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Published by BANG Showbiz English Cara Delevingne thinks men lack the “right tools” to satisfy women sexually. The supermodel, 30, makes the claim in her new documentary ‘Planet Sex’, which sees her travel the globe to explore gender, sexuality and bedroom fantasies. Cara says on the show while exploring female orgasms, and the lack of them during heterosexual intercourse: “I do feel that generally, men are not equipped with the right tool to be able to handle women, especially sexually. “I don’t wanna go into the art of making a woman c** but it’s a lot more complicated and a lot more fun. “I get it, it’s a lot more complicated for a woman to have to tell you, ‘You’re not doing it right, you have to sit down and listen to what I say’. “Yeah, it’s an ego killer that most men can’t handle.” Cara – who identifies as queer and gender fluid – is also seen taking part in a 10-minute solo sex act in Germany while her blood is taken for a scientific experiment that measured the levels of endocannabinoids in her system before and after orgasm. Cara tells viewers: “I’m here to have an orgasm and donate it to science. “I think female sexual desire has definitely been repressed. I know from my own love life just how sexual women can be so you’d think in the 21st Century men and women should be having equally satisfying sex lives, right? “Well, prepare for a shock. When it comes to the orgasm there is a definite gender gap. “Scientists say that 95 per cent of straight men orgasm during intercourse but only 65 per cent of straight women do. “To be honest I think that sounds way too high, most of my straight female friends say it’s probably more like 15 or 20 per cent. “Lesbians and queer women definitely seem to have it better.” ‘Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne’ was shown on BBC3 at 10pm on Thursday (01.12.22) and is available on BBC iPlayer. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Billy Porter was a vision in white as he was honored with a plaque on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, which also commemorated World AIDS Day. Addressing the crowd assembled steps from Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre, the Emmy, Grammy and two-time Tony Award winner spoke of the “gratitude” he has — not only for the special honor but for all he’s endured throughout his life. “I’m just so blessed and so grateful to be here,” Porter, 53, said, fighting back tears. “James Baldwin said ‘it’s an artist’s job to disturb the peace,’ and as you all know, I take my job very seriously,” he quipped. … Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet For the second time this week, Fox News host “Judge” Jeanine Pirro defended hate speech. The first instance occurred on Tuesday night’s edition of The Five, when Pirro declared that antisemitic remarks made by disgraced rapper Kanye West and Holocaust-denying white supremacist Nick Fuentes were “repugnant by another standard.” Pirro’s reasoning was that free speech is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. While that is true, the First Amendment does not shield a person from the consequences of what they say – a lesson that West has learned the hard way. Neverthele… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The wedding websites that Colorado-based web designer Lorie Smith would like to create for clients might offer ceremony details, pictures, a story about the couple and a biblical quote celebrating how through marriage they “become one flesh.” They would not, however, show same-sex nuptials. Smith, an evangelical Christian who believes marriage is only between a man and a woman, has taken her fight to refuse to make wedding websites for same-sex couples and to advertise that policy to the U.S. Supreme Court in a major case to be argued on Monday. Smith is appealing lower court rulings backing Colorado. The stakes are high, pitting the right of LGBT people to seek goods and services from businesses without discrimination against the right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, as asserted by Smith. Smith, 38, is married with one child and lives in the Denver suburb of Littleton. She argues that Colorado anti-discrimination law violates free speech rights by forcing artists – including web designers – to express messages through their work that they oppose. “Colorado is compelling and censoring my speech and forcing me to design and create custom artwork that celebrates messages that go against my deeply held beliefs,” Smith said in an interview. “My faith is at the core of who I am.” Public accommodations laws exist in many states, banning discrimination in areas such as housing, hotels, retail businesses, restaurants and educational institutions. Colorado first enacted one in 1885. Its current Anti-Discrimination Act bars businesses open to the public from denying goods or services to people because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and certain other characteristics, and from displaying a notice to that effect. Colorado, civil rights groups and numerous legal scholars warn of a ripple effect of discrimination against LGBT people and others if Smith wins, offering a variety of hypothetical situations. Could a commercial photographer refuse to take pictures of a corporation’s female chief executive? Could a baker refuse to make a birthday cake for a Black child? Could an architect refuse to design homes for Jewish or Muslim people? “It’s going to be very difficult for them (Supreme Court justices) to draw lines in any way that is coherent or analytically sound – particularly for lower courts to apply – that won’t just be a get-out-of-jail free card because, ‘I don’t want to serve you or employ you,'” said Amanda Shanor, an expert in constitutional law and free speech at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. The Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, has become increasingly supportive of religious rights and related free speech claims in recent years even as it has backed LGBT rights in other cases. The court legalized gay marriage nationwide in a landmark 2015 decision. ‘LOVE EVERYONE’ Smith and her lawyers maintain that she is not discriminating against anyone. She would, for example, happily serve an LGBT customer who wants graphics for an issue she supports like an animal shelter. She objects, however, to messages that contradict her Christian beliefs. “My faith has taught me to love everyone, and that’s why I work with everyone through my business. But that also means I can’t create every message,” Smith said. Smith is represented by attorneys from the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative religious rights group. The Supreme Court did not take up one aspect of her challenge to Colorado law based on religious rights also protected by the First Amendment. Alliance Defending Freedom previously represented Denver-area bakery owner Jack Phillips, who ran afoul of Colorado anti-discrimination law when he refused based on his Christian beliefs to make a wedding cake for two men. His legal battle with Colorado also reached the Supreme Court, which ruled narrowly in his favor in 2018. That decision determined that Colorado officials violated his religious rights but stopping short of carving out a free speech exemption to anti-discrimination laws. Smith preemptively sued Colorado’s civil rights commission and other state officials in 2016 because she feared she would be punished for refusing to serve gay weddings. Colorado has argued that its Anti-Discrimination Act regulates sales, not speech, to ensure “equal access and equal dignity.” Smith thus is free to sell whatever she wants, including websites with biblical passages stating an opposite-sex vision of marriage. The state warned against endorsing Smith’s view of free speech protections. “It would encompass not only a business’s objections to serving certain customers motivated by sincerely held religious beliefs, but also objections motivated by ignorance, whim, bigotry, caprice and more – including pure expressions of racial, sexist or anti-religious hatred,” the state wrote in the brief to the Supreme Court. “All the Act requires is that the company sell its website-design services to the public regardless of the customer’s sexual orientation, religion or other protected characteristic. If a customer wanted a different website, one that the company did not offer, the company need not provide it,” Colorado added. The case raises tough questions for the court including who can be considered an artist entitled to an exception. President Joe Biden’s administration, supporting Colorado in the case, said Smith’s bid for an exemption goes too far because she seeks a right to refuse to create a wedding website of any kind for a same-sex couple, even one simply stating logistical details. The administration concedes that Colorado could not interpret its law to force Smith to create content praising same-sex marriage or stating that it is consistent with Christian teachings. “The government can’t force Lorie and people like her to express messages that go against their deeply held beliefs,” said Jacob Warner, an attorney for Smith. “Every website she will create will celebrate a view of marriage,” Warner added. Smith’s lawyers said the case is similar to one in which the Supreme Court in 1995 let organizers of a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston exclude an Irish-American LGBT group. The Supreme Court’s ruling is due by the end of June. (Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune “We will stand up to hatred and bullying wherever it rears its head.” Such was the message at the 2016 Risa K. Lambert Luncheon, Chicago’s massive fundraiser for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. That same season, Donald Trump was running his first presidential campaign, which was fueled with language and policy of overt misogyny, racism and Islamophobia. It was shocking to me that in a room filled with 2,000 donors committed to teaching the world the message, “Never again,” not a single word, even of measured caution, was offered by any listed speaker about the invective of Trump’s campaign… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet Fox News’ Tucker Carlson recently expressed concern about the National Hockey League’s (NHL) public support of trans women and now he believes their support is part of yet another conspiracy theory he’s concocted. According to HuffPost, Carlson is now suggesting all professional sports are part of an unspoken coalition orchestrated by left-wing ‘forces’ to brainwash the American public. The conservative talk show host’s remarks were made on Wednesday, November 30. Carlson offered his take on the league supporting a draft tournament that recently took place in Wisconsin. The tournament featured… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine @gwendlynbrown/instagram One of the Sister Wives stars’ offspring is ready to walk down the aisle! Christine and Kody Brown‘s daughter Gwendlyn is engaged to her girlfriend of eight months, Beatriz Queiroz. “I’m engaged!! ,” the 21-year-old wrote in a Wednesday, November 30, Instagram post announcing the happy news, alongside photos of the snowy outdoor proposal. MERI BROWN GUSHES SHE IS ‘IN LOVE’ WITH ALL THINGS ‘CURRENTLY PRESENT’ IN HER LIFE AFTER SHAMING CHRISTINE FOR LEAVING POLYGAMOUS FAMILY @gwendlynbrown/instagram Gwendlyn, who revealed in August she and Beatriz moved in together, also shared a mirror selfie to show off her emerald round-cut engagement ring, embellished with clusters of diamonds. Fans could not help but express their happiness for the soon-to-be married couple, with one social media user writing, “I COULD CRY!! CONGRATS.”Another chimed in adding, “this is too freaking precious I wish the best to you both!!!! congratulations!!!!!.” @gwendlynbrown/instagram During an October episode of the TLC reality series, the Northern Arizona University student explained how she defines her sexuality. “I’m bisexual. I’m not only attracted to women. I’m also attracted to men and people that fall into other gender spectrums,” Gwendlyn said in a confessional. KODY BROWN ADMITS HE WASN’T ‘IN LOVE’ WITH CHRISTINE: ‘I WAS DOING IT AS MY DUTY AS A HUSBAND’ This is not the only happy update in the Brown family, as the soon-to-be wed reality star’s sister Mykelti Padron just welcomed twin boys, Archer and Ace. @gwendlynbrown/instagram All of the exciting family news comes more than a year after their parents, Christine and Kody, decided to call it quits following 25-years-together. As OK! previously reported, the family’s patriarch has taken the split from his third wife extremely hard, declaring he never wanted to see Christine again after ending their relationship. “I don’t want to think about her. I don’t want to drive past this house ever again and mourn this,” he admitted in a recent episode. The former spiritually married couple got together in 1994 and later welcomed six children — Aspyn, 27, Mykelti, Paedon, 24, Gwendlyn, 21, Ysabel, 19, and 12-year-old Truely. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has voted to allow police to use robots that can kill. The measure will let SFPD law enforcement deploy robots equipped with explosives in extreme situations. While the city’s police told the BBC they don’t currently operate robots equipped with lethal force, they acknowledge there could be a future in which lethal force can be used in this way. A spokesperson said: “Robots could potentially be equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects.” They added robots could also be used to “incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects who pose a risk of loss of life”. Although advocates have insisted the measure would only be used in extreme circumstances, critics have blasted the idea. Stop Killing Robots’ Dr. Catherine Connolly described the move as a “slippery slope” which would “make humans more and more distant from the use of force and the consequences of the use of force”. She added that the measure could also make it “easier to make decisions to use lethal force in the first place”. The measure passed with an amendment ruling that robots wielding deadly force could only be used after alternative de-escalation tactics had been attempted. Meanwhile, only a small number of high ranking officers would be able to authorise the move. Other parts of the United States – including Dallas, Texas – have already started to use this kind of lethal robot. An SFPD spokesperson added: “No policy can anticipate every conceivable situation or exceptional circumstance which officers may face. The SFPD must be prepared, and have the ability, to respond proportionally.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Willie Garson’s son has urged people to donate to a fund set up to honour his late father. The ‘Sex and the City’ actor died of pancreatic cancer last September and 21-year-old Nathen Garson has shared a photo from his adoption proceedings in 2010 along with a link to a charitable initiative created by Discovery Inc. and You Gotta Believe! in his beloved dad’s name shortly after his death. Nathen wrote: “https://www.pledge.to/willie-garson-fund?pledge=_K1b982DD3LK6jbt7lWs4g “Go Check Out The Willie Garson Fund! Check Out The Link In My Bio About What He Thinks About Adoption And Donate! All Money Goes To A Non-Profit Toward Helping A Child Get Adopted!(sic)” He also reposted words from the charity explaining the work of the fund. The post continued: “Whenever asked what he considers his most important accomplishment, Willie always responded with, “being a father.” Willie’s love story with his son, Nathen, inspired him. He was a fierce and constant advocate for finding parents for every child in foster care. We were privileged to have him on our Board of Advisors. “To honor his legacy, Discovery Inc. established The Willie Garson Fund at You Gotta Believe! to support our work of connecting every child in foster care to a loving family that commits to them for life. We thank everyone who joins us in honoring Willie’s dream and legacy. We love and miss you, Willie. You will always be in our hearts.(sic)” The image accompanying the post saw a young Nathen taking an oath in court alongside Willie. The ‘And Just Like That…’ actor had previously shared the same picture in 2019 to mark the ninth anniversary of Nathen’s adoption. He wrote at the time: “January 27, 2010. Adoption Day. Happy Anniversary, my son. We’ll celebrate when Dad comes home from work. You’re buying.” View the full article

Published by AFP The row erupted just as the prince and princess of Wales headed to Boston London (AFP) – The timing could not have been worse for Britain’s royal family, not long after one racial reckoning involving Prince Harry and ahead of a new publicity blitz from the maverick “spare heir”. Harry’s elder brother Prince William — the heir to the throne — has been forced to part ways with one of his godmothers after she used racially charged language to a black British woman at a palace reception on Tuesday. King Charles III moved rapidly to evict Lady Susan Hussey from the royal household after the hurtful exchange was revealed on Twitter by Ngozi Fulani — while William and his wife Kate were flying to Boston. When Hussey started to quiz her about her origins, the UK-born Fulani said she tried to give the 83-year-old courtier the benefit of the doubt. “But it soon dawned on me very quickly that this was nothing to do with her capacity to understand,” the charity campaigner, who works with survivors of domestic abuse, told BBC radio on Thursday. Hussey repeatedly asked Fulani where she was “really” from, refusing to accept her explanation that she was British. “But this is her trying to make me really denounce my British citizenship,” Fulani said, as many other Britons of colour shared similarly demeaning experiences on social and traditional media. It is the most serious controversy yet since Charles succeeded his mother in September. Hussey was not just any courtier — she was at Queen Elizabeth II’s side for six decades. But she was unceremoniously dumped as Charles and William moved rapidly to draw a line under the row, earning plaudits from some black commentators. ‘Shocking’ Labour MP Diane Abbott, the first black woman to sit in the House of Commons when she was elected in the 1980s, said it was “really shocking” that a black Briton’s identity could be interrogated in this way. But she told Times Radio that Buckingham Palace had made “progress” on race issues in the past 10 years. Back then, “they would have said she (Fulani) was oversensitive and just dismissed it”, said Abbott. The palace appears to have taken lessons on board particularly since last year, when Harry and his mixed-race wife Meghan accused an unidentified royal of racism with regard to their unborn baby. Then, William retorted: “We are very much not a racist family.” But the family said the matter would be dealt with “privately”. The royal household has also begun publishing data on the ethnic breakdown of its staff, admitting it has more to do to ensure due representation. Yet from their new lives in California, the duke and duchess of Sussex have been portraying themselves as modernising outsiders who tried to take on a reactionary establishment. Ironies abound as the feuding brothers both find themselves on the US East Coast — with no plans to meet. William is set to award an environmental prize in Boston inspired by former president John F. Kennedy’s “Moonshot” ambition in the 1960s. Next week, Harry and Meghan are due to attend an awards gala in New York held by the human rights foundation of Kennedy’s brother Robert. Meghan vindicated? His daughter Kerry Kennedy says the couple will be recognised for taking a “heroic stand” against “structural racism” within the British monarchy. But for their critics, Harry and Meghan are cashing in after quitting royal duties. A new Netflix documentary is imminent, and the prince’s autobiography “Spare” is due out in January. UK public opinion had been turning against them, at least until the row over Hussey erupted. When Meghan entered the family, the lady-in-waiting was assigned to educate her in royal protocol, a role that Hussey also served for William and Harry’s mother Diana. Meghan rejected the offer, according to one biographer. “The stifled horse laugh you can hear emanating from California is the noise of a duchess trying not to guffaw ‘I told you so’,” commentator Trevor Phillips — a former head of the Commission for Racial Equality — wrote in The Times. There is further irony in the row erupting in the week that saw new data from the 2021 census confirm that Britain is more racially diverse — and less Christian — than ever before. Charles himself has a lifelong commitment to multi-culturalism and religious diversity while the government is led by the country’s first prime minister of colour, Rishi Sunak. Phillips added: “A mindset that colour codes British identity is not just distasteful and anachronistic, it is unambiguously racist.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Fellow anchors at Good Morning America are not thrilled with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes‘ alleged secret affair being exposed. In the aftermath of the two journalists’ tryst being made public, Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos are apparently “furious” that the scandal could possibly tarnish the morning show’s stellar reputation. mega “George and Robin do not like this. This is very messy,” an insider close to production revealed of the rumored couple, who a source said are both separated from their respective spouses. Robach has been married to Andrew Shue since 2010. Holmes wed Marilee Fiebig the same year. JOY BEHAR REVEALS WILD LOCATION OF ‘GOODBYE’ PARTY AFTER BEING FIRED FROM GOOD MORNING AMERICA The longtime news anchors fear that the headline-making ordeal will have a negative impact on their viewers and their own journalistic integrity. “They prided themselves on not having a sex scandal, like Today once did with Matt Lauer,” an insider spilled. “They were so proud all their hosts were decent, married and committed people.” Roberts, who has been married to Amber Laign since 2005, and Stephanopoulos, who wed wife Ali Wentworth in 2001, were apparently just as shocked as the rest of the world to learn that the 20/20 star and the CNN anchor were spotted getting cozy on secret dates — and even took off on a romantic weekend getaway together — while still being married to other people. mega “Amy and Robin are really close,” the source explained. “Robin convinced Amy to get what would end up being a lifesaving mammogram on live TV. Their bond is very strong.” BROADCASTS IN BOXERS? GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS’ WIFE ALI WENTWORTH REVEALS EMBARRASSING FACT ABOUT THE GMA HOST mega “Robin is an idealist. She is the boss. When something goes off the rails she jumps in and tells people to tidy the mess up,” the insider said of the I Simply Am author. “And I’m not so sure there’s a way to tidy this one up. This is all very dirty for a morning show.” On Wednesday, November 30, news broke about Robach and Holmes’ alleged secret relationship. As OK! previously reported, the duo was photographed on a trip to upstate New York at the beginning of the month, where they could be seen holding hands in the back of an Uber. The Sun spoke to a source close to Good Morning America. View the full article

Published by DPA Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are set to appear in an upcoming Netflix documentary. Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa Netflix has taken to Twitter to tease the launch of a high-profile documentary about Harry and Meghan, hinting at fresh revelations about the couple’s dramatic exit from the British royal family. “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make sense to hear the story from us?” Meghan asks the audience in a half-minute teaser trailer shared by Netflix on social media on Thursday. Harry meanwhile describes himself as a caring family man: “No one sees what’s happening behind closed doors,” he says. “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.” Meghan can be seen several times wiping tears from her face and throwing her head into her hands. The Netflix docuseries, which also features the couple kissing and laughing), is set to be released on December 8. The show is also set to be the most significant PR milestone for the couple since their sensational TV sit-down with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey last year. During that tell-all interview, the couple accused the palace of racism and a lack of support. Harry is also preparing for the publication of his autobiography in January. The documentary also comes as the British royal family is grappling with renewed accusations of racism, after an aide to the late queen was accused of asking a black charity boss in Britain where she was “really from”. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) – Closing arguments are set to begin on Thursday in the criminal tax fraud trial of Donald Trump’s real estate company on charges of scheming to defraud tax authorities for 15 years, as the former U.S. president’s legal woes mount. Here are answers to questions about the accusations the Trump Organization faces. WHAT IS THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION ACCUSED OF DOING? The Manhattan district attorney’s office in July 2021 charged two Trump Organization units and the company’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, with paying the personal expenses of some executives without reporting the income, and falsely reporting bonuses as non-employee compensation. Trump Payroll Corp and the Trump Corporation have been charged with nine counts of scheme to defraud, conspiracy, tax fraud and other crimes. They have pleaded not guilty. Weisselberg in August pleaded guilty and agreed to testify at trial in exchange for a five-month prison term. He admitted to concealing $1.76 million of income from the company, including rent for a Manhattan apartment, lease payments for two Mercedes-Benz vehicles and private school tuition for his grandchildren. He also received some of his bonuses as non-employee compensation from other Trump entities such as Trump’s Florida club Mar-a-Lago and Trump International Golf Club. WHAT MAKES THOSE PAYMENTS ILLEGAL? Making bonus payments to executives as if they were independent contractors makes it possible for them to report the compensation as self-employment income, which comes with tax benefits. It is not illegal for companies to pay employees through benefits instead of salaries, but those benefits must still be reported to tax authorities as income – with the exception of minor perks like free coffee at the office, said Jay Soled, a lawyer and accounting professor at Rutgers Business School in New Jersey. The companies are also charged with falsifying business records. Weisselberg testified that he asked the company’s controller, Jeffrey McConney, to subtract the payments for his personal expenses from his salary in tax forms. As a result, those forms falsely underreported his income from 2005-2017, he admitted. McConney, who testified at the trial as a prosecution witness, has not been charged. He was granted immunity to testify before a grand jury. WHAT IS THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION’S DEFENSE? Lawyers for the Trump Organization have sought to shift the blame to Weisselberg, saying he cheated on his personal tax returns to benefit himself, not the company. They said Weisselberg was under pressure to satisfy prosecutors. Weisselberg appeared to provide some support for that argument when he testified that he was motivated to cheat on taxes by his own greed. The company also has said Donald Bender, an outside accountant with the Mazars firm who handled the company’s tax returns, should have caught the scheme and blown the whistle, though Justice Juan Merchan, the judge in the case, has said the company cannot make that argument to the jury. “The highly paid accounting firm should have routinely picked these things up – we relied on them,” Trump wrote on social media. “VERY UNFAIR!” Bender was granted immunity from prosecution. Mazars cut ties with the Trump Organization this year. WHAT COULD THE COMPANY’S PUNISHMENT BE? Each of the tax fraud counts are punishable by up to $250,000 in fines, while the other counts each have maximum fines of $10,000. Together, the company’s two units could be liable for $1.6 million in fines if convicted. HAS TRUMP HIMSELF BEEN ACCUSED OF WRONGDOING? Trump has not been charged with a crime. Two prosecutors who had led the investigation resigned in February, and one, Mark Pomerantz, has said he believed felony charges should be brought against Trump but that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicated he had doubts. Trump, a Republican who is again seeking the presidency in 2024, has called the prosecution politically motivated. Both Bragg and Cyrus Vance, his predecessor who began the investigation, are Democrats. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Will Dunham and Noeleen Walder) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Todd and Julie Chrisley are living “every day as if it is their last” before they go to prison. The ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ stars were found guilty of 12 counts of tax evasion, bank and wire fraud and conspiracy last month and sentenced to 12 and seven years in jail respectively and they are leaning on their faith for support and guidance ahead of leaving their home and family to start their sentences. Reading a quote from author Priscilla Shirer, Julie said on their ‘Chrisley Confessions’ podcast: “Age is just a number, and since we don’t know our death date, we have to live every day as if it’s our last.” Todd added: “Yesterday doesn’t matter. Today is what we have. Tomorrow belongs to God, because we’re not promised tomorrow…. “What God calls us through, he will walk us through.” Julie added: “God will call you to do something, and he’ll equip you to do it. He’ll give you what you need to do it.” Todd is dad to Lindsie, 32, and Kyle, 30, from his first marriage, and he and Julie also have Chase, 26, Savannah 24, and 16-year-old Grayson, and are raising his 10-year-old granddaughter Chloe, and the patriarch noted he and his wife have”fallen short” at times when it comes to setting a good example to their brood. He reflected: “So where I could’ve listened and let them explain their position, as dumb as it was going to be, it wasn’t going to change what I was going to say, but I could have given them more of a voice to explain their position in.” And Julie admitted she always has the children in her mind while she awaits being taken to prison because she knows they will be looking to their parents to see how they are handling the situation. She said: “The difficulties I’m going through, how I handle it — they’re watching that as well. “If I handle it right, they’re watching, if I screw it up, they’re watching, and so, for me as a parent, I want to try to make sure that I do it right more than I do it wrong, because I know they’re watching, and I know it will prepare them for difficulties, unfortunately, that they will have later in life.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega What happens in America, stays in America! Prince William and Kate Middleton are currently in Boston for the former’s Earthshot Prize Awards, but before the ceremony takes place on Friday, December 2, they’re enjoying all the bustling city has to offer. Case in point: on the night of Wednesday, November 30, they looked like any other loved up couple while taking in the Boston Celtics game. mega The pair sat front row during their unexpected outing and chatted with former athlete Maura Healey, Celtics alum Thomas Sanders and two of the team’s owners, but unlike their official royal engagements, the parents-of-three, both 40, were able to relax and even show some affection. In fact, the Princess of Wales placed her hand on her husband’s leg, and he reciprocated by placing his own hand on top of hers. mega Elsewhere in the game, the duo was greeted with cheers as they were show on TD Garden’s jumbotron. Prior to the sporty outing, they made an appearance at Boston City Hall, where William told the crowd, “Catherine and I are delighted to be back in the United States and are extremely grateful to __Governor [Charlie] Baker__ and the first lady of Massachusetts for their warm welcome into Boston.” The royal noted this was their “first overseas visit” since the passing of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, then thanking “the people of Massachusetts and particularly of Boston for their many tributes paid to the late Queen. She remembered her 1976 Bicentennial visit with great fondness.” mega He insisted the historic city was the “obvious choice” to hold the awards — which focus on climate change and healing the environment — “because your universities, research centers and vibrant start-up scene make you a global leader in science, innovation and boundless ambition.” “Mayor Wu, you have also been a leader in putting climate policies at the heart of your administration. Thank you,” William continued. “Like President Kennedy, Catherine and I firmly believe that we all have it in ourselves to achieve great things, and that human beings have the ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve.” For more on the royal family, tune in below to the podcast “The Firm: Blood, Lies and Royal Succession.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Chris Prentice WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department is considering new guidance for corporations on employees’ use of messaging applications and personal devices, as widespread use can thwart compliance and investigations. The agency’s criminal division is contemplating taking action on the issue given rapidly changing technology, differing industry expectations about retaining work documents and privacy implications, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the agency’s criminal division Nicole Argentieri said at an industry event on Thursday. Currently, the Justice Department considers whether companies that allow use of disappearing messaging apps are regularly examining their compliance on records retention. But scrutiny over the use of such apps and personal devices has been on the rise, as they can complicate corporate efforts to comply with laws as well as any potential investigations into wrongdoing. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) separately has been scrutinizing how Wall Street firms are handling work-related communications on personal devices and apps such as WhatsApp. The Justice Department is also considering whether it needs to offer more guidance on how prosecutors weigh a company’s executive clawback policies in investigations into corporate misconduct, Argentieri said. Justice Department officials are meeting with counterparts at the Securities and Exchange Commission, defense attorneys, executive compensation experts and other regulators to look at ways prosecutors may potentially reward companies for such policies, she said. The Justice Department under President Joe Biden has already detailed a number of policy changes aimed at more aggressive policing of corporate wrongdoing. The moves have been praised progressive watchdog groups and criticized by some attorneys who argue they may prevent companies from coming forward when they uncover wrongdoing. Argentieri emphasized benefits to self-reporting, including that prosecutors may not require a third-party monitor for companies that cooperate and prove they have tested a compliance program. “Do not wait for us to call you. By then, it’s too late,” she said. (Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Anna Driver) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Ross Kerber (Reuters) – Florida’s Chief Financial Officer said on Thursday his department would pull $2 billion worth of its assets managed by BlackRock Inc, the biggest such divestment by a state opposed to the asset manager’s environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policies. The move will hardly dent BlackRock’s $8 trillion in assets and drew a strong response from the company, which said the action put politics over investor interests. Nonetheless it underscores how a backlash among many Republican leaders, such as those in Florida, against ESG investing, which they see as promoting a “woke agenda” is gathering steam. Republicans are set to assume control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January. This will allow them to hold hearings on ESG and grill the chief executives of BlackRock and other major assets managers about their ESG policies, and also pressure regulators to scrutinize them. In a statement, Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis said the state’s Treasury, which he oversees, would remove BlackRock as manager of about $600 million of short-term investments and have its custodian freeze $1.43 billion of long-term securities now with BlackRock, with an eye on reallocating the money to other money managers by the start of 2023. Patronis accused BlackRock of focusing on ESG rather than higher returns for investors. “Florida’s Treasury Division is divesting from BlackRock because they have openly stated they’ve got other goals than producing returns,” Patronis said in the statement provided by his office. Asked about the move, BlackRock said in a statement that “We are disturbed by the emerging trend of political initiatives like this that sacrifice access to high-quality investments and thereby jeopardize returns, which will ultimately hurt Florida’s citizens. Fiduciaries should always value performance over politics.” Neither Patronis nor his office had raised any performance concerns, BlackRock said, adding it has invested more than $65 billion in Florida-based companies, municipal bonds and other securities. While BlackRock has encouraged portfolio companies to take steps like disclosing more data about their carbon emissions or adding more diverse board members, it has said its efforts are aimed at improving company performance and resisted calls for steps like divesting from oil companies. U.S. Democratic officials have argued BlackRock doesn’t press ESG concerns enough.[L4N30T3PB] So far, only Republican-controlled states have made major reallocations away from BlackRock, including $794 million pulled by Louisiana’s treasurer [L4N3162LQ] and $500 million by Missouri’s treasurer, both in October. Other companies also face Republican scrutiny. Earlier this week, Republican attorneys general from various states asked a federal regulator to limit Vanguard Group Inc’s activities over ESG concerns, and asked United Parcel Service Inc and FedEx Corp to clarify their policies on tracking firearms shipments. (Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Osceola County Sheriff’s Office; MEGA A man showed little remorse when detectives questioned him about the alleged killing of his mother in Florida, Radar has learned. “Do you regret doing it,” a detective with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office asked Matthew Sisley, authorities detailed. “No. I would do it again,” Sisley responded. The exchange was detailed in a report by the sheriff’s department about Sisley’s arrest. He is accused of killing his mother and accidentally stabbing his sister. A motive has not been released in the case. Deputies responded to the family’s Kissimmee, Florida, home around 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday for a reported stabbing. When police arrived, they found the mom dead and the sister had cuts to her hands. Sisley was found a short distance away and taken into custody. He confessed to intentionally stabbing his mom. In announcing the arrest, officials detailed questioning with Sisley. “Do you think your mom deserved to get stabbed?” one detective asked. Sisley then responded, “yes.” The detective then asked why, and Sisley told them, “Because she never pushed me to be a man.” Police charged Sisley with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, though they say more charges are pending. He is being held in a Florida jail without bond in the case. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden may be a man of tradition, but the Democratic Party he leads is poised to get rid of one of its oldest political rituals. A closed group of Democrats will meet Friday to reshape the party’s presidential nomination process. They plan to bump Iowa as the state where White House runs kick off every four years, hoping to usher in a more diverse, early nominating calendar, according eight senior Democratic officials. Which state takes Iowa’s place and which come next in line in the primaries remain unclear, amid a hard-fought battle among Democratic officials who each want their home state to move up the calendar. Biden has not weighed in on the matter, sources say, and many members of the party’s rules committee await word from the White House. “The one thing I know for certain is Iowa won’t be leading the nominating contest. Everything else is up in the air and will certainly be fiercely debated,” said a senior official with the National Democratic Committee. The committee is expected to decide at a meeting on Friday and Saturday in a Washington hotel. The DNC and the White House did not respond to requests for comment. IOWA’S OUTSIZED POWER Because it comes first in the process, Iowa, the country’s 31st largest state by both population and gross domestic product, has for nearly 50 years had an outsized role for both parties in identifying viable candidates to become president. Presidential hopefuls blanket Iowa’s airwaves with ads and hopscotch the state to talk to voters at state fairs, town halls and school gymnasiums. They take crash courses in agricultural issues that dominate Iowa’s economy. Months of activity culminate in a series of caucuses where locals gather to make the case for their favored candidate to other Iowa voters, often wooing their support through multiple rounds of voting until a winner is declared. After Iowa, both Democrats and Republicans hold state primaries that narrow down presidential candidates even further. Republicans have not announced plans to strip Iowa of its first-in-the-nation status. The U.S. voting population has morphed from about 85% white in 1996 to 69% in 2020, Pew Research shows, with the newest generation able to vote, ‘Gen Z’ just 55% white. Iowa, with an approximately 90% white population, is no longer an accurate predictor of which candidate will do well on the national stage, Democrats say. Their push to change the primary calendar picked up momentum after 2020 when the Democrats’ Iowa caucuses were plagued by technical and communication issues that delayed the announcement of a winner. The rules governing the party primaries could be particularly important in 2024. Some White House officials think Biden could face a primary challenge within his own party, and new rules could subtly shift the odds. Biden has no love lost for Iowa after disappointing results there in 2008 and 2020. His 2020 campaign was only secure after the fourth nominating contest that year, in South Carolina, where a heavily Black electorate helped lift him to victory. MICHIGAN, NEVADA, SOUTH CAROLINA IN THE MIX Twenty states and territories applied for a 2024 early primary spot and 17 were invited make their pitch to DNC officials over the summer, including the four early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Officials in Michigan and Minnesota are fighting hard to take Iowa’s place. Democrats in both states took control of the governors’ mansions and the state legislatures during the midterm elections, giving them the power to shift the schedule if needed. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz told the DNC in November that Minnesota is ready to pass legislation necessary to move up the primary calendar. “Minnesota offers a reflective snapshot of America and serves as the most suitable landscape for presidential candidates to compete,” he said. Some Democrats believe Michigan is too big to be an early state, because it will cost candidates dearly to campaign there and also allow some to bypass earlier, smaller states and only concentrate on Michigan. But supporters say a key swing state that offers candidates a true test of viability. The committee may also consider adding another state to the early nominating calendar, such as Washington or Maryland, source say. One of the biggest questions heading into the meeting is what to do about New Hampshire. The state has traditionally held the first primary, right after Iowa’s caucuses, but some Democrats would like more-diverse Nevada to get that spot. But New Hampshire state law requires its secretary of state to set the primary date seven days before any other, providing state officials a firewall against any efforts to boot them as the first primary state. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) -The first big breakthrough in 30 years of Alzheimer’s research is providing momentum for clinical trials of “cocktail” treatments targeting the two hallmark proteins associated with the mind-robbing disease, according to interviews with researchers and pharmaceutical executives. Drugmakers Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen reported in September that their therapy lecanemab could slow progress of the disease by 27% over 18 months compared with a placebo [. The finding validates the theory that clearing the amyloid protein that forms clumps in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients could slow or halt the disease and has strengthened the support from some scientists for simultaneously targeting another notorious protein linked to Alzheimer’s: tau. Eisai and Biogen are scheduled to present full data from their lecanemab study on Tuesday at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference in San Francisco. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a decision by early January on the companies’ application for accelerated approval. If approved on an accelerated basis, the companies said they would immediately apply for full U.S. regulatory approval which could help secure Medicare coverage. To date, two deaths have been reported among patients who received lecanemab in conjunction with medicine to prevent or clear blood clots, though industry analysts do not expect those developments alone to prevent approval. “I think lecanemab has reinvigorated the idea that now you could do a combination of amyloid (and) tau,” Dr. Reisa Sperling, a neurologist and Alzheimer’s researcher at Harvard Medical School, said in an interview. Tau naturally accumulates in a memory center of the brain called the medial temporal lobe as people age. A growing body of research suggests that rising levels of amyloid in Alzheimer’s patients act as an accelerant, causing an explosive spread of tau that forms toxic tangles inside brain cells, eventually killing them. “We’ve been trying to do combination trials for years,” Sperling said. Nearly a decade ago, Alzheimer’s experts met in Washington to discuss testing combined therapies. At the time, “no one would listen,” she said. Now, however, Sperling and other researchers in the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC), a research network backed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), say drugmakers are increasingly interested in participating in a study to test tau drugs alone and in combination with anti-amyloid drugs such as lecanemab. “We’ve been talking to multiple companies about working with us on our proposed platform, which can evaluate multiple drugs, and everybody’s interested,” said Dr. Paul Aisen, director of the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, and a leader with Sperling of the ACTC. The scientists said they expect an answer on funding by year-end. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, which oversees NIA, said it does not discuss grants under review. BILLIONS SPENT More than 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, costing the U.S. economy nearly $6 billion a year in direct spending and unpaid caregiving expenses, according to congressional briefing documents. By 2050, Alzheimer’s cases are expected to double to 12.7 million, bringing the total yearly cost to nearly $1 trillion, according to the documents. Last year, the FDA gave Biogen and Eisai’s drug aducanumab conditional approval even though it failed one of its two late-stage trials. The approval was based on the drug’s ability to remove amyloid from the brain. Biogen initially priced the drug at $56,000 a year, but the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it needed more compelling evidence, and that Medicare would only cover the drug for use in clinical trials. Lecanemab’s success rests on years of research into the causes of Alzheimer’s as well as advances in measuring amyloid deposits through brain scans and spinal fluids. Trials of tau drugs will aim to build on that progress, using brain scans, spinal fluids and blood tests to better assess the stage of disease, when to intervene and whether the drug is hitting its target. That would allow companies to test drugs even before symptoms emerge. Nearly a dozen drugmakers, including Roche, Merck & Co, Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly and Co, are working on therapies that target tau. At least 16 treatments are being tested in clinical trials, with results expected over the next three years, according to a Reuters review of the clinicaltrials.gov registry. Merck is testing its MK-2214 therapy aimed at clearing tau in patients in very early stages of the disease in several small trials. “The understanding of the disease is getting much, much better,” said Jason Uslaner, Merck’s head of discovery neuroscience. The drugmaker has been largely absent from the Alzheimer’s space after the high-profile failure of its drug verubecestat five years ago. So far, only a few trials combine an amyloid-lowering therapy with a drug that targets tau in a “cocktail” approach, similar to those used against cancers and HIV. Such combinations may improve on the benefit of lowering amyloid alone in people who have symptoms, researchers told Reuters. And when used earlier in the disease, the hope is that they might prevent dementia altogether. “It may be that you need both – the removal of amyloid that’s driving that biological cascade – and you need to clean up any tau that’s already spreading from one cell to another,” said Dr. Adam Boxer, a tau expert at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Memory and Aging Center. But several antibody therapies from Lilly, Biogen and AbbVie that were designed to slow the rate of tau accumulations failed outright last year. A drug from Roche, semorinemab, showed limited effectiveness. “It took maybe 20 or 30 years before we found a drug that really targeted the right form of amyloid to make a difference,” Boxer said. “It’s still early days.” (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Suzanne Goldenberg) View the full article

Published by Taste of Country Due to the success of her viral classic Christmas song, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — in addition to various holiday specials and Christmas-themed products — Mariah Carey made her case this year to officially become the “Queen of Christmas.” Carey’s company, Lotion LLC, submitted a petition to trademark that all-encompassing title, which would have made her the only person allowed to use it in an official capacity, NPR reports. This request was met by disapproval from some, but country legend Dolly Parton — another huge Christmas lover — was happy to step aside and let Carey take the Chr… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters UK LONDON (Reuters) – The number of people in Europe with undiagnosed HIV has risen as testing rates fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening a global goal of ending the disease by 2030, a report said. The joint World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report said that in 2021 a quarter fewer HIV diagnoses were recorded compared to pre-pandemic levels in the WHO’s European region. This region includes Russia and Ukraine, which have the area’s highest rates of HIV infection. This setback was likely because services related to HIV, includin… Read More View the full article