RadioRob

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said on Tuesday it supports proposed federal legislation intended to protect gay-marriage rights, as long as it also protects the right of religious groups to believe such unions are against God’s word. The Utah-based church said in a statement posted on its website its doctrine related to marriage – that God commanded it be between a man and a woman – would remain unchanged. But the church said it would support the legislation after a bipartisan group of senators negotiated an amendment to the version passed by the U.S. House in July. The change states that the bill would have no impact on religious liberties protected under the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, the Senate version states no church can face a civil lawsuit or other legal action for refusing to provide any service or access to its facilities for any marriage it opposes. The Senate is expected to approve its version of the “Respect for Marriage Act” as soon as this week. The Mormon church said the amended legislation “is the way forward.” “As we work together to preserve the principles and practices of religious freedom together with the rights of LGBTQ individuals, much can be accomplished to heal relationships and foster greater understanding,” the church said. The bill is intended to ensure the U.S. Supreme Court does not end gay marriage rights, which conservative Justice Clarence Thomas mused was possible when the court in June ended the national right to abortion by overturning Roe vs. Wade. (Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Tom Hogue) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Wednesday will hold an initial vote on legislation to protect the right to same-sex marriage, spurred by concerns that a conservative Supreme Court could reverse its earlier decision that made it legal nationwide. The bill, which is expected to pass the Senate, would serve as a legal backstop against any future Supreme Court action by requiring the federal government recognize any marriage that was legal in the state it was performed. However, it would not block states from banning same-sex or interracial marriages if the Supreme Court allows them to do so. Supporters of same-sex marriage were spurred to act when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should also reconsider the legality of same-sex marriage, in a concurring opinion to the court’s overturning of federal protections for abortion in June. There are roughly 568,000 married same-sex couples in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “I’ve heard from constituents back home who are concerned and worried about the suggestion that their right to marry who they love will be taken away,” Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, said at a press conference on Tuesday. Although same-sex marriage has gone from a political hot potato to a well-established norm in the past decade, the bill’s negotiators have still had to thread a needle between protecting a right most Americans now see as a given, and assuaging concerns from Republican senators about religious liberties. The legislation, which must get support from 60 senators in the evenly divided chamber to pass, is the result of months of negotiating by Baldwin and fellow Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, along with Republican senators Susan Collins, Thom Tillis and Rob Portman. A similar bill passed in the House in July, with the support of 47 Republicans along with all of the chamber’s Democrats. The bill will have to jump through several more procedural hoops in the Senate before going back to the House for final approval. (Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; editing by Andy Sullivan and Lincoln Feast) View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — When COVID-19 first hit Chicago in 2020, essential worker Elias Renaud texted his sister and a good friend from the bus on his way home from his job at a grocery store. “If something happens to me, this is where I want things to go, this is what I want done,” Renaud, who uses the pronouns he/him, remembers telling them. The 44-year-old transgender man, from Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, drew up a living will with the cautious hope that when he dies, his body would be treated with dignity. “I think by the time I die, there will be a lot of people doing death work that will have ha… Read More View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Moroccan authorities arrested four people on Sunday following a group assault against a trans woman as hate crimes against the LGBTQI+ community mount in the North African country. “Three minors and an adult, aged between 13 and 24, were arrested in connection with the incident that occurred on Saturday night in Tangier,” reported AFP. On Friday night, a group of men severely beat, harassed and dragged a Moroccan trans woman named “Haifa” in the northern city of Tangier. Before the attack, Haifa was reportedly waiting for a taxi with her two friends, also members of the LGBTQI+ community, at t… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Katharine Jackson (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to runfor the White House again in 2024 has potential rivals gearing up to take on a divisive Republican leader left bruised by his party’s midterm election losses. Here is a look at his possible challengers for the Republican nomination: FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP Strategists and party leaders have said Trump, 76, remains the odds-on favorite for the Republican nomination in 2024. But the former president had a mixed record with the candidates he endorsed in the midterm elections and some blame him for Republicans’ failure to capture control of both houses of Congress. Trump’s candidacy comes as lawsuits over his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol and his business dealings continue to swirl around him. FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS Republican Ron DeSantis, Florida’s 44-year-old governor, could be Trump’s leading rival for the nomination. With a strong political base and war chest behind him, DeSantis cruised to a landslide victory last week in his bid for a second four-year term as governor. His resistance to COVID-19 restrictions, as well as clashes with liberals over LGBTQ rights, immigration and race-based discussions, have won praise from conservatives nationwide. FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE Republican former Vice President Mike Pence served as a loyal, prim No. 2 to the flamboyant Trump, only to have his boss turn against him when Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol. A Republican former congressman, Pence defied Trump on that day and certified Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory, as required by law. Pence has walked a fine line ever since, not risking the wrath of Trump’s base. The 63-year-old former Indiana governor is widely considered to be mulling a White House run. He campaigned for Brian Kemp, a Trump nemesis who was re-elected Georgia governor in the midterm elections. TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott, endorsed by Trump in his run for a third four-year term, fended off Democratic former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke in the midterms. Abbott, 65, has pursued increasingly conservative policies during his second term, opposing COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates. He signed the most restrictive abortion ban of any U.S. state into law and is building a new barrier on the border with Mexico. Although long rumored to be a potential 2024 candidate, Abbott has not addressed the issue publicly for some time. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE LIZ CHENEY Republican U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, 56, has vowed to do everything she can to keep Trump from returning to the White House and said she would decide soon on whether to run for president herself. The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, she has played a prominent role in the congressional investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol. Cheney lost the Republican Party’s nomination for Wyoming’s single seat in Congress in August to a Trump-backed challenger after Cheney said she would not “go along with President Trump’s lie about the 2020 election.” FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEYA former governor of South Carolina and the daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley was the highest-profile woman in Trump’s Cabinet, serving as his ambassador to the United Nations. Haley, 50, considered a rising Republican star, has alternately held Trump close and at bay. She publicly criticized him during his 2016 presidential campaign and again after the Jan. 6 riot, saying his actions after the 2020 election will be “judged harshly by history.” Her rhetoric later softened when she called him a friend who still had a role to play in the party. In June, Haley teased a 2024 run “if there is a place for me,” and said in October she would consider the idea at the start of next year. (Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by New York Daily News The U.S. men’s soccer team is showing its true rainbow colors in support of the LGBTQ community at this year’s World Cup in Qatar. More than 1.2 million soccer fans are expected to travel to the small Arab nation over the next few weeks to root for their favorite teams competing for soccer glory in the world’s largest sports tournament, the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Fans who identify as LGBTQ, however, have raised concerns, as consensual same-sex activities are illegal in the conservative host nation. On Monday, the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) unveiled a rainbow-colored logo that it will displ… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News A pair of controversial comedians are among the 2023 Grammy nominees. Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K. are both finalists for best comedy album at the Feb. 5 ceremony in Los Angeles, the Recording Academy announced Tuesday. Chappelle’s nomination is for “The Closer,” a 2021 stand-up special that drew criticism over the comedian’s jokes about the transgender community. C.K., who confessed in 2017 to committing sexual misconduct, is nominated for his 2021 stand-up special, “Sorry.” Both comedians had previously received Grammy nominations after their scandals. C.K. won best comedy album at the 2022… Read More View the full article

Published by Sports Illustrated By Daniel Chavkin The center currently plays for Melbourne United in the NBL. Former Kentucky men’s basketball player Isaac Humphries has come out as gay, he wrote in a guest column for CNN on Tuesday. “Over my entire career, there was no reality that existed where I could be an openly gay man while playing basketball,” he wrote. “Until now.” Humphries grew up in Australia, where, he explained, it was difficult for him to come out. He went to an all-male private high school and wrote that he wasn’t able to be part of an LGBTQ+ community. Humphries played college basketball in the United States… Read More View the full article

Published by The Spun By Andrew McCarty On Tuesday afternoon, a former Kentucky star and current professional basketball player made a significant announcement. In a video posted to Twitter, former Kentucky standout Isaac Humphries announced he’s gay. The video shows Humphries addressing his teammates face-to-face. In the video, Humphries revealed he tried to take his own life because he was “disgusted” with himself before growing to love himself. “I decided that if I’m going to join a team, I’m going to come out publicly and just make sure people know that you can live and you don’t have to hide just because you’r… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega There’s always drama in a Full House. Candace Cameron Bure’s television sister Jodie Sweetin appeared to throw shade at her former sitcom big sis over Bure’s controversial remarks on “traditional” marriages and the choice to join a network that supports heterosexual relationships, RadarOnline.com has learned. The moment came after pop star JoJo Siwa, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a friend of Sweetin, denounced Bure’s statements about the Great American Family network — whose CEO referred to same-sex relationships as a “trend.” mega Bure has been outspoken about her controversial opinions, but her recent remarks struck a particular chord with the bedazzled singer. Siwa posted a screenshot of an article titled “Candace Cameron Bure’s Plan For New Cable Channel: No Gays,” on her Instagram, along with a scathing caption directed at the Fuller House star. “Honestly, I can’t believe after everything that went down just a few months ago, that she would not only create a movie with intention of excluding LGBTQIA+, but then also talk about it in the press,” the pop singer captioned the post. Sweetin commented in support of Siwa on the post, writing, “You know I love you.” mega Fans quickly noticed Sweetin’s diss and the comment racked up over 2,550 likes — as well as additional comments on Sweetin and Bure’s sitcom sisterhood. “I always liked Stephanie more than DJ anyway,” one comment read while tagging Sweetin directly in the reply. Another simply called Sweetin “the better Tanner sister” with a red heart emoji in solidarity. Some fans did not take her shade lightly and criticized the actress for adding to the drama of Bure’s remarks. mega “Thought you a candace were friends. grew up together,” read one dissatisfactory reply that tagged Sweetin. “But you still take the side of someone you barely know just because they have the same viewpoint as you.” Another critic replied to Sweetin’s original comment, stating if there was a “dislike button” they would have “press it” on her comment. Bure told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that her new network “will keep traditional marriage at the core,” adding that was a reason she cut ties with the Hallmark Channel — where she has worked for over 10 years on more than 30 movies. “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” Bure continued on the decision to switch networks after Hallmark allegedly began making more inclusive movies. “I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment.” Bure’s statement earned her the label of a “bigot” by Hilarie Burton on Twitter. View the full article

Published by AFP Tom Ford attends the Met Gala in May 2022 in New York City New York (AFP) – Luxury beauty brand Estee Lauder said in a statement Tuesday it had agreed to buy designer Tom Ford’s company for $2.3 billion. The deal, which values Ford’s business at $2.8 billion, will see the US fashion superstar remain in his position as creative director until the end of next year, the statement said. Bringing the brand under the “stewardship” of Estee Lauder Companies (ELC) “will allow for continuity and the further evolution of the Tom Ford brand as one of the preeminent global luxury brands of the twenty-first century,” New York-based ELC said in its statement. The deal includes the Tom Ford Beauty cosmetics and fragrance collection, with which Estee Lauder already has a licensing agreement until 2030. Estee Lauder also holds major brands such as MAC cosmetics, Clinique and La Mer facial products, and Aveda. The group expects Tom Ford Beauty to hit sales of one billion dollars a year within two years, betting on the success of its luxury perfumes in the United States and China. “We are incredibly proud of the success Tom Ford Beauty has achieved in luxury fragrance and makeup and its dedication to creating desirable, high-quality products for discerning consumers around the world,” head of Estee Lauder Companies Fabrizio Freda said in the statement. “This strategic acquisition will unlock new opportunities and fortify our growth plans for Tom Ford Beauty,” he added. The deal also includes licenses for the brand’s men’s and women’s fashion lines, eyewear label and accessories and underwear divisions, according to the statement. Intellectual property rights The purchase of Tom Ford will grant Estee Lauder intellectual property rights to all of its lines. The company will no longer have to pay royalties for Tom Ford Beauty and will be able to take advantage of new revenue sources by granting its own licenses. The agreement notably provides for the extension and expansion of the license granted by Tom Ford to Ermenegildo Zegna for clothing, accessories and underwear lines. The license currently granted to Marcolin for Tom Ford glasses will also be extended. “I could not be happier with this acquisition as The Estee Lauder Companies is the ideal home for the brand,” 61-year-old Ford said in the statement. Domenico De Sole, chairman of Tom Ford International, will remain at the company as a consultant until Ford leaves at the end of 2023, the ELC statement said. Ford, who first launched his brand in 2005, is the current head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He launched film production company Fade to Black in 2005, and previously worked as creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent in the 1990s and early 2000s. According to the Wall Street Journal, other groups had been in the running to purchase Tom Ford, including French company Kering which holds the Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga brands. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News A ghoulish New York City Medical Examiner worker stole an $800 Louis Vuitton bag from a dead man he was transporting to the morgue, city investigators and prosecutors said Tuesday. Trevor Rheams, 49, is facing up to a year in jail after allegedly swiping the bag from the dead man’s Manhattan home just before he zipped him up in a body bag. Rheams was called to the First Ave. apartment near E. 40th St. in Midtown on Aug. 9 after the tenant had died, cops said. A responding NYPD officer’s body-worn camera recorded the bag in the kitchen before Rheams arrived. Rheams was alone in the apartment fo… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Hit me baby one more time! Simon Cowell expressed his desire to work alongside Britney Spears again. The X Factor creator and judge made a plea to the pop singer to join him for a future project should the opportunity present itself, RadarOnline.com has learned. The O.G. American Idol judge sang Spears’ praises during a recent red carpet interview, where he revealed how much he enjoyed working alongside Spears as a judge on the U.S. version of The X Factor, nearly ten years ago. mega “We spent so long on the phone talking about X Factor before we did it,” the British producer told E! News. “There’s a side of Britney a lot of people don’t know. I mean, I was on the phone to her two or three hours every time.” Cowell elaborated on Spears’ ability to fine-tune a contestant’s strengths to give them the best edge for success in the industry. “She was super smart, lovely ideas about how to launch someone else’s career, which is critical if you’re going to be a judge on one of these shows,” Cowell continued. “So I had a fantastic relationship with her.” Cowell then made a direct plea to Britney — just in case she was watching. mega “If you’re watching Britney and we make a show, please come back and do it with me,” Cowell pleaded to the pop star. “It would be amazing. I adore her.” Cowell continued to gush over Britney, and said that “she really is interesting” and “she’s so talented.” Britney was at the center of a fan-backed movement, #FreeBritney, which called for her conservatorship to end. Fans’ pleas, as well as Britney’s own, were finally recognized in court when the conservatorship — which was controlled by her father, Jamie — was suspended in September 2021. Since ending the conservatorship, Britney regained her freedom but not without additional legal battles involving her father and his legal team. mega Britney’s attorney, Matthew Rosengart, accused Jamie Spears and his legal team of a smear campaign against his client following the suspension of the conservatorship. Rosengart filed a motion for sanctions of contempt against his client’s father and legal representatives for allegedly violating court orders. In Rosengart’s filing, the attorney asserted that Jamie and his counsel entered a “scorched earth litigation campaign against Britney Spears” following the September 2021 court ruling. Rosengart has alleged that the legal team attempted to disclose Britney’s private medical records to further humiliate and intimidate her. View the full article

Published by DPA (L-R) Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden, US President, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, attend the first working session at the G20 Summit. Kay Nietfeld/dpa The G20 group of leading world economies is “deeply concerned” about the global food crisis, according to a draft for a joint final declaration of the summit in Indonesia. Global food security has been “exacerbated by current conflicts and tensions,” the G20 write, calling for the use of “all available tools” to fight the crisis and “protect the most vulnerable from hunger.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began at the end of February, has had a severe impact on global food markets. The two countries are considered two of the most important grain exporters worldwide. The G20 member states, including Russia, promised to “take action to promote food and energy security and support stability of markets, providing temporary and targeted support,” according to the joint declaration. “We will take further coordinated actions to address food security challenges including price surges and shortage of food commodities and fertilizers globally.” (L-R) Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, and Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, attend the first working session at the G20 Summit. Kay Nietfeld/dpa View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Frankie Grande was reportedly “attacked and robbed” in New York City last week. The former ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ star – who is the older brother of pop superstar Ariana Grande – was a victim of a violent mugging on the streets of Manhattan with cops alleging two teenage assailants punched him in the back of the head and then stole his bag. According to TMZ, the 39-year-old social media personality was strolling down the street before coming into contact with the pair. The 13 and 17 year old attackers were charged on counts of assault, robbery and grand larceny after they attempted to use his stolen credit card at a smoke shop. The attack comes almost five months after Ariana’s stalker broke into her house on her birthday. The Thank U, Next’ hitmaker wasn’t at her pad in Montecito, California, in June, when Aharon Brown allegedly violated his restraining order by somehow gaining access to her property, triggering security alarms. Police arrived to the house and arrested the man, and he was arraigned on charges of stalking, burglary, damaging power lines, violation of a court order and obstruction. He was placed in custody after pleading not guilty to the charges. Brown was arrested at Ariana’s house last September after turning up with a large hunting knife and allegedly making threats to kill, prompting a judge to issue a restraining order prohibiting him from going anywhere near the star. However, he was said to have violated the order by trying to find Ariana and getting close, and was supposed to turn himself in as a result. The ‘7 Rings’ singer previously admitted she was “terrified” by Brown and his obsessive behaviour. A law enforcement officer also filed a declaration stating he felt the restraining order was essential because he feared the alleged stalker would be released from jail. Ariana was at home when Brown turned up to the property with the knife. He is said to have screamed at her security: “I’ll f****** kill you and her.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dionne Warwick has joked she’ll be Pete Davidson’s next catch. The ‘Walk On By’ hitmaker has responded to rumours the ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ star, 28, is now dating model Emily Ratajkowski, 31, and quipped that she’ll be his next conquest after his raft of A-list girlfriends, including Kim Kardashian, Phoebe Dynevor, Kate Beckinsale, and Ariana Grande. The 81-year-old music legend jokingly tweeted: “I will be dating Pete Davidson next.” Dionne – who has become a popular Twitter personality – clapped back at the people who doubted she was the one sharing funny messages to her 620,000 followers with proof it’s her running the account. In a video – which the ‘Heartbreaker’ hitmaker captioned “if you’re new here” – she said: “Well, huh, so there’s still some nonbelievers huh? Well I want you to believe this, I am Dionne Warwick and I tweet. “Yes I do, and I want y’all to stop thinking I don’t okay. Do yourselves a favor alright now, I want you to stop it. Bye! (sic)” Recently, Dionne tweeted that Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t know what he is missing with his supposed “25-year dating rule”. The diva admitted it’s his loss he doesn’t date women older than 25. She wrote in September: “I just heard about Leonardo DiCaprio’s 25 year rule. His loss. You don’t know what you’re missing. (sic)” Dionne has remained on Twitter despite Elon Musk’s recent $44 billion takeover of the micro-blogging site. The world’s richest man had comedian Kathy Griffin’s parody account suspended just recently after she “violated the rules” of the social media app by changing her screen name to that of the Tesla boss. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) -Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday launched Amazon clinic, a virtual platform where users can connect with healthcare providers to help treat common ailments like allergies and skin conditions. Amazon has for years sought to expand its presence in healthcare. It bought online pharmacy PillPack in 2018, underpinning a prescription delivery and price-comparison site it later launched as Amazon Pharmacy, which lets users buy over-the-counter drugs via Prime memberships. Amazon said its new service would operate in 32 states, where customers who seek treatment, will be connected to healthcare providers. The service does not include health insurance and pricing will vary depending on providers, it added. The online retailer first piloted virtual care visits for its own staff in Seattle in 2019 before offering services to other employers under the Amazon Care brand, which it now plans to close down by the end of this year. The company is also waiting to close its $3.49 billion deal to buy One Medical, as it seeks to expand its virtual healthcare presence and add brick-and-mortar doctors’ offices for the first time. Shares in Amazon were up about 1% in trading before the bell. (Reporting by Bharat Govind Gautam, Eva Mathews and Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Dhanya Ann Thoppil) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and the wife of California’s governor, testified on Monday that former film producer Harvey Weinstein raped her in 2005 when she was trying to build a career as a producer and actor. On the witness stand in Los Angeles Superior Court, Siebel Newsom said she met Weinstein, now 70, at the Toronto Film Festival when she was 31 and had acted in some small film and TV roles. Weeks later in California, Weinstein invited her to meet him at The Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills for what she thought was a business meeting, she testified. She was surprised to learn that she was supposed to meet Weinstein, then one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, in his hotel suite, she said. When she arrived, Weinstein had no interest in discussing her projects, Siebel Newsom said. He went to the bathroom, called her over and began masturbating in front of her, she said, before touching her breasts and becoming “aggressive.” “I was scared. This was not why I came here,” she said, often breaking into tears. “I just remembered physically trying to back away.” Siebel Newsom said Weinstein got her onto a bed, though she cannot recall if he carried or dragged her there. He then raped her, she said. “He was just so big and so determined,” she said. “This was hell.” Weinstein, the man who became the face of #MeToo allegations five years ago, is serving a 23-year prison sentence for sex crimes in New York. He is now on trial in Los Angeles on 11 charges of rape and sexual assault and has pleaded not guilty. Siebel Newsom, who was identified in court as Jane Doe #4, is one of four women whose allegations are the basis of the Los Angeles charges against Weinstein. Prosecutors had earlier said there were five accusers. Siebel Newsom’s attorney confirmed in October that Siebel Newsom would testify in the case. Defense attorneys have argued that all of Weinstein’s sexual encounters were consensual and that his accusers willingly took part in a “casting couch” culture to further their careers in Hollywood. At the time of the meeting with Siebel Newsom, she had not met her future husband, current California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and she said she did not tell him what happened until after allegations against Weinstein became public. In cross-examination, Weinstein attorney Mark Werksman questioned Siebel Newsom about why her husband had accepted campaign donations from the producer. She said the governor returned the money after she told him about her encounter. Weinstein, 70, was convicted of sexual misconduct in New York in February 2020. He was extradited from New York to a Los Angeles prison in July 2021. In New York, Weinstein is appealing his conviction and 23-year prison sentence. He could face up to 140 years in prison if convicted on all of the charges in Los Angeles. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine. Editing by Gerry Doyle) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland and Andy Sullivan PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) -Donald Trump was set to launch a new White House bid on Tuesday from a gilt-edged ballroom at his Florida resort, hoping to box out potential Republican rivals and return his false claims of election fraud to the center of U.S. politics. Trump’s announcement, scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (0200 GMT on Wednesday) at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach follows a disappointing showing in last week’s midterm congressional elections that many Republicans blame on him. Hundreds of supporters were expected to fill a ballroom decorated with several chandeliers and lined with dozens of American flags. The unusually early launch may well be aimed at fending off potential challengers for the party’s nomination in 2024, including rising star Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 44, and Trump’s own former vice president, Mike Pence, 63. It comes as Republicans close in on the 218 seats they need to take a majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives. Sources close to Trump, 76, said he planned to push ahead despite mixed results from his endorsements this year, with losses by celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Don Bolduc in New Hampshire contributing to Republicans’ failure to win a majority in the U.S. Senate. Another Trump-picked candidate, former football star Herschel Walker, was forced into a Dec. 6 runoff in his Georgia race against Democratic U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock. That has raised some concerns that Trump’s announcement could again hurt the party’s chances in a Georgia runoff, similar to the January 2021 runoff that gave Democrats their current majority. Multiple Trump-aligned candidates who ran on platforms focused on his false claims of widespread election fraud were also defeated. The “red wave” that Republicans expected to carry them to a wide majority did not materialize despite Democratic President Joe Biden’s low public approval ratings. Voter anger over a Supreme Court decision to end national abortion rights offset concerns over high inflation. “This should have been a huge red wave … and yet we still didn’t perform,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a moderate Republican who has toyed with the idea of launching his own White House run. “It’s the third election in a row that Donald Trump has cost us the race … I’m tired of losing,” he told CNN on Sunday. Conservative Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen, who praised a number of Trump’s policies while he was in office, on Tuesday urged him not to run again, saying voters on Nov. 8 clearly rejected Trump-backed candidates and gave Democrats the majority in the U.S. Senate. “That should be a wake-up call for Trump. He cannot win the presidency with his base alone,” wrote Thiessen, former chief speechwriter for Republican President George W. Bush. “His conduct since losing office has made him unelectable.” A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken before the midterm elections showed that 53% of Americans and almost one in four Republicans view Trump unfavorably. The poll showed a similar number of Americans viewing Biden unfavorably. Trump plans to launch his campaign nearly two years before the Nov. 5, 2024, election despite these concerns, said two sources familiar with his plans. “President Donald J. Trump and his team are firing on all cylinders and fully focused on saving our country,” said one source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. DeSantis, who Trump has given the derisive nickname “Ron DeSanctimonious,” handily won re-election last week. Pence is releasing a book on Tuesday detailing Trump’s unsuccessful pressure campaign to overturn his 2020 defeat. LEGAL TROUBLES Trump will seek his party’s nomination even as he faces trouble on several fronts, including a criminal investigation into the removal of classified documents from the White House as well as a congressional subpoena related to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack by his supporters. Trump has called the various investigations he faces politically motivated and denies wrongdoing. The businessman-turned-politician, who has sought to maintain an iron grip on the Republican Party since leaving office, has persisted in making false claims that the 2020 election he lost to Biden was stolen through widespread voting fraud. Trump is seeking to become only the second U.S. president in history to serve non-consecutive terms, after Grover Cleveland, whose second stint ended in 1897. Biden, 79, has said he intends to run for re-election to a second four-year term in office, though he has yet to make a final decision. During his turbulent 2017-2021 presidency, Trump defied democratic norms and promoted “America First” nationalism while presenting himself as a right-wing populist. He became the first U.S. president to be impeached twice, though congressional Democrats failed in their attempts to remove him from office. At a rally that preceded the Capitol attack, Trump urged supporters to “fight like hell” and march on Congress to “stop the steal,” but the mob that subsequently stormed the Capitol failed to prevent Congress from formally certifying Biden’s election victory. Four people died on the day in the violence, one shot dead by police and the other three of natural causes. A Capitol Police officer who had been attacked by protesters died the following day. Two police officers who took part in the defense of the Capitol later took their own lives. More than a hundred police officers were injured. Even though court and state election officials rejected Trump’s false election claims, about two-thirds of Republican voters believe Biden’s victory was illegitimate, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. (Reporting by Steve Holland in Palm Beach, Florida, and Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joey Roulette and Steve Gorman CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) – Ground teams at Kennedy Space Center prepared on Tuesday for a third try at launching NASA’s towering, next-generation moon rocket, the debut flight of the U.S. space agency’s Artemis lunar program, 50 years after Apollo’s last moon mission. The 32-story tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was due to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 1:04 a.m. EST (0604 GMT) on Wednesday to send its Orion capsule on a 25-day voyage around the moon and back without astronauts aboard. NASA flight-readiness crews were eager for success after 10 weeks beset by engineering difficulties, two hurricanes and two trips from the spacecraft’s hangar to its launch pad. Two previous launch attempts, on Aug. 29 and Sept. 3, were aborted because of fuel line leaks and other technical problems that NASA has since resolved. While moored to its launch pad last week, the rocket endured fierce winds and rains from Hurricane Nicole, forcing a two-day flight postponement. Post-storm inspections found the hurricane had torn off a strip of ultra-thin protective sealant from Orion’s exterior, but NASA officials said Monday night the damage was minor and posed negligible risk to the launch. Weather is always a factor beyond NASA’s control. The latest forecast on Monday called for a 90% chance of favorable conditions during Wednesday’s two-hour launch window, according to the U.S. Space Force at Cape Canaveral. Dubbed Artemis I, the mission marks the first flight of the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule together, built under NASA contracts with Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp, respectively. It also signals a major change in direction for NASA’s post-Apollo human spaceflight program, after decades focused on low-Earth orbit with space shuttles and the International Space Station. (Graphic: ) SUCCESSOR TO APOLLO Named for the Greek goddess of the hunt – and Apollo’s twin sister – Artemis aims to return astronauts to the moon’s surface as early as 2025. Twelve astronauts walked on the moon during six Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972, the only spaceflights yet to place humans on the lunar surface. But Apollo, born of the U.S.-Soviet space race during the Cold War, was less science-driven than Artemis. The new moon program has enlisted commercial partners such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the space agencies of Europe, Canada and Japan to eventually establish a long-term lunar base as a stepping stone to even more ambitious human voyages to Mars. Getting the SLS-Orion spacecraft off the ground is a key first step. Its first voyage is intended to put the 5.75-million-pound vehicle through its paces in a rigorous test flight, pushing its design limits to prove the spacecraft is suitable to fly astronauts. If the mission succeeds, a crewed Artemis II flight around the moon and back could come as early as 2024, followed within a few more years by the program’s first lunar landing of astronauts, one of them a woman, with Artemis III. Billed as the most powerful, complex rocket in the world, the SLS represents the biggest new vertical launch system the U.S. space agency has built since the Saturn V of the Apollo era. Barring last-minute difficulties, the launch countdown should end with the rocket’s four main R-25 engines and its twin solid-rocket boosters igniting to produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust, sending the spacecraft streaking skyward. About 90 minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s upper stage will propel Orion out of Earth orbit on course for a 25-day flight that brings it to within 60 miles of the lunar surface before sailing 40,000 miles (64,374 km) beyond the moon and back to Earth. The capsule is expected to splash down in the Pacific on Dec. 11. Although no humans will be aboard, Orion will carry a simulated crew of three – one male and two female mannequins – fitted with sensors to measure radiation levels and other stresses that real-life astronauts would experience. A top objective for the mission is to test the durability of Orion’s heat shield during re-entry as it hits Earth’s atmosphere at 24,500 miles (39,429 km) per hour, or 32 times the speed of sound, on its return from lunar orbit – much faster than re-entries of capsules returning from the space station. The heat shield is designed to withstand re-entry friction expected to raise temperatures outside the capsule to nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 Celsius). More than a decade in development with years of delays and budget overruns, the SLS-Orion spacecraft has so far cost NASA least $37 billion, including design, construction, testing and ground facilities. NASA’s Office of Inspector General has projected total Artemis costs will run to $93 billion by 2025. NASA defends the program as a boon to space exploration that has generated tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in commerce. (Reporting by Joey Roulette in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Gerry Doyle) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – Michael Cohen, the onetime personal lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump, can sue the Trump Organization to cover millions of dollars in legal fees from defending against investigations into his work for the former U.S. president, a New York state appeals court ruled on Tuesday. Cohen, now a vocal Trump critic, said the real estate company stopped paying his bills after he began cooperating with several investigations. Among these were probes into Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Trump’s efforts to silence women who claimed they had affairs with him. In a 5-0 decision, the Appellate Division in Manhattan said a trial judge erred in dismissing Cohen’s lawsuit. The court said it was unclear whether Cohen’s legal fees mounted because he had been a Trump Organization employee, which would entitle him to reimbursement. Justice Joel Cohen, the trial judge, had ruled last November that Cohen’s fees “arise out of his (sometimes unlawful) service to Mr. Trump personally, to Mr. Trump’s campaign and to the Trump Foundation, but not out of his service to the business of the Trump Organization, which is the only defendant.” Michael Cohen originally sued in March 2019 to recoup $1.9 million in fees, plus $1.9 million he was ordered to forfeit in a criminal case. The fees kept growing, and the Trump Organization has paid some of them, court papers show. Lawyers for the company and Cohen did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Michael Cohen and Justice Cohen are not related. Cohen served a three-year sentence, partially in home confinement because of the COVID-19 pandemic, after pleading guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and tax evasion. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan dismissed Cohen’s lawsuit accusing Trump and the government of returning him to prison from home confinement for 16 days in July 2020, in retaliation for publicizing his tell-all book. The book, “Disloyal: A Memoir,” became a New York Times bestseller. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by AFP Kevin McCarthy is the Republican nominee for speaker of the US House of Representatives, but even if his party wins control of the chamber he has to placate the party's rebellious far-right flank Washington (AFP) – Top US Republican Kevin McCarthy was chosen Tuesday as his party’s leader in the House of Representatives — putting him in prime position to become speaker if his camp reclaims control of the chamber as expected. The 57-year-old congressman from California, a senior member of House Republican leadership since 2014, was elected by secret ballot — fending off a challenge from Andy Biggs, a member of the influential far-right Freedom Caucus. But potential far-right defections could yet complicate his path when the full chamber votes in January. Having failed to wrest control of the Senate from President Joe Biden’s Democrats in the November 8 midterms, Republicans are currently on track to take control of the House. But they will probably hold a wafer-thin majority when the 118th Congress is sworn in early next year, with votes from some races still being counted. McCarthy now begins what is expected to be a gruelling campaign to win the consequential floor vote on January 3, when the House of Representatives’ 435 newly elected members — Democrats and Republicans — choose their speaker, the third most important US political position after president and vice president. McCarthy has been weakened by Republicans’ underperformance in the election, as a “red wave” predicted by conservatives failed to materialize. Any internal dissent or defections in his camp — including a write-in effort for speaker by a party rebel like Biggs — could severely complicate McCarthy’s ascent. The party’s conservative wing has already made clear it will set conditions before supporting McCarthy. In 2015 McCarthy narrowly failed in his bid to become speaker, and the position went to Paul Ryan. View the full article