Tag: Secret Service

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George Takei’s Latest Gig + More News

George Takei (photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr – CC license)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: Out Star Trek star George Takei shows no signs of slowing down as the 85-year-old lent his voice to the upcoming animated feature Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Continue reading “George Takei’s Latest Gig + More News”

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News Round-Up: May 11, 2021

The body of Ali Fazeli Monfared was found beheaded after his family found out he was gay

The body of Ali Fazeli Monfared was found beheaded after his family found out he was gay
Ali Fazeli Monfared (image via Twitter)
Some news items you might have missed: • Washington Blade: Reports indicate an Iranian man’s relatives killed him after they discovered he was gay. The Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network wrote on its website that Ali Fazeli Monfared, 20, was kidnapped in Ahvaz, a city in Iran’s Khuzestan’s province on May 4. His body was found – beheaded – a day after his disappearance. • Pink News: In a new interview with GQ Style UK, Grammy Award winner Lil Nas X has revealed that he thought God was “tempting” him with his feelings for men, admitting he “never wanted to be gay.” • Gr8erDays: Mantique of the Day is Gerard Christopher, who is turning 62 today. Christopher was the star of the CBS series “Superboy” (1989-1992) as well as a model, and soap actor last seen on “General Hospital” in 2013. https://www.instagram.com/p/COuBKvrBeZP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • USA Today: President Joe Biden announced a partnership with ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft to offer free rides to vaccination sites from May 24 to July 4 to help meet his target of 70% of U.S. adults getting at least one vaccine shot by Independence Day. • The Guardian: In a new book penned by Pulitzer Prize winner Carol Leonnig, Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service, the journalist reports that a some Trump family members got “inappropriately – and perhaps dangerously – close” to their Secret Service agents. • Buzzfeed News: A day after expressing his admiration for pop star Harry Styles – including admitting that the singer is ‘hot’ – Disney star Joshua Bassett issued a statement to calm fandom’s waters saying “love is love” and in 2021 “it’s ok to still be figuring out who you are.”

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Secret Service Bringing In Former Agents To Protect Biden

Photo of President-elect Joe Biden
President-elect Joe Biden (via campaign)
The Washington Post reports there are some staff changes in the works in regard to the Secret Service agents who are assigned to protect the president due to concerns that some current members have shown some alignment with Donald Trump and his agenda. And so, the Secret Service is apparently bringing back a short-list of senior agents whom President-elect Joe Biden knows well from his time as vice president. More the Washington Post:

Staff changes are typical with the arrival of a new president and are designed to increase the trust and comfort the incoming president feels with his protective agents, who often stand by the president’s side during sensitive discussions and private moments.

But the shifts underway occur at a particularly contentious time, as Trump has blamed his reelection loss on unfounded allegations of voter fraud and has sought to block his administration from treating Biden as the president-elect. Some in the Secret Service also came under criticism during Trump’s tenure for appearing to embrace his political agenda.

For instance, some presidential detail members urged other agents and Secret Service officers not to wear masks on presidential trips this year — against the administration’s own public health guidance — as the president felt wearing masks projected weakness, The Washington Post has reported. The Secret Service also took the unprecedented step of allowing the former detail leader to temporarily leave his job to become a White House political adviser.

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What’s Your ‘Secret Service’ Code Name?

Even when scripted, the zingers at a political debate – when they land – are a nice respite from the constant harping on the same policies over and over.

At last night’s second GOP debate one of the lighter moments came when the moderators asked each candidate to offer an idea for what their Secret Service code name might be.

Jeb Bush was clearly prepared when they got to him: “Eveready.” (Bush later told reporters Everready was his codename during his governorship of Florida).

Bush then turned to Donald Trump standing to his right and added, “It’s very high-energy, Donald.”

As political followers know, The Donald has chided Bush for being “very low energy.”

The two opponents then shared a low-five and the crowd smiled.

For your entertainment, head over to the Washington Post where they have come up with a little gadget that computes your Secret Service codename. Apparently, my codename would be “Ringbolt.”

I like that.

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Secret Service Director Resigns in Light of Recent White House Security Breaches

From Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security:

“Today Julia Pierson, the Director of the United States Secret Service, offered her resignation, and I accepted it. I salute her 30 years of distinguished service to the Secret Service and the Nation.”

For the time being, Joseph Clancy will act as interim Acting Director. According to Johnson, Clancy is a former Special Agent in Charge of the Presidential Protective Division of the Secret Service.