Washington (AFP) – The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed the 100th federal judge appointed by President Joe Biden, as he works to dilute the impact his predecessor Donald Trump had on the courts.

Under the US Constitution, presidents appoint Supreme Court justices and federal judges for life, with Congress’ upper chamber confirming or rejecting the nominee.

In theory, judges are politically impartial, but their previous legal decisions and the president who appointed them generally shed some light on their beliefs and leanings.

Gina Mendez-Miro, a 49-year-old lawyer, became the latest judge confirmed to the US Federal Court for the District of Puerto Rico, after a 54-45 vote Tuesday in the Senate.

Because Democrats have controlled the Senate throughout Biden’s presidency, he has been able to vet nominees like Mendez-Miro at an accelerated pace.

In an effort to increase diversity in the judiciary, Biden has put forth candidates with traditionally underrepresented backgrounds: three quarters have been women and only one-third have been white, according to the American Constitution Society.

He additionally nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court, marking the first time a Black woman was named to the bench.

Mendez-Miro will be the first openly LGBTQ judge to serve on her court, Biden said in a statement.

“I’m especially proud that the nominees I have put forward… represent the diversity that is one of our best assets as a nation,” the president said.

Biden celebrated the milestone of 100 confirmed judges as a “profound moment” that highlights his administration’s productivity. Two more of his picks for judge were confirmed by the Senate later in the day.

“We have made important progress in ensuring that the federal judiciary not only looks more like the nation as a whole, but also includes judges from professional backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented on the bench,” Biden said.

White men

The diversity push is a complete reversal from Trump’s four-year presidency: The Republican appointed more than 230 judges to the federal courts, three-quarters of whom were men and 85 percent of whom were white.

And his criteria differed from Biden: To please his base, Trump promised to choose judges who opposed abortion, supported carrying firearms and defended religious freedoms.

The 45th president left a lasting mark on the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, where he appointed three of its nine justices, steering the court clearly to the right.

In June the reshaped Supreme Court overturned the national right to an abortion, expanded gun rights and limited the government’s ability to fight global warming.

Determined to counter the US judiciary’s sudden tack to the right, Biden is moving quickly — with 50 more federal judge nominees awaiting confirmation.

To help assure their replacements are appointed while a Democrat is president, several liberal-leaning judges have either retired or “taken senior status” — a process by which their seat is vacated and they have the option to handle a lighter caseload.

‘Judicial shopping’

Although Biden rivals Trump’s pace, his appointments will not have the same overall impact. Trump was able to largely replace judges appointed by Democratic presidents, changing the political tilt of the courts.

Under Trump, three of the 13 influential federal courts of appeals were flipped to Republican-leaning majorities.

Biden is in the process of flipping only one such court.

Trump was able to achieve maximum impact with the help of then Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who laid the groundwork for the effort in the last two years of Barack Obama’s presidency.

After Republicans regained Senate control in 2014, McConnell blocked most judges appointed by the Democratic president, including a Supreme Court candidate.

So 100 federal judiciary judgeships remained open when Trump entered the White House.

Such political games have undermined the courts’ image of impartiality and reinforced “judicial shopping,” which refers to strategically filing a case in a specific court that a lawyer knows will be sympathetic to a given cause.

Abortion opponents, for example, recently filed a suit against abortion pills in Amarillo, Texas where the only federal judge, a Trump appointee, is known for ultra-conservative views.

Rebel Wilson is set to launch a dating app.

The 42-year-old actress – who is in a relationship with Ramona Agruma – is launching a new dating app named Fluid and Rebel has explained how it relates to her own love life.

The Hollywood star – who has a three-month-old baby called Royce, who was born via a surrogate – said: “This is the first dating app where you don’t have to actually define yourself or tick a box to say ‘I’m straight, I’m gay, I’m bisexual,’ and you don’t have to describe what you are looking for.”

Rebel is one of the app’s founders and she’s proud of its inclusive approach.

She told PEOPLE: “What’s really cool is, it’s open to everyone.

“You might just be interested in checking out a wider dating pool like I was. It covers a lot of the LGBTQIA spectrum, but I think even if you’re straight you could use the app and have an amazing time.”

Rebel actually wishes the app existed “five years ago”.

The actress added: “Something like this would have really helped me and maybe I would have stumbled upon a female’s profile and been like, ‘OK, maybe I do want to message them.’ I totally would have joined up for Fluid because you don’t have to label yourself in any way. You just see who you connect with.

“I know that, to me, it doesn’t matter about the gender, it just matters about the person.”

Rebel also believes that Fluid is quite distinct from the better-known dating apps.

She said: “I haven’t looked at every single one, but the big ones we looked at, you still had to categorise yourself, and I just think there was a real gap in the dating app market because I think the existing ones skew older maybe or don’t take into account this kind of movement of sexual fluidity.”

Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto has publicly come out as gay, one of very few male professional footballers to have made the announcement.

“I am homosexual and I no longer want to hide myself,” the Sparta Prague midfielder, on loan from Getafe, said on Twitter on Monday.

“I have a job which I have been doing as best as I can for years with seriousness, with professionalism and passion.

“Like everybody else, I also want to live my life in freedom without fears, without prejudice, without violence but with love.”

The 27-year-old follows Blackpool’s Jake Daniels, who last year became the first professional player in the British men’s game to say he was gay while still playing for over three decades.

Former Germany and Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger announced he was homosexual after his retirement.

Adelaide United player Josh Cavallo came out as gay last October.

Several top names in women’s football have long been in same-sex partnerships.

The football community praised Jankto on social media, with world players’ union FIFPRO writing: “Live your life, Jakub. Proud.”

UEFA wrote on Twitter: “Well done, Jakub. You’re a true inspiration and European football is with you.”

The risk of verbal abuse from fans at stadiums has often been cited as the reason players have not come out as homosexual in the past.

But Football Supporters Europe tweeted: Well said. We’ve got your back, Jakub.”

By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) – Portions of a Georgia special grand jury’s final report on Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election should be publicly released over the objection of prosecutors, a state judge ruled on Monday.

The panel’s findings, which have remained sealed since the existence of the report was disclosed in January, could potentially serve as the basis for criminal charges against Trump or his associates who attempted to reverse Democratic President Joe Biden’s statewide victory.

The decision on whether to file criminal charges ultimately lies with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. At a court hearing on Jan. 25, Willis told Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney that charging decisions were “imminent” and urged him to keep the grand jury report under wraps for now to ensure future defendants cannot cry foul.

Willis is expected to appeal the decision, which would likely delay any release of the report until the appeal is resolved.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Prince Harry could be “honoured” with a blue plaque at the field where he lost his virginity aged 17.

The royal, now 38, romped with Sasha Walpole when she was 19 on land now owned by Dean Ellwood and his partner Anna Pitt-Stanley in Norton, Wiltshire, south-west England, and the couple have joked they may set up a tribute on the grounds to mark the pair’s romp.

Dean, who lives with Anna at Splash Cottage next to the site where Harry had sex with Sasha, now 40, told The Sun on Sunday (12.02.23): “I suppose I could put a blue plaque up in the field, but I don’t think many people would be interested.”

Anna added: “Everyone in the village is talking about it but I don’t think we will be setting up a gift shop selling memorabilia.”

The field belonged to The Vine Tree Inn in 2001 when Harry lost his virginity there, and Dean said by the time he and Anna bought their cottage eight years ago the field’s ownership had transferred to their property.

Harry’s ex-lover Sasha has said she is baffled at his decision to lift the lid on their romp in his memoir ‘Spare’, which was released in January, before she came forward earlier this month to reveal she was the woman unnamed in the book to whom he lost his virginity.

The royal – who has children Archie, three, and 20-month-old Lilibet with his 41-year-old wife the Duchess of Sussex – said in the book he had lost his virginity to an older woman who treated him like a “stallion” and smacked his “rump” after a five-minute frolic in a field behind a pub.

Sasha has since told her side of the story in a series of interviews and said she remains baffled by Harry’s decision to go into so much detail about his love life.

During an appearance on ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ on TalkTV on 9 February, Sasha said: “If you want to live a private life and you want to get out of the limelight and leave the royal family, or whether to live your life as you want to live it, to then sell a book and go on Netflix is kind of going against what you’re saying you want.”

Digger driver Sasha previously admitted she never spoke to Harry again after their night together and told The Sun newspaper: “I don’t have any regrets about not texting him. I don’t think there was anything to be gained from that. Our lives have gone in different directions but I wish him all the best.”

Harry Styles has been ranked Lewis Capaldi’s “top” kisser after the pair shared a smooch at The BRIT Awards 2023.

The former One Direction singer, 29, won in each of the four categories in which he was nominated at the ceremony on Saturday (11.02.23) night in London’s O2 Arena – and beat Lewis to the Song of the Year gong.

He walked straight over to the Scottish singer after he won the Artist of the Year prize, with Lewis, 26, then grabbing Harry’s face and planted a kiss on his lips.

Lewis, who was nominated for his ‘Forget Me’ ballad in the Song of the Year category, told the Daily Star at the BRITs official Universal afterparty the moment was “amazing”.

He said: “Eh, it was alright… no, he was amazing, (it was) magical.”

The newspaper added Lewis also rated Harry “my top one” in his kissing rankings.

Harry opened this year’s BRITs with a performance of ‘As It was’ in a red matador-style jacket, while Lewis later performed ‘Forget Me’ after he was wrongly introduced by host Mo Gilligan, 34, as “Sam Capaldi” – in an apparent mix-up with Lewis’ and his fellow BRITs nominee Sam Smith’s names.

Lewis made light of the blunder on Saturday night by tweeting a photoshopped image of his head on singer Sam’s bizarre BRITs outfit, which he captioned: “Sam Capaldi. x.”

Sam, 30, stunned fans by turning up for the show in a huge balloon-style black latex costume that left guests and viewers wondering how he would be able to use the loo during the show.

Viewers hit out at BRITs host Mo for his “Sam Capaldi” mix-up saying it could have put Lewis off his song.

The stand-up later apologised, saying: “I do apologise I did call him Sam.”

He also jokingly blaming the drinks being served at the awards, adding: “They’re (the drinks are) not playing around.”

Harry told BRITs guests he was “aware of his privilege” as he picked up his Artist of the Year trophy, and dedicated the award to several female artists after the BRITs was slammed for the all-male nominees line-up in the category after it went gender neutral.

He also took home awards for Album of the Year for ‘Harry’s House’ and Pop/R+B Act.

Washington (AFP) – The downing of a huge Chinese balloon off the US coast, followed by the shootdowns of two smaller objects over Alaska and Canada — and another over Lake Huron on Sunday — has raised concerns about North American security and further strained relations with China.

Here is what we know so far:

What were the four objects?

The drama began in late January, when a giant Chinese balloon — dubbed a spy craft by US officials — drifted for days through US skies before being shot down February 4 by an F-22 jet off the South Carolina coast. China insisted the balloon was conducting weather research.

The Pentagon said it had a gondola the size of three buses and weighing more than a ton; that it was equipped with multiple antennas, and had solar panels large enough to power several intelligence-gathering sensors.

Then Friday, US fighter jets downed another object off northern Alaska, the military said, adding it was “within US sovereign airspace over US territorial water.” It lacked any system of propulsion or control, officials said.

On Saturday, a US F-22 jet, acting on US and Canadian orders, downed a “high-altitude airborne object” over Canada’s central Yukon territory, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the US border, saying it posed a threat to civilian flight. Canada described it as cylindrical and smaller than the initial balloon. Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand would not speculate on whether it originated in China.

On Sunday Biden ordered US warplanes to down an unidentified object over Lake Huron “out of an abundance of caution,” a senior administration official said. 

The object was described as an octagonal structure with strings hanging off it, and was not deemed to be a military threat to anything on the ground, but could have posed a hazard to civil aviation as it flew at about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) Michigan, the official said. 

US Senate majority leader Charles Schumer, who was briefed by the Biden administration following the  incident over the Yukon, said Sunday — before the Lake Huron incident — that the previous two objects were likely balloons, “but much smaller than the first one,” both flying at around 40,000 feet (12,200 meters).

Officials described the second and third objects as about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.

Only the first object so far has been attributed to Beijing.

What has been recovered?

Military teams working from planes, boats and minisubs are scouring the shallow waters off South Carolina for the first object, and military images showed the recovery of a large piece of balloon. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking custody of the debris for analysis.

Operations to recover the second object continue on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska. “Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow and limited daylight, are a factor,” the military said.

Recovery teams — backed by a Canadian CP-140 patrol aircraft — are searching for debris from the third object in the Yukon, Anand said Saturday. 

The Pentagon said the FBI is working closely with Canadian police.

No information was immediately available about recovery of the fourth object. 

US officials say images of the first balloon show it had surveillance equipment that could intercept telecommunications. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said it was intended “to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States.”

A former chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Michael Mullen, suggested China, or some in its military leadership, intentionally wanted to subvert an impending visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The United States has said the balloons were part of a “fleet” that has spanned five continents. Some analysts say it may be the start of a major Chinese surveillance effort targeting foreign military capabilities ahead of possible acute tensions over Taiwan in coming years. 

Why so many objects now?

Analysts said US and Canadian intelligence constantly receive huge amounts of raw data, and generally screened some out to focus on the threat of incoming missiles, not slow-moving objects like balloons.

“Now, of course, we’re looking for them. So I think we’re probably finding more stuff,” Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC.

Officials have said three balloons are now known to have briefly overflown US territory during Donald Trump’s administration — undetected at the time — and one earlier in Joe Biden’s term.

What’s the impact on US-China ties?

The United States scrapped Blinken’s visit, intended to stabilize severely strained relations, and has sanctioned six Chinese entities believed to support military spy balloon programs.

Beijing denounced the first balloon’s downing, saying it “seriously violated international practice.” It reserved the right “to use necessary means to deal with similar situations.”

There has been no Chinese reaction to the latest downings. 

Washington (AFP) – A US warplane shot down another flying object on Sunday, this time over Lake Huron on the US-Canadian border, the fourth in a dramatic series that began with the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon a week ago.

Jittery Americans have been watching the skies as the mysterious incursions unfolded against a backdrop of acute tensions with China — although only the first object has so far been attributed to Beijing.

President Joe Biden ordered a F-16 fighter to shoot down the latest object “out of abundance of caution,” a senior administration official said.

This new device — described as an octagonal structure with strings hanging off it — was not deemed to be a military threat to anything on the ground, but it could have posed a hazard to civil aviation as it flew at about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) over Michigan, the official said.

“We have no indication that it has surveillance capabilities but nor can we rule that out,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Reflecting the heightened state of alert, US authorities briefly closed the airspace over Lake Michigan Sunday, before the latest object was shot down further towards the Canadian border. 

The US aerospace command NORAD tracked the new object visually and with radar, and it was downed over the lake “to avoid impact to people on the ground while improving chances for debris recovery,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

A senior Republican on Sunday accused Beijing of “an act of belligerence” regarding the first object, a Chinese balloon shot down February 4 off the US East Coast after American officials said it was engaged in spying.

China has insisted it was a weather balloon blown off course. 

“It was done with provocation to gather intelligence data, and collect intelligence on our three major nuclear sites,” Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CBS.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, among senior lawmakers who received a government briefing, told ABC the second and third objects — one shot down over Canada’s Yukon territory on Saturday, and one downed over Alaska on Friday — both appeared to be balloons, but “much smaller than” the first large one.

Meanwhile Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was heading Sunday to the western Yukon territory, where the third unidentified object was shot down a day earlier.

There, a US F-22 jet, acting on orders from the prime minister and US President Joe Biden, downed a “high-altitude airborne object” about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the border. 

Canadian officials described it as small and cylindrical, roughly the size of a Volkswagen car.

Recovery teams backed by a Canadian CP-140 patrol aircraft were continuing their search Sunday for debris in the Yukon, officials said. 

US teams were struggling with Arctic conditions as they searched near Deadhorse, Alaska, where the second object was shot down Friday.

Operations were also continuing off the South Carolina coast, where the past week’s drama climaxed when the initial large balloon was shot down.

‘Real concerns’

Culminating a weekend with the military on alert, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said on Twitter that Sunday’s Lake Michigan closure was “to ensure the safety of air traffic in the area during NORAD operations. The temporary flight restriction has since been lifted.”

Republicans meanwhile have harshly criticized Biden for allowing the first balloon to drift for days across the country — potentially gathering sensitive intelligence — before having it shot down. 

Schumer on Sunday defended Biden’s handling, telling ABC an analysis of recovered debris would represent “a huge coup for the United States.”

But Biden has faced bipartisan calls for greater transparency.

“I have real concerns about why the administration is not being more forthcoming,” Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC.

Beyoncé thanked fans for always supporting her as she was named International Artist of the Year at The BRIT Awards 2023.

The 41-year-old singer beat Lizzo, Burna Boy, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, but wasn’t at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday (11.02.23) to pick up her trophy in person.

She said in a video message in which she clutched her award, which was announced by ‘Happy Valley’ actor Rhys Connah and Georgia May Jagger: “Thank you so much for this incredible recognition.

“I’d like to say thank you to all my fans out there for their continued support over the years… I’ll see y’all on tour. Thank you so much for this honour.”

Beyoncé is starting her ‘Renaissance’ tour in Stockholm on May 10, before landing in the UK with a performance in Cardiff on May 17, followed by a string of dates in Europe before she finishes in New Orleans on September 27.

The next winner of the night was singer Becky Hill, 28, who won best Dance Act for the second year in a row, beating Bonobo, Calvin Harris, Eliza Rose and Fred again.. in the category.

Last year saw her release a deluxe version of her album and headlined final of the women’s Euros and went on her first US tour.

She said in a teary winner’s speech as she held her gong – designed by London-Nigerian artist Slawn: “It’s heavy. Wow. I did try and plan something but it might go to s*** now. I wanna thank the BRITs for putting me on the shortlist of the Dance act for another year and it is such an honour to be nominated, especially alongside the amazing Eliza Rose and the incredible Rae, last year… oh God, I’m making a right pickle of this… who are an inspiration for women of colour in such an under-represented scene.

“I think Beyoncé actually said it best in her Grammy speech – we all have the queer community to thank for the best genre on Earth.”

Becky added about being hit by self-doubt when she was nominated for the prize: “My imposter syndrome kicked straight in when the nominations came out, and when I read all the comments I was so scared, and touched, so thank you so much.”

Wet Leg – who are nominated in four categories – then performed, and host Mo Gilligan, 34, told foodie and actor Stanley Tucci, 62, during a walk-around celebrity guests’ tables he would get him a magnum-sized bottle of booze later on in the night.

Dan Benson “doesn’t question” why his OnlyFans followers are “mostly gay men.”

The 35-year-old actor is best known for playing Zeke Beakerman on the Disney Channel sitcom ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ alongside Selena Gomez in the late 2000s and has been in a relationship with co-star Jennifer Stone since 2009 but now sells racy pictures on the adults-only subscription service and enjoys being able to lean into gay culture with his platform.

He said: “I try to make content that lots of different kinds of people could enjoy, but the reality is, the significant portion of my followers are gay men. I don’t know what it is about me, in particular, but I don’t question it. I’m comfortable with my sexuality. I have a ton of gay friends, I’ve been immersed in the culture for a long time, so [the attraction] never bothered me, the way it might other straight men in that way. I lean into it.”

Dan – who also made appearances on a number of other teen sitcoms such as ‘Zoey 101 and ‘Phil of the Future’ but has not acted on screen since starring in sci-fi movie ‘Killing Diaz’ in 2018 – went on to add that he has such a “profound respect” for the gay community and feels confident about the way in which his career is now going.

He told E! News: “I have such a profound respect and admiration for the gay community and I’m working really hard at being an advocate for gay rights, trans rights. Those are the kinds of things that make it so I feel really good about the direction I’m going. I want to take that momentum and direct it toward fighting for the causes and communities that need outspoken supporters.”

Lizzo says she and Adele got “so drunk” at the Grammys.

The singers, both 34, sipped on alcoholic drinks that Lizzo snuck into the ceremony in flasks and Adele admitted they had no idea what was going on throughout the show.

Speaking on ‘Elvis Duran and the Morning show’, Lizzo said: “We were like, ‘Did they do Best Artist?’

“We didn’t even know, and when it was time and they would call our names we would just be like, ‘Smile’.”

Lizzo revealed that the flash she brought for herself had tequila, while Adele’s had white wine but she helped Adele to finish hers.

She said: “I brought it for Adele, and then I drank hers.”

The pair sat next to each other at the ceremony and Lizzo revealed: “I had zero say in where I was sitting, but Adele had 100 per cent say in where she was sitting. So therefore Adele Facetimed me when I was in Grammy rehearsal a few days before. She was like ‘Oh my God! Oh my God, we’re sitting next to each other’.”

Lizzo also explains that she thinks she owes pal Harry Styles an apology for downplaying the incident during his performance where the stage malfunctioned.

She said: “[Harry told me] the turntable went the wrong way.” [I told him] nobody noticed, [then I told our friend Tom] Don’t tell him we all noticed.

“I would have been so scared if that was me.”

SZA will receive the Woman of the Year accolade at the Billboard Women in Music Awards.

The 33-year-old singer – who released her second album, ‘SOS ‘, in 2022 – will receive the gong at the awards show on March 1.

Hannah Karp, Billboard’s editorial director, said: “Since she burst onto the scene in 2017, SZA has defied genres and continually released raw, powerful songs which have landed her music on the Billboard charts.

“The release of her latest album, ‘SOS’, has solidified her as a distinct force in contemporary RnB, and catapulted her into superstardom. We can’t wait to honour her as Woman of the Year.”

SZA released her critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Ctrl’, back in 2017, while she’s also written for the likes of Nicki Minaj and Beyonce.

Elsewhere, Becky G will receive the Impact Award, while rapper Doechii is set to win the Rising Star Award.

Meanwhile, SZA previously claimed that ‘SOS’ showcased a “different” side to her personality.

Speaking ahead of her album release, she explained: “It’s my first album in five years, so I’m ready to be a different person and step into this new part of my life.

“Really exemplify who this character is and get to know myself better while everyone else gets to know me live at the same time.”

SZA – whose real name is Solana Rowe – also admitted that the album was a “little angry” in places.

She explained: “The sound is a little bit of literally everything.

“It’s a little angry as an overview, but some of it is really beautiful and soft and heartfelt. It’s about heartbreak, it’s about being lost, it’s about being p*****.”