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Published by New York Daily News Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, are reflecting on the difficulties and rewards of their first year as the father of twins. On Saturday, the country’s first openly LGBTQ Cabinet member posted a lengthy essay on his personal Medium account sharing “all the routines (and the surprises) of parenting” — from their ‘surprise’ adoption scenario to scary moments the family had to spend in the emergency room. Buttigieg, 40, posted a link to the Medium post on Twitter, writing that the couple was “reflecting on the miraculous growth that our kids — and we ourselves —… Read More View the full article

Published by The San Diego Union-Tribune SAN DIEGO — San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy was elevated to cardinal by Pope Francis on Saturday in Vatican City. Despite a long Catholic history, it marks the first time San Diego has had a cardinal and could raise the importance of the city among the faithful. McElroy, 68, was the only new cardinal from the U.S. named by Pope Francis. Now that he has his red cardinal’s hat (called a biretta) and signet ring, he can be among the group to select the next pope when the time comes. He said he should be traveling to the Vatican about four times a year but spending the rest of the time in San Dieg… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Saturday inducted 20 cardinals from around the world, choosing men who mostly agree with his vision of a more progressive and inclusive Church and influencing their choice of his eventual successor. Francis, 85, presided at a ceremony known as a consistory, telling the new cardinals to show concern for ordinary people despite the high rank that will bring them into contact with the powerful of the earth. The ceremony marked the eight time Francis has put his stamp on the Church’s future with a new intake of cardinals who will serve as his top advisors and administrators at the Vatican and around the globe. Those under 80 – 16 among the 20 newcomers – can enter a conclave to elect a new pope from among themselves after he dies or resigns. They come from Britain, South Korea, Spain, France, Nigeria, Brazil, India, the United States, East Timor, Italy, Ghana, Singapore, Paraguay, and Colombia. “A Cardinal loves the Church, always with that same spiritual fire, whether dealing with great questions or handling everyday problems, with the powerful of this world or those ordinary people who are great in God’s eyes,” Francis said. Sitting before the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis asked them to remember “poor families, migrant and homeless persons.” He read his homily in a strong voice, often going off script, even to joke about a Rome priest who was so close to his parishioners that he knew not only all their names, but also the names of their dogs. Francis, elected as pope in 2013, has now chosen 83 of the 132 cardinal electors, or about 63%. With each consistory, Francis has continued what one diplomat has called a “tilt towards Asia,” increasing the likelihood that the next pope could be from the region that is a growing economic and political powerhouse. RESIGNATION NOT AROUND THE CORNER The 85-year-old pontiff told Reuters in an interview last month that if he does resign in the future for health reasons – instead of dying in office – he has no plans to do so anytime soon. This means he could name even more cardinals as soon as next year. After reading his homily, Francis gave them each their ring and red hat, the colour of which, along with their vestments, is to remind them that they should be willing to shed their blood for the faith. Since his election as the first Latin American pope, Francis’ has often broken the mould used by his predecessors in picking cardinals. Often he has preferred men from developing nations and smaller cities, rather than from major capitals where having a cardinal used to be considered automatic. Archbishop Leonardo Steiner of Manaus, Brazil, becomes the first cardinal from the Amazon region, underscoring Francis’ concern for indigenous people and the environment. Another unexpected new cardinal elector is Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, an Italian who is the Catholic Church’s administrator in Mongolia. At 48, he is the youngest of the new cardinal electors. Mongolia has fewer than 1,500 Catholics but is strategically significant because it borders with China, where the Vatican is trying to improve the situation for Catholics. “The Holy Father cares for the Church wherever it is in the world. (We) feel that a tiny community is as important as a large community,” he told Reuters before the ceremony. One significant appointment from the richer countries is that of Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, California, who is seen as a progressive. By giving San Diego its first cardinal, Francis bypassed conservative archbishops in San Francisco and Los Angeles. McElroy has been an outspoken ally of Francis’ pastoral approach to social issues, such as protection of the environment and a more welcoming approach to gay Catholics. He also has opposed conservative U.S. clergymen who want to ban Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, from receiving communion because of their support of abortion rights. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Ros Russell) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega No brotherly love here. A heated Prince Williamwent to confront his brother Harryafter the latter “slammed the phone down on him” over allegations Meghan Marklewas bulling Palace staff members, according to a new French TV documentary about the once close brothers-turned-enemies. Radar has learned William allegedly called Harry to discuss the accusations about his bride, but the Duke of Sussex didn’t want to hear it. As a result, Harry hung up on his older brother, causing William to go into a tailspin. Mega “[William] called Harry directly, and Harry slammed the phone down,” Pierrick Geais, a royal author who wrote a book about the second in line for King, alleged on Red Line: William and Harry, the enemy brothers. “Harry didn’t want to know anything, and so William jumped in a car towards Kensington Palace, where he was going to confront Prince Harry.” The documentary will be broadcast on August 30 — the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. It will address the accusations brought against Meghan by the Sussexes’ former communications secretary, Jason Knauf in October 2018, in which he claimed the Duchess forced a few staff members to quit over her behavior and had undermined the confidence of another employee at Kensington Palace. Knauf wrote the allegations in an email to William’s then private secretarySimon Case. Mega The accusations against Meghan were brought to light in a report by The Times, just days before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey was set to air. The program by the French channel BFM TV will also drop another bombshell never before told claim — those who left their positions due to Meghan’s alleged behavior started a WhatsApp group called “The Sussex Survivors’ Club.” Meghan has always denied she bullied staff members, shooting down the accusations when they were made public. One of her reps called the allegations a “calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation.” Mega “We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of the Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet,” the statement read at the time. “It’s no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining the Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and the Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years.” Following The Times’ article, Buckingham Palace launched an independent investigation into the complaints against the claims. After the probe was complete, the Palace said they had improved and updated HR policies as a result of the investigation. View the full article

Published by AFP US President Joe Biden says Republican abortion bans are 'beyond the pale' Washington (AFP) – The White House on Friday blasted the latest set of “radical” abortion restrictions in four more states run by Republicans, signaling President Joe Biden’s determination to lean on the issue ahead of tight November congressional elections. There are now full-scale abortion bans in 12 Republican-controlled states, which had prepared so-called trigger laws ready to be activated when the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision ensuring automatic rights to abortion access nationwide. “Today marks the latest attack against the fundamental rights of Americans as new abortion bans go into effect in Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “These near-total abortion bans are part of a growing effort by Republican legislators to roll back the freedoms Americans have relied on for nearly half a century. Today’s radical steps take away women’s reproductive rights and put personal health care decisions in the hands of politicians instead of women and their doctors,” she said. The Supreme Court ruling two months ago put jurisdiction over abortion access in the hands of individual state legislatures, immediately turning swaths of the country into areas where getting the procedure has become all but impossible. Jean-Pierre echoed Biden’s frequent demand for Congress to pass a new law enshrining nationwide abortion rights and urged “people across the country to make their voices heard” ahead of the November midterm elections, which will decide whether Democrats retain their narrow hold on the legislature. Republicans have fought for decades to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and finally achieved their goal in a Supreme Court that tilted sharply to conservative interpretations of the constitution after Donald Trump filled three vacancies during his one-term presidency. Polls show the court’s ruling was unpopular with a majority of Americans, however, and Democrats hope the issue will help them fend off a previously predicted sweep by Republicans in the midterms. “I think the American people realize this is just beyond the pale, it goes too far,” Biden told reporters at the White House. Meanwhile, the White House is trying to help women who want to circumvent the bans by supporting their travel to states that do allow abortions. The health department on Friday announced increased federal funding for states where the authorities want to help such women. “We have seen the gut-wrenching stories of women suffering and not getting the care they need because of newly-enacted laws that restrict abortion care,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said. The new federal assistance will “protect women’s access to reproductive care, including abortion,” he said. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Friday released a redacted version of the legal document that allowed the FBI to seize classified government records from former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, a move that could shed more light on the evidence that led to the unprecedented search. U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who had approved the warrant that led to the FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence on Aug. 8, had ordered the unsealing of the redacted affidavit by noon (1600 GMT) on Friday. The search in Palm Beach marked a significant escalation in one of the many federal and state investigations Trump is facing from his time in office and in private business. The Republican former president has suggested he might run for the White House again. “The government is conducting a criminal investigation concerning the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces, as well as the unlawful concealment or removal of government records,” the 38-page affidavit began. The FBI action was part of a federal probe into whether Trump illegally removed documents when he left office in January 2021 after losing the presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden, and whether he tried to obstruct the government’s investigation. The FBI carried away more than 20 boxes containing 11 sets of classified government records, some of which were labeled “top secret.” The affidavit, a document that is not usually made public unless someone is charged with a crime, is a sworn statement outlining the evidence that gave the department probable cause to seek a search warrant. Prosecutors had asked for the entire document to be sealed to protect the integrity of their ongoing investigation, prompting media companies to file a legal challenge to get it released. In his order on Thursday, Reinhart said the Justice Department had valid reasons to keep some of the document secret, including the need to protect the identities of witnesses and federal agents as well as the government’s investigation and strategy and grand jury material. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; additional reporting by Jacqueline Thomsen, Mike Scarella, and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell) View the full article

[This post contains video, click to play] Hold Me Closer Lyrics – Elton John & Britney Spears Hold me closer Hold me closer Hold me closer Hold me closer Saw you dancing out the ocean Running fast along the sand A spirit born of earth and water Fire flying from your hands Oh Hold me closer, tiny dancer Count the headlights on the highway Lay me down in sheets of linen You had a busy day today Oh Hold me closer Hold me closer (Hold me closer) Hold me closer Hold me closer There are caravans we follow Drunken nights in dark hotels (Baby) When chances breathe between the silence When sex and love no longer gel Oh Hold me closer, tiny dancer Count the headlights on the highway (Baby) Lay me down in sheets of linen You had a busy day today Hold me closer Hold me closer (Baby, baby) Hold me closer Hold me closer (Oh yeah) Hold me closer Hold me closer (Hold me closer, me closer) Hold me closer (Me closer, mm, yeah) Hold me closer Published by AFP Britney Spears, pictured with her husband Sam Asghari Los Angeles (AFP) – Britney Spears released her first new song in six years on Friday with the debut of “Hold Me Closer”, a duet with British music legend Elton John. The track — a dance-inflected take on John’s 1970s ballad “Tiny Dancer”, with elements of his later hit “The One” — dropped less than a year after Spears won a court battle with her father, ending a conservatorship arrangement that gave him control over much of her life. “Okie dokie… my first song in 6 years!!!!” Spears wrote on Twitter. “It’s pretty damn cool that I’m singing with one of the most classic men of our time.” The cover art features childhood images of the two pop legends, who between them have 90 years’ experience in the music business. In dusting off some of his own classics with the help of a younger artist, John is repeating a trick he pulled with last year’s hit “Cold Heart”, recorded with Dua Lipa. That track mashed up parts of several of his songs, most notably “Rocket Man”. Spears’ last release was the 2016 album “Glory”. Since then, the singer — a pop-chart colossus in the late 1990s and early 2000s — has been in the spotlight as a result of the conservatorship that controlled her life for 13 years. In November, a Los Angeles judge formally approved the process of ending the controversial arrangement, which had given her father Jamie Spears control over almost all of her personal, professional and financial dealings. The multi-award-winning John — properly Sir Elton John — is one of Britain’s most bankable stars, whose showmanship and musicality have left their mark on the performing arts. Since he first emerged in 1962, the singer — born Reginald Dwight — has been responsible for some of the most recognizable tunes in pop, including “Your Song”, “Candle in the Wind” and “I’m Still Standing.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Robbie Williams will be the subject of a new Netflix documentary series. The former Take That singer – who has four children with wife Ayda Field – has given filmmakers “exclusive access” for the project, which promises a “no-holds-barred” look at his lengthy career, as well as scrutinising his well-publicised issues with addiction and his troubled relationship with fame. A synopsis for the programme stated: “The multi-part series which will launch in 2023 will be an unfiltered, in-depth examination of a global icon and natural-born-entertainer who had to navigate the highs and lows of being in the limelight for more than 30 years. “It will cover Robbie navigating media scrutiny throughout his career, adulation and addiction, professional and personal break-ups, reunions, recovery, and the impact they have had on his mental health. “Featuring 25 years’ worth of intimate, never-before-seen archive, and exclusive access to Robbie; this definitive series is a no-holds-barred look at the entertainer and will reveal a more nuanced and multifaceted character.” Asif Kapadia, who won an Oscar for his work on Amy Winehouse documentary ‘Amy’, will serve as executive producer while Joe Pearlman, who made ‘Bros: After the Screaming Stops’, will direct. The project is the first from RSA Unscripted, the new label from Ridley Scott Creative Group’s RSA Films. Robbie recently admitted he has lost his desire to have sex with strangers since finding love with Ayda, who he married in 2010 after four years together. He said about his love for her and their four kids: “It’s amazing for somebody built like me – to put it in vulgar terms – a sh*****. She gives me everything I want. “I don’t mean sex-wise. My thing in the ’90s was sex with strangers, I didn’t know whether I’d be able to give that up… I was saying to her (Ayda) last night, it’s really special that we’re around a lot of really good looking people, all the way through the summer – and I feel no longing to be up to the nefarious stuff. “She’s really empathetic, really kind, incredibly smart and very, very funny – and I trust her. “The thing with sex with other people is very much like cocaine. I’m not looking for cocaine anymore and therefore I don’t find it.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Tom Balmforth and Max Hunder KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine’s president urged the world to act much faster to force Russian troops to vacate Europe’s largest nuclear power plant after the site was cut from electricity for hours in an incident he said risked an international radiation disaster. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian shelling on Thursday had sparked fires in the ash pits of a nearby coal power station that disconnected the Zaporozhzhia plant from the power grid. A Russian official said Ukraine was to blame. Back-up diesel generators ensured power supply vital for cooling and safety systems at the plant, Zelenskiy said, praising the Ukrainian technicians who operate the plant under the gaze of the Russian military. “The key thing is…international pressure is needed that will force the occupiers to immediately withdraw from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” he said in a video address on Thursday evening. “The IAEA and other international organizations must act much faster than they’re acting now. Because every minute the Russian troops stay at the nuclear power plant is a risk of a global radiation disaster,” he said, referring to the United Nations nuclear watchdog. Residents in Zaporozhzhia city, 50 km northeast of the plant and some 435 km (270 miles) to the southeast of Kyiv, expressed alarm at the situation. “Of course I am scared. Everyone is scared, we don’t know what will happen next, what is waiting for us every next minute, second,” said social media manager, Maria Varakina, 25. School teacher Hanna Kuz, 46, said people were afraid that the Ukrainian authorities might not be able to warn residents in time in case of radiation fallout. Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom said one of the plant’s two functioning reactors had been reconnected to the grid and was again supplying electricity after it fully disconnected on Thursday. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in the occupied town of Enerhodar near the plant, blamed Ukrainian armed forces for Thursday’s incident, saying they caused a fire in a forest near the plant. “This was caused by the disconnection of power lines from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station as a result of provocations by Zelenskiy’s fighters,” Rogov wrote on Telegram. “The disconnection itself was triggered by a fire and short circuit on the power lines.” Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday its forces had destroyed a U.S.-made M777 howitzer which it said Ukraine had used to shell the Zaporizhzhia plant. Satellite images showed a fire near the plant but Reuters could not verify its cause. HOTSPOT Energoatom said Thursday’s incident had been the first complete disconnection of the plant, which has become a hotspot in the six-month-old war. Regional authorities in Zaporizhzhia said more than 18,000 people across several settlements remained without electricity on Friday due to damage caused to power lines. A Reuters cameraman said there was electricity as normal on Friday in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Russia invaded Ukraine in February, captured the plant in March and has controlled it since, though Ukrainian staff still run it. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the site, fuelling fears of a nuclear disaster. Zaporizhzhia city remains controlled by Ukrainian authorities. The United Nations is seeking access to the plant and has called for the area to be demilitarised. Germany on Friday condemned Russia’s continued occupation of the plant, calling the situation “very, very dangerous”. Paul Bracken, a national security expert and professor at the Yale School of Management, said the concern was that artillery shells or missiles could puncture the reactor walls and spread radiation far and wide, much like the 1986 accident involving the Chornobyl reactor. A failure at the Zaporizhzhia plant could “kill hundreds or thousands of people, and damage environmentally a far larger area reaching into Europe,” Bracken said. “Russian Roulette is a good metaphor because the Russians are spinning the chamber of the revolver, threatening to blow out the brains of the reactor all over Europe,” he said. FIGHTING Russia’s ground campaign has stalled in recent months after its troops were repelled from the capital Kyiv but fighting continues along the frontlines to the south and east. Russian forces control territory along Ukraine’s Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts, while the conflict has settled into a war of attrition in the eastern Donbas region. Explosions were heard early on Friday in the southern city of Mykolaiv, a battleground as Russian forces try to push westwards along the coast to cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea. The immediate cause of the blasts was unclear, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said. Ukraine said it had repulsed Russian assaults on Bakhmut and Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region and struck ammunition depots and enemy personnel in the southern Kherson region. Ukrainian forces fired some 10 rockets from a U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launcher at the town of Stakhanov in the eastern Donbas region, pro-Moscow breakaway officials in Luhansk were quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency as saying. Russian state news agency TASS said the deputy traffic police chief in the occupied Ukrainian city of Berdiansk was killed on Friday in a bombing. Its Russian-installed administration blamed the blast on “Ukrainian saboteurs”. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The Odesa regional administration said the officer was wounded in an explosion carried out by what it called unidentified partisan fighters in Berdiansk. Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield reports of either side. The Kremlin says its aim is to “denazify” and demilitarise Ukraine and remove perceived security threats to Russia. Ukraine and the West say this is a baseless pretext for a war of conquest. ($1 = 1.9548 marka) (Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Gareth Jones and William Maclean; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Angus MacSwan) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Noah Schnapp was asked to make his voice higher after going through puberty. The 17-year-old actor — who was just ten years old when he started filming his role as Will Byers in ‘Stranger Things’ – admitted the directors of the Netflix series “were not loving” the changes his body was going through so urged him to try and recapture his “innocence” in order to play down the increasing age gap between his real self and his character. He told Flaunt magazine: “It was the peak time of change, and puberty and growing up and just everything was changing with all of us, and the directors were just not loving it. “And I remember one of the producers coming up to me and telling me, ‘Noah, is there any way you could just speak in a higher tone and just slouch a little bit? Like, we need you to keep that Season 1 innocence that you had.’ “That was like, ‘I don’t know what to tell you. My voice is dropping. I don’t sound young anymore.’” Despite the fame the show has brought him, Noah has spent this summer working as a life guard after graduating from high school because he enjoys doing “normal” things. He said: “It’s kind of a ‘just for fun thing’. “I’ve kind of grown up with a normal life and normal friends and stuff outside of ‘Stranger Things’, so it’s kind of kept me grounded.” Later this year, Noah will be sharing a dorm with other freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will attend the college’s business school. He explained about his choice of major: “I was thinking of going for acting. [But] acting was just kind of repetitive, and I wanted to try something new. “Millie [Bobby Brown] is doing the same thing with her schooling—she’s kind of learning about other things. I thought it would make more sense to do something different. And business was a pretty clear next thing for me. ” View the full article

Published by AFP Moderna has launched lawsuits against Pfizer and its partner BioNTech over coronavirus vaccine technology Washington (AFP) – Moderna said Friday it is suing rival vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech, alleging the partners infringed on its patents in developing their Covid-19 shot administered to hundreds of millions around the world. The lawsuits set up a high-stakes showdown between the leading manufacturers of Covid-19 shots that are a key tool in the fight against the disease. “Moderna believes that Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty infringes patents Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016 covering Moderna’s foundational mRNA technology,” the US-based biotech firm said in a statement. “Pfizer and BioNTech copied this technology, without Moderna’s permission, to make Comirnaty,” Moderna said. Pfizer and BioNTech said they have not fully reviewed the complaint, but expressed surprise over the litigation. “The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was based on BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA technology,” a statement said. “We will vigorously defend against the allegations of the lawsuit.” The mRNA technology used in the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots differs from that in traditional vaccines, which rely on injecting weakened or dead forms of a virus to allow the immune system to recognize it and build antibodies. Instead, mRNA vaccines deliver instructions to cells to build a harmless piece of the spike protein found on the surface of the virus that causes Covid-19. After creating this spike protein, cells can recognize and fight the real virus, hailed as a major advancement in development of vaccines. Key tool against deadly pandemic The shots have repeatedly been the subject of inaccurate claims that they are dangerous, but health authorities say they are both safe and effective. The lawsuits — in US district court in Massachusetts, and in regional court in Dusseldorf, Germany — are not seeking the removal of the rival vaccine or an injunction on future sales. Moderna said it had begun building up the technology in 2010 and patented work on coronaviruses in 2015 and 2016, which allowed for rollout of its shots in “record time” after the pandemic struck. The virus has killed at least 6.48 million people worldwide since 2020 and made nearly 600 million ill, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. In addition to death and suffering, the disease has led to a re-shaping of life ranging from a change in norms on working from home to a scrambling of supply chains and workforces. Moderna said it pledged in October 2020 not to enforce its Covid-19-related patents while the pandemic continued, but less than two years later changed that stance as the fight shifted gears. “Moderna expected companies such as Pfizer and BioNTech to respect its intellectual property rights and would consider a commercially reasonable license should they request one for other markets,” it said. “Pfizer and BioNTech have failed to do so,” the firm added. These types of lawsuits are not unheard of in the pharmaceutical industry, where patents can be worth billions of dollars, and can take years to resolve. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Ted Hesson and Alexandra Alper WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly a month after arriving with their 1-year-old daughter on a bus sent by the governor of Texas to Washington, D.C., Colombian couple Noralis Zuniga and Juan Camilo Mendoza are unsure how long they will be allowed to stay in their city-funded hotel room. The couple, who said they left Colombia in May after their house in Medellin collapsed due to heavy rains, have tried unsuccessfully to find medical care for their baby, Evangeline. She has welts on her skin since the family’s arduous 10-day trek on foot through the Darien Gap, a mountainous jungle between Colombia and Panama. Beyond the difficulties of navigating a new country and language, the uncertainty of how long the local D.C. government will permit them to stay in the hotel makes it hard to plan for the future. “You go downstairs and you ask them, ‘How long can we stay here?'” said Zuniga, who spoke to hotel staff not affiliated with the government. “They don’t tell you.” The family is among the more than 7,000 migrants bused from Texas to the U.S. capital since April, part of an initiative by Texas’ Republican Governor Greg Abbott to put pressure on Democratic President Joe Biden over border policies. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, another Republican, has sent about 1,500 from his state to Washington. More recently Abbott began busing migrants to New York City, too. Abbott is seeking a third term in November midterm elections and immigration is a motivating issue for Republican voters, Reuters polling shows. Around 85%-90% of migrants arriving in Washington on the buses continue to other U.S. destinations within hours or days, according to volunteers who assist them. Some of the arrivals like Zuniga and Mendoza crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with no U.S. family or destination, alarming Democratic mayors of Washington and New York as the migrants turn to city resources and volunteers for essential services. “If there isn’t a solution that comes up permanently, these families are going to be stuck in limbo,” said Ashley Tjhung, a volunteer aiding the migrants. U.S. Border Patrol has made more than 1.8 million arrests of migrants crossing illegally in fiscal year 2022, which began Oct. 1, 2021 – the highest number on record, though it includes some repeat crossers. Most Mexicans and Central Americans are returned quickly to Mexico under COVID restrictions in place at the border but hundreds of thousands of migrants – including many from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Colombia – have been allowed into the country in part because Mexico refuses to accept returns of certain nationalities. Some will try to seek asylum in the United States. Abbott has said other cities far from the border should share the burden of receiving migrants and blames Biden’s policies for encouraging crossers. Both Texas and Arizona have spent several million dollars on the busing efforts, according to news reports and data from Arizona. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser asked the Pentagon twice in the past two months to deploy military troops to aid the migrants but was denied both times. In response on Monday to Bowser’s second request, the Pentagon said the District of Columbia National Guard did not have the relevant training and that non-profit organizations appeared to have the capacity to manage the situation. Bowser’s office did not respond to requests for comment. New York City officials in recent weeks have also grappled with new migrant arrivals, including some moving on from Washington, and is seeking to rent thousands of hotel rooms for future arrivals, according to the Department of Social Services. NEXT STEPS Since arriving in late July, the Colombian couple has been staying at a Hampton Inn, one of two hotels being used by the nation’s capital to house about 50 migrant families. The families, many of whom come from Venezuela, receive three meals a day and crucial shelter. The number of single adults in the Washington shelter system remains unclear. Zuniga and Mendoza, who want to consult with an immigration lawyer before deciding whether to apply for U.S. asylum, said they are deeply grateful for the opportunity to stay in the hotel rooms, but have also run into challenges, from the lack of information about how long the temporary shelter will last to basic tasks like setting up a cell phone. The efforts to welcome migrants in Washington have largely fallen to an ad-hoc coalition of volunteers and one non-profit organization that is receiving federal funding from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The volunteers currently greet the buses arriving from Texas, bring migrants to local churches, conduct medical screenings and help book travel to other parts of the United States, including New York City. But some advocates say they need longer-term solutions, particularly as frigid winter months approach and concerns rise that migrants could end up sleeping on the street. Migrant families have struggled to enroll their kids in school and access city-funded health care because they lack a government-issued letter to prove residency, according to volunteers aiding them. A parent in the Hampton Inn echoed the concerns about school enrollment. On Wednesday, the chancellor of D.C. public schools said the migrant children would be allowed to enroll in city schools and public school staff visited the hotels on Thursday to sign them up, a school system spokesperson said. Keiberson Soto, a 19-year-old Venezuelan migrant, was also staying at the Hampton Inn after arriving last month at the U.S.-Mexico border with his father, his father’s second wife, their three teenage children and a grandchild. He said he left Venezuela for Colombia in 2019 after he was shot in the stomach by an assailant who targeted him because a cousin allegedly owed money for drugs. In Colombia, he had trouble finding work and decided to head to the United States with his father’s family last November on a journey that took months. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the account. Soto says he is relieved to be in such comfortable circumstances but is worried about next steps. “What can I do to study? I want to take an English class,” he said. “We don’t have anyone who can help us answer those questions.” Despite the struggles, some families are making strides forward. Noralis Zuniga took an entrance exam on Tuesday for a free class offered by a local community health center and a charter school to become an early childhood teacher, a departure from her work in a beauty salon in Colombia. In the hours before the exam, the couple scrambled to find a ride to the center, which was several miles away from the hotel and not easily walkable. Eventually, a Spanish-speaking hotel employee showed them how to find the bus route on Google Maps. They boarded without bus fare, they said, but told the driver they had no money and he let them pass. (Reporting by Ted Hesson and Alexandra Alper in Washington; Additional reporting by Leah Millis in Washington; Editing by Mica Rosenberg and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Al-Araby A Turkish court Thursday jailed a pop star famous for her racy outfits and support for LGBTQ rights on charges of “inciting hatred” over a comment about religious schools. Singer Gulsen Bayraktar Colakoglu — a 46-year-old known by her first name on stage — was detained at home in Istanbul and taken to court. A judge then remanded her in jail pending an investigation into remarks she made on stage in April about Imam Hatip religious schools. The schools raise children to be Muslim preachers and remain highly controversial among secular Turks. A clip of the comments went viral and created outr… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Walker County Sheriff’s Office A popular TikTok and Onlyfans couple were arrested earlier this month and charged with murder in connection to the shooting death of a Georgia man, Radar can confirm. Johntae Collier and Eric Dodds, both 23, were arrested on August 10 and August 16, respectively, in connection to the murder of 29-year-old Dakota Bradshaw on August 1. Johntae CollierWalker County Sheriff’s Office The couple went viral on TikTok for their pro-LGBTQ+ content before being arrested and placed behind bars earlier this month. Dodds, who was ultimately named as a second suspect in the murder of Bradshaw, initially claimed Collier was innocent and even went so far as to create a GoFundMe page in an effort to prove his boyfriend’s innocence. Before Dodds spoke out online in defense of Collier, there was confusion and speculation on social media that Collier was actually arrested for murdering Dodds – although that was not the case. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s press release, which was released on Thursday, Collier was arrested on Wednesday, August 10, after the GBI obtained a murder warrant for the social media personality on August 8. Eric DoddsWalker County Sheriff’s Office The United States Marshals Task Force, special agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Huntsville Police Department SWAT team executed the search warrant and took Collier into custody after raiding his Huntsville, Alabama home. The GBI then obtained murder warrants for Dodds on Monday, August 15, before the warrant was executed by the United States Marshals Task Force in Huntsville, Alabama one day later on August 16. The news was first reported by Hollywood Unlocked. Collier was initially taken to Alabama’s Madison County Jail before being extradited to Georgia’s Walker County Jail where he reportedly still remains. Dodd was initially taken to Alabama’s Limestone County Jail, where he will reportedly remain as he awaits extradition to Walker County Jail. Mega Prior to the couple’s recent arrests, Major Mike Freeman of the Walker County Sheriff’s Office contacted the GBI for help in investigating Bradshaw’s August 1 death after the sheriff’s office received reports of shots fired at Bradshaw’s Rossville, Georgia home. Bradshaw was found shot inside of his home when the authorities arrived to the scene, and was officially pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital. According to witnesses nearby at the time of the shooting, a red truck and a blue Dodge Challenger – suspected to be driven by Collier and Dodd – were seen speeding away from Bradshaw’s home shortly after the initial reports of gunfire. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – Monkeypox cases in some large U.S. cities appear to be declining, matching trends seen in Europe, and experts are cautiously optimistic the outbreak may have peaked in places hit hardest hit by the virus. The World Health Organization earlier on Thursday said monkeypox cases reported globally declined 21% last week, after a month-long trend of rising infections, but noted that U.S. cases continued to rise. Nevertheless, some U.S. experts believe cases are starting to decline based largely on immunity from prior infection and behavior changes as awareness of the disease has grown. That does not mean the disease will be contained, they cautioned. Since late May, the United States has recorded nearly 17,000 monkeypox cases. The outbreak, which so far has reached 80 countries outside of Africa, where the virus is endemic, is largely being transmitted among gay and bisexual men. Monkeypox, which is spread through close contact with an infected individual and the pus-filled sores common to the disease, is rarely fatal. Rollout of Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccine has been slow because of low supplies of the shot, which is also approved to prevent smallpox. But heightened awareness of the risks and increased immunity appear to be slowing the spread. “It’s very likely that the epidemic peaked as of last week,” said Dr. Gerardo Chowell, an infectious disease modeler at Georgia State University School of Public Health. Chowell’s latest model, released on Thursday, forecasts a continued slowdown in new infections in the United States over the next four weeks. The declines may not be enough to extinguish the outbreak, but should bring infections to “very low levels,” he said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not respond to requests for comment about the apparent trend. Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease epidemiologist and an editor-at-large at Kaiser Health News, said she believes behavior change is driving down monkeypox transmission, but cautioned that “people get fatigued by behavior change” and transmission may go up again. “I suspect behavior change will stick only until folks get two doses of the Jynneos vaccine,” she said. For the moment, cases appear to be dropping in some large U.S. cities hardest hit by the outbreak. New York City’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, in a tweet on Thursday acknowledged the declining cases. “We are cautiously optimistic about this data, but will be closely following to ensure it is a sustained trend.” Likewise, data tracking monkeypox infections in San Francisco and Chicago show cases starting to drop over the past few weeks. Chicago Department of Public Health spokesman James Scalzitti said the city may be turning a corner but that more data is needed to confirm a downward trend. There are other signs as well. According to data on the CDC’s website, the percentage of positive tests in public health and some commercial labs – an indicator of transmission rates – has fallen sharply, from 55% positive on July 16 to 24% on Wednesday. “I think there likely has been some bending of the curve,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. He too attributes the change to a combination of increased immunity, particularly among high-risk individuals who got infected early in the outbreak, behavior changes and increased awareness. Howard Brown Health, a system of 10 federally-funded clinics in Chicago that has treated a third of Illinois’ monkeypox cases, has seen decreases in both the number of cases and percentage of positive tests. “I think that reflects a true decrease in incidence,” said Laura Rusie, Howard Brown’s director of epidemiology. “It’s hard to say it’s going to stick, but it’s promising.” (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Brandon Gage Teachers in Florida are growing increasingly frustrated over how to manage their classrooms following Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s signing of House Bill 1557 – the Parental Rights in Education Act, otherwise known as the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation – into law this past March that took effect in July. “HB 1557 is at the epicenter of a raging debate over what should be taught to children in America’s public school systems. Debates over teaching the nation’s history of systemic racism have roiled school districts and elections, and a now growing number of states are consider… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Alex Henderson Although Democrats have won the popular vote in seven of the United States’ last eight presidential elections, the U.S. Supreme Court certainly doesn’t reflect that. Six of the High Court’s nine justices were appointed by Republican presidents, and three of those six were appointed by one-term former President Donald Trump — who lost the popular vote in 2016 and lost both the popular vote and the electoral vote in 2020. Moreover, the Court’s socially conservative supermajority is way to the right of such GOP-appointed justices of the past as Sandra Day O’Connor and libertaria… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Alex Henderson In 2022, the political divisions in the United States run so deep that some mobile/wireless companies are trumpeting their political views in order to draw customers. The San Francisco-based Credo Mobile, formerly Working Assets Wireless, specifically markets itself as a wireless provider that supports liberal and progressive causes. But the Texas-based Patriot Mobile, on the other hand, openly markets itself as “America’s only Christian conservative wireless provider” — and its conservatism isn’t libertarian right, but Christian fundamentalist/theocrat/MAGA far right. Patrio… Read More View the full article

[This post contains video, click to play] Published by OK Magazine chemicalXrecords/youtube Blazing her own trail! Madonna’s 25-year-old daughter Lourdes Leon proved that musical talent most definitely runs in the family, releasing her debut single and accompanying music video for “Lock&Key” on Wednesday, August 24. A dreamy pop song with callbacks to Lady Gaga, Leon, who released the single under the moniker “Lolahol,” can be seen throughout the video sporting several futuristic outfits, including a skin-tight neon pink dress and a bikini made of what appears to be rope. chemicalXrecords/youtube Garnering nearly 100,000 views in its first few hours on YouTube, Madge took to social media to congratulate her daughter on her musical debut. “I Am So Proud of You Lola !” the “Material Girl” songstress wrote on her Instagram Story shortly after the single went live. GIVING MOM A RUN FOR HER MONEY!: LOURDES LEON TOP SOCIAL MEDIA THIRST TRAP MOMENTS: PHOTOS chemicalXrecords/youtube The star’s introduction to the music world comes just shy of a year after she teased expanding her career horizons in a conversation with actress Debi Mazar for InterviewMagazine. “I don’t have a specific goal,” Leon explained when probed about her professional aspirations, adding that she “probably should” have clear-cut objective. “Financially, modeling is a smart decision,” she continued. “I enjoy being very hands on with the campaigns I do.” chemicalXrecords/youtube But it seems Leon was well aware that she was more than just her modeling chops. LOURDES LEON INDULGES MOM MADONNA SPORTING SEXY COSTUMES DESPITE OBJECTING TO QUEEN OF POP SHOWING TOO MUCH SKIN “I dance, I have a very specific sense of style, and I’m interested in aesthetics, so I like to incorporate all those parts of myself into my projects,” she said. While at the time, Leon said she was unsure of how she felt about acting — “I think it’s about finding a role that wouldn’t be too far off from who I am already,” she spilled at the time, adding that “honestly, actors really annoy” her — she said she felt indifferent when it came to releasing music of her own. “As for music, I can sing. I just don’t care about it,” she shared. “Maybe it’s too close to home,” she continued, seemingly referencing her famous family. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Former Playmate Holly Madison is letting everyone in on what really went down behind closed Playboy Mansion doors. In the premiere episode of her and ex-Playmate Bridget Marquardt‘s podcast, “Girls Next Level,” the former dished on the cringe-worthy details about what it was like to be intimate with late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Madison, 42, admitted that when it came to sleeping with Hefner — who passed in 2017 — she and the other girls tried to get it over “with as quickly as possible” since no one wanted to actually participate. “We thought of it as a chore that we had to do or else we’ll get kicked out of the house,” she confessed. “He wouldn’t move. He would be like a bump on the log in the middle of the bed.” Making matters worse, other Playmates were asked to be in the room while it was happening. HUGH HEFNER’S FORMER GIRLFRIENDS KRISTINA & KARISSA SHANNON REVEAL LIFE IN THE PLAYBOY MANSION LEFT THEM WITH PTSD & SEVERE DEPRESSION “I can’t explain to you how embarrassing the whole routine was,” she insisted. “You’re literally sitting there naked having sex in front of a group of people who hate you and talk s**t about you while you’re having sex — and you can hear it. It was just like hell.” mega The mom-of-two summarized her entire experience as a Playboy bunny as “traumatic,” having previously revealed that things went downhill the very first time she went out with Hefner. “I wasn’t necessarily expecting to have sex that night. I thought it would be more of a first date — even though, obviously, it’s not a very traditional first date,” she recalled. “I thought it would be more the type of thing where I saw what happened, saw what was going on. If I wasn’t comfortable with it, I wouldn’t have to do anything and I could make my decision on whether I wanted to come back for date No. 2 or not.” After sleeping together the Girls Next Door star felt like she had to stay the night, as she knew it would improve her chances of being allowed to live at the swanky pad. “I felt like, ‘There’s no taking that back, so I might as well get what I came for,'” said Madison. “I felt like by moving myself in and getting what I wanted from the situation, that was demanding respect in a way. I felt like if I didn’t do that, I was just going to be haunted by this experience.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Donald Trump may be in crisis mode after his Mar-A-Lago home was raided by the FBI, but daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner seemed free of any worry while going for a walk in Miami. On Saturday, August 20, the pair — whether intentional or not — wore very similar outfits: the mom-of-three wore a black tank and grey shorts while her beau donned a black tee and coordinating shorts. They both tired to hide their identities via a pair of sunglasses and baseball caps, but of course, they couldn’t escape the paparazzi. NEW BOOK CONTAINS PHOTOS OF THE DOCUMENTS DONALD TRUMP ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO FLUSH DOWN TOILETS The outing comes shortly afterOK! reported that the blonde beauty, 40, pleaded with her father, 76, to not run for the White House in 2024. mega “Ivanka pulled Donald aside at a family gathering and had a heart-to-heart with him. She said, ‘Please dad, don’t do it.’ Ivanka detests the fact the spotlight is on her family and worries the impact it could have on her three children,” the source explained. “Soon, the kids will be old enough to ask all about what’s going on with their grandfather. Ivanka cannot fathom having to answer their questions. It’s really sad.” Ivanka’s begging went into overdrive after it was reported that Trump may have illegally brought home multiple classified documents. “Ivanka thinks the raid on their Mar-a-Lago home is just the start As someone who has lived in D.C., and witnessed the viciousness of politics, Ivanka is convinced the establishment won’t rest until her dad is silenced,” shared the insider. “She just can’t keep upbeat about the prospect of a 2024 bid (for the White House), especially with all that is going on.” mega AnotherOK!insider revealed Ivanka “basically dumped her brothers,” Eric, 38, and Donald Jr., 44, as “she doesn’t want to be part of the family business anymore or even the controversial family.” Added the source, “Her future is with her husband and her kids. They are out of politics and won’t be campaigning with her father anymore or defending him on TV.” Daily Mail obtained the photos. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have adopted a new rescue dog. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have taken in a seven-year-old beagle named Momma Mia who was rescued from a US breeding centre owned by an animal research company last month and the couple have been praised for opting for an older dog rather than a puppy. Animal rights attorney Shannon Keith who helps run the Beagle Freedom Project told People.com: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the most loving, sensitive and caring adopters I have ever met! We were so honoured that they have been supporting Beagle Freedom Project and chose to adopt a dog who has been abused. “They made a point to adopt a rescue named Mia, who most would overlook because she is older, has health issues and is traumatised by her past. I was so impressed by their commitment to animal welfare! They have been following up letting us know how well Momma Mia is doing in her new, amazing home!” Shannon went on to reveal she got a personal phone call from Meghan asking about adopting a beagle – but she mistook her for another actress – Megan Fox – and it took her half an hour to realise the mistake. She told the Los Angeles Times: “The duchess called me personally. She calls on my cell with no Caller ID and says, ‘Hey Shannon, this is Meghan’. We talked for 30 minutes, and I thought, ‘Is this Megan Fox?'” She went on to reveal Meghan visited the Beagle Freedom Project rescue centre in the San Fernando Valley, California and was determined to give a home to the older dog rather than her puppies, adding: “The duchess is holding Mia and was like, ‘We’re adopting her’. She was like ‘No, we don’t want a Christmas puppy … We want ones we can help who are older’.” The Duchess previously adopted another Beagle named Guy back in 2015 after he was taken in by a rescue centre called A Dog’s Dream Rescue. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Vanessa Bryant has been awarded $16 million in damages after a jury found graphic photos of the helicopter crash which killed her husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant were shared. The pair died in the January 2020 incident along with seven others, and a Los Angeles jury has now found the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and Fire Department (LAFD) shared photos of Vanessa and her co-plaintiff Chris Chester’s loved ones’ bodies, and caused emotional distress by doing so. According to PEOPLE, the LASD were told to pay Vanessa $10 million and Chris – who tragically lost his wife Sarah and their 13-year-old daughter Payton in the crash – $9 million, and the LAFD were ordered to fork out $6 million each. After the verdict was reached on Wednesday (24.08.22), Vanessa shared a picture of herself alongside basketball legend Kobe and her daughter Gigi on Instagram, and she added the caption: “All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi! #Betonyourself #MambaDay 8 24 22 #MambaMentality (sic)” The verdict also happened to come on Kobe Bryant Day, also known as Mamba Day, on August 24th, due to his shirt numbers for the Los Angeles Lakers being eight and 24. Vanessa got emotional as the verdict was read, and she embraced her attorneys. Her attorney Luis Li said in a statement: “This case has always been about accountability. And now the jury has unanimously spoken.” Attorney Mira Hashmall, the lead outside counsel for the county, said in a statement: “While we disagree with the jury’s findings as to the county’s liability, we believe the monetary award shows that jurors didn’t believe the evidence supported the plaintiffs’ requests for $75 million for emotional distress. “We will be discussing next steps with our client. Meanwhile, we hope the Bryant and Chester families continue to heal from their tragic loss.” In October, Vanessa revealed she first learned of Kobe’s death online. Vanessa was asked during a deposition by a county attorney when she was first made aware of the accident, and confirmed that a family assistant informed her that Kobe and Gianna had been in an incident, but she suspected that they were among the survivors. However, the tragic truth was revealed as messages popped up on her phone. According to a transcript of the deposition, Vanessa said: “I was holding onto my phone, because obviously I was trying to call my husband back, and all these notifications started popping up on my phone, saying ‘RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe’. “My life will never be the same without my husband and daughter.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jonathan Knight has married his boyfriend Harley Rodriguez. The New Kids on the Block star has confirmed he’s a married man after tying the knot with his longtime partner in secret after getting engaged but they were unable to celebrate with a lavish wedding reception due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan confirmed the happy news to Etonline.com when asked if the ring on his left hand meant the couple had exchanged vows, with the star admitting: “We did (get married). But everybody just assumed we’re married, so, I never say yes or no ’cause I don’t wanna lie.” Despite being unable to celebrate the nuptials in style, Jonathan revealed they are planning to throw a big wedding part soon. He added of the celebration: “It’s coming.” Jonathan and Harley have been together since 2008 and took part in a reality show called ‘The Amazing Race’ together in 2015. They got engaged a year later in 2016 when the singer-turned-TV star proposed during a holiday in Africa. The 53-year-old former pop star is currently working on a TV show called ‘Farmhouse Fixer’ in which he can indulge his passion for property renovations. He told Etonline.com of the project: “It’s such a passion of mine, fixing up houses. I would post on Instagram pictures of projects I did, and fans would always ask me, ‘What is your other job besides the New Kids?’ and I just think it’s so great to be able to showcase what I do, and people can watch.” Jonathan added that he’s currently in a very happy place in his life, saying: “I’m about to turn 54, and I would have never thought in my 20s that at 54, I’d still be touring with the New Kids, and I would have a hit TV show on HGTV.” View the full article