we did. And now, three seasons and 52 episodes later, we’re even more proud of something we never thought we’d get a chance to do again.”

“We have had a once-in-a-lifetime experience twice. And for that, we owe a double debt of gratitude to NBC, this show’s supportive and caring home since day one.”

Originally, the four stars reunited for a short video in support of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. The buzz began about a possible reunion and NBC quickly took note.

Initially revived as as a limited series, it picked up steam and the network added more episodes and, eventually, more seasons.

The stars took to social media to share the news.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/will-grace-end-revivals-third-season-11th-nbc-1227006