
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) June 21, 2020
LGBTQ news and entertainment

— Tom Petty (@tompetty) June 21, 2020
At Donald Trump’s woefully under-attended campaign rally last night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Trumpster spent a considerable amount of time explaining the recent #RampGate episode. In case you missed it, after speaking at this year’s West Point Academy commencement ceremony, Trump slowly exited the stage via a ramp he called “very slippery” (no rain that day) and very steep. The Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump conservatives (including White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s husband, George Conway), released their latest ad with their take on Trump’s protracted maneuvers on the now-infamous ramp. #Brilliant
This is art. pic.twitter.com/ZPJxHu20TV
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 21, 2020

Attorney William P. Barr said on Saturday that President Trump had fired the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, who has investigated the president’s closest associates, deepening a crisis over the independence of law enforcement and the president’s purge of officials he views as disloyal.
Mr. Trump removed the prosecutor, Geoffrey S. Berman, United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, after he had refused to step down on Friday night. The president’s announcement capped an extraordinary clash over an office that has been at the forefront of corruption inquiries into Mr. Trump’s inner circle.
In a statement released on Saturday, Mr. Barr said Mr. Berman had “chosen public spectacle over public service.” “Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so,” the statement read.
A memo, authored by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel in 1979, apparently notes a president can dismiss a U.S. attorney, but the attorney general can’t.
From the Washington Post:
Six members of the advance team preparing to staff President Trump’s rally here Saturday tested positive for the coronavirus, underscoring concerns about holding a massive indoor event in a city where cases are spiking.
The campaign made that announcement, saying quarantine procedures had gone into effect for the infected staff members and those in “immediate contact” with them, as hundreds of supporters filled downtown streets in anticipation of the president’s rally — his first since the virus brought much of public life to a standstill in March.
Upon entering the rally grounds, attendees were handed blue face coverings and directed through a maze of metal fencing, which led to a touchless temperature screening conducted by volunteers in purple smocks.
Note: Oklahoma has seen a 100 percent spike in new coronavirus cases in the past week.
NBC News spoke to Trump supporters outside the rally venue today, all of whom expressed little to no concern about the virus. Several also expressed doubt about the severity of the pandemic. “If Trump felt comfortable having it here, then I’m comfortable,” said one supporter. Said another, of the coronavirus risk: “If today is the day I die, today is the day I die.” “As far as I know, I’m still an American,” said Tom Todd, Sheri’s husband and a retired welder. “This is a free country and I can do what I want. If I want to wear a mask, I wear a mask. If I don’t, I don’t. If I get sick, I get sick. That’s my choice,” Tom continued, adding that he thought the number of coronavirus deaths was being “padded.”
“If Trump felt comfortable having it here, then I’m comfortable,” said one supporter of the president.
Another said, of the coronavirus risk: “If today is the day I die, today is the day I die.” https://t.co/RxiJnPRu7t — Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) June 20, 2020

“With hundreds of thousands of copies around the globe – many in newsrooms – the damage is done,” wrote Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia. “There is no restoring the status quo.”
But the judge also sharply rebuked Bolton for not following the government’s prepublication clearance protocols regarding potentially classified material and suggested he could lose his $2 million advance for the book, titled, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir”.
Bolton attorney Charles Cooper, meanwhile, said his client broke no rules:
“We welcome today’s decision by the Court denying the Government’s attempt to suppress Ambassador Bolton’s book. We respectfully take issue, however, with the Court’s preliminary conclusion at this early stage of the case that Ambassador Bolton did not comply fully with his contractual prepublication obligation to the Government, and the case will now proceed to development of the full record on that issue. The full story of these events has yet to be told – but it will be.”
It’s interesting that Bolton’s attorney mentions the “full story of these events” not being told when Bolton COULD have testified during Trump’s impeachment trial and made a difference. Instead, he waited until he could sell his story for millions. What a patriot. Trump tried to spin the court ruling as a “win” via Twitter:
….Bolton broke the law and has been called out and rebuked for so doing, with a really big price to pay. He likes dropping bombs on people, and killing them. Now he will have bombs dropped on him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2020

Trump reacts to SCOTUS’ LGBTQ ruling pic.twitter.com/leDEIwCUVm
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) June 15, 2020
That’s some enthusiasm, huh? You’ll recall during the 2016 presidential campaign, the Donald declared he would be a better friend to the LGBT community than Hillary Clinton. And, as we now know, that’s not turned out to be the case. Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was much more uplifting in his remarks, writing in part:
Today’s Supreme Court decision is a momentous step forward for our country. Before today, in more than half of states, LGBTQ+ people could get married one day and be fired from their job the next day under state law, simply because of who they are or who they love. This landmark 6–3 ruling affirms that LGBTQ+ Americans are entitled to equal rights under the law. This decision is another step in our march towards equality for all. And while we celebrate this victory today, we know that our work is not yet done. As President, I look forward to signing into law the Equality Act, protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, and championing equal rights for all Americans. Happy Pride!
Today’s decision is another step in our march toward equality for all. The Supreme Court has confirmed the simple but profoundly American idea that every human being should be treated with respect. But we’re not done. https://t.co/Bz4SMA9tgb
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 15, 2020
And, former President Barack Obama tweeted his response: “Today reminds us that progress might be slow. It might take decades. But no matter what things might look like today, it’s always possible. Happy Pride month, everybody.”
Today reminds us that progress might be slow. It might take decades. But no matter what things might look like today, it’s always possible. Happy Pride month, everybody. pic.twitter.com/ey7p2TgEEf
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 16, 2020

Two weeks ago, EPIC-MRA of Lansing, a polling firm that does work for the Free Press, released a survey showing former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, leading Trump 53%-41% in Michigan, a 12-point edge.
But a second poll, started on May 31, a day after the first poll began, and concluded a day later than the first poll, on June 4, showed Biden leading Trump 55%-39% in Michigan, a 16-point margin.
The survey had a margin of error of plus/minus 4 points. The new poll also showed: • 70% of those surveyed believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The percentage who believe the U.S. is headed in the right direction fell from 30% to 22%. • 61% of those surveyed hold a negative view of Trump. The percentage of those with a positive view fell from 42% to 38%. • 51% said they would vote to replace Trump in November, while those who said they plan to vote to reelect him fell from 38% to 33%.
Donald Trump loves to mock former Vice President Joe Biden saying Joe is ‘not well,’ or frail or some such nonsense. Which is why Trump’s slow, awkward exit from giving a commencement speech at West Point yesterday is getting attention. #RampGate is currently trending on the Twitterverse. #TrumpIsUnwell and #TRUMPstroke were also among the hashtags trending on Twitter.
There are more important things going on right now than this video clip but worth noting that it was sunny throughout Trump's appearance at West Point. If the ramp was indeed "slippery" it wasn't because of rain. And it certainly didn't appear to be steep. https://t.co/ZNtO8XyyFA
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 14, 2020
Using an online protractor tool it looks to me like the ramp is at about an 11 degree downward angle.#TRUMPstroke #TrumpIsNotWell #rampgate pic.twitter.com/VDve6v1gas
— Make Anagrams Great Again (@ConserveLetters) June 14, 2020
"McGarther" — Trump also repeatedly had trouble with General Douglas MacArthur's name pic.twitter.com/HLSwbol2yL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 13, 2020
Trump still hasn't totally figured out how to drink water pic.twitter.com/IO8CDXmD9i
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 13, 2020
"McGarther" — Trump also repeatedly had trouble with General Douglas MacArthur's name pic.twitter.com/HLSwbol2yL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 13, 2020
Says it all pic.twitter.com/ftz2FGKzNy
— t rocks (@t_trocks2020) June 14, 2020
look how easily Obama walked up the same ramp it looks really gentle#rampgate pic.twitter.com/wZ16BX61hq
— BebopSpaceCowgirl 🌈💖💚❤️💙💜 (@jomareewade) June 14, 2020
Biden 2020: He Can Run and Drink Water #rampgate #watergate pic.twitter.com/NTlv5arSv0
— Santiago Mayer (@santiagomayer_) June 14, 2020
In an interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner today, Donald Trump declared many of those protesting in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder “didn’t know” why they were there. The remarks came after Faulkner asked what the Donald believes the protesters across the county want or need from him. “So I think you had protesters for different reasons, and then you had protesting also because they just didn’t know,” Trump said. “I’ve watched. I watched it very closely. ‘Why are you here?’ And they really weren’t able to say. But they were there — for a reason perhaps. Perhaps? “But a lot of them really were there because they’re following the crowd,” he continued. “A lot of them were there because what we witnessed was a terrible thing. What we saw was a terrible thing, and we’ve seen it over the years. You know, this was one horrible example. but you’ve seen other terrible examples. You know that better than anybody would know it. And I know it. I’ve seen it too. I’ve seen it before I was president and during the presidency, I’ve seen it.” Earlier in the interview, Trump labeled the protests as ‘riots’ and ‘unnecessary.’ He also said that the date of his first campaign rally since the beginning of the COVID-19 health threat on Juneteenth wasn’t scheduled ‘on purpose.’ “The fact that I’m having a rally on that day — you can really think about that very positively as a celebration. Because a rally to me is a celebration,” Trump said. “It’s an interesting date. It wasn’t done for that reason, but it’s an interesting date.” As many know, June 19 is recognized as Juneteenth, the day the last slaves in the United States were freed. The Trump campaign picked Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the location for the rally. Black activists consider the date and the location a slap in the face in light of the 1921 ‘Black Massacre’ that occurred in the city 99 years ago. Nearly 300 Black Americans were killed in the incident that was sparked by the accusation a young Black man assaulted a white woman.
“You had protesters for different reasons & then you had protesting also because, you know, they just didn’t know… a lot of them really were there b/c they were following the crowd” — Trump suggests many George Floyd protesters weren’t even aware of what they were protesting pic.twitter.com/KnbTJy2U8m
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 12, 2020
