Tag: Steve Scalise

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News Round-Up: November 18, 2019

Donny and Marie Osmond end their 11-year run at the Flamingo (photo: Denise Truscello)
Some news items you might have missed: • Las Vegas: Donny & Marie Osmond concluded their iconic residency at Flamingo Las Vegas this past Saturday. The siblings’ 11-year residency began as a six-week engagement but was so well received that by popular demand, the residency was extended again and again. I was fortunate to see D&M several times over their amazing run. They were (and are) the picture of showmanship, talent, and professionalism. I never left the showroom anything less than impressed. #ToWhatsNext • Washington Blade: A transgender woman in Zimbabwe who filed a lawsuit over the abuse she suffered after her arrest for using a women’s restroom was awarded $400,000 on November 14 in a landmark ruling. • Daily Beast: Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace repeatedly confronted House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) over the Republican’s characterization of last week’s impeachment testimony, accusing the congressman of “very badly” misrepresenting the witnesses’ positions. • BBC: Australian rugby player Israel Folau, whose contract was canceled for repeated violations due to homophobic remarks on social media, blamed Australia’s bushfire crisis on the legalization of same-sex marriage. • OUT: A representative from the Salvation Army spoke to Matt Baume about how they are working to correct their anti-LGBTQ+ past. “Unfortunately, as a large organization, there have been isolated incidents that do not represent our values and service to all people who are in need.” • CBS News: Emails obtained by CBS News show San Diego billionaire Doug Manchester was asked by the RNC to donate half a million dollars as his confirmation in the Senate for ambassador to the Bahamas hung in the balance. You may recall Manchester made hefty donations to the Prop 8 campaign that erased marriage equality in California for a time. • Wise Words: Danny ‘Tree Man’ Jones offers this reminder – “Remember, it’s more about effort than the result :)” Hit the play button for the super-cute video message.

 

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Remember, it’s more about effort than the result 😝

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Rep. Steve Scalise Returns To Capitol Hill 3 Months After Being Shot

Three months after being shot at a Republican baseball practice on June 14, Rep. Steve Scalise returned to Capitol Hill receiving a standing ovation as he entered the House.

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GOP Congressman Steve Scalise Acknowledges Speaking To White Supremacist Group

Yesterday, I reported on Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise (R) who apparently spoke at a white supremacist group’s meeting in 2002.

At first, Scalise said he didn’t remember if he did or did not attend the meeting.

Today, he says he remembers but acknowledges it was a mistake.

Via MSNBC:

“Twelve years ago, I spoke to many different Louisiana groups as a state representative, trying to build support for legislation that focused on cutting wasteful state spending, eliminating government corruption, and stopping tax hikes,” Scalise said in a statement on Tuesday.

“One of the many groups that I spoke to regarding this critical legislation was a group whose views I wholeheartedly condemn. It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold.

“I am very disappointed that anyone would try to infer otherwise for political gain. As a Catholic, these groups hold views that are vehemently opposed to my own personal faith, and I reject that kind of hateful bigotry. Those who know me best know I have always been passionate about helping, serving, and fighting for every family that I represent. And I will continue to do so.”

Speaker of the House John Boehner stands by his guy with this statement:

“More than a decade ago, Representative Scalise made an error in judgment, and he was right to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate,” Boehner said. “Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our Whip, and he will continue to do great and important work for all Americans.”

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GOP House Majority Whip Scalise Acknowledges Speaking At “White Nationalist” Meeting

Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner surely didn’t imagine he would begin the next Congress in this manner.

First, Republican Congressman Michael Grimm of Staten Island pleads guilty to felony tax evasion.

And now another GOP House member is in the middle of a racial controversy literally days before the Republican party is to take control of both chambers of Congress. 

The incoming House Majority Whip, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, has acknowledged that he spoke at a meeting of “white nationalist leaders” (read that “white supremacists”) while serving as a state legislator in 2002.

The 48-year-old Scalise, who ascended to the House GOP’s third-ranking post earlier this year, confirmed through an adviser that he once appeared at a convention of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization.

That organization, founded by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, has been called a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

As JoeMyGod points out, it should surprise no one that Scalise was the lead author of Louisiana’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.