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Published by BANG Showbiz English Lizzo felt “unlovable” when she met her boyfriend for the first time. The 34-year-old singer met Myke Wright in 2016 on the set of ‘Wonderland’, their MTV show, but Lizzo admits she didn’t feel ready for a relationship at the time. She shared: “I had a lot of s*** to do, and I still was very much in my ‘I feel unlovable’ place, and I still was very much not where I wanted to be career-wise. “Even if a person came around that I was googly gaga about, I had these wild defences up that made it almost impossible for a true intimate relationship to occur.” By contrast, Lizzo now admits that she’s “very much in love with Myke”. The award-winning star told ‘The Howard Stern Show’: “When the time was right, we came together, and we just recently were like, ‘Oh, we’re together. This is official’. We’re not playing any games with each other anymore. We’re very much locked in.” Lizzo is also convinced that she’ll spend the rest of her life with Myke. Asked whether they’ll be heading down the aisle together one day, she replied: “There’s nobody else I’m going to be with for the rest of my life.” In October, Lizzo admitted that Myke is “everything” to her. The ‘Truth Hurts’ hitmaker added: “I am not a polyamorous person, I’m not in love with multiple partners. That is not me. He’s the love of my life. We are life mates.” Despite this, Lizzo isn’t in a rush to get married. She explained: “If I wanted to start a business with him, I’d get married because that’s when your finances come together. I like weddings. I would like to have a wedding over a marriage.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. scientists on Tuesday revealed a breakthrough on fusion energy that could one day help curb climate change if companies can scale up the technology to a commercial level in the coming decades. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California on Dec. 5 for the first time briefly achieved a net energy gain in a fusion experiment using lasers, the U.S. Energy Department said. The scientists focused a laser on a target of fuel to fuse two light atoms into a denser one, releasing the energy. Kimberly Budil, the director of Lawrence Livermore, told reporters at an Energy Department event that science and technology hurdles mean commercialization is probably not five or six decades away, but sooner. “With concerted effort and investment, a few decades of research on the underlying technologies could put us in a position to build a power plant,” Budil said. Scientists have known for about a century that fusion powers the sun and have pursued developing fusion on Earth for decades. The experiment briefly achieved what’s known as fusion ignition by generating 3.15 megajoules of energy output after the laser delivered 2.05 megajoules to the target, the Energy Department said. Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Sciences and Technology Policy, who heard about fusion at Livermore when she worked there briefly in 1978 as a teenager, said the experiment represents a “tremendous example of what perseverance can achieve.” Nuclear scientists outside the lab said the achievement will be a major stepping stone, but there is much more science to be done before fusion becomes commercially viable. Tony Roulstone, a nuclear energy expert at the University of Cambridge, estimated that the energy output of the experiment was only 0.5% of the energy that was needed to fire the lasers in the first place. “Therefore, we can say that this result … is a success of the science – but still a long way from providing useful, abundant, clean energy,” Roulstone said. In order to become commercial, a power plant would have to produce enough energy to power the lasers and to achieve ignition continuously. “This is one igniting capsule (of fuel) one time,” Budil said about the experiment. To realize commercial fusion energy you have to … be able to produce many, many fusion ignition events per minute.” The electricity industry cautiously welcomed the step, though emphasized that in order to carry out the energy transition, fusion should not slow down efforts on building out other alternatives like solar and wind power, battery storage and nuclear fission. “It’s the first step that says ‘Yes, this is not just fantasy, this can be done, in theory,'” said Andrew Sowder, a senior technology executive at EPRI, a nonprofit energy research and development group. Debra Callahan, who worked at Lawrence Livermore until late this year and is now a senior scientist at Focused Energy, said the lab’s results will help companies figure out how to make lasers more efficient. “Everyone is excited about what’s been achieved and what’s in the future.” Focused Energy is one of dozens of companies working to commercialize fusion energy that have raised about $5 billion in private and government funding, with more than $2.8 billion coming in the 12 months before June of this year, according to the Fusion Industry Association. Several, including Commonwealth Fusion Systems, seek to use powerful magnets instead of lasers. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Barbra Streisand is pesteringRobert Redfordto team up for a The Way We Were sequel, but he wants nothing to do with it, RadarOnline.com has learned. At 80, the Funny Girl dreams of recreating the magic she and Redford, now 86, had in the 1973 classic romance about the doomed love of a mismatched couple. Mega But in the upcoming bombshell book The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen, author Robert Hofler details why Redford’s got zero interest in repeating that stressful gig. “He’s too much of a gentleman to say it to her face, but she drove him crazy when they were making the movie and she’s the last person he’d want as his leading lady, spilled a source. “He’s semi-retired, but she won’t stop bugging him and won’t take a hint. His standoffishness just seems to spur her on. “He wouldn’t have done the first movie if it hasn’t been for his friend, the director Sydney Pollack,” the insider added. Mega According to the source, Streisand tried to meddle in everything during the original shoot. “Barbra’s strongly opinionated, she complicates things,” said the well-placed insider. “She nags about the script and camera angles and everything else. “But Bob was the only leading man who wouldn’t be bullied by her larger-than-life personality. He’d ignore her and leave her completely in the dark as to what he was doing, and that impressed her. “That’s why she won’t let up now. But he wishes she won’t let up now. But he wishes she would because there’s no way in hell he’ll get on a movie set with her.” Mega Streisand and Redford reunited in 2015 when he was honored with the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Chaplin Award, marking 42 years since the Oscar-winning 1973 film. She praised her costar while presenting him with the award. “You never quite know what he’s really thinking, and that makes him fascinating to watch on screen,” Streisand said at the time. “Bob understands the power of restraint. You’re never going to get it all, and that’s the secret, I think. That’s the mystery. That’s what makes you want to keep looking at him.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper performed at the White House to celebrate President Joe Biden signing the Respect for Marriage Act. The 30-year-old non-binary pop star – who uses the pronouns they/them – and the music legend and LGBTQIA+ activist both performed on the South Lawn at the world leader’s residence in Washington D.C. on Tuesday (13.12.22), to welcome the federal law protecting the rights of same-sex and interracial couples. Sam took to the stage for a breathtaking performance of their ballad ‘Stay With Me’, while Cyndi performed her 80s’ classic ‘True Colors’. A song close to the community, the 1986 hit became the name of the singer’s fund dedicated to eradicating LGBTQIA+ youth homelessness. Cyndi told the crowd: “This time, love wins.” The 69-year-old star then gave an empowering speech, in which she thanked Biden and his colleagues for making it legal for Americans to “love who we love”. She said: “I came here because I wanted to say thank you to President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Vice President Harris and all the advocates in his team. “For once, our families, mine and a lot of my friends, people you know, sometimes your neighbours, we can rest easy tonight because our families are validated. “Because now we are allowed to love who we love, which sounds odd to say, but Americans can now love who we love. “Bless Joe Biden and all the people who worked on this for allowing people and their children not to worry about their future.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John thinks the metaverse is “perfect” for the next stage of his career. The 75-year-old singer has teamed up with Roblox for a 10-minute virtual live experience called ‘Elton John Presents: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ and he’s delighted to have found a new way to connect with fans as he looks ahead to the end of his touring life, which will conclude in September 2023 following the final leg of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour. He said: “Throughout my career, I’ve always been interested in finding new ways to connect with my fans worldwide. As I finish touring, Roblox and the metaverse are perfect for this next stage of my life; it’s a new, innovative way for me to express my love of music, fashion, and the limitless creativity that comes from both. “The beauty of Roblox, to me, is that there are no limitations. It offers people all over the world the opportunity to be themselves wholly and connect with people in a way they never have before. It’s a new world that allows fans and creators to be themselves completely. “You can be as flashy or down-to-earth as you want to be. It’s very much like how I have chosen to live my life and express myself on stage and through my music. “There is so much art and creativity from the moment you log in that it’s a constant source of inspiration for people, no matter who you are, what you love, and your passions. I am excited to see what the creators come up with; it will undoubtedly inspire me too! Elton was introduced to the platform by his and husband David Furnish’s young sons, Zachary, 11, and Elijah, nine, and he’s very excited about what he can do with it. He told Hype Beast: “I was first introduced to the platform through my two sons and thought it was incredibly inspiring; I had never seen anything like it! “The creators we’ve worked with on ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ are so talented and have made some of the most incredible looks; it’s so exciting to have the opportunity to relive some of the most incredible moments of my life with my family in a new and exciting way.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The new ‘Harry and Meghan’ teaser claims Buckingham Palace used Meghan Markle as a “scapegoat” in the press. The second volume of Netflix’s explosive ‘documentary drops on Thursday (15.12.22) and the latest teaser sees Meghan insisted the Palace planted stories about her to distract from other royals. In the new clip shared on Twitter, Jenny Afia – a partner at London’s Schillings Law Firm – says: “There was a real kind of war against Meghan, and I’ve certainly seen evidence that there was negative briefing from the Palace against Harry and Meghan to suit other peoples’ agendas.” Friend Lucy Fraser adds: “Meg became this scapegoat for the Palace, and so they would feed stories on her, whether they were true or not, to avoid other less favourable stories being printed.” The 41-year-old former actress herself insists you could “see it play out” whenever “someone in the family” made the news in a negative way. She says: “You would just see it play out. A story about someone in the family would pop up for a minute, and they’d go, ‘We gotta make that go away’. “But there’s real estate on a website homepage, there is real estate there on a newspaper front cover and something has be filled in there about someone royal.” Afia comments that the amount of coverage about the “breakdown of the relationship with her father” Thomas Markle Sr. was the last straw. She says: “This barrage of negative articles about the breakdown of the relationship with her father was the final straw in a campaign of negative, nasty coverage about her.” In another trailer released earlier this week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared to accuse the Palace of being willing to “lie to protect” his “brother” Prince William. In the teaser dropped on Monday (12.12.22), Harry said: “They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.” In the trailer, Meghan – who previously was known as Meghan Markle before she gave up acting and married Harry – claims she was “being fed to the wolves” as Harry speaks about “institutional gaslighting” as footage is shown of newspaper presses rolling. Speaking into the camera, Meghan says: “I wasn’t being thrown to the wolves. I was being fed to the wolves.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA DJ Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss who worked alongside Ellen on her long-running talk show has died at the age of 40 after he took his own life, RadarOnline.com has learned. Law enforcement sources revealed that his wife Allison Holker rushed to an LAPD station on Tuesday after Stephen had left their residence without his vehicle. She told officers this was not like her husband. Later in the day, the police were called for a shooting at a hotel in Los Angeles. Once they arrived to the scene, they found Stephen dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Allison told People, “Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans. She added, “To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt,” she continued. “I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children.” Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.” Earlier in the week, Stephen and Allison appeared to be all smiles in a TikTok they posted. Allison captioned the video of them dancing in front of their Christmas tree, “HOLIDAY SUNDAY FUNDAY DANCE !!! With my lover.” Celebrities have been quick to send Allison love on social media. Tamar Braxton wrote, “Sisssssssster my heart is broken. I’m sooooo sorry.” RHOBH star Kyle Richards said, “Heartbreaking. I am so sorry for your loss. Sending love and light to your beautiful family.” Real Housewives of Miami star Larsa Pippen commented, “Praying for your family.” Another friend told Allison, “Heart-shattering!!!! Allison my heart is with you!!!!!” Earlier this week, Stephen posted a sweet message to Allison celebrating their 9th anniversary together. He shared a photo of their wedding writing, “Happy anniversary my love.” View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States plans to commit $55 billion to Africa over the next three years, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday. The money will go to “a wide range of sectors to tackle the core challenges of our time,” and is being distributed in close partnership with Congress, Sullivan said. Much of the funds appear to come from previously announced programs and budgets. Here is what the White House has said so far about where the $55 billion will go: HEALTH The Biden-Harris administration has invested and committed to provide nearly $20 billion in health programs in the Africa region, the White House said on Tuesday. That includes $11.5 billion to address HIV/AIDS; more than $2 billion to combat malaria; more than $2 billion in support of family planning and reproductive health as well as maternal and child health; and more than $2 billion to address the health, humanitarian, and economic impacts of COVID-19. The administration also plans to ask Congress for $4 billion for healthcare workers in Africa, investing $1.33 billion annually from 2022 to 2024. CLIMATE CHANGE Since January 2021, the administration has invested and plans to provide at least $1.1 billion to support African-led efforts in conservation, climate adaptation, and energy transitions. These funds include U.S. International Development Finance Corporation investments into Malawi’s Golomoti JCM Solar Corporation, and a Climate Action Infrastructure Facility. NEW TRADE AND INVESTMENT U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted $15 billion in trade and investment partnerships and deals at the summit on Wednesday, the White House said. They include a $500 million memo of understanding between U.S. and African Export-Import banks to support diaspora engagement and a new “Clean Tech Energy Network” that supports $350 million in deals. WOMEN’S PARTNERSHIPS Vice President Kamala Harris made new commitments to advance women’s economic participation in Africa, the White House said. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation announced $358 million of new investments for women’s initiatives and the State Department will launch a program for green jobs for women with an initial $1 million investment. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Heather Timmons and Matthew Lewis) View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday said they have charged eight individuals in a securities fraud scheme, alleging they reaped about $114 million from by using Twitter and Discord to manipulate stocks. The eight men allegedly purported to be successful traders on the social media platforms and then engaged in a so-called “pump and dump” scheme by hyping particular stocks to their followers with the intent to dump them once prices had risen, according to prosecutors in the Southern District of Texas. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said it has filed related civil charges against the defendants in the scheme, claiming that seven of the defendants used Twitter and Discord to boost stocks. It said the eighth was charged with aiding and abetting the scheme with his podcast. “Securities fraud victimizes innocent investors and undermines the integrity of our public markets,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. The individuals charged were Texas residents Edward Constantinescu, Perry Matlock, John Rybarczyk and Dan Knight, along with California residents Gary Deel and Tom Cooperman, Stefan Hrvatin of Miami and Mitchell Hennessey of Hoboken, New Jersey. Matlock pleaded not guilty following his arrest on Tuesday, according to a court filing. His attorney did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Rybarczyk and Deel did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The others could not immediately be reached. (Reporting by Chris Prentice and Nate Raymond; Editing by Mark Porter and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Twitter Inc suspended a bot account tracking its owner Elon Musk’s private jet, the account’s operator Jack Sweeney said in a tweet on Wednesday. The Twitter account tracked movements of Musk’s private jet using data available in the public domain. Later in the day, Sweeney’s Twitter account was also suspended. Musk said in a tweet in November that his commitment to free speech “extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk”. Sweeney, a 20-year-old student at the University of Central Florida, who also operates similar bot accounts tracking Musk’s jet on Facebook, Instagram and Telegram, tweeted on Saturday that Ella Irwin, Twitter’s vice president of trust and safety, requested that the account be filtered and less visible to users. Twitter and Sweeney did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. In previous media interviews, Sweeney said he turned down a $5,000 offer from Musk in 2021 to shut down the bot account. Separately, Twitter accounts tracking the jets of billionaire tech entrepreneurs Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates have also been suspended. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Eva Mathews; Editing by Maju Samuel and Shounak Dasgupta) View the full article

Published by Miami Herald MIAMI — Ghislaine Maxwell calls a Tallahassee federal prison home, but the convicted sex trafficker’s secrets are still being closely guarded. A federal court in New York on Monday night unsealed the latest batch of documents from her 2015 defamation lawsuit brought by victim Virginia Giuffre. Like many of the most recent releases of unsealed documents from the suit — the last came out in May — the latest round of documents are short on new revelations, and still contain page-after-page of black ink, blotting out key names and entire conversations, keeping the secrets of Maxwell and her ex-boy… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine @madonna/Instagram Madonna teased fans with a nearly nude photoshoot on Tuesday, December 13. “Express yourself, don’t repress yourself,” the Queen of Pop wrote alongside a series of provocative pictures on her Instagram Story. @madonna/Instagram The first seductive snap featured curve-hugging high waisted booty shorts and Madonna’s basically exposed breasts. MADONNA FACES FAN BACKLASH AFTER APPEARING UNRECOGNIZABLE IN STRANGE NEW VIDEO The 64-year-old remained topless as she used two very small emojis to just barely cover her nipples. She appeared to be feeling herself as she softly smirked at the camera and held her hands above her head to give fans a full view of her stripped down body. @madonna/Instagram Madonna’s nude frenzy didn’t stop there, however, as she followed up her topless photo with a lingerie selfie and an image of herself sprawled across a bed naked, showing off her entire bare behind. MADONNA DITCHES PANTS, ROCKS FISHNET STOCKINGS & BUSTIER BODYSUIT AT MIAMI ART BASEL EXHIBIT HONORING HER ‘SEX’ BOOK Fans have had more than enough of the “Material Girl” singer’s bizarre “attention-seeking” behavior, as they let the mother-of-six feel their wrath in the comments section of her most recent Instagram post. MEGA “For god sake get a grip. Why are you destroying your legacy. I’ve been on this journey with you and supported you since 1983, but I’m now at the point where as a fan I just don’t get you anymore. Stop trying to be young. REALITY check no teenagers know who you are. Embrace your amazing legacy and fans as we are still here,” one longtime admirer roared in disapproval. Another user chimed in with hopeful prayer, stating, “You need to seek and find Jesus, Fame and Money no matter how much or little of it you have, it does not bring Peace or Joy. Only Jesus does. I’ve been a fan since the ’80s and your recent behavior is not only concerning its ruined you legacy and legend. Im saying this not to put you down but out of genuine concern. Hope you find peace and come to terms with growing old. We all have to let go of some of the things we enjoyed in our younger years. .” @madonna/Instagram Although a majority of users continue to beg Madonna to quit flaunting her body every chance she gets, other supporters believe the pop icon should be able to proceed as she pleases. “I think it’s very funny that you say you are fans [but are] criticizing her. She was part of my whole life. We both lost our youth. Only people who lost their beauty, their youth know how much it hurts. I believe it’s just worry, but had she accepted her wrinkles and worn these clothes and necklaces you would have judged her anyways. So please mind your own business,” a fan wrote as they jumped to the “Hung Up” singer’s defense. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Back at it! Britney Spears let it all hang out when she took to Instagram on Tuesday, December 13, to share a video of herself dancing topless in the shower. In the now-deleted video clip, the 41-year-old wore nothing but a pair of red bikini bottoms as she danced around to LL Cool J‘s “Doin’ It.” “41 and finally expressing my freedom has never felt better!!! Learning to love myself has become my passion this year… I’d rather be in my skin than wear my skin!!!” the “Toxic” songstress captioned the post. Some of Spears’ fans were concerned for her well-being, with one writing, “With videos like this watch out the conservatorship may make a come back.” On the other hand, another fan defended the pop star. “Understand that this woman was under control for over a decade. She finally has control over what she posts. If you don’t like what she posts, unfollow. That’s it,” they wrote. mega As OK! previously reported, the blonde babe’s quirky behavior has been making headlines. First, she gushed about her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, despite publicly feuding earlier this year. “It’s my b-day but you’re my heart so I’m thinking about you … congratulations on being so brave, inspiring, and showing guts and glory in your show !!! You ain’t alone … if anybody knows what that feels like … I get it My baby sister !!! I love you !!!” she captioned a photo of Jamie Lynn, 31, playing a guitar and sitting down near a counter top via Instagram. While some believed Spears’ Instagram account had been hacked, her husband, Sam Asghari, made it clear that she’s doing just fine. “Social media can be traumatizing. Sometimes it’s good to take a break,” the handsome hunk said. “She has her voice and is a free woman. I have respect for her privacy and I protect it at all times.” FANS BEG FOR BRITNEY SPEARS TO RECEIVE A ‘WELFARE CHECK’ AFTER ELLEN DEGENERES REMINISCES ON POP STAR’S EARLY DAYS mega “I’ve always respected and supported her privacy with everything I’ve had,” he added. “I ask of you supportive and protective fans to do the same.” Daily Mail reported on the photos of Spears. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Rebel Wilson admits kissing Charlotte Gainsbourg on screen “opened her heart up” to the idea of dating women. The actress – who stars opposite Gainsbourg in ‘The Almond and the Seahorse’ – has reflected on how she reassessed her own sexuality after they locked lips in the new movie, which came shortly before she met her now-fiancee Ramona Agruma. She told The Hollywood Reporter: “I had kind of had a situation with a woman before, not a sexual relationship and we hadn’t kissed or anything. “But then the kiss with Charlotte came up. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal or anything. “Then, weirdly through kissing her in my professional life I thought, well, maybe I should do that for real in my personal life and see how it goes, which I did.” The shoot took place in 2021 before meeting Ramona by the end of the year, and Rebel credits the movie – and her subsequent “experience” – with becoming more open. She added: “If I hadn’t had the experience with Charlotte or the experience with the other woman, I don’t know if I would have ever met Ramona. “Having those experiences opened my heart up to it as a possibility. I’m grateful for those two experiences. It changed my love life completely. It’s such an awesome thing.” The 42-year-old star revealed she knows other actresses who have had similar experiences. She explained: “I have another actress friend who had to kiss a woman in a show and then she became a lesbian for a bit. [Laughs] And another actress I know here in America, the same thing happened. “There’s a couple that I know of actually. It’s something I hadn’t thought of before because I had only dated men. I’ve watched shows about lesbians, like ‘The L Word’, but it just never occurred to me. “I just thought I liked those shows. But kissing Charlotte was a big thing for me. I was so nervous that day because she’s so cool and I was really stressed. “But it was great. Yeah, I don’t think I would have been open to Ramona without those experiences, and she’s just an amazing partner.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, Yoel Roth, was forced to flee his California home this week after Elon Musk leaked the ex-employee’s PhD thesis to the public, RadarOnline.com has learned. The shocking development comes just weeks after Musk officially took over Twitter in October, and Roth marked Musk’s latest target after the billionaire Tesla and SpaceX founder previously targeted Dr. Anthony Fauci. Mega According to Daily Mail, Roth, 34, and his 44-year-old partner, Nicholas Madsen, were forced to leave their $1.1 million San Francisco Bay Area home over safety fears after Roth began receiving an influx of threats. The threats reportedly came after Musk posted part of Roth’s 2016 University of Pennsylvania PhD thesis to Twitter in which the former Twitter censor advocated for letting underage LGBTQ+ members use dating apps. “Looks like Yoel is arguing in favor of children being able to access adult Internet services in his PhD thesis,” Musk wrote on Saturday alongside a snippet of Roth’s thesis. Although Musk implied Roth advocated for child sexualization, the 34-year-old’s 2016 thesis seemingly advocated for age-appropriate versions of apps like Grindr to help underage LGBTQ+ members find support in their communities. Mega As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Roth was one of the few Twitter executives to temporarily remain at the company after Musk officially took over on October 27. Although Roth ultimately departed his role at Twitter shortly after Musk’s $44 billion acquisition, both Roth and Musk spoke highly of one another at the time. “I want to be clear that I support Yoel,” Musk tweeted in late October. “My sense is that he has high integrity, and we are all entitled to our political beliefs.” “I think one of things that is tricky about Elon, in particular, is that people really want him to be the villain of the story, and they want him to be unequivocally wrong and bad, and everything he says is duplicitous,” Roth said in his own post after his departure in November. “I have to say that wasn’t my experience with him.” Mega Musk’s recent attack against Roth also came shortly before the 51-year-old Twitter CEO disbanded the platform’s Trust and Safety Council – a council Roth once oversaw – on Monday night. According to an email leaked by members of the recently dissolved council, Musk disbanded the board because Twitter is “reevaluating how best to bring external insights” and the council is “not the best structure to do this.” “Our work to make Twitter a safe, informative place will be moving faster and more aggressively than ever before and we will continue to welcome your ideas going forward about how to achieve this goal,” the email added. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Candace Owens said that she “definitely” discriminates against certain people and suggested “society would be safer” if more people did the same. On Monday, the right-wing commentator began her podcast defending her right to discriminate against transgender and nonbinary people. “I discriminate! I feel like I want to get that off my chest,” the Daily Wire host said at the start of episode 58 of the Candace Owens Podcast. “I’m already feeling lighter,” she added after her initial statement. Owens went on to blame the left for turning terms such as “discrimination” into a “dirty word” — which is… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP US President President Joe Biden smiles during a signing ceremony for the Respect for Marriage Act, in a major victory for same-sex couples in the United States Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a bill granting federal protections to same-sex marriage, with a large crowd of guests gathered at the White House to celebrate the legislative milestone. Biden — who as vice president took a public stand in favor of same-sex unions well before they became legal throughout the United States in a 2015 Supreme Court decision — touted the landmark law as a rights victory. “America takes a vital step toward equality, for liberty and justice, not just for some, but for everyone,” he said during the signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon. “Love is love. Right is right. Justice is justice,” he said. After the US Supreme Court — now significantly more conservative — overturned longstanding abortion rights last June, lawmakers from the left and right came together to prevent any subsequent move to curb same-sex marriage rights. The legislation’s final adoption by Congress last week marked a rare show of bipartisanship in deeply divided Washington. In celebration, Biden gathered with a group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the White House grounds, along with advocates and plaintiffs in marriage equality cases across the country, as Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” roared from the speakers. Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay US senator, said she was “overcome with joy” at the signing of the law, which she helped draft in Congress. “Today, we are making history and making a difference for millions of Americans,” she said in a statement. Growing support The legislation, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday, “will give peace of mind to millions of LGBTQI+ and interracial couples who will finally be guaranteed the rights and protections to which they and their children are entitled.” Jean-Pierre herself made history as the first openly gay White House press secretary. Hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing the unions throughout the United States. Public acceptance has grown dramatically in recent decades, with polls now showing a strong majority of Americans supporting same-sex marriage. Some conservatives and the religious right remain opposed. The new Respect for Marriage Act does not mandate states to legalize same-sex marriage but does require them to recognize a marriage so long as it was valid in the state where it was performed. It repeals previous legislation defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and also protects interracial couples by requiring states to recognize legal marriages without regard to “sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.” In the House of Representatives, 39 Republicans joined a united Democratic majority in supporting the bill, while 169 Republicans voted against. It was previously adopted in the evenly split Senate by 61 votes to 36. True colors Jean-Pierre said Monday that Biden believes “there is much more work to be done to protect LGBTQI+ individuals across the country.” She recalled that the 80-year-old Democrat was among the first American political leaders to publicly support same-sex unions at the highest levels of government. Back in 2012, Biden caused a stir by candidly declaring his support for same-sex unions — when Barack Obama’s White House was still looking for the best way to make the president’s position official as he sought reelection to a second term. Following his own presidential election in 2020, Biden tapped Pete Buttigieg to become his transport secretary — the first openly gay person to be confirmed by the Senate to a cabinet post. Beyond marriage, the Biden administration has taken a strong stance in support of LGBTQ rights — notably towards the transgender community whose push for greater rights has become a US political flashpoint. The administration has introduced gender-neutral passports — allowing people who identify neither as male nor female to select the gender “X” — and it lifted a ban on transgender people serving in the military, introduced under Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump. Pop icon and LGBTQ rights advocate Cyndi Lauper, who sang at Tuesday’s White House ceremony, said she was pleased that the concerns of so many American families have been eased with the new law. “We can rest easy tonight because our families are validated and because now we’re allowed to love who we love,” she said. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law on Tuesday at a jubilant celebration that featured U.S. singer Cyndi Lauper performing “True Colors” in front of thousands of supporters on the White House lawn. The new law provides federal recognition to same-sex marriages, a measure born out of concern that the Supreme Court could reverse its legal support of such relationships. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Biden signed the bill. “Marriage is a simple proposition. Who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that. The law recognizes that everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves,” Biden said. “Today’s a good day.” The event featured performances by pop icons Lauper and British singer Sam Smith. “Well, this time, love wins,” Lauper said before starting to sing. Made famous by her 1983 song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Lauper, 69, said the act offered peace of mind to families like hers and Americans nationwide. “We can rest easy tonight because our families are validated and because now we’re allowed to love who we love, which sounds odd to say, but Americans can now love who we love,” Lauper, an activist on LGBT issues who has been married to actor David Thornton since 1991, told reporters at a briefing prior to the performance. Addressing the crowd before the signing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the bill promoted equality. “Everyone deserves to bask in the magical blessing of building a union with the person you love,” she said. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose daughter and her wife are expecting a child, called it “a day of jubilation.” (Reporting by Steve Holland, Andrea Shalal, Katharine Jackson; Editing by Howard Goller and Josie Kao) View the full article

Published by The Philadelphia Inquirer This year was a big one for name-brand pop stars, and out-of-the-blue success stories — some of which made songs from the not-so-recent past ever present in the here and now. The best-of song list below contains its fair share of superstars like Harry Styles and Kendrick Lamar along with personal favorites, Philly standouts and 2022 discoveries of mine, some of which will hopefully also be new to you, dear reader and listener. The tracks are numbered, but not ranked. The 28 songs are sequenced as a playlist below. Feel free to hit shuffle though, I won’t be offended. 1. Steve Lacy, “Bad Habit”… Read More View the full article

Published by uInterview.com Grant Wahl, the journalist who died while covering the World Cup on Saturday, had an aortic aneurysm, his family revealed. He collapsed in his seat at Lusail Stadium during the match between Argentina and the Netherlands and emergency service workers took him out on a stretcher. His death resulted from a rupture in a blood vessel leading to the heart, according to an autopsy of Wahl, who was 49 at the time of death. IN MEMORIAM 2022: 100 GREAT CELEBRITIES WHO DIED THIS YEAR! Wahl’s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, publicly confirmed his cause of death amid speculation that it was due to vaccine compl… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet The hate crime mass shooting during a drag show at Club Q, a Colorado Springs nightclub that catered to LGBTQ people and their friends and families, left five people dead, 25 people injured, and a suspect with 305 criminal charges. Club Q co-owner Matthew Haynes testified before Congress Wednesday, telling lawmakers that LGBTQ people are being “slaughtered and dehumanized,” as he read a few excerpts from what he says are the “hundreds” of messages of hate he received in the wake of the attack. On December 1, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security published its latest terrorism threat report, and … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Janet Jackson has announced her first tour in four years. Her ‘Together Again’ gigs will mark her 50 years in entertainment and the singer, 56, told fans she could not “wait” to see them again when she announced it on Instagram on Monday. (12.22.22) Revealing she was going back on the road in April 2023 in North America, as well as cities including New York, Atlanta, Austin and Seattle, she said in a video: “You guys, I miss you so much, I am so excited to see you. You guys have no idea, I’ve missed you so much, so much, and I can’t wait to be with you. I’m so excited.” ‘Together Again’ will also marks the 25th anniversary of her ‘Velvet Rope’ album and 30 years since the release of her 1993 record ‘Janet’. Ludacris, 45, will also join the tour as a special guest. Janet’s last album was ‘Unbreakable’ released in 2015, and she last toured from September to November of 2019 for the ‘Janet Jackson: A Special 30th Anniversary Celebration of Rhythm Nation’ shows. Janet, who has had 10 US number one hits, and estimated global record sales of 100 million, will start her new tour on April 14 in Hollywood at the Hard Rock Live Arena and end on June 20 at Portland, Oregon’s Moda Center. She has recently been focusing on family after having a son in 2017 with husband Wissam Al Mana. Tickets for her upcoming tour go on sale from Friday December 16 at 11am local time on LiveNation.com. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nate Raymond (Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Monday allowed New York to restrict the carrying of firearms on private property under a new law adopted in wake of a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun rights. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put on hold a judge’s order from last month that barred officials from enforcing part of the new law making it a felony to carry a gun on private property without the property owner’s express consent. It marked the latest instance of the New York-based federal appeals court staying a ruling that had blocked large parts of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, passed this year by the Democratic-led state legislature. The law was enacted after the Supreme Court in June struck down the state’s strict gun permitting regime and declared for the first time that the U.S. Constitution protects a person’s right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense. The new law made obtaining a firearms license more difficult as of Sept. 1 and barred firearms from a long list of “sensitive” public and private places. Two firearms owners and two gun rights groups including Firearms Policy Coalition sued to challenge a provision that made it a felony for a licensed gun owner to possess a firearm on any private property unless the property owner allowed it with a sign or by giving express consent. U.S. District Judge John Sinatra, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump in Buffalo, in a Nov. 22 decision concluded that provision violated the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms.” Sinatra said the provision was unconstitutional under the Supreme Court’s gun rights precedents and would “interfere with the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens who seek to carry for self-defense outside of their own homes.” (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by David Gregorio) View the full article

Published by WINgg Valorant developers have just confirmed a popular ship between two popular agents, Raze and Killjoy. There have been some hints in Valorant lore as of late that Raze and Killjoy are romantically involved. But it was never explicitly stated nor confirmed. That all changed on December 11, however. Raze and Killjoy are both very outspoken and sarcastic agents on the roster and a lot of interactions between the two have been very fiery. Killjoy can be heard telling her partner that she’s good at “driving people crazy” in one interaction, showing their spicy dynamic. Another voice line has Raze ask… Read More View the full article