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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

Published by BANG Showbiz English Emeli Sandé has got engaged to her girlfriend Yoana Karemova. The 35-year-old singer revealed on Wednesday (21.09.22) that her partner proposed as she showed off a gorgeous ruby and diamond engagement ring in a post to her followers. Posting two red love hearts, she simply wrote: “I said Yes!” She was seen wearing the ring at the Terrence Higgins Trust 40th Anniversary Gala Dinner on September 15 as she and Yoana stepped out at London’s Old Royal Naval College. Her fans and friends were delighted by the news, with TV star Zoe Ball among those to reply with well wishes. She commented: “Congrats gorgeous girls.” A fan added: “Congratulations my queen! My best wishes to you and you better half.” And another follower wrote: “Congratulations what a wonderful couple.” The ‘Next To Me’ hitmaker – who was married to university lecturer Adam Gouraguine from 2012 to 2014 – announced back in spring that she was dating the classical pianist. She later admitted she would love to have a child with her partner in the future. She said: “I’d love to have a child one day. “It’s that balance – you want to get better at what you do, you want to keep pushing at your career, but at the same time you are a woman. “If it happens then fantastic. But if I’m supposed to dedicate myself to my music, then so be it. Hopefully one day we can start a family.” She admitted she felt like she is “floating on a cloud” because she’s so smitten with her girlfriend. She gushed at the time: “I think I have such a physical reaction falling in love. You just feel like you’re floating on a cloud. Everything’s good. “I remember just you know, a few months after just knowing her, life is really nice. Like everything seems good. I feel optimistic. “And I think since I met Yoana, I think your body tells you and life becomes just like a dream.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Bob Brigham The far-right conspiracy theory that believes the world is run by a secret cabal of Satanic pedophiles is drawing attention to a 2013 episode of “The Simpsons” television show. Vice News reports it started with an online clip of German lawmaker Friedrich Merz talking about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “In his speech, Merz misspeaks and says that everyone will remember where they were on September 24, rather than February 24, the day Russia invaded. Merz corrected himself in the official record of the Bundestag, but QAnon followers in Germany believed they’d spotted Merz reveali… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Matthew Chapman On Wednesday, writing for The Atlantic, Juliette Kayyem argued that former President Donald Trump’s newfound, overt embrace of the QAnon movement is a sign that he is running out of ideas about how to expand his political base. Trump had always paid some degree of praise to QAnon, a conspiratorial belief that America is controlled by a secret group of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who consume children’s flesh to live forever. But more recently he has made his allegiance to them more explicit, by playing a QAnon-associated song at his Ohio rally and sharing memes containing QAn… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steven Grattan BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (Reuters) – At her campaign headquarters, Brazilian congressional hopeful Duda Salabert gently lays out the newspaper clippings sent to her in August. Her photo is on many of the pages, and Nazi swastikas and profanities have been scribbled over them. “You are a danger to society,” reads one. “You need to be isolated as soon as possible, preferably in a concentration camp.” Salabert, 41, said all the threats are directly related to her identity as a trans woman, which has made her a target of scorn from right-wing groups. Among more than 30 trans candidates tracked by the National Association of Travestis and Transgender People (ANTRA), about 80% have received threats or been intimidated during this election cycle period, said researcher Bruna Benavides. Political violence has been on the rise in Brazil, with candidates and their supporters facing a wave of threats and attacks this year. Incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro was almost killed in a stabbing during the 2018 campaign. But even against that baseline, there has been a dramatic rise in politicians targeted specifically for their gender identity ahead of the Oct. 2 election, candidates and human rights groups told Reuters. “Within the first 10 days of my campaign, I received four death threats, all signed with Nazi symbols,” said Salabert, who would be the first trans person elected to Brazil’s Congress. “From 2018 to 2022, there was a huge increase in political violence against me.” Salabert and her family in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte now travel everywhere with a team of bodyguards, an armored car and bulletproof vests, measures she said cost around 20% of her campaign funds. City hall provided the security detail, but her campaign covers meals, fuel and other expenses. “Most other candidates do not have to worry about that,” she said. The candidates most targeted by political violence and threats tend to be Black women and LGBT people, especially trans women, said researcher Cesar Munoz of Human Rights Watch. “Attacks on trans candidates, especially threats against transfeminine identities are much more intense, violent and numerous than against any other candidate,” said Benavides of Rio de Janeiro-based ANTRA. Many trans Brazilians, including Salabert, call themselves and their community “travesti,” a reclaimed pejorative term that incorporates both their trans and Brazilian identities. Advocates say there has been little or no protection for trans politicians from the right-wing government of Bolsonaro, who once said he would prefer to have a dead son than a gay son. “Political parties often don’t take these threats seriously, especially against trans women,” Munoz said. “They have to do a better job.” The government and federal police did not respond to questions about the threats or measures to protect candidates. Reuters interviewed eight trans and travesti candidates who reported threats and intimidation on the campaign trail. Erika Hilton, a Sao Paulo city councilwoman running for a seat in Congress, has a full security team at all times. “They’re all anonymous threats that arrive by e-mail or by phone calls,” Hilton said in an email. “Along with threats of bombing, burning my house down and killing me, there are also requests that I leave politics, give up my candidacy or stop promoting investigations against Jair Bolsonaro.” Benny Briolly, who was elected last year to the Niteroi city council in Rio state, had to leave the country for two weeks after receiving death threats. At a shopping mall in Belo Horizonte, Salabert greeted well-wishers on a recent afternoon as she found a spot for lunch. Her five bodyguards stayed close as strangers approached for hugs and photographs. Salabert, who said she lost her job as a high school literature teacher in 2018 due to neo-Nazi threats, said such harassment was no match for her ambitions. “Your threats won’t intimidate us,” said Salabert, who in 2020 received more votes than any other candidate for city council in Belo Horizonte’s history. “I have all the potential to be the most voted person in history of this country.” (Reporting by Steven Grattan; Editing by Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by DPA The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) hold a joint press conference. Michael Kappeler/dpa Qatar’s ruling emir has said at the United Nations that all fans are welcome at the upcoming World Cup in the country, amid fears raised by LGBTQ+ activists. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and can lead to imprisonment for up to seven years. Human Rights Watch’s Germany director Wenzel Michalski had suggested on Tuesday that homosexual fans should better not attend the World Cup. He said that while he didn’t expect incidents because the whole world was watching and western homosexual fans should be able to watch games as long as they respected local laws there was no full guarantee for their safety. Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani tried to reassure everyone at the UN General Assembly later Tuesday in New York. “The Qatari people will receive with open arms football fans from all walks of life” and “without discrimination,” he said, without naming a specific group. LGBTQ+ rights are one of the human rights areas where Qatar has been criticised, along with the treatment of migrant workers in the country. Qatar has insisted that progress has been made regarding the migrant workers but rights groups say more needs to be done. The World Cup runs from November 20 to December 18. View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune For the last four years on the third Sunday of every month, drag queen Ginger Forest heads to Jerry’s Sandwiches in Lincoln Square just in time for brunch. She’s there to put on a show. To a never-ending chorus of children’s “wows” and “oohs” muffled by bites of food, Ginger and his drag daughter Candi Forest parade between tables, wearing high heels and sashaying in their blond wigs while they read books to families. “It’s almost like a Disney meet-and-greet because we’re in these big costumes and these kids are just at the table and they’re staring and watching us,” said Ginger, who has been… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online @erickadameontv/instagram Meteorologist Erick Adame is hopeful to be able to revamp his career in TV after being fired for appearing on an adult webcam site, RadarOnline.com has learned. “There’s been a lot of interesting discussions since his post,” Howard Bragman, Adame’s publicist, told RadarOnline.com on September 20, noting how Adame has received countless supportive messages since he issued a statement on social media. @erickadameontv/instagram “Honestly, he’d like to be back on the air. That would be his dream,” added Bragman, noting that his lawyer does feel “like [Adame] was wrongly terminated.” The former Spectrum News NY1 personality previously expressed his hopes to be back in front of the camera again, noting how his resume and dedication to his work are still worthy of consideration after he was terminated due to an anonymous user sending explicit images of him on the site to NY1. Bragman suggested to Rolling Stone that Adame might consider returning to his former network if given the opportunity. “It may be a dream,” Bragman said, “but when Spectrum looks at all the support and all the viewers that have weighed in, maybe they’ll look in their hearts and see that people really love Erick.” The racy images of Adame were taken from a video chat run by an online media forum owned by Unit 4 Media, Ltd, which has prompted his legal team to request a subpoena. @erickadameontv/instagram “Our client’s policy is to comply with lawfully issued subpoenas and to provide relevant user data when legally required,” a lawyer for Unit 4 Media said. “Capturing and disseminating user content without consent violates our client’s Terms of Service and forum Rules which may result in a suspension or banning of the offending accounts.” The Emmy-nominated weatherman intends to sue whoever was responsible for taking and distributing the private images without his consent. In the Manhattan Supreme Court filing viewed by RadarOnline.com, it stated how the anonymous party “wrongfully disseminated” the images with the intent of “harassing, annoying, or alarming the petitioner and tortiously interfering with [his] employment relationship.” A judge will later rule on his petition, RadarOnline.com can confirm. In his post, Adame acknowledged that he is getting professional help and has learned from the experience, adding that he lost his dream job due to a “lapse in judgment.” @erickadameontv/instagram “But let me be clear about something: I don’t apologize for being openly gay or for being sex-positive — those are gifts and I have no shame about them,” he wrote. Adame also addressed potential future employers, writing, “Please judge me on the hundreds, thousands of hours of television that I am so proud of and that my employers have always commended me for, and not the couple of minutes of salacious video that is probably going to soon define me in our ‘click-bait’ culture.” View the full article

Published by uPolitics.com Michigan Republican Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock labeled Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (D) a “weak little girl” in a tweet. “We’re so blessed this weak little girl moved to Michigan!” Maddock wrote of the openly gay Buttigieg. “Looks like he’s bringing all his California Dreaming here with him.” Buttigieg, along with his husband Chasten, and his two children did recently move to the Great Lakes State, where Buttigieg is originally from. Buttigieg responded to Maddock’s tweet last week. “She wants to talk about little girls. Chasten and I are raising a little girl and a little boy, … Read More View the full article