The latest New Hampshire primary poll conducted by Saint Anselm College shows Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) moving into second place while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) drops to fifth place.
• Former Vice President Joe Biden 21% (-2) • Sen. Kamala Harris 18% (+11) • Sen. Elizabeth Warren 17% (+8) • Mayor Pete Buttigieg 12% (+1) • Sen. Bernie Sanders 10% (-6) • Entrepreneur Andrew Yang 5% • Se. Amy Klobuchar 3% (+1) • Author Marianne Williamson 2% (new) • Sen. Cory Booker 1% • Rep. Tulsi Gabbard 1% • Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand 1%
The survey did not include other candidates: former U.S. Housing Secretary Julian Castro, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Tim Ryan, Sen. Michael Bennet, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.
The New Republic’s editor-in-chief, Win McCormack, issued an apology to Mayor Pete Buttigieg and the readers of NR for its recent hatchet job on Buttigieg penned by Dale Peck.
“I want to extend our sincerest apologies to Mayor Buttigieg, as well as to our readers for an article that was inappropriate and offensive,” McCormack wrote in the statement. “We have high standards at The New Republic, but sometimes we fall short. Yesterday we made a mistake, but we remain committed to honoring the tradition of high standards and journalistic integrity that have been the hallmark of The New Republic for more than 100 years.”
Keeping it classy, Buttigieg kept his comments on the subject brief telling the Associated Press, “I appreciated that [the] article was taken down. I don’t think it really reflects the New Republic that I know.”
New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres, the first LGBTQ official elected in the Bronx, has announced he will run to represent New York’s 15th Congressional District in 2020.
The seat is being vacated by Democrat Rep. José E. Serrano, the longest serving Hispanic congressman in the country, who is retiring because he has Parkinson’s disease.
Torres, currently the youngest member of the City Council, would be the first openly gay member of Congress who is either Latinx or Black.
In a May interview with GayCityNews leading up to his campaign announcement, Torres said that he would prioritize housing and healthcare should he be elected to Congress.
Making the race even more interesting, Torres will be running against longtime homophobe (and Democrat in name only) New York City Councilman Rubén Díaz Sr.
Díaz, a former state senator, has been an opponent of same-sex marriage for years, and once attended a protest of an AIDS walk in drag as part of a “March for Morality.” He has been quoted as saying New York City is “controlled by the homosexual community.”
The controversial 76-year-old politician has defended his positions saying his family is “full of gays.” He has a lesbian granddaughter.
But Torres says Díaz’s virulently anti-LGBTQ record is something to spotlight.
“To have an elected official attack the quality and dignity of LGBT people sends a message to young people who are thinking of taking their own life as they struggle with their identity,” Torres told the New York Times.
“The council member has a right to hold whatever beliefs he wants, but he is running in the wrong primary,” Torres said. “He should be running in the Republican primary.”
The 31-year-old has already received several high profile endorsements including The Victory Fund, which works to elect LGBTQ candidates, and as well as the Equality PAC — the political branch of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus — which is made up of more than 150 members of Congress.
You can check out the campaign announcement from Torres below. The Democratic primary will take place in June 2020.
Jeffrey Epstein (image via Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office)
The judge presiding over the sex trafficking case of financier Jeffrey Epstein did not grant Epstein the luxury of bail today after it came to light that investigators found “piles of cash” and a fake passport in his home.
Investigators discovered a safe in Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan mansion that held “piles of cash,” diamonds and an expired passport from a foreign country which had what appeared to be Mr. Epstein’s photo, but was registered to a fake name and listed his residence as Saudi Arabia.
Prosecutors revealed the safe’s contents as they argued in Federal District Court in Manhattan that Mr. Epstein should be denied bail before his sex-trafficking and conspiracy trial because he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. He is accused of abusing dozens of underage girls at his residences in New York City and Palm Beach, Fla.
Two women who say they were sexually abused by Mr. Epstein also spoke at the hearing, urging Judge Richard M. Berman to deny him bail.
“He’s a scary person to have walking the streets,” said Courtney Wild, one of Mr. Epstein’s accusers, who said she was assaulted at age 14.
Epstein’s lawyers have offered up to $100 million in cash and real estate holdings as collateral for his bail as they seek house arrest for Epstein.
Governor Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico is currently embroiled in an ugly political scandal as hundreds of pages of a private group chat between the governor and 11 other officials were anonymously released last week.
Now dubbed #RickyLeaks, the private text messages (889 pages) included profane homophobic and sexist comments from the governor and others regarding politicians, officials and journalists.
El Nuevo Dia reports that on December 24, 2018, Rosselló posted a video featuring PDP senator Eduardo Bhatia which elicited jokes from two other participants about Bhatia’s sexuality. At one point in the exchange, Rosselló added, “Historic c*cksucker levels.”
Rosselló clearly likes that label as just a few days later, on December 31, the governor called journalist Torres Gotay an “unprecedented c*cksucker” in response to a report Gotay had written about ferry service issues.
International pop star Ricky Martin was the target of one exchange when former Chief Financial Officer Christian Sobrino wrote, “Nothing says patriarchal oppression like Ricky Martin.”, He later added, “Ricky Martin is such a male chauvinist that he f**ks men because women don’t measure up. Pure patriarchy.”
Martin responded via social media tweeting, in part, “We cannot allow our Puerto Rico to be in the hands of such ‘leaders.’”
Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan has filed a police report in response to an exchange in the leaked messages that included what appeared to be a death threat.
The previously mentioned Sobrino wrote in a message that he was, “Salivating to shoot her.”
Rosselló responded saying, “You do me a favor.”
The 40-year-old governor also referred to former speaker of the New York City Council, Puerto Rico-born Melissa Mark-Viverito, as a “whore.”
When news of the leaked text messages broke, Rosselló returned home from a family vacation in Europe and issued an apology.
“I’m the governor of Puerto Rico, but I’m a human being who has his faults,” Rosselló said in a press conference late Thursday. “I ask for forgiveness.”
Saying that his comments were the result of working long 18-hour days, he added, “None of this justifies the words I’ve written. My apologies to all the people I have offended… This was a private chat.”
BREAKING: Puerto Rico’s Governor @ricardorossello is refusing to resign amid public pressure that he should, all while he is dismissing members of his cabinet and staff over scandalous text messages, many of which, the Governor himself was engaged in sending.
Rosselló has had a rough time since taking office. Puerto Rico was already in a years-long recession at the time, and a federal oversight board has controlled the island’s finances since 2016, when Rosselló became governor.
And, of course, the slow response to the devastating damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria in 2017 increased criticism of the governor.
Last week, two high level members of his administration were arrested by the FBI, further eroding any support he may have had.
According to the New York Times, many political insiders and pundits believe the governor’s days in office are numbered. But CBS reporter David Begnaud reports that members of Rosselló’s party have decided to give him “time for reflection” and are not planning to ask him to resign “at this moment.”
Puerto Rico’s Governor has dodged a political bullet.
Members of the Governors party in the House of Representatives decided tonight not ask Governor @ricardorossello to resign “at this moment”.
Protesters gathered outside La Fortaleza governor’s residence on Sunday, demanding Rosselló resign chanting, “Ricky resign – the people don’t want you!”
At a church in San Juan, the governortold reportershe is looking to God to guide him through “figurative or real” hurricanes, and that he is committed to learning from “what was done.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) went to bat for Donald Trump this morning during an appearance on Fox & Friends as he called “the squad,” a group of four freshman progressive Democratic lawmakers, “a bunch of communists…anti-American.”
“We all know AOC and this crowd are a bunch of communists. They hate Israel, they hate our own country. They’re calling the guards along our border, Border Patrol agents concentration camp guards. They accuse people supporting Israel of doing it for the Benjamins.”
“They’re anti-Semitic. They’re anti-America. Don’t get down, aim higher. We don’t need to know anything about them personally. Talk about their policies. Their policies will destroy this country.”
.@LindseyGrahamSC on Fox & Friends: “We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of communists … they’re anti-Semitic. They’re anti-America.” pic.twitter.com/lsFqZi1Eu8
Four years ago, Lindsey Graham called out Trump’s racism and xenophobia. Now he’s gaslighting to protect it. His transformation from skeptic to stooge has been one of the most pitiful one-eighties in political history. https://t.co/zAnsKgzMza
Trump continued his attacks on the four Democrats Monday morning saying they should “apologize” for the “foul language they have used.”
Gee, project much…?
When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!
Trump: “If you’re not happy here, then you can leave. As far as I’m concerned, if you hate our country, if you’re not happy here, you can leave.”pic.twitter.com/vbHAvSfREj
UPDATE – The bill that would have banned ‘conversion therapy’ in Utah has stalled and died for this legislative session. Republicans had tried to insert an amendment that would allow professional therapists to ‘talk’ about changing a teen’s sexuality, but not promising to ‘reverse’ it. Utah lawmakers have gutted legislation that would have banned so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the state. With recent changes, the new bill allows therapists to continue using the same techniques, just not with a promise of a certain outcome. The new version also doesn’t ban therapy intended to change transgender youth. From The Salt Lake Tribune: Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, left the morning hearing fuming about the committee’s decision. The majority of the committee, he said, sided with “quack therapists” and “snake oil salesmen” by approving a version of the bill that would be easily sidestepped by practitioners of conversion therapy. The substitute bill by Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, focuses on prohibiting practices that cause pain or physical distress to a minor patient. It also would ban claims that a therapy could fully and permanently reverse a child’s sexual orientation and assertions that such a change is necessary. All of the nation’s leading mental health and medical associations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have rejected conversion therapy as dangerous and ineffective, and 15 states have banned certain counselors from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors. The practice has been linked to suicide and depression, and supporters of Hall’s legislation have framed it as a potentially life-saving legal change. The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Craig Hall, told the committee, “This bill, substitute 4, just to make it clear, will not prevent conversion therapy.” Federal courts have upheld bans on ‘conversion therapy,’ and the U.S. Supreme Court has refused, thus far, to hear appeals on the subject.
UPDATE – The bill that would have banned ‘conversion therapy’ in Utah has stalled and died for this legislative session. Republicans had tried to insert an amendment that would allow professional therapists to ‘talk’ about changing a teen’s sexuality, but not promising to ‘reverse’ it. Utah lawmakers have gutted legislation that would have banned so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the state. With recent changes, the new bill allows therapists to continue using the same techniques, just not with a promise of a certain outcome. The new version also doesn’t ban therapy intended to change transgender youth. From The Salt Lake Tribune: Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, left the morning hearing fuming about the committee’s decision. The majority of the committee, he said, sided with “quack therapists” and “snake oil salesmen” by approving a version of the bill that would be easily sidestepped by practitioners of conversion therapy. The substitute bill by Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, focuses on prohibiting practices that cause pain or physical distress to a minor patient. It also would ban claims that a therapy could fully and permanently reverse a child’s sexual orientation and assertions that such a change is necessary. All of the nation’s leading mental health and medical associations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have rejected conversion therapy as dangerous and ineffective, and 15 states have banned certain counselors from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors. The practice has been linked to suicide and depression, and supporters of Hall’s legislation have framed it as a potentially life-saving legal change. The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Craig Hall, told the committee, “This bill, substitute 4, just to make it clear, will not prevent conversion therapy.” Federal courts have upheld bans on ‘conversion therapy,’ and the U.S. Supreme Court has refused, thus far, to hear appeals on the subject.
UPDATE – The bill that would have banned ‘conversion therapy’ in Utah has stalled and died for this legislative session. Republicans had tried to insert an amendment that would allow professional therapists to ‘talk’ about changing a teen’s sexuality, but not promising to ‘reverse’ it. Utah lawmakers have gutted legislation that would have banned so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the state. With recent changes, the new bill allows therapists to continue using the same techniques, just not with a promise of a certain outcome. The new version also doesn’t ban therapy intended to change transgender youth. From The Salt Lake Tribune: Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, left the morning hearing fuming about the committee’s decision. The majority of the committee, he said, sided with “quack therapists” and “snake oil salesmen” by approving a version of the bill that would be easily sidestepped by practitioners of conversion therapy. The substitute bill by Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, focuses on prohibiting practices that cause pain or physical distress to a minor patient. It also would ban claims that a therapy could fully and permanently reverse a child’s sexual orientation and assertions that such a change is necessary. All of the nation’s leading mental health and medical associations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have rejected conversion therapy as dangerous and ineffective, and 15 states have banned certain counselors from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors. The practice has been linked to suicide and depression, and supporters of Hall’s legislation have framed it as a potentially life-saving legal change. The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Craig Hall, told the committee, “This bill, substitute 4, just to make it clear, will not prevent conversion therapy.” Federal courts have upheld bans on ‘conversion therapy,’ and the U.S. Supreme Court has refused, thus far, to hear appeals on the subject.
Directed by Darko Štante in a stunning debut, Consequences joins the recent list of celebrated indie films with a focus on closeted queer young men.
Premiering at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, the movie explores the chaotic, destructive and complex nature of closeted youth.
From the official synopsis:
Centered on a powerhouse performance from charismatic newcomer Matej Zemljic, the film takes an unflinching look at the raw impulses of adolescence and the insecurity that lies beneath.
Sentenced, with the approval of his exasperated parents, to attend a youth detention centre, a handsome and muscular teen is thrown into the correctional facility’s intimidating and testosterone-fueled hierarchy.
Standing strong against its violent initiations, Andrej finds his anchor of approval and companionship in Željko, the aggressive leader of the center’s gang, which he soon joins in a carefree spiral of sex, drugs, and violence. Yet Andrej’s tough posturing belies an intimate fragility. Revealing this would unravel everything around him.
Director Štante has said in interviews he based much of the film on his own experiences working in a correctional facility.
Consequences is set for a limited theatrical release on August 2nd. Check out the official trailer below.
