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Published by PsyPost (For more science videos, follow Dr. M the Science Femme on Instagram or subscribe to her Patreon.) People make assumptions about men’s personality traits and behaviors based on pictures of their genitalia, according to new research published in Sexuality & Culture. The study found that positive personality traits tend to be associated with wider and longer penises with trimmed pubic hair. Narrower and shorter penises, in contrast, are associated with neuroticism. “This topic really came out conversations with single colleagues and friends who were going through online dating and exchanging ex… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Scott Adams.MEGA The “Dilbert” comic strip has been ousted from 77 newspapers, Radar has learned. Scott Adams, who has been drawing the comic since 1989, said that the removal began after he started putting stories that included “wokeness” in the comic strip. Adams said that Lee Enterprises stopped printing the comic this week. The media company has nearly 100 newspapers under its umbrella throughout the United States. “It was part of a larger overhaul, I believe, of comics, but why they decided what was in and what was out, that’s not known to anybody except them, I guess,” Adams said. According to Adams, newspapers has permanently removed other comic strips recently, and he said all the decisions were made individually. “Dilbert,” which has been a household name for many years, is included in thousands of newspapers in 57 countries and in 19 languages, Adams’ website boasts. Adams, who both writes and illustrates “Dilbert,” has recently integrated stories dealing with the workplace that reflect on current culture. He’s recently written comic strips that touch on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. He also recently introduced a character named “Dave,” a Black man who identifies as a white man. “All of the wokeness and anything that permeated from ESG… so that stuff made its way into the business world, and then it became proper content for Dilbert,” Adams told Fox News, which first reported the “Dilbert” news. “The problem is that people see that even though it’s a workplace-related joke, but it’s more about how they implement it.” Adams told the outlet that some newspapers noted concerns after receiving complaints about the comic strips’ content. However, he said he was unsure if that played into newspapers dropping the comic strip. As Fox News notes, the “Dilbert” comic strip that was featured in many newspapers on Sept. 20, Dave’s supervisor speaks with him about how to increase the company’s ESG rating. “Dave, I need to boost our company’s ESG rating, so I’m promoting you to be our CTO. I know you identify as White, so that won’t help our ESG scores, but would it be too much trouble to identify as gay?” the supervisor asks. “Depends on how hard you want me to see it,” Dave says. “Just wear better shirts,” the boss replies. “What I do is I talk about how the employees handle the situation. It’s not about the goal of it. But that’s enough to make people think that I must be taking sides politically,” he said. Adams said the cancellations have hit him hard in the pockets. “It’s substantial,” he said. View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley zealously fired back at Sunny Hostin‘s claims she shields her Indian heritage by using her middle name during Tuesday’s episode of The View, labeling the remarks as “racist.” RadarOnline.com has learned that Haley was brought up on the show when Alyssa Farah Griffin sounded off about who she thought would be a solid GOP candidate for the 2024 presidential election. MEGA “I think we’ve got some if they’re willing to challenge Trump,” she said. “I’d love to see Nikki Haley, I’d love to see Liz Cheney.” Hostin voiced her disapproval of U.N. Ambassador Haley, questioning why she didn’t go by the first moniker on her birth certificate. Haley was born in South Carolina in January 1972 and was given the name Nimrata Nikki Haley. Griffin highlighted that “a lot of people don’t go by their actual real names,” noting that Haley has been referred to as “Nikki” since she was a kid. Griffin also speculated that she could have gone by her middle name “to avoid prejudice.” However, Hostin wasn’t having it, labeling the public figure as a “chameleon” like others who “decide not to embrace our ethnicities,” prompting her co-hosts to interject. Sara Haines pointed out that Hostin’s name is not “Sunny,” but rather Asunción Cummings Hostin. “Most Americans can’t pronounce Asunción because of the under-education in our country,” Hostin argued. MEGA As the clip made its rounds online, Haley entered the conversation herself by taking to Twitter with a message in which she tagged Hostin. “Thanks for your concern @Sunny. It’s racist of you to judge my name. Nikki is an Indian name and is on my birth certificate — and I’m proud of that,” she wrote. “What’s sad is the left’s hypocrisy towards conservative minorities. By the way, last I checked, Sunny isn’t your birth name.” MEGA Journalist Megyn Kelly has since shown her support for Haley, retweeting the clip along with a fire emoji and the message, “Omg.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn was another one of her supporters, taking to the social media platform with a message of her own. “I’m proud of my friend @NikkiHaley for calling it out for what it is, but she shouldn’t have to,” part of it read. “@TheView, an on air apology would be a good place to start.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Brad Pitt has dubbed George Clooney and Paul Newman the “most handsome men”. The ‘Bullet Train’ star, 58, joked that he had to pick his ‘Ocean’s’ co-star and close pal, George Clooney, 61, as the hottest male on the planet right now, while late Hollywood icon Newman, who was 83 when he died in 2008, is his choice for the past because of how he “aged so gracefully”. Asked by Vogue who the “most handsome men in the world past and present” are, Pitt replied: “You know in the acting world because it’s my day job … the immediate go-to is Paul Newman. “Because he aged so gracefully. “And by all reports [he was] a really special, giving, warm and truthful human being.” Speaking about silver fox Clooney, he quipped: “If I was gonna name someone present, well I gotta name that George Clooney f***** because why not?” He added: “Because usually, I’m always taking him out, and he’s always taking me out. And this time, I’m gonna go the other way, just this once.” The pair are known to poke fun at each other. Last year, Clooney joked that he was really looking forward to working with “cheap” Pitt again. He said: “He’s a friend of mine and we have a really good time together. I’m really looking forward to it.” Clooney then quipped: “Brad was obviously the cheapest of the actors available.” Meanwhile, the pals look set to reunite with Matt Damon for a new ‘Ocean’s’ movie. The Hollywood trio previously starred together in the 2007 heist movie, ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’, and they’re now poised to reunite for the latest film in the money-spinning franchise. A source told The Sun newspaper last week: “Rumours of a film starring George, Brad and Matt have swirled for years but the timing was off and their jam-packed schedules meant that it was just not possible. “Finally the right team for the job has come together in a bid to make it a huge success and the main stars thought it would be good fun to revisit. “The franchise is hugely popular and the brilliant storyline was an opportunity that was too good to miss.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Brad Pitt is launching a luxury skincare range. The Hollywood star has unveiled beauty line Le Domaine, which has been developed in collaboration with the Perrin family of the Château Beaucastel vinters, and has been described as “science-meets-nature” with a face cream, cleanser and serum available. He told Vogue magazine: “I know there are new products nearly every day that people are trying to launch, but if I hadn’t seen a real difference visually in my skin, we wouldn’t have bothered.” The 58-year-old actor admitted he decided to consider launching his own brand despite not always following a good beauty routine of his own. He explained: “I get sent stuff all the time and… ugh. It’s just all the same for me. But this last year we have been testing Le Domaine and I was really surprised by the results, and that for me, made it worth going forward.” Meanwhile, the ‘Bullet Train’ star has shrugged off the idea of being the “face” of the brand. He did point to his ex-fiancee Gwyneth Paltrow as an influence when it comes to the way she “built this empire” with her company Goop. He added: “I love what Gwyneth’s done [with Goop]. She is still a really dear friend, and she has built this empire. “She has always had that in her as a curator, and it’s been a lovely creative outlet for her. “In fact, come to think about it, she was probably the first one who got me to even wash my face twice a day… maybe.” Pitt also noted he doesn’t want to be seen as “running from ageing”. He said: “It’s a concept we can’t escape, and I would like to see our culture embracing it a bit more, talking about it in those terms. Something we discussed [in founding Le Domaine] was this headline of ‘anti-ageing’. It’s ridiculous. It’s a fairytale. But what is real is treating your skin in a healthy manner.” View the full article

Published by Reuters WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland, concerned about fighting around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, has distributed iodine tablets to regional fire departments to give to people in the event of radioactive exposure, a deputy minister said on Thursday. Iodine is considered a way of protecting the body against conditions such as thyroid cancer in case of radioactive exposure. Shelling at the site of Zaporizhzhia – Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant – has damaged buildings close to its six reactors and cut power cables, risking a nuclear catastrophe that would affect neighbouring countries. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the shelling around the plant. “After the media reports about battles near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant we decided… ahead of time to take protective action to distribute iodine,” deputy interior minister Blazej Pobozy told private broadcaster Radio Zet. “I would like to reassure all citizens that these are routine, pre-emptive actions that are to protect us in the event of a situation which… I hope will not happen,” he added. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put former Soviet satellite states on edge, and President Vladimir Putin’s threat of using nuclear weapons had already sent residents scrambling to stock up on iodine in the war’s earlier stages. Russia’s military fired nine missiles on the city of Zaporizhzhia, hitting a hotel and a power station, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said on Thursday. Zaporizhzhia is about 50 kms (31 miles) from the nuclear plant of the same name. The head of the United Nations atomic agency said on Wednesday he would not abandon a plan to create a protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia plant despite Russian plans to mobilise new troops and hold a referendum in the region. (Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) View the full article

Published by DPA Ana de Armas stars as Marilyn Monroe in an oppressive nightmare world of exploitative men. "Blonde" arrives September 28 on Netflix. Netflix/dpa Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde,” streaming on Netflix September 28, is meant to be a tough sit, endured, more than a harsh, often miserable life, examined. Wrong mission. But mission accomplished. Any halfway-serious exploration of the Marilyn Monroe story must reconcile the endurance test of her 36 years ― so much abuse, humiliation, infantilization, addiction and ultimate ruination — with the public-facing legend. Under the same skin, she was many things. A human being; an honest, often affecting actor; a deft, warmhearted comedian; and an undeniable star, struggling for respect and for deliverance from a maze of unforgiving celebrity. There’s an old song (and movie), “Flirtation Walk,” from the early ‘30s. The Monroe story as handled here, artfully, soullessly, by a grievously miscast filmmaker settling for pity where the insight should be, stays on a different and narrow path: Exploitation Walk. Ana de Armas is very good, and I wish that mattered more. She goes all in as Norma Jeane/Marilyn, the preyed-upon young girl and the miracle of strategic, studio-molded allure she became. It’s not a dual role, exactly, but it’s not quite a before-and-after, either. The little girl, lost, is never absent in the adult Marilyn here. De Armas delivers the sort of performance straight male critics typically describe as “fearless” or “brave,” i.e., lots of nudity and, in one instance, a scene of presidential fellatio that garnered “Blonde” a rare NC-17 rating. The performance at the centre of “Blonde” works, just as Austin Butler’s Elvis does the job in “Elvis,” though in a very different, less clinical, more funsy context. Compressing Joyce Carol Oates’ long novel down to two hours and 45 minutes, Dominik maintains strict, even suffocating visual and rhythmic control of this fictional/factual Marilyn tragedy. Practically every scene works toward the same goal, to the same lugubrious, narcoticized rhythm. Marilyn, defending herself against a proven or potential exploiter or abuser. First it’s her mother (the excellent Julianne Nicholson); then it’s agents, managers, moguls and blackmailers. Then it’s a famous abusive retired baseball star husband (Bobby Cannavale in the Joe DiMaggio role) and a couple of Kennedys, here unnamed. Hopes raised, hopes destroyed. In both senses of the word, “Blonde” operates on miserable dramaturgy at a crawl. As did Oates’ 2000 novel, “Blonde” deploys leaps and jerks out of one reality into another. After pregnancies either wanted or unwanted, we’re shown Marilyn communicating with her unborn babies, and there are more than trace elements of pity and scorn in the way Dominik handles this. Adrien Brody plays Arthur Miller, depicted here as the least of Monroe’s male nightmares. He too, though, according to the historical record and as imagined by “Blonde,” is a patronizing force in her pitiable life. There’s a long early scene between de Armas and Brody, an intriguing one, set in a restaurant. Marilyn has gone back to New York and the Actors Studio to work; Miller is trying out new material, and cannot quite believe the most famous movie star in the world is sitting there, jittery, insecure but eager to learn. Miller sneers at her feedback regarding the role he’s written, and that she has recently rehearsed in class. Then he realizes she’s on target regarding what’s missing from the role. Eight seconds later, he’s over his disdain and he’s a goner. This is one of the too few scenes that starts one place and goes to another. Chronologically, “Blonde” runs from 1933 to 1962, flitting back and forth, here and there. Dominik manipulates images and changes frames to suit the psychic claustrophobia at hand, adjusting the screen size and aspect ratio depending on the impulse. He and cinematographer Chayse Irvin favour high-contrast black-and-white, clashing deliberately with the too-sunny Kodachrome colour glare of Monroe’s final years. Some of the visual transitions are striking, as when de Armas’s Monroe — eternally in search of the father she never knew, and the “daddy” replacements she married — is superimposed, clutching blinding white sheets in bed, against a raging waterfall from her 1953 drama “Niagara.” Dominik’s second and quite remarkable feature, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” imagined a very different American past and American celebrity, in extraordinarily supple ways. See that film if you haven’t. Dominik’s filmmaking wiles are likely why Netflix, with Plan B’s Brad Pitt (who played Jesse James), eventually OK’d this project for this filmmaker. But Oates’ novel does not adapt easily. And all “Blonde” is, really, is pain, pity and pretty pictures. The recycling of the Monroe image — all that breathy, nobody’s-fool-but-everybody’s-sex-toy allure, may never end. How many thousands of Chicago tourists and residents peered up that famous “The Seven Year Itch” skirt when the 40,000-pound, 26-foot-tall stainless steel and aluminium “Forever Marilyn” statue set up shop outside the Tribune Tower a few years ago? “Blonde” is scarcely more enlightening than that Seward Johnson statue. Dominik drains the complication and, saddest of all, the screen wiles, from a plainly complicated legend. Like David Fincher’s “Mank,” “Blonde” creates some plush visual ideas of Old Hollywood, without quite capturing how movies looked and moved then. And in its relentlessness of punishment and purpose, it hearkens back to, of all things, Bob Fosse’s “Star 80.” It’s a clinical cry for help on behalf of the blonde at the centre, circling the drain, victimized to the last. And in the end, this sleek hypocrite of a picture is just another user. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats, accused by Republicans of being soft on crime, hope to burnish their crime-fighting credentials before the Nov. 8 midterm elections with a vote on Thursday on a major policing bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. The “Invest to Protect Act” aims to beef up federal funding for community policing activities in smaller jurisdictions, which often lack the money for officer body cameras and “de-escalation” training aimed at avoiding death or injury during law enforcement activities. Funds would help smaller police departments attract and retain officers and help local governments develop mental health programs to lower crime rates, including gun murders. The party’s progressive and moderate wings resolved differences on the proposals on Wednesday in the face of Republican accusations they were the “defund the police” party. Prospects for the legislation were unclear in the Senate, split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, where 60 of the chamber’s 100 votes would be needed for passage. Congressional Democrats have yet to find a way to enact legislation making it easier to hold police departments and their officers accountable for the use of excessive force, especially against minorities. Democratic voters have been clamoring for such laws. “It doesn’t take away the call for real accountability. This is not a substitute for that in any way,” Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal said of the legislation being debated on Thursday. Jayapal chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Representative Josh Gottheimer, the main sponsor of the bill, said it will ensure that local police departments “have what they need to recruit and retain the finest officers, to provide training and invest in providing mental health resources.” Jayapal said a key change in the bill reduced to 125, from 200, the maximum size of small police departments qualifying for federal funds under the bill. The bill is part of a package of public safety legislation. Three other bills will also get votes on Thursday – one that would make it easier for governments to create mental health emergency response units; one that would create federal grants for violence intervention programs; and one that would establish a Department of Justice program to train police departments on investigating shootings. (Reporting by Moira Warburton and Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Justin Klawans A group of students in Baton Rouge, Louisiana thought that they were going to a career fair on Tuesday. Instead, they found that they had been sent to an event described as an anti-LGBT church service. According to Baton Rouge-based newspaper The Advocate, over 2,100 students from local high schools in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system were told that they were participating in a districtwide ‘College & Career Fair.’ However, when they arrived at their destination, the students, most of whom were seniors, discovered that they had been dropped off at an event called ‘Da… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lady Gaga is in talks over a Las Vegas residency. The 36-year-old pop star recently wrapped up her ‘Chromatica Ball’ world tour, and she’s now locked in talks over a second residency in Sin City. A source told The Sun newspaper: “For a long time Lady Gaga wasn’t sure if she would ever perform again due to health problems but ‘Chromatica’ has helped build her back up. “With Britney Spears on an indefinite hiatus and Katy Perry’s ‘PLAY’ residency coming to an end next month, Vegas have a big pop-shaped hole to fill. “Gaga is the biggest star on the planet once more so it makes perfect sense.” Gaga was recently forced to cancel her final ‘Chromatica Ball’ concert midway through due to lightning strikes. The ‘Stupid Love’ hitmaker – whose real name is Stefani Germanotta – halted her show mid-gig at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, due to the extreme weather conditions. In a teary video posted on Instagram, Gaga said: “We really tried to finish the show tonight in Miami but we couldn’t because even when the rain stopped there was lightning striking right down to the ground so close to us. “I know that for a long time, I’ve always wanted to be like that hardcore bad b**** but what I also want to be is responsible and loving and I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to anyone in the audience, or any member of my crew, my band, or my dancers.” In the caption of another post, Gaga added: “I’m sorry i couldn’t finish the show it was too dangerous the lightening was being unpredictable and changing moment by moment, I love you. Look, for years some of you have called me ‘mother monster,’ in my heart I knew it was better to keep you safe. (sic)” View the full article

Published by The Street By Michael Tedder If the Las Vegas gossip proves true, then you’ll have a ball. Nature abhors a vacuum. And so does Las Vegas. The live entertainment capital of the world has something for all tastes. If you’re just not a music person, you can just gamble all you want. (Though practice some common sense.) But if you do love music (and what kind of weirdo doesn’t?) then there’s something for everyone. If you’re a classic rock type, well, Santana is doing shows this fall. If you’re an oldies person, there’s always a pop elder statesperson playing that you unlikely to see anywhere else, such as D… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP (L-R) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, French President Emmanuel Macron, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden applaud at the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York New York (AFP) – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria raised $14.25 billion Wednesday at a donor conference led by US President Joe Biden, as decades of progress against the diseases are set back by Covid. It was the highest amount ever pledged for a multilateral health organization — but fell far short of the ambitious goal of $18 billion after the United Kingdom and Italy said their announcements would come later. The Global Fund was created in 2002, bringing together governments, multilateral agencies, civil society groups and the private sector. Funding cycles last three years. “What’s happened today is actually an unparalleled mobilization of resources for global health,” said Global Fund executive director Peter Sands, adding he expected Britain and Italy to make their pledges in due course. “Thank you all for stepping up, especially in a challenging global economic environment, and I ask you, keep it going,” urged Biden. Among countries, the United States pledged the highest amount, $6 billion, followed by France with 1.6 billion euros, 1.3 billion euros by Germany, $1.08 billion by Japan, Can$1.21 billion by Canada and 715 million Euros by the European Union. The Gates Foundation pledged $912 million. The $18-billion goal was based on getting back on track to end AIDS, TB and malaria by 2030, recovering ground lost during the Covid pandemic and saving 20 million lives over the next three years. The target was 30 percent more than that raised during the organization’s sixth and most recent replenishment, hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France in 2019, which raised a then-record $14 billion. Camille Spire, president of the French non-profit AIDES, told AFP that when the UK and Italy make their pledges, the sum would still be unlikely to reach the original goal. “While some are counting their pennies, some are counting the dead,” she said, adding she was “angry” and the outcome would mean fewer screening campaigns than had been hoped for, fewer treatments, less funding for community health centers and less strengthening of health systems. There was also criticism within the UK. Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy tweeted the delay in pledging “will slow the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria and damage the UK’s national interest.” Signs of recovery – The fund estimates it has reduced the death toll from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 50 percent, saving more than 50 million lives over the past two decades. Last year, it warned that the Covid pandemic was having a devastating impact on its work, leading to declining results across the board for the first time in its history. It said in its latest report, however, that the massive resources it had pumped into countering the downturn had paid off and “recovery is underway” against all three diseases. The Global Fund provides 30 percent of all international financing for HIV programs, 76 percent of funding for TB, and 63 percent of funding for malaria. Its other areas of focus include improving the resilience of local health systems, and raising funds against Covid-19. According to US law, the country cannot provide more than one-third of funding for the Global Fund — a limit that serves as a matching challenge to other nations to double the American pledge. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julia Harte and Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – Thirty-six of the 50 states will elect governors in November’s U.S. midterm elections. Though the races typically get less attention than the battle for control of Congress, they carry high stakes for issues such as abortion access, transgender rights, education and future elections in those states. Here are 12 of the most consequential gubernatorial races to watch. ARIZONA Widely seen as one of the closest gubernatorial races in the country, the contest for Arizona’s open governorship pits Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, against former news anchor Kari Lake, a Republican. Hobbs rose to national prominence in 2020 when she defended Arizona’s election results against former President Donald Trump’s false claims of fraud. Lake, who received Trump’s endorsement, has embraced those claims and vowed to ban mail-in voting if she wins. FLORIDA Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is seeking re-election for a second term in what is widely seen as a precursor to a presidential run in 2024. He has been at the forefront of a number of the country’s partisan fights, bucking COVID-19 restrictions while backing a law limiting discussion of LGBTQ issues in the state’s schools. His opponent is Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who switched parties and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat. Crist has tried to appeal to moderate Republicans in a onetime political swing state that has tilted further to the right in recent years. GEORGIA Republican Governor Brian Kemp faces Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in a rematch of the state’s close 2018 gubernatorial election. If elected, Abrams would be the first Black woman to serve as governor in the United States. Her voter registration efforts are credited with helping President Joe Biden win Georgia in 2020 and two Democrats capture the state’s U.S. Senate seats in 2021. Polls show the incumbent Kemp ahead in the current race, even after he upset Trump and his supporters by refusing the former president’s entreaties to falsely declare Trump the winner in 2020. KANSAS Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is being challenged by Republican Derek Schmidt for the only governorship Democrats are defending in a state won by Trump in 2020. Kelly has run on funding education and transportation infrastructure. Schmidt, the attorney general, has tried to link Kelly to Biden on issues such as inflation and transgender rights. Kelly could be helped by independent candidate Dennis Pyle, who is expected to take some of the conservative vote in the toss-up race. MAINE Recent opinion polls show Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, leading her Republican opponent, Paul LePage, who served as governor of the state from 2011 to 2019. LePage faced criticism during his time in office for making racially inflammatory and profane comments that led some state lawmakers to question his fitness to serve. In 2017, he sued Mills, then the state’s attorney general, for joining a legal brief opposing Trump’s executive order to ban immigration from a half-dozen majority Muslim countries. MICHIGAN Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer has made protecting abortion access in Michigan a central theme of her re-election campaign. Her Republican opponent, Trump-backed conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, supports a near-total ban on abortion, including for child victims of rape and incest. A win by Dixon would mean total control of the state government by Republicans, who already have the majority of both legislative chambers. Whitmer, however, has maintained a sometimes double-digit lead over Dixon since she won the Republican nomination in August. NEVADA Incumbent Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, has emphasized the protection of legal abortion in his campaign for a second term. He faces Republican Joe Lombardo, the Clark County sheriff and a former U.S. Army soldier who has run on supporting law enforcement and cutting public spending. Election analysts view the race as a toss-up. NEW MEXICO Democratic incumbent Michelle Lujan Grisham is running against Republican Mark Ronchetti, a former television weatherman. Grisham has emphasized abortion rights, directing $10 million in state money to build an abortion clinic near the Texas border, while Ronchetti supports banning abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy. He has also attacked the governor over the economy and her response to wildfires. OREGON With Democratic Governor Kate Brown legally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, the Oregon race pits Democrat Tina Kotek against Republican Christine Drazan and a strong independent candidate, Betsy Johnson, a former Democrat who is financially backed by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Kotek has run hard on gun violence prevention, while Johnson has emphasized supporting police. Drazan has campaigned on public safety and order in a state that experienced sometimes-violent protests over racial equality and police brutality in 2020 and 2021, saying either of her opponents would represent a third term for Brown. PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvania’s Democratic attorney general, Josh Shapiro, is facing off against Republican state Senator Doug Mastriano, who has echoed Trump’s false claims of voter fraud and was present at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to protest the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Shapiro has a clear lead in recent opinion polls and fundraising. The winner of the open governor’s race will choose the state’s top elections official, who will oversee its 2024 presidential election, and will have the power to block or advance efforts by the Republican-led state legislature to severely restrict abortions. TEXAS Polls suggest Republican incumbent Greg Abbott has a solid hold on the Texas governorship, but the next two months promise a lively challenge from his Democratic opponent, former U.S. congressman Beto O’Rourke. Known for his online fundraising prowess and fiery rhetoric, O’Rourke publicly heckled Abbott about not doing more to tighten gun regulations in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting in May. WISCONSIN Polls show a neck-and-neck governor’s race in Wisconsin. Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, is defending his seat from Republican construction magnate Tim Michels. Michels has falsely claimed that Trump won the 2020 election and has promised, if elected, to enforce a 19th-century abortion ban that Evers is challenging in court. Michels’ personal wealth and endorsement from Trump helped him prevail over more establishment Republican candidates in the state’s August primary. (Reporting by Julia Harte and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by The Kansas City Star KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in a new TV ad released Wednesday responded to weeks of attacks from state Attorney General Derek Schmidt over her vetoes of bans on transgender athletes competing in girls and women’s sports. “You may have seen my opponent’s attacks, so let me just say it: of course men should not play girls’ sports. OK, we all agree there,” Kelly says in the ad, before pivoting to attack Schmidt on education and linking him to former Gov. Sam Brownback. But there was far less agreement about what Kelly meant. The ad quickly became a kind of Rorschach test… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Justin Klawans A new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) described an “extensive, interconnected” network of radical groups within Florida, including white supremacists, neo-Nazi groups, and far-right movements. According to the ADL’s report, the Sunshine State keeps is continuing to fill up with individuals that are less than sunny. This includes, according to the report, “a significant increase in extremist-related incidents both nationwide and in the state of Florida.” In particular, the ADL highlighted one group called NatSoc Florida, based in Duval County. Described as a Neo-N… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nate Raymond (Reuters) – An LGBT student group has agreed to hold off on forcing Yeshiva University to formally recognize it while the Jewish school in New York City appeals a judge’s order requiring it to do so – an action the institution said would violate its religious values. Yeshiva last week halted all student club activities after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block New York state court judge Lynn Kotler’s June order requiring the university to recognize the Y.U. Pride Alliance. Y.U. Pride Alliance said it made the “painful and difficult decision” to agree to stay the judge’s order while the Yeshiva pursues its appeals because it did not want the school to “punish” other students. “At the same time, we will continue our lawsuit in the New York appellate courts and our fight for YU to stop violating our civil rights and respect our equal dignity as Yeshiva students,” the club said. Yeshiva on Thursday said it agreed to a stay. The university is appealing Kotler’s finding that it is subject to a city anti-discrimination law. The dispute hinges in part on whether Yeshiva is a “religious corporation” and thus exempt from the New York City Human Rights Law, which bans discrimination by a place or provider of public accommodation on the basis of sexual orientation, religion, race, gender, age, national origin and some other factors. The Supreme Court, with four of its six conservative justices dissenting, declined in a 5-4 decision on Sept. 14 to put Kotler’s order on hold, saying the school could ask New York courts to expedite its appeal and seek relief from them. Yeshiva’s lawyers at the conservative legal group Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said the club’s decision would allow it to pursue its appeals “without being forced to violate its religious identity.” Hanan Eisenman, a Yeshiva spokesperson, said that the university is now planning to resume club activities following the upcoming Jewish holidays when students return to campus and had sent the club’s lawyers a signed agreement to stay Kotler’s order. Y.U. Pride Alliance formed unofficially in 2018 but Yeshiva determined that granting it official status would be “inconsistent with the school’s Torah values and the religious environment it seeks to maintain.” The Modern Orthodox Jewish university, based in Manhattan, has roughly 6,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by Reuters By James Oliphant and Joseph Ax OLATHE, Kan. (Reuters) – Days after sending two planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flew 1,000 miles (1,600 km) across the country to speak to voters in a Kansas hotel ballroom. He ostensibly made the trip to stump for a fellow Republican. But introduced as “America’s governor,” DeSantis’ one-hour speech sounded like a presidential-style campaign address heavy on his Florida track record. The audience of hundreds roared with approval, especially when he referenced the Martha’s Vineyard flights of migrants he choreographed last week to protest the immigration policies of President Joe Biden’s administration. “He’s not backing down, and that’s one of the things I appreciate about him,” said Bill Burns, 60, of Olathe. DeSantis’ stop in America’s heartland was part of a series of events that have taken him to such states as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as he builds a national profile and donor base. His actions have led to speculation that should he win a second term as governor in November, he will quickly pivot to a 2024 bid for the Republican presidential nomination. The X-factor remains former President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican who has strongly suggested he will launch another White House run. Trump and DeSantis were close allies during Trump’s four years in office, but the governor has since forged a distinct political identity. DeSantis, 44, became the national face of resistance to COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates. He has taken the lead on hot-button cultural issues such as the teaching of race relations and gender identity in public schools. When Walt Disney Co, one of Florida’s biggest employers, opposed a new state law limiting discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools, DeSantis moved to strip the company of its self-governing status. When an elected Democratic state attorney said he would not prosecute anyone over abortion or transgender care, DeSantis removed him. DeSantis’ Democratic opponent in Florida, former governor Charlie Crist, has accused him of running the state in an autocratic fashion and has encouraged voters to put a brake on his national ambitions by denying him a second term. Crist cut a TV ad in the wake of the Martha’s Vineyard incident charging that DeSantis “is always putting politics over people’s lives.” Conservatives, meantime, have cheered him on. DeSantis raised nearly $180 million between his re-election campaign and his state-level political action committee through Sept. 9, setting a new record for gubernatorial fundraising, according to OpenSecrets, a non-profit organization that tracks campaign finance. More than $70 million of DeSantis’ total has come from out of state, according to the site’s analysis. He has collected checks from several ultra-wealthy donors, including hotelier and space exploration entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, who contributed $10 million in July, and hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin, who gave $5 million last year. CHANGED CALCULUS Trump, 76, has long been considered the favorite for the Republican nomination should he run again. DeSantis, a former congressman who attended Yale University and Harvard Law School and served in Iraq as a U.S. Navy lieutenant, has changed that calculus. A USA Today/Suffolk poll released on Wednesday showed DeSantis leads Trump 48%-40% among Florida Republicans in a 2024 presidential primary contest. That was a reversal from a Florida poll in January when Trump edged DeSantis 47%-40%. Ready for Ron, a federal fundraising PAC, wants DeSantis to seek the presidency. The group has run television and digital ads and has spent between $250,000 and $500,000 since its launch in May, according to Dan Backer, a lawyer working for the PAC. “We think he’s the guy,” Backer said. “I love Trump – I think Trump was a fantastic president. But that’s not what we’re about. We’re about getting Ron DeSantis to run and electing him so we beat Joe Biden and save our country.” A day before the DeSantis event in Kansas on Sunday, Trump held a raucous outdoor rally in Ohio for thousands of adoring supporters. The governor’s less-publicized talk was much more restrained as he methodically laid out statistics in support of his claim that Florida had prospered under his leadership. He was not above trying to get the crowd worked up when he turned to cultural issues, however. “These are fights that we have to have, and these are fights that we have to win,” he said to applause. John Thomas, a Republican strategist in California, said DeSantis was smart to be positioning himself for a potential 2024 run. “He’s clearly catching the president’s ire along the way, but I would argue that he should just tread lightly but definitely continue to tread,” Thomas said. Trump’s PAC has boasted an FBI search of his Florida estate last month gave him a boost over DeSantis with Republican voters. For his part, DeSantis has yet to say whether he is considering running for president or whether he would challenge Trump. David Jolly, a former Florida congressman who left the Republican Party to help form an independent third party, believes DeSantis has no choice but to make a bid when his star is burning the brightest. “He could be an also-ran in 2028,” Jolly said. “He has the hottest hand in politics right now in the country of anybody, red, blue or purple.” (Reporting by James Oliphant in Olathe, Kansas, and Joseph Ax in Princeton, New Jersey; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Billy Porter is set to lend his voice in a bid to end poverty. The “Pose” star, who turned 53 on Wednesday, will perform at the Global Citizen Festival, taking place Saturday in Central Park. The event will be broadcast and streamed around the world. It’s the second time he’s been a part of the humanitarian-focused music event, which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its efforts to eradicate poverty. The festival has a lineup boasting a who’s who of pop music with superstars like Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi and the Jonas Brothers. Fans to the massive music festival can earn free… Read More View the full article

Published by PopCrush You might remember Holden Nowell from Carly Rae Jepsen‘s iconic “Call Me Maybe” music video, which became a smash hit in 2012 after being promoted by Justin Bieber. In the video, Nowell plays Jepsen’s hunky love interest neighbor, who the Canadian singer fantasizes about until she finds out — in a comedic twist ending — he has a boyfriend. According to Billboard, in 2018 Nowell said he was actually uncomfortable playing a gay character in the music video. Earlier this year, he marked the video’s 10-year anniversary in an Instagram post. He wrote that the experience “changed my life forever” bu… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Sarah K. Burris The Republican rush to oppose transgender people has taken a turn in Missouri, where Sen. Josh Hawley (R) is up for reelection. In a fundraising email to his supporters, Hawley asked folks to give to his campaign so he could help stop schools from teaching that there’s more than one gender. “Blue states are teaching kids transgender propaganda in schools when they’re as young as first graders,” Hawley claims in a screen capture posted by New York Times reporter Ken Vogel. “These teachings go against nature, science, and common sense — but this is what Liberals (sic) want our… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Billy Eichner says “people trying really hard to be funny” is his number one dating deal breaker. The 44-year-old actor and comedian – who has appeared in the likes of ‘Parks and Recreation’ and stars in new rom-com ‘Bros’ – urged people to be “authentic” rather than someone they’re not. He told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “Oh man, people trying really hard to be funny. If you’re not a funny person, that’s fine, just be your authentic self. “I’m not always that funny either. But, we all have our good days and our bad days.” Meanwhile, Billy insisted he’d rather meet someone in person than embracing online dating. The star has had some bad experiences on Tinder, and he previously revealed he was booted off the app after “seven years”. Back in 2019, he appeared on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ and said: “I’ve been single for a long time and something terrible happened to be recently. No joke, this is true, I was banned from Tinder. “You’re laughing, but I’m going to die alone!I’ve been on Tinder for, like, seven years and I’m very nice. I don’t do anything naughty or weird, I’m a normal person. “They banned me all of a sudden. And I say, ‘Why?’ They didn’t give me an explanation, they just said, ‘You violated the terms of use.’ “And I said, ‘I’ve been single for seven years, you violated the terms of use!’ I didn’t violate anything!” The situation was later resolved – with Tinder sending an apology care package with T-shirts and mugs bearing slogans like ‘World’s Hottest Single’ – but Billy was fuming. He added: “I was furious. I guess because I’m a public person maybe people thought it was a fake profile, which actually happened to my friend Andy Cohen, they kicked him off. “Or maybe they just don’t like gay people, I don’t know! No, they don’t, they’re very nice to gay people, it had nothing to do with that. “I guess someone reported me as being fake, but that is really me. Why not? Why can’t I be on there?” View the full article

Published by The Boot Maren Morris is among the nominees for one of the most important awards at the upcoming 2022 CMA Awards, but she’s not sure she’s going to be in attendance. In a new interview, the Grammy-winning country and pop artist says she doesn’t feel “comfortable” going due to a recent, very public back-and-forth exchange with Jason Aldean‘s wife, Brittany, over gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Morris’ most recent album, Humble Quest, is nominated for Album of the Year in 2022, but Morris tells the Los Angeles Times that she’s on the fence about attending the awards ceremony in November, whe… Read More View the full article

Published by Global Voices Screenshot from TRT news video report from the march on September 18, 2022. For supporters of queer rights in Turkey, the anti-LGBTQ+ rally that took place on Sunday, September 18, in Istanbul was not at all surprising. After all, many have gotten used to canceled PRIDE marches, which have been banned since 2015, and violent police interventions each year against those who take the streets anyway to mark PRIDE month. But this Sunday’s march was not just anti-LGBTQ+. The organizers asked for legal changes as well as the closure of all LGBTQ+ organizations. They dubbed the event the “Great Famil… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Drew Barrymore could last “years” without sex. The 47-year-old actress has joked about Andrew Garfield’s method acting approach to his role as a Jesuit priest in 2016’s ‘Silence’, which saw him abstain from sex and food for six months. Speaking on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ this week, the host quipped: “Well, I get abstaining from sex, I did that my entire twenties. “I was like what’s wrong with me that six months doesn’t seem like a very long time. I was like, ‘Yeah so?’ “ Her co-star Ross Matthews joked: “I mean, we buried the lea there. That’s the headline, ‘Drew can go six months, no big deal.’ “ She replied: “Oh, years.” Drew has used method acting in the past, particularly when she was playing Edie Beale in ‘Gray Gardens’, which earned her a Golden Globe award. She explained: “There are lots of actors who have, Christian Bale, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, you do want to transform and fully commit, so I understand that. “I definitely on certain projects, like when I was doing ‘Gray Gardens’ this film I did where I played this beloved real-life woman Edie Beale… “I was so nervous I didn’t really chit chat with everybody on set, I just really stayed in character, or her.” Last month, Andrew opened up about the way he approached playing a 17th-century priest in ‘Silence’, and described it as an “incredibly spiritual experience”. He said: “I did a bunch of spiritual practices every day. I created new rituals for myself. I was celibate for six months, and fasting a lot, because me and Adam [Driver] had to lose a bunch of weight anyway. “There were all the spiritual practices we got to do while we were praying, meditating, having all the intentions we had as those characters. “It was very cool, man. I had some pretty wild, trippy experiences from starving myself of sex and food for that period of time.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Coolidge says a spray tan sent her to the emergency room. ‘The White Lotus’ star – who is one of the few returning cast members to the Mike White-created satire’s second season set in Sicily – revealed her attempt not to resemble a “big, white marshmallow” got her admitted to the hospital while filming the HBO critically-acclaimed show. The 61-year-old actress told Allure magazine: “For ‘The White Lotus’, I didn’t want to look like a big, white marshmallow on the beach in Hawaii, so I got a spray tan. I got on the plane and I started to feel really weird. By the time I got off the flight, I had to go to the emergency room.” Jennifer – who scooped up her first Emmy for her portrayal of emotionally damaged heiress Tanya McQuoid earlier this month – had to end up just relying on “regular makeup” while shooting in at the luxury resort in Hawaii alongside her co-stars such as Connie Britton, Jacey Lacey, Sydney Sweeney, Alexandra Daddario and Natasha Rothwell. She said: “I think we ended up using regular make-up. The minute we stopped filming, I would shower. I have such a quick reaction to stuff.” The ‘American Pie’ star revealed she only just “started getting allergic” to beauty products. Jennifer said: “I was never someone who cared very much about ingredients. Then, I’d say the last five or six years, I started getting allergic. My eyes would always be tearing up, but it never occurred to me that it was my make-up.” View the full article