Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis Some news items you might have missed: • News Observer: LGBTQ people in North Carolina can no longer be prevented from getting domestic violence protective orders, the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. North Carolina had been the only state in the country to withhold emergency protections from people seeking protection from abuse by a same-sex partner. • Instinct Magazine: My editor at my other journalistic home, Adam Dupuis, shares this wild and wooly tale of a stalker who utilized 11 different email accounts and numerous Growlr accounts in order to cyberstalk him. #strangeness • 54Below: My fabulous friend (and Tony Award nominee) Norm Lewis has the perfect song for tonight – from his recent Feinstein’s/54 Below streaming concert NORM LEWIS: Christmastime Is Here!
• Facebook: Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) wrote a lengthy breakdown of efforts to undermine the election, concluding there was no evidence of voter fraud. Sasse adds that – in private chats – no Republicans in Congress think the election was stolen. • NBC News: Grafton Police have arrested the Aurora Health Care pharmacist who intentionally spoiled more than 500 doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine valued around $8,000 to $11,000. He has been arrested on charges of first degree recklessly endangering safety, adulterating a prescription drug, and criminal damage to property. • Washington Examiner: Donald Trump promised in the 2016 campaign to eliminate the federal debt over a two-term presidency. Instead, he will leave office having added massively to the debt. Since his inauguration, the total national debt has increased 30% from nearly $20 trillion to $27 trillion as of Monday.
.@realDonaldTrump promised in the 2016 campaign to eliminate the federal debt over a two-term presidency.
That pledge won’t come to fruition, and, in fact, he will leave office having added massively to the debt.https://t.co/sd7nPlQ3BC — Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 31, 2020
(graphic via MSNBC) And the final two states have been projected in the 2020 presidential election. Multiple news outlets have projected President-elect Joe Biden will win Georgia, and as expected, Donald Trump will win North Carolina. Biden is the first Democrat to win Georgia in 28 years and the first non-southern Democrat to win the state in 60 years. Biden wins 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232. In 2016, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway called Trump’s win with 306 electoral votes a “massive landslide” and “historic.” Trump would repeat that claim many, many times.
CNN PROJECTION: President-elect Joe Biden wins Georgia, flipping the traditionally red state, and Donald Trump wins North Carolina. This brings the final electoral vote tally to 306 for Biden and 232 for Trump https://t.co/A6zhdqRxV6#CNNElectionpic.twitter.com/2VCXWD2UhH
Breaking News: President-elect Joe Biden won Georgia, a major victory for Democrats, and President Trump took North Carolina. The results do not affect the overall election outcome. https://t.co/SSIFp1hDOdpic.twitter.com/tF2KjmZm10
The last two states of the 2020 election have been called 🇺🇸 Joe Biden wins Georgia — while Trump wins North Carolina, giving President-elect Biden 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump https://t.co/vhp5nBI14Ypic.twitter.com/XUbSwhIyoj
L-R Former Vice President Joe Biden, Donald Trump From CBS News:
In the final stretch of the campaign, we find three Southern battlegrounds that could still go either way. Our estimates show Joe Biden with just a two-point edge over President Trump in Florida, Biden up four points in North Carolina, and the contest even in Georgia.
Millions have already voted and many others say they’ve already decided.
While early voters in each state told us they substantially favored Biden, those who have not yet voted heavily favor Mr. Trump, setting up a key turnout test running now through Election Day for both parties.
Sixty-one percent of people who already voted said they voted for Biden while 59 percent of those who haven’t yet said they were in favor of Trump.
This post is not to insinuate Biden has this in the bag. It’s meant to encourage everyone to vote, vote, vote, because we’re in this to win. (graphics via CBS News)
Michelle Obama encouraging voting by mail (photo: Jocelyn Augustino/Obama for America) We all know Donald Trump has bad-mouthed and demonized voting by mail because Democrats tend to use the voting method more than Republicans. Plus, with the ongoing pandemic, Dems have (in general) been more likely to embrace safety guidelines regarding the COVID-19 crisis than Repubs. Which brings me to these tweets. While we don’t know which presidential candidate received votes in the returned ballots, if the majority of ballots are for the party aligned with the voter, you can see why Trump has been so vocal about mail-in ballots. As of today: • Florida – Democrats 791,730; Republicans 450,447; No Party 287,704 • North Carolina – Democrats 238,789; Republicans 81,913; No Party 142,633 • Maine – Democrats 56,623; Republicans 16,623; No Party 18,502 • Iowa – Democrats 59,768; Republicans 23,247; No Party 12,917 • Pennsylvania – Democrats 198,448; Republicans 42,447; No party 19,448 As Amy Siskind says below, we need to build up these “cushions” because the Trumpers will show up as well.
Florida just updated returned ballots again:
Democrats – 791,730 Republicans – 450,447 No Party – 287,704 We are building up some nice cushion in a state where Trump *encouraged* his supporters to vote! — Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) October 10, 2020
Senate battleground – early voting – returned and accepted by party:
MAINE: Democrats – 56,623 Republicans- 16,623 No Party – 18,502 IOWA: D – 59,768 R – 23,247 No – 12,917 Support @SaraGideon and @GreenfieldIowa 8.9 million Americans have voted so far. Get out our vote! — Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) October 10, 2020
Other battlegrounds – early voting – returned ballots: PENNSYLVANIA – coming in fast and furious! Dems – 198,448 Reps – 42,447 No Party – 19,448 NORTH CAROLINA: D – 228,740 R- 77,423 No – 135,533 8.3 million Americans have voted – 6% of all who voted in 2016.
Donald Trump (screen capture) After Donald Trump again urged his Twitter followers in battleground state North Carolina to vote twice, the state’s Attorney General Josh Stein reminded his constituents it’s a felony to vote twice. Twitter also blocked likes, replies, and retweets on the Donald’s tweet. By the way, if you’re going to go to the polls to ‘check on your vote,’ why not just GO VOTE? Stein’s tweet also included a link where NC voters can track their mail-in votes to make sure they are counted. Twitter tagged Trump’s tweet with a disclaimer: “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
NORTH CAROLINA: Do NOT do what the President directs. To make sure your ballot COUNTS, sign and send it in EARLY. Then track it ONLINE with BALLOTTRAX. Do NOT vote twice (it’s a felony), or waste your time, or unnecessarily risk exposure to more people. https://t.co/jOKYoR4hnrhttps://t.co/1cF6tJoHA4
The only GOOD thing about the President’s tweet is that he FINALLY encourages voters to VOTE BY MAIL. It’s an easy, safe & secure way to cast a ballot. To request yours: https://t.co/NPfKjxLyhz
An interracial family in Raleigh, NC, received a threatening racist letter (screen capture) An interracial family living in a north Raleigh neighborhood shared with local news station WRAL an unsigned letter warning against posting any signs in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The note read:
“Before you think about putting any signage up in your yard, or if you had any idea about making a public statement on your property regarding George Floyd or racism, please remember that the rest of us live in an upscale neighborhood and have spent the extra money to stay out of mixed neighborhoods and/or the ghetto.
“No one wants trouble or any circumstance arising which could turn our neighborhood into a “semi-ghetto.” Please keep your husband and teenage kids well behaved and orderly because no one is interested in your or their “struggles.”
Keep matters inside your own house and do your best to keep this area upscale and free of that element. Most of us would not hesitate to call the police if your kids or husband gets unruly, so please be considerate of everyone else living amongst you.”
“Free of that element…” The letter was signed without a name but expressed “sincere gratitude.” (screen capture via WRAL) The family declined to appear on-camera but several neighbors spoke to WRAL regarding the ugliness of the missive. Kate Pirrung, a neighbor in the Wakefield Plantation neighborhood told WRAL, “I was horrified, appalled, disappointed…sad.” “I couldn’t believe that someone in my neighborhood – that close to me – would have written something so mean,” said neighbor Marianna Morin. Neighbor Armand Morin pointed to the implicit threat in the note. “In the end, underneath all the context, it was a threat: Don’t do this. We’ll report you. We’ll send people over to your house – the police in this particular incident,” said Armand. In response to the note, the family sent out copies to all of their neighbors along with a message of their own. “If you did not write this letter, we wanted you to be aware of what has happened in our neighborhood,” the family wrote. “If you are the person that wrote this letter, we will not be intimidated by your cowardly act and ignorance. We are happy to have a discussion regarding love, respect and racism if your have the courage.” “Something has to change,” Pirrung said. “We are all God’s children. What happened to love thy neighbor, treat each other with respect and kindness?” “It’s not just in the city,” said Marianna Morin of the explicit racism. “It’s not just in the streets. It’s in this neighborhood.” The family issued a public statement regarding the letter to WRAL. “We want to acknowledge that this letter does not compare to some of the more dire circumstances many people find themselves in on a regular basis due to bigotry,” wrote the family. “However, it was shocking and ignorant.” “The outrage, support and kind words expressed to us by so many in our community have overpowered the hate expressed from the one person who wrote the letter,” they continued. “Our hope is for this to inspire respectful conversations and courageous self-examination about bias and racism.” “To the person who wrote the letter, we pray for your heart to be released from bitterness and filled with understanding and compassion for others,” the family added. “Black lives do matter.” You can watch the report from WRAL below.
A sheriff’s deputy caught on security video twice body-slamming a child under the age of 12 at a North Carolina middle school was fired on Monday morning and state investigators are deciding whether to file criminal charges against him, officials said.
The deputy’s termination is “effective immediately,” Vance County, North Carolina, Sheriff Curtis Brame told ABC station WTVD in Durham, North Carolina. The disturbing incident occurred on Thursday at the Vance County Middle School in Henderson, about 40 miles northeast of Durham.
In the school surveillance video, the deputy, a school resource officer, is seen walking with the child down a hallway when suddenly he lunges at the boy, lifts him off the ground and slams him to the floor on his back. Without checking the child for injuries, the deputy picks the student up again and throws him to the floor a second time and drags him down the hall and out of the view of the camera, according to the footage.
Trust and believe, if an adult man picked up a child of mine and body-slammed them like this, he’d be more than fired. This comes less than a week after a Florida sheriff’s deputy, caught on video slamming a 15-year-old student face-first into the pavement, was fired. Remember – Attorney General William Barr says people need to show more respect to law enforcement. This isn’t how you inspire respect.
Putting cops in schools is a threat to school safety that endangers the lives of millions of black, brown and indigenous children. pic.twitter.com/24e55XZ3Y9
Donald Trump has announced he will campaign at a night-before rally for Republican candidate Dan Bishop (above with Trump) for Congress in a special election in North Carolina. Because, of course… Bishop, among other things, was the author of the hateful, anti-transgender ‘bathroom bill’ in the Tar Heel state. Via The Charlotte Observer:
President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Fayetteville on Sept. 9, the night before a special congressional election in the 9th District.
The Trump campaign announced the rally Tuesday, fulfilling a promise he made in a tweet last week to return to the state to campaign for Republican Dan Bishop. Trump will rally at the Fayetteville Regional Airport at 7 p.m.
Bishop faces Democrat Dan McCready and two third-party candidates in the special election. The election was called after allegations of election fraud caused state officials to nullify the election last fall. The seat has been vacant since January.
You’ll recall the special election is being held because the ‘winner’ from the 2018 election was found to have hired election ‘influencers’ who took and threw away ballots to swing the election to the Republican.
Looking forward to soon being in North Carolina to hold a big rally for wonderful Dan Bishop, who is running for Congress. His opponent wants Open Borders, Sanctuary Cities, and Socialism. He likes the “Squad” more than North Carolina. Dan has my Full and Complete Endorsement!
Dan Bishop the instigator of NC controversial ‘bathroom bill’ that eventually was overruled in federal court and cost the North Carolina State $3.7 Billion… yeh! He’d be a real popular choice wouldn’t prejudiced Dan! Good luck with that!#OneTermTrump#TrumpistheAntichrist
It may not be a full ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ but North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an executive order that prohibits state tax funds from being used for the harmful practice on LGBTQ children in his state.
Conversion therapy, also called ‘ex-gay therapy’ by some, is the dangerous practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Conversion therapy has been widely denounced as discredited pseudoscience by leading professional medical associations including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association. Executive Order No. 97 blocks medical/mental health providers who receive state or federal funds allocated to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from using those funds for ‘ex-gay’ therapy on minors.
The EO made note of statistics from The Trevor Project indicating 42% of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens who undergo the discredited practice attempt suicide. And 57% of transgender minors who are subjected to conversion therapy have made suicide attempts.
In a statement on the executive order, Gov. Cooper said, “State taxpayer money shouldn’t be used for a practice on children that major medical associations agree is harmful and ineffective. Conversion therapy has been shown to pose serious health risks, and we should be protecting all of our children, including those who identify as LGBTQ, instead of subjecting them to a dangerous practice.”
Today, Gov. Cooper signed Executive Order No. 97 to help protect LGBTQ children in North Carolina from the harmful practice of conversion therapy. https://t.co/jsf5bvEEaupic.twitter.com/f7gH5CX9Ty
Conversion therapy has been shown to pose serious health risks, and we should be protecting all of our children, including those who identify as LGBTQ, instead of subjecting them to a dangerous practice.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, 18 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico ban conversion therapy for minors.
The Trevor Project issued a statement commending Cooper “for taking decisive action to highlight the dangers of conversion therapy.”
“While his executive order is a great first step in protecting North Carolinian youth, we must continue to push for comprehensive protections,” said Sam Brinton, Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project.
Brinton included a call to action asking the North Carolina state legislature “to take up legislation to stop licensed practitioners from violating the ethical guidelines of their profession, and harming the most vulnerable youth in the Tar Heel State.”
• InstaHunk Matthew Camp (above) is giving you ‘polar vortex/winter tones’ on this Hump Day.
• Inspired by the unofficial Gay Days events at Disneyland and Disney World in the US, Disneyland Paris will host its first official Pride event, titled Magical Pride, on June 1.
• Lawyers for Kentucky GOP Gov. Matt Bevin say that former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis must pay the $225,000 in legal fees owed to the gay couples who sued her for refusing to issue marriage licenses.
Kim Davis
• White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network today that she believes God wanted Donald Trump to become president.
• Four middle school kids in North Carolina face felony charges after plans were discovered to attempt a ‘Columbine-style’ attack on fellow students and a teacher.
• I got the most delightful surprise when the fabulous Leslie Ellis called me up just to say ‘hi’ last night.
She and her uber-talented hubby, Casey Kelly, had watched the RENT Live event on Sunday night and it reminded her of her own Broadway days (we did the national company of CATS together in the 80s when she stopped the show every night with her performance of “Memory”).
Long story short: old-friends, chatting, laughs, sharing, long call – it was great 🙂
In any case, it made me long to her her gorgeous voice, so I’m sharing this with you, one of my favorite recordings of hers, “We Came Close.”
By the way, if you’re going to go to the polls to ‘check on your vote,’ why not just GO VOTE? Stein’s tweet also included a link where NC voters can track their mail-in votes to make sure they are counted. Twitter tagged Trump’s tweet with a disclaimer: “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.” 
