Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
L-R Sen. Cory Booker, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (screen capture)Sen. Cory Booker brings his joy to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings, and no one is taking it away. Continue reading “Sen. Cory Booker Brings His Joy To Confirmation Hearings”
L-R Sen. Cory Booker, former Vice President Joe Biden (via Instagram)New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has officially endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president adding to the growing support of Democratic lawmakers for Biden.
From the New York Times:
Mr. Booker’s endorsement comes one day after Senator Kamala Harris of California endorsed Mr. Biden, and the two senators will appear with him at a rally in Detroit on Monday night. Mr. Booker will also campaign alongside Mr. Biden in Flint, Mich., earlier in the day and attend a fund-raiser with him.
Mr. Booker and Ms. Harris were two of the most prominent black candidates to run for president, and their endorsements come as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont scrambles to make up ground among black voters in Michigan, where they make up a sizable part of the electorate.
“African-American voters in the South, African-American voters here in Detroit, they have played a pivotal role in my entire lifetime in choosing the Democratic nominee,” Mr. Booker said. He pointed to Mr. Biden’s deep connections with black voters and what Mr. Booker saw as “understanding the issues of race and frankly racial reconciliation and racial justice, and even saying things now about choosing a black woman on the Supreme Court.”
We need a candidate who can best unify all of us and that is @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/cqdNrDMWsG
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) March 9, 2020
The answer to hatred & division is to reignite our spirit of common purpose.@JoeBiden won’t only win – he’ll
show there's more that unites us than divides us.He’ll restore honor to the Oval Office and tackle our most pressing challenges.
That’s why I’m proud to endorse Joe. pic.twitter.com/RcsnZs5mfQ
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) March 9, 2020
Sen. Cory Booker signals he’d consider being a vice presidential pickSen. Cory Booker may have dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination but he’s in no rush to endorse another candidate.
Booker told “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday that he would probably endorse someone before the party’s nominating convention this summer.
But for now, Booker is going to “take a breather” from the campaign trail and turn his attentions to getting reelected to his Senate seat in New Jersey this fall.
Booker also shared that he’d had “no conversations” with any of the remaining candidates about being a possible vice presidential candidate.
“I’m not taking anything off the table,” he said, “but my focus really is New Jersey and my state and being, with my senior Sen. Bob Menendez, the best dynamic duo America has in the Senate.”
Sen. @CoryBooker claims he has had no conversations about being a potential Vice Presidential candidate, but says he’s “not taking anything off the table.” https://t.co/DNRPWa8RS2 pic.twitter.com/D3bcpTyEGI
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) January 14, 2020
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey (image via Instagram)Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) suspends his campaign in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Via email:
Nearly one year ago, I got in the race for president because I believed to my core that the answer to the common pain Americans are feeling right now, the answer to Donald Trump’s hatred and division, is to reignite our spirit of common purpose to take on our biggest challenges and build a more just and fair country for everyone.
I’ve always believed that. I still believe that. I’m proud I never compromised my faith in these principles during this campaign to score political points or tear down others. And maybe I’m stubborn, but I’ll never abandon my faith in what we can accomplish when we join together.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) has a new ad spot out in Iowa in advance of the upcoming caucuses.
“He’s a Rhodes Scholar. A successful mayor. A uniter,” says the voiceover while showing images of Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana.
Cue the record scratch.
“No, not that guy – It’s Cory Booker.”
As was recently mentioned in the latest Democratic debate, both men are Rhodes Scholars who have served as mayors.
The new spot runs down many of Booker’s accomplishments, and concludes saying he is the “Rhodes Scholar mayor” who “has what it takes to beat Donald Trump.”
I think Booker is terrific, and definitely a worthy candidate.
While I write about Buttigieg frequently here on The Randy Report, it’s due to two good reasons – this is an LGBTQ outlet and Mayor Pete is the first openly gay, serious contender for the Democratic nomination, and he’s rising in the polls.
People have wondered why Booker hasn’t garnered more attention as yet. Some say it’s because he’s African-American, but I don’t think that’s the issue.
My guess, in part, is Booker has spent several years stopping by news outlets, and so he has some national name recognition. For lack of better language, he’s not quite new news.
Buttigieg came on the campaign scene this year as a much less known figure and became the ‘shiny new thing.’
But, after taking a look, folks were interested in the new guy’s resume (veteran, mayor, seven languages, openly gay) and his ability to speak extemporaneously on so many subjects. That’s not to say Booker can’t speak without preparation, I’m just saying it’s a skill that stood out quickly for Buttigieg as the world was getting to know him.
Plus, at the beginning of the primary season, Buttigieg didn’t try to move as far left on issues as other candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Sen. Bernie Sanders. Coming from the midwest, Buttigieg seems confident in staying in the more moderate lane, which is where voters, where he comes from, are somewhat more comfortable. And just as there are lots of progressive Democrats, there are also a lot of moderate Dems.
Also – the more vocal folks during primary season are generally the ones who support the biggest changes. As has been said often, Dem and GOP primary candidates tend to pull to their more purist edges before moving back to the center in the general election.
I think in a world where a lot of people read headlines thinking they’ve read the news, voters like to “know” who a candidate is at a glance. And it seems like Booker hasn’t found his clear niche just yet.
But I repeat – I think he’s definitely a strong candidate. And if he’s the Democratic nominee, I’ll be happy to vote for him.
Eight of the top Democratic presidential candidates appear in a new video underscoring the need for gun safety.
The gun control organization named after former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot at point blank range by a maniac, launched the video on Monday.
The candidates featured in the video include former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; California Sen. Kamala Harris; former Vice President Joe Biden; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
In the video, the candidates focus on stronger gun laws to prevent school shootings and protect children.
From the Giffords campaign for gun safety:
We deserve a president who listens to the American people, not the NRA.
We deserve a president who takes bold action to make us safer, not one who tweets thoughts and prayers then does nothing.
We deserve a president who fights for stronger gun laws, not gun lobby profits.
2020 Democratic candidates are vying to be that leader.
We sat down with Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren to discuss their plans to make us safer from gun violence.
Our kids deserve to be safe at school.
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| 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.
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff: “Should we put the country through an impeachment? I haven’t been convinced yet that we should. Going through that kind of momentous and disruptive experience for the country I think is not something we go into lightly” pic.twitter.com/1wDSUCW7jH— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 25, 2019
• 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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| Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and former HUD Sec. Julian Castro |
The first Democratic National Committee (DNC) debate of the 2020 presidential election cycle took place last night in Miami and, as expected, there were a few surprises.
Last night’s debate, the first of two, included Julián Castro, Bill de Blasio, Jay Inslee, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Tim Ryan, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker, and Elizabeth Warren.
One of the biggest moments of the evening came when Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was asked a question about her history of opposing LGBTQ rights and supporting conversion therapy.
Gabbard noted that she’s since apologized for those statements and reminded people that she grew up in a conservative family with conservative thoughts on LGBTQ people.
“Maybe many people in this country can relate to the fact that I grew up in a socially conservative home, held views when I was very young that I no longer hold today,” Gabbard said. “I served with LGBTQ service members, both in training and deployed down the range. I know they would give their life for me, and I would give my life for them.”
She also promised to support and vote for The Equality Act.
But Sen. Cory Booker jumped in saying Gabbard’s support of The Equality Act was “not enough,” and expanded the conversation to transgender people saying, “We do not talk enough about trans Americans, especially African American trans Americans and the incredibly high rates of murder right now.”
“We don’t talk enough about how many children – about how 30% of LGBTQ children do not go to school because of fear,” said Booker. “It’s not enough just to be on the Equality Act, which I’m an original co-sponsor of. We need to have a president who will fight to protect LGBTQ Americans every single day from violence.”
Booker on transgender violence: “We do not talk enough about trans Americans, especially African American trans Americans and the incredibly high rates of murder right now” #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/Bdh0cEgZrI— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 27, 2019
Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, who appears to have helped himself the most via his debate performance, also brought up trans people during a question about healthcare and abortion rights.
‘I don’t believe only in reproductive freedom, I believe in reproductive justice.’ — Julián Castro defended the right of low-income and transgender Americans to have an abortion #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/S1bUx6cvCX— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 27, 2019
Castro also looked strong on immigration issues as he dominated during that segment of the debate.
The rest of the field didn’t seem to make up any ground, although, sensing they needed their ‘moment,’ Bill de Blasio, Tim Ryan, Beto O’Rourke, and John Delaney began inserting themselves into questions hoping for more speaking time.
At the end of the day, it seems Warren did as expected and came across as the front-runner (in this crowd); Castro elevated himself; and Booker and Sen. Amy Klobuchar each had strong moments.
One surprise was how flat O’Rourke seemed throughout. After a stellar run for U.S. Senate in Texas last year, it seemed his time off from the campaign trail took a bit of a toll on his usual charismatic presence.
Other thoughts from the Twitterverse:
O’Rourke, Booker and Castro showed off their Spanish in the Democratic debate. pic.twitter.com/hZFXfQOeCW— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 27, 2019
Castro was the first person to mention the Equality Act and trans women. #DemDebate— Tre’vell Anderson (@TrevellAnderson) June 27, 2019
Spoke with Julian Castro, who expanded upon rights of transgender people, what he touched on in the debate. So in command of intricate details, knows his stuff. He’s also very direct, as he was on the stage and. Compelling to reporters in the spin room, who gravitated to him.— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) June 27, 2019
I cannot believe I just heard a presidential candidate in a network debate talk about the crisis of violence against trans people of color. It’s a small, but powerful step forward just to hear that acknowledgment. Thank you Cory Booker. #DemDebate— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) June 27, 2019
The second group of 10 Democratic candidates – including former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete Buttigieg – face off tonight in Miami on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo at 9 p.m.
Some news items you might have missed:
• My girl Olivia Newton-John can add “New York Times Best-Selling Author” to her long, long list of accomplishments. Her memoir, Don’t Stop Believing’ debuts at #12 on the famed NY Times list. Folks are going nuts over the audio book version where you can hear Liv tell her story to you one-on-one in her own voice. Check it on iTunes here.
• The Human Rights Campaign has announced that U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), one of the many pro-equality champions running for the White House in 2020, will speak at the 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner next Saturday, March 30, 2019.
• Removed from the prom ballot for being trans, 17-year-old Dex Frier was added back with the support of his peers and was crowned as part of the prom court.
• Out Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy was NOT having the homophobic social media posts during a Pride ski week at Breckenridge, Colorado.
Always saddened by the homophobia on Pride posts. If seeing a rainbow flag while you’re on vacation upsets you then please do the world a favor and stay the fuck at home. Thank you to the many ski resorts that designate a week to making more people feel welcomed, included & safe! pic.twitter.com/410uLAySIF— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) March 26, 2019
• Fox News host Elisabeth Hasselbeck said that former The View colleague Rosie O’Donnell’s confession of a crush on her is “offensive” and that she is immediately began praying for O’Donnell.
• Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, has sold more than 10 million units since its release in November. The autobiography is nearing the top of all-time memoir sales.
• Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum singer/songwriter DAYA drops the music video for her latest hit “Insomnia.”
The video throws viewers into rave culture with an epic party; but while everyone is dancing in the club, Daya is alone in a darkly-lit room, unable to join the party as her thoughts stay focused singularly on missing the one she loves.
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| Sen. Cory Booker pledges to repeal the Trump military trans ban |
Speaking to a crowd of 300 in Davenport, Iowa, presidential hopeful Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) pledged to repeal Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. military.
The topic came up as a trans woman asked the senator what he would do to protect LGBTQ rights as president.
“When I am president, right away I will end this ridiculous, insulting, un-American ban on transgender Americans serving in the military,” replied the 49-year-old senator.
According to NBC News, the response was met with cheers from the crowd.Open service in the military by trans people began June 30, 2016, under the Obama administration.
But Donald Trump surprised the world when he tweeted on July 26, 2017, “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please advised that the United States government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.”
Trump went on to denounce “the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender military would entail.”
But, an analysis by RAND Corporation found that the Pentagon spends only $2.4 to $8.4 million on trans-related healthcare annually, out of an estimated Department of Defense (DoD) defense budget of $49.3 billion (in 2014). That represents an infinitesimal 0.017% of the Department’s total budget.
A day later several media outlets reported that the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not know the announcement was coming.
On August 1, 2017, 56 retired generals and admirals released a letter opposing the proposed ban on transgender military service members.
After multiple court challenges, the Pentagon released its plan last week to implement the new ban beginning April 12.
Other Democratic presidential candidates have called out the Trump/Pence administration’s dismal record on LGBTQ issues, but Booker is the first declared candidate to promise to repeal the trans ban.
Booker also pledged to revisit the Trump tax cuts, and expressed support for legalizing marijuana nationwide including expounging criminal records due to marijuana crimes.