News Round-Up: June 6, 2019

Mayor Pete Buttigieg and friend

Some news items you might have missed:

• I could not resist this adorable pic of Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who encountered this little guy out on the campaign trail. “Even the littlest voices deserve to be heard.”

• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told Democratic leaders that she would rather see Donald Trump defeated for re-election in 2020 and face prosecution after he leaves office. “I don’t want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison.”

• Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) says as president he would ask the Pentagon review dishonorable discharges of LGB service members received prior to being allowed to serve openly and upgrade them to honorable discharges.

• The Trump Administration has announced a new policy prohibiting government research using fetal tissue. The new policy will severely limit research done on HIV, cancers and more.

• Four U.S. Special Operations troops charged in the death of a Green Beret soldier in Mali plotted to record him being sexually assaulted as part of a plan to embarrass him through hazing.

• After two years of harassing Vox reporter Carlos Maza on YouTube for being gay and Latino – we’re talking hundreds of troll comments, doxing Maza and more – the video site finally took some action towards YouTuber Steven Crowder by ‘demonetizing’ his channels.

They didn’t stop the hater from posting his homophobic campaign against Maza, but at least he can’t make any money from it. (p.s. Maza wasn’t happy with the penalty)

Pelosi: Trump “Wants Us To Impeach Him” So He Can Be Exonerated By GOP-Senate

“I think the president wants us to impeach him,” Pelosi told Kimmel. “He knows it’s not a good idea to be impeached, but the silver lining for him is then, he believes, that he would be exonerated by the United States Senate.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

As more and more Democrats feel the need to push for impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has shown restraint regarding rushing into things.

On one hand, the more info we get about 10+ episodes of obstruction detailed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, the more it makes sense that Trump did indeed attempt to obstruct the investigation and he should be held accountable.

But the danger lies in the fact that Trump would not be found guilty by a Republican-led Senate. And a ‘not guilty’ verdict in the Senate would embolden his supporters.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, Pelosi explained her thinking as well as what she believes Trump wants to see happen.

“I think the president wants us to impeach him,” Pelosi told Kimmel. “He knows it’s not a good idea to be impeached, but the silver lining for him is then, he believes, that he would be exonerated by the United States Senate.

“And,” she added, “there is a school of thought that says, ‘If the Senate acquits you, why bring charges against him in the private sector when he’s no longer president?’ So when we go through with our case, it’s got to be ironclad. Ironclad.”

I completely agree. Watch below.

Nancy Pelosi On Mueller’s Comments: “Congress Will Continue To Investigate”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has issued a statement in response to this morning’s comments by Special Counsel Robert Mueller:

“The Special Counsel’s report revealed that the President’s campaign welcomed Russian interference in the election, and laid out eleven instances of the President’s obstruction of the investigation. The Congress holds sacred its constitutional responsibility to investigate and hold the President accountable for his abuse of power.

“The Congress will continue to investigate and legislate to protect our elections and secure our democracy. The American people must have the truth. We call upon the Senate to pass H.R. 1, the For The People Act, to protect our election systems. We salute Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team for his patriotic duty to seek the truth.”

Pelosi urged Democrats to whoa up on impeachment calls, saying, “We want to do what is right and what gets results.”

The House Speaker added, “We do want to make such a compelling case that even the Republican Senate will be convinced of the path that we have to take as a country.”

Several Democratic candidates for president weighed in with their thoughts as well:

Oh, and the Trumpster had to chime in as well:

Nancy Pelosi: ‘We Believe That The President Of The United States Is Engaged In A Coverup’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "We believe the President of the United States is engaged in a cover-up"
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Donald Trump keeps pressing to hide more documents and suppress more testimony; more Democrats are shifting towards impeachment mode; and now, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is starting to sound like her colleagues are moving her in that direction as well.

Following a meeting with House Democrats, Pelosi reporters that “no one is above the law,” and “we believe the President of the United States is engaged in a cover up.”

Pelosi was scheduled to meet with Trump and other lawmakers this morning regarding infrastructure legislation.

He wasn’t happy.

Mangling the English language once again, Trump sputtered, “Instead of walking in happily into a meeting, I walk in to look at at people that had just said I’m doing a cover-up. I don’t do coverups.”

Uh-huh. That’s why he’s telling his former lawyer, Don McGahn, to not testify before Congress. Because he’s totally-not covering anything up.

At the impromptu presser in the White House Rose Garden, Trump told reporters he told Democrats at the White House he couldn’t work with them while they were pursuing investigations into him and his administration.

Isn’t it his job to DO his job?

News Round-Up: May 15, 2019

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Guoyang510 (above) is looking forward to summer, just like I am. Who’s with us???

• Rep. Daniel Lipinski (Ill.), the only House Democrat not to co-sponsor the Equality Act, has announced he will now vote for the legislation. The House is expected to vote on the bill this Friday. Maybe that threat of a primary challenge moved the needle?

• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and beleaguered Attorney General William Barr bump into each other at an event. Barr jokes about handcuffs, Pelosi goes one better…

• A reader wrote in to Slate’s sex advice column, How To Do It, asking how to handle an office situation when folks realize their new coworker (currently married to a woman) used to do gay porn? I’m not sure what the problem is, but I was curious about the columnist’s response.

US News ranked the 50 states according to several metrics including health care, education, economy, roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety, the fiscal stability of state government, and the opportunity it affords its residents. Click to see where your state lands on the list.

• Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of Senate GOP leadership, said Wednesday that the chamber is unlikely to vote on any election security legislation, despite requests from a federal agency for more funding to improve election systems nationwide.

• Long-running animated series Family Guy hysterically went after Fox News host Sean Hannity. “High sodium Superman” was maybe my favorite description… LOL

McConnell – Mueller Probe “Finally Over,” Pelosi – “Not So Fast”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced from the floor of the U.S. Senate that the Special Counsel’s Russian probe is “finally over.”

The Republican from Kentucky called Mueller’s findings “bad news for the outrage industrial complex but good news for the rest of the country.”

But Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi disagreed saying “that’s just not a fact — the case is not closed.”

Pelosi On Barr: “He Lied To Congress – If Anybody Else Did That It Would Be Considered A Crime”

During testimony to Congress last month, Attorney General William Barr was directly asked by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) if he was aware of any concerns/frustrations Special Counsel Robert Mueller or his team had regarding Barr’s now-infamous four page ‘summary’ of Mueller’s two year investigation.

At the time, Barr told Crist, “No, I don’t.”

But this week, news of a letter from Mueller to Barr expressing frustrations that Barr’s summary mischaracterized the investigation’s context and substance now puts Barr’s denial in a new perspective.

He had received the letter from Mueller and had a phone call with the Special Counsel about the summary. So, he lied to Congress when he said he didn’t know of any concerns on Mueller’s part.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was asked today how she felt about the statements by Barr.

Pelosi didn’t hold back. “He lied to Congress – if anyone else did that it would be considered a crime.”

Yesterday, Rep. Adam Schiff echoed the same sentiments.

News Round-Up: April 17, 2019

InstaHunks Ben Zerbst and Donald Romain took each other to Disneyland for some Hump Day fun. #FutureDILFSofDisneyland
Ben Zerbst and Donald Romain

Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks Ben Zerbst and Donald Romain took each other to Disneyland for some Hump Day fun. #FutureDILFSofDisneyland • Brunei has defended its punishment of death by stoning for gay sex in a letter to the European Parliament. Under the country’s new law, not only are LGBTQs targeted but adultery garners the same punishment, and thieves and robbers risk amputations. • Prosecutors plan to seek a sentence of four to 10 months’ jail time for actress Felicity Huffman for her role in the college admissions scandal. • This year’s Time 100 – the 100 most influential people of 2019 – includes Lady Gaga, Indya Moore, Ryan Murphy, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwWtrG6gk-W/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== • Nevada could soon join the three other states – California, Illinois, and Rhode Island – that ban the ‘gay panic’ or ‘trans panic’ defense in cases of assault or murder. • Folks were wondering why queer rapper Lizzo performed at Coachella Music Festival this past weekend when it came to light owner Philip Anschutz has given his money to anti-LGBTQ organizations. Lizzo explained: “Whether we like it or not most major organizations are run by bigoted millionaires that donate to bigoted organizations. I realize my activism is to disrupt those spaces and spread my message to thousands of ppl.” “Y’all may not agree w it and that’s ok. But know that I’m doing what I gotta do to make sure my big black ass voice is heard. Can’t wait to dismantle the hate that funds this country… but until then, imma be putting big, black, femme, lgbtq+ bodies on stages and telling our stories.” Here’s Lizzo’s latest music video “Juice” featuring a whole bunch of RuPaul’s Drag Race queens for added fun. Her new album Cuz I Love You drops Friday.

Nancy Pelosi On Impeaching Trump: “He’s Just Not Worth It”

 Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. "And he’s just not worth it.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says Trump “is just not worth” impeaching

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wins ‘Quote of the Day’ with this bon mot from a lengthy interview with the Washington Post:

“I’m not for impeachment. This is news.

“I’m going to give you some news right now because I haven’t said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I’ve been thinking about this: Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country.

“And he’s just not worth it.”

Trump Agrees To Postpone State Of The Union Address Until #TrumpShutdown Is Resolved

President Trump said late Wednesday that he would deliver his State of the Union address once the federal government reopens, capping a day of brinkmanship with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who told the president that he was not welcome to deliver the speech in the House chamber while the government is partly closed.
Nancy Pelosi (L) and Donald Trump (R)

From The New York Times:

President Trump said late Wednesday that he would deliver his State of the Union address once the federal government reopens, capping a day of brinkmanship with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who told the president that he was not welcome to deliver the speech in the House chamber while the government is partly closed.

“As the Shutdown was going on, Nancy Pelosi asked me to give the State of the Union Address,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter shortly after 11 p.m., hours after he had said he would look for another venue for the speech. “I agreed. She then changed her mind because of the Shutdown, suggesting a later date. This is her prerogative – I will do the Address when the Shutdown is over.”

House Democrats continue to say they are willing to give Trump substantial amounts of money for border security (technology, manpower), just not for his beloved wall.

The Senate will vote to day on two different proposals – one that supports Trump’s demands, one that funds the government shutdown to an end without funding ‘the wall.’

Neither proposal is expected to get the necessary 60 votes in the Senate to pass, although 3 Republicans – Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), have signaled they would vote for the continuing resolution that would reopen the government.

Speaker Pelosi circled back one more time for clarity: