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Published by Radar Online @anthonyjohnson520/tiktok Three Arkansas police officers were suspended and are now under investigation after a video emerged showing the officers brutally beating a detained suspect, Radar has confirmed. The shocking video went viral shortly after the three officers detained a suspect – since identified as 27-year-old Randall Worcester – in Mulberry, Arkansas on Sunday morning. In the video, the three officers – two being deputies with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the third being an officer with the Mulberry Police Department – are seen holding Worcester down on the ground. As the video continues, the officers take turns punching and kneeing Worcester in the face and chest while periodically slamming his head into the pavement. “I have spoken with Col. Bill Bryant of the Arkansas State Police and the local arrest incident in Crawford County will be investigated pursuant to the video evidence and the request of the prosecuting attorney,” Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said in a statement on Twitter. Crawford County Sherriff Jimmy Damante also released a statement after the disturbing video went viral, calling for an investigation into the violent incident. Mega “In reference to the video circulating social media involving two Crawford County Deputies, we have requested that Arkansas State Police conduct the investigation and the Deputies have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation,” Sherriff Damante said. He added, “I hold all my employees accountable for their actions and will take appropriate measures in this matter.” Damante further explained that the altercation began after the officers received a report involving Worcester and the employee of a local convenience store. Worcester allegedly spat at the employee before threatening to “cut off their face.” The suspect then reportedly fled the scene on a bicycle before being stopped by the three officers, which is when, according to the officers, Worcester attempted to attack one of the deputies. @anthonyjohnson520/tiktok Not only are the three officers involved in the incident now under investigation and suspended from the force, but they are also facing substantial backlash on social media for what many believe is a clear example of unnecessary and excessive force. “This video sickens me,” one user wrote on Instagram. “They were trying to kill him. So glad it was on video. Completely unjustified.” “Not sure what needs to be investigated when it’s clearly on video already!” another user wrote. “That’s the excuse they use to get their lies together. Fire these low lifes ASAP.” “Glad this video got out and viewed by the right people,” yet another Instagram user fumed. “Hold them clowns accountable by arresting them. Let them see how it feels.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House has a dim view of former American pro basketball player Dennis Rodman’s reported plan to travel to Russia and gain the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. Griner, 31, is a two-time Olympic champion and star player in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WBNA). Earlier this month she convicted by a Russian court and given a nine-year sentence on drug charges. U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned the verdict, calling it “unacceptable.” The United States has offered to exchange her for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States. Rodman told NBC News on Saturday that he plans to visit Russia to seek Griner’s release. “I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl,” Rodman said. “I’m trying to go this week.” The NBC story did not explain who he received permission from. A senior administration official, who asked to remain anonymous, made clear the White House does not approve. “It is public information that the administration has made a significant offer to the Russians and anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder release efforts,” the official said. The official also noted the State Department has issued a travel advisory warning Americans not to travel to Russia. Rodman has sought to inject himself into international diplomacy in the past. He is one of a handful of Westerners to have met North Korean head of state Kim Jong Un. (Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Josie Kao) View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Morgan (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Monday gave his own party a 50-50 chance of taking control of the Senate in the November midterm elections, and predicted that the chamber will remain closely divided whatever the outcome. Speaking at a business luncheon in Georgetown, Kentucky, McConnell also said the U.S. Congress would find ways to work with Democratic President Joe Biden, if Republicans manage to capture both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The remarks came a week after he suggested that Republicans could stand a better chance of gaining a majority in the House than in the Senate, citing candidate quality as a reason for tempered expectations. “Flipping the Senate, what are the chances? It’s a 50-50 proposition. We’ve got a 50-50 Senate right now. We’ve got a 50-50 nation. And I think the outcome is likely to be very, very close either way,” McConnell told the Scott County Chamber of Commerce on Monday. “If both the House and the Senate flip, I think the president will be a moderate. He won’t have any choice. And so, we’ll try to find ways to make some progress for the country during the last two years of his term … but not big dramatic change.” At a time when polls show that most Republicans believe former President Donald Trump’s falsehoods about a stolen 2020 election, McConnell urged his audience not to be concerned about election fraud. “Election fraud, there is some,” McConnell said. “It happens occasionally. But our democracy is solid. And of the things we need to worry about, I wouldn’t be worried about that one.” Republicans entered the 2022 campaign hopeful of capturing both chambers of Congress, with Democrats under pressure from inflation, Biden’s anemic job approval numbers and historical political trends. While the party is still favored to win a majority in the House, its prospects for flipping the Senate have been dimmed by lackluster performances among first-time Republican candidates in key swing states including Arizona, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. (Reporting by David Morgan in Washington; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters) -Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official who became the face of America’s COVID-19 pandemic response under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, announced on Monday he is stepping down in December after more than five decades of public service. Fauci, whose efforts to fight the pandemic were applauded by many public health experts even as he was vilified by Trump and many Republicans, will be leaving his posts as chief medical adviser to Biden and director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. Fauci, 81, has headed the institute since 1984. Fauci has served under seven U.S. presidents beginning with Republican Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, focusing on newly emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika, monkeypox and COVID-19. Fauci endured criticism from Trump and various conservatives and even death threats from people who objected to safeguards such as vaccination, social distancing and masking that he advocated to try to limit the lethality of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As he leaves his position in the U.S. Government, I know the American people and the entire world will continue to benefit from Dr. Fauci’s expertise in whatever he does next,” Biden said in a statement. “The United States of America is stronger, more resilient and healthier because of him.” In July, Fauci told Reuters he would retire by the end of Biden’s first term, which runs to January 2025, adding that his departure could come much earlier than that. “While I am moving on from my current positions, I am not retiring,” Fauci said in a statement on Monday. “After more than 50 years of government service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field.” In the first months of the pandemic in 2020, Fauci helped lead scientific efforts to develop and test COVID-19 vaccines in record time and took part in regular televised White House briefings alongside Trump. Fauci became a popular and trusted figure among many Americans as the nation faced lockdowns and rising numbers of COVID-19 deaths, even inspiring the sale of cookies and bobblehead dolls featuring his likeness. However, Fauci drew the ire of Trump and many Republicans for cautioning against reopening the U.S. economy too quickly and risking increased infections and for opposing the use of unproven treatments such as the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. Democrats accused Trump of presiding over a disjointed response to the pandemic and of disregarding advice from public health experts including Fauci. Trump in October 2020, weeks before his re-election loss, called Fauci “a disaster” and complained that Americans were tired of hearing about the pandemic. Trump even made fun of Fauci’s off-target ceremonial first pitch at a Washington Nationals baseball game. The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has exceeded one million https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home, with more than 93 million recorded cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asked in a July 2020 interview how he coped with the attacks on his character and allegiance to Trump as president, Fauci told Reuters, “I don’t let it bother me. What we’re doing with vaccines, what we’re doing with therapeutics, what we’re doing with clinical trials is the real substance.” Attacks against Fauci by Republican Senator Rand Paul became a regular feature of Senate hearings on the pandemic, with heated exchanges over vaccine boosters and public funding of research. Fauci accused the senator of spreading misinformation. Paul on his website accused Fauci of “ignoring good advice, and lying about everything from masks to the contagiousness of the virus.” At one hearing, the senator accused Fauci of smearing other scientists who disagreed with him. “He’s doing this for political reasons,” Fauci told the hearing, citing fundraising appeals on Paul’s website next to a call to have Fauci fired. Fauci will also step down as chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. (Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Will Dunham and Sriraj Kalluvila) View the full article

Published by The San Diego Union-Tribune A couple of things are happening in the recent controversies about the use of ableist lyrics in popular music. One is the inherent and systemic ableism in our culture that normalizes the use of language that stigmatizes people with disabilities. Another is the way that the response to these recent uses of ableist language are seen through the lens of race. Over the past couple of months, Lizzo and Beyoncé were both called out for their use of a word that is considered a slur in the disability community that refers to people with spastic paralysis or cerebral palsy. Both artists quickly took th… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Virginia Patton has died aged 97. The ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ actress – who played Ruth Dakin Bailey in the 1946 comedy classic – is said to have passed away at an assisted living facility on August 18 in Albany, Georgia. The Hollywood star’s passing was listed by Mathews Funeral Home. Virginia’s co-star Karolyn Grimes has led tributes. She wrote on Facebook: “We have another angel! Virginia Patton Moss. She was 97 years old. She is now with her beloved Cruse. She will be missed!” Virginia was born in Cleveland, Ohio in June 1925, and graduated from Jefferson High School in Portland, before she relocated to Los Angeles to study at the University of Southern California. The movie star went on to land leading roles in 1947’s ‘The Burning Cross’ and 1948’s ‘Black Eagle’ after her role in ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. However, she decided to step back from acting to look after her family in the 1940s, with her big-screen finale being 1949’s ‘The Lucky Stiff’. She tied the knot with automotive executive Cruse W. Moss in 1949, with whom she had three children, and the pair were married for almost seven decades. However, he sadly died in 2018. Away from the acting world, Virginia would go on to become a docent at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art and president and director of the real estate and investment firm Patton Corp. The businesswoman was the niece of General George S. Patton. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sharon Bernstein (Reuters) – With West Virginia’s 1849 abortion ban tied up in court and its conservative legislature stymied over details of enacting a new one, the state’s only abortion clinic ought to be operating as usual. But the chaotic legal and political environment in the two months since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the right to an abortion has driven unexpected reductions in the services that the clinic can provide, leading its doctors to end most medication abortions and eliminate surgical abortions for women who are more than 16 weeks pregnant. The uncertainty at Women’s Health Center in the state capital of Charleston has been mirrored in other states since the Supreme Court overturned its Roe v Wade decision on June 24, ending a 49-year-old precedent that established a right to an abortion. In North Carolina, Utah and elsewhere clinics have limited services simply because of the threat of new abortion restrictions, fearful that procedures spanning more than a day could be interrupted by a court decision or the sudden passage of a law. “On the day Roe was overturned we had patients scheduled for the following three weeks – we had to give them information on how to go out of state,” said Katie Quinonez, executive director of Women’s Health Center. Weeks later, the center persuaded a county judge to temporarily halt enforcement of the 19th century ban, which was triggered by the Supreme Court decision. And following that, a special session of the state’s Republican dominated legislature – called to enact a new ban – adjourned amid squabbling over how far to go. A DAY’S NOTICE But the uncertain environment has made it difficult for the West Virginia clinic – and others – to provide many previous services. Quinonez said one physician who had provided abortions up to almost 18 weeks had been traveling to West Virginia from another state, but stopped amid the uncertainty, deciding instead to work closer to home. And the clinic’s lawyers advised it to cease offering most abortion pills, because the two-day procedure could be interrupted by an unexpected court decision, Quinonez said. In North Carolina, Planned Parenthood clinics for a time stopped offering abortions for women who were beyond 20 weeks gestation, fearing the two-day procedure could begin one day, and be outlawed the next, said Paige Johnson, Vice President of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. A court upheld a 20-week abortion ban there on Aug. 18. In South Carolina, where a six-week ban was in place until last week, Planned Parenthood doctors warned women that they could be within the legal limit to obtain an abortion one day, but outside of it the following day, once they waited for the state’s 24 hour notification requirement. And Utah clinics stopped providing later term abortions after one court ruling kept abortion legal but another allowed a restriction on abortion after 18 weeks to kick in. For a few days after the Supreme Court ruling, clinics there also did not provide two-day procedures. “Rapidly changing laws and court decisions … really force providers to weave through a patchwork of laws that can change in a day’s notice,” Johnson said. The court decisions are being propelled by lawsuits and counter-suits filed by proponents and opponents of abortion over which laws should be in place. Also driving the uncertainty are disagreements among Republicans, who make up the bulk of the anti-abortion coalition, on how strict limits or bans on abortion should be. Opposition to abortion has been an article of faith for years among Republican elected officials, many of whom fought for laws limiting access to the procedure even under the broad constitutional protection provided by Roe v Wade. But once the high court overturned those protections, cracks in the anti-abortion coalition began to appear in Republican states including Louisiana, Florida and Nebraska. In Louisiana, a bill allowing women and their doctors to be prosecuted for homicide failed in the legislature, under opposition from some Republicans as well as the state’s Right to Life organization. The reasons are both personal and political for Republican lawmakers, said sociologist Carole Joffe, who studies abortion politics at the University of California, San Francisco. “In any social movement, you have people with very different lines that they are not willing to cross,” Joffe said. In West Virginia, the legislature’s conservative super-majority was set to enact one of the nation’s strictest bans on abortion in a special session this summer. But the bill stalled after the state senate removed criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. “This is the perennial situation where the dog is chasing the car and now they’ve caught it and they don’t know what to do with it,” said West Virginia State Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin, a Democrat. Informal discussions about the bill are ongoing, said a spokeswoman for West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw, a Republican. (Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; editing by Paul Thomasch and Diane Craft) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Peter Henderson (Reuters) – The U.S. government will spend more than $500 billion on climate technology and clean energy over the next decade under three recently enacted laws, an analysis by non-profit RMI found. The tally is based on this month’s Inflation Reduction and CHIPS acts and last year’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Together they fund climate-related research and pilot studies and support manufacturing. “Together they form a coherent green industrial policy, in the sense that there are strategic industries that they focus on and a set of tools designed to accelerate production up and down the supply chain,” said Lachlan Carey, co-author of the report, published on Monday. The estimated $514 billion total includes $362 billion from the IRA, $98 billion from the infrastructure act and $54 billion from the bipartisan-supported CHIPS law, although Congress will have to pass further legislation for some of the funding to be released. The analysis excludes additional agriculture and land-related climate spending. The CHIPS bill, for instance, will fund climate-related efforts in materials science such as developing new battery chemistry and more efficient solar panels. Annual federal spending on climate and clean energy over the next five years will be roughly 15 times that of the 1990s and early 2000s and about triple that of recent years, the study said. U.S. government estimates show renewable energy is becoming a bigger part of production. But study authors said climate action needed to speed up. “It’s a long process that we don’t have time to be that long. Like solar and wind took 40 years – we have 10 years,” said Jun Shepard, another co-author. (Reporting by Peter Henderson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Kathy Griffin has gone to court to battle a businessman who was fired after the comedian posted a video of him arguing with LGBTQ+ teenagers, Radar has learned. According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the comedian and her legal team have asked for the lawsuit brought by a Tennessee couple, Sam and Jill Johnson, to be thrown out of court. mega In April 2021, a 59-second video of Johnson was posted online. In the clip, the businessman is seen standing next to an 18-year-old teenage boy named Dalton Stevens who wore a dress to his prom and appeared to be bothering him. “I chose what I want to wear, so you can f— off,” the teen told Johnson. The businessman then said, “you look like an idiot At one point, he appeared to try and swat Stevens’ boyfriend who was filming the encounter with his phone. Griffin retweet the video with the message, “If this is Sam Johnson in Nashville, Tennessee, the CEO of @VisuWell , healthcare-tech-growth strategist, married to Jill Johnson where they may reside in Franklin, Tennessee, it seems like he’s dying to be online famous.” Johnson said Griffin’s tweet led to VisuWell firing him as CEO and removing him from the board. Days after the comedian fired off the message, the company released a statement distancing itself saying it, “unequivocally condemns the behavior exhibited by Sam Johnson.” In the lawsuit, Johnson’s lawyer wrote, “Ms. Griffin is a malign internet provocateur and is notorious for her disturbing posts on various social media platforms, especially Twitter. Her preferred method of online harassment is to “dox” private citizens.” The businessman said the video was “incomplete, edited, and out-of-context.” His lawyer wrote, “The Video Clip only showed one minute of an incident that had been developing for over one hour. The implication created by the Video Clip—that Mr. Johnson instigated a confrontation to bully two LGBTQIA+ teenagers at a hotel—was deeply misleading.” mega Johnson accused the teenagers of being loud and disruptive in a local restaurant. He said they were the ones who verbally attacked him not the other way around. Johnson’s wife joined the lawsuit claiming she received death threats as a result. The suit seeks unspecified “substantial” damages. In her response, Griffin said, “This case tests a core feature of our democracy: the ability to participate in debate on a public issue without fear of punishment.” She said the case arises out of a “widely publicized incident in which [Samuel Johnson], a local health care executive berated a gay high school student who was taking prom pictures at the Harpeth Hotel in Franklin, Tennessee, early on a Saturday evening.” mega Griffin said Johnson attempts to stifle protected speech with this lawsuit but argues the first amendment protects her. The comedian said she never spoke, addressed or communicated with Johnson in any way. Her lawyer said “Rather, she simply stated her personal views on a matter of public concern in a public forum. The fact that Ms. Griffin added her voice to public discourse on social media — Mr. Johnson’s behavior as captured on a Video Clip of the incident being the subject of intensive news coverage — cannot be labeled as “doxing,” “harassment,” or “stalking.” Griffin said the entire lawsuit should be tossed immediately. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Madonna feels “confused” by modern pop music. The 64-year-old singer – who is one of the best-selling artists of all time – feels the music industry has changed markedly since her pop heyday. The ‘Like a Prayer’ hitmaker – who shot to global stardom in the 80s – explained: “I think what’s changed the most is just the songs. Songs have changed. The concept of songwriting. “I’m just, give me a song. I need a beginning, a middle and an end. You know what I mean? I get confused by people’s music. And also there are just too many artists on songs. I feel chaotic when I listen to them.” Madonna has always been “invested” in empowering women through her music. And the pop icon feels proud of her hit records and the impact that they’ve had on wider society. She told Paper magazine: “I was very much invested in empowering women too and that was a very big part of the storytelling. Because I think, while women were making great dance records, I feel like in the early days, while the songs and melodies are really strong and the singers are really good, they weren’t really invested in making women think, ‘Wow, I don’t have to live in a man’s world, living under the male gaze for the rest of my life. I can look at life in a different way and not settle. I can have my own voice and my own vision.’ So that was an important element.” Madonna has also been keen to “provoke people” through her music. Asked what fuelled her progressive approach, she replied: “I would call it curiosity – the desire to provoke people and wake people up. I hate repeating myself.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Steps star Lisa Scott-Lee once spent a surreal evening having dinner with Michael Jackson. The 46-year-old singer has revealed she encountered the King of Pop during a trip to Bahrain after she was invited to attend the F1 Grand Prix there – and she was amazed when he offered to take her out to dinner at one of the country’s swankiest palaces. In an interview with Heat magazine, Lisa explained: “For me personally … the greatest celebrity encounter was when I met and had dinner with Michael Jackson after I was invited to attend the F1 Grand Prix in Bahrain. “We spent the night having dinner in the Bahrain Palace talking about music – I’ll never forget it.” Lisa previously admitted Jackson wasn’t a fan of her band Steps but she tried her best to win him over. She told The Sun: “I feel very lucky to have met him. He didn’t eat much; he wanted to talk about music all night and what was happening in the UK. He was lovely actually. He wasn’t a Steps fan but I made sure to introduce myself.” During the interview with Heat, Lisa revealed her bandmate Ian ‘H’ Watkins had his own celebrity encounter as he used to travel with Britney Spears on her private jet while the band toured with her back in 1999. Lisa said: “H had the most one-on-one time with her because he got to go on her private jet with her while we were in the tour bus.” H added of the singer: “She was a really lovely, genuine girl. That tour was such a stand-out moment for me in our career, It’s incredible to be able to say we toured with Britney Spears.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have tied the knot in a huge wedding ceremony at his $8.9 million Georgia mansion surrounded by family, friends and celebrity friends. The event came after the couple got married in Las Vegas in July, with the pair followed down the aisle at the property by close friends and family, including Ben’s children from his ex-wife Jennifer’s third husband Marc Anthony, though the ‘Batman’ actor’s former spouse was not there. Ben and JLo, known as ‘Bennifer’, set out a massive white carpet with Lopez, 53, in a white Ralph Lauren couture gown complete with long train and veil, while Ben, 50, wore a black and white tuxcedo. Photographs showed the pair hugging at a waterside jetty at the mansion, with a fireworks display from a lake in the property scheduled to finish the night’s event son Friday. (20.08.22) It comes 20 years after the couple dated and got engaged, only to call off their nuptials in 2003. Guests included Ben’s three children from his marriage to 50-year-old Jennifer – Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and 11-year-old Sam– while JLo’s twins, Emme and Max, 14, she had with Marc Anthony, 53, were also there. Ben’s brother Casey, 47, declined to attend after saying he had prior family commitments in Los Angeles. The actor’s long-term friend Matt Damon, 51, with whom he won an Oscar for ‘Good Will Hunting’, was seen in attendance with his wife Luciana Barroso, 46. Director Kevin Smith and actor Jason Mewes, famed for playing Jay and Silent Bob alongside Ben in a series of comedies, were also spotted in Georgia for the party. Jennifer Garner was understood to be filming in Texas. Other stars expected at the party include George Clooney, Jane Fonda, Renee Zellweger, and Jimmy Kimmel. Following the wedding ceremony, Affleck and Lopez walked with their guest towards the estate’s Oyster House, expected to have held the wedding reception. An explosives permit for a fireworks display is believed to have been secured, while wedding bells were set up ahead of the evening ceremony and the menu included fried pork chops, rice and vegetables, along with oven-roasted chicken and mac and cheese, with barrels of Jack Daniels also seen being shipped on to the property. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Darya Dugina, the daughter of ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin, was killed in a suspected car bomb attack outside Moscow on Saturday evening. Acquaintances of Dugina said the car she was driving belonged to her father and that he was probably the intended target. Who is Alexander Dugin? – Dugin, 60, has long advocated the unification of Russian-speaking and other territories in a vast new Russian empire, which he wants to include Ukraine. – In his 1997 book, “The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia”, Dugin was fiercely critical of U.S. influence in Eurasia and called for Russia to rebuild its own authority in the region and advocated breaking up the territory of other nations. – That book featured on army reading lists, but there is no indication that Dugin has ever had direct influence on Russian foreign policy. – Dugin’s influence over President Vladimir Putin has been a subject for speculation, with some Russia watchers asserting that his sway is significant and many calling it minimal. He has no official ties to the Kremlin. – The United States imposed sanctions on Dugin in 2015 for being “responsible for or complicit in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine”. – In a statement in March, the U.S. Treasury said his Eurasian Youth Union actively recruited individuals with military and combat experience to fight on behalf of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine. – “Dugin controls Geopolitica, a website that serves as a platform for Russian ultra-nationalists to spread disinformation and propaganda targeting Western and other audiences,” the U.S. Treasury said. – In 2015, Dugin was quoted as saying by gazeta.ru that his being added to the U.S. sanctions list was “unprecedented” and that sanctions were being imposed for “intellectual activity that breaks no laws”. – Dugin did not immediately respond to questions emailed to him on Sunday at an address listed on the website of the International Eurasian Movement that he founded. POLITICAL MOVEMENTS – Dugin’s 1997 book increased his prominence. In the early 1990s, he co-founded the National Bolshevik Party (NBP), which espoused vehemently anti-centrist views and whose largely red flag featured a black hammer and sickle at its centre. – Dugin left the NBP around a decade before it was declared an “extremist organisation” in 2007 and its activities banned in Russia. – He went on to found political and social movements centred on staunchly anti-Western ideas for the future of Eurasia. – Dugin worked a brief stint as chief editor of Tsargrad TV, a pro-Kremlin, Christian Orthodox channel owned by businessman Konstantin Malofeev. Malofeev was sanctioned by the United States and European Union in 2014 over accusations that he funded pro-Moscow separatists fighting in Ukraine, something he denies. – Writing on Tsargrad’s website in May, Dugin said Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine required immediate, “patriotic reforms”. – He wrote that a “new, eternal, true and profound Russia” needed to be established to attract the people of Ukraine. – “Ukraine can become an integral, organic part of this,” he wrote. “Ukrainians must understand that we are inviting them to create this new, great power. As well as Belarusians, Kazakhs, Armenians, but also Azerbaijanis and Georgians, and all those who not only were and are with us, but also will be.” (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Nick Macfie) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Demi Lovato’s boyfriend Jute$ feels like the “luckiest schmuck in the world”. The chart-topping pop star turned 30 on Saturday (20.08.22), and her boyfriend has taken to Instagram to heap praise on the ‘Cool for the Summer’ hitmaker. Alongside a series of romantic photos and videos, Jute$ wrote: “happy birthday baby. ur a 30 year old minx and i’m the luckiest schmuck in the world cuz i get to call u mine. making u laugh has become my new obsession cuz ur smile literally cures my depression (there’s a song lyric in there somewhere) i’m so proud of u for not only surviving everything you’ve been through but coming out on top and becoming ur healthiest happiest sweetest self. and that’s all u baby… i’m just here to support u and tell stupid dad jokes when needed. ur more than ur music, more than ur voice, more than a beautiful face. ur everything. i love u (sic)” In response to the gushing post, Demi wrote: “YOURE THE BEST BOYFRIEND IN THE WORLD. “I’m just so grateful I get to call you mine because I’ve never laughed like this in my life, I’ve never smiled so much and my heart is constantly so full of love with you [hearts emojis] this post, this caption… how are YOU real?! I love you honey.. so much (sic)” Meanwhile, Demi recently confessed to feeling the best she has for years. The pop star admitted she’s “in a really good place” after suffering a near-fatal drug overdose in 2018. She said: “You know that saying that you’re never completely free of it [addiction]? It’s true, but I don’t feel like it. “I’m in a really good place where, sometimes, I just forget about it.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jarrett Renshaw and Trevor Hunnicutt (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden launches a coast-to-coast tour this week to tout the new climate and tax bill and boost Democrats running in November’s elections. But when he arrives, some of those candidates may be nowhere in sight, fearing Biden is too much of a liability. Democrats hope the trip will boost the president’s poor poll numbers and draw attention to his achievements. But some candidates for Congress worry that campaigning with Biden will hurt them in the Nov. 8 election, according to more than a dozen interviews with senior Democrats and local campaign officials in battleground states including Pennsylvania and Arizona. Biden, whose latest approval rating is 40%, is polling lower than most, if not all, Democratic candidates in competitive races, often by double digits, Democratic pollsters said. The trip, the latest effort to reset his presidency, will test the limits of Biden’s influence in a party that has shown flashes of disloyalty in recent weeks. Some Democratic members of Congress have questioned whether Biden, at 79 already the oldest U.S. president, should run for reelection in 2024. As they consider campaigning with him, Democratic candidates will closely watch whether Biden can move public opinion on his tour. On the plus side, Biden can share good news about recent legislative victories on climate change, gun control and boosting domestic microprocessor production along with a Kansas victory on abortion rights. “Sure it was a great month, but the jury is still out whether it actually made a difference or whether it’s just too late,” said one senior Democrat. Meanwhile, opposition Republicans have unified around attacking Biden despite the party’s internal divisions over former President Donald Trump and the fatal Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Right-wing media, elected officials and Trump have hammered a message that the White House has struggled to combat: Biden and his policies are responsible for record inflation, and he’s old, doddering and confused. While Biden’s defenders note that inflation is higher in some other countries and say he is undiminished, some candidates worry they may face awkward questions at events about whether they support the president’s reelection. Their answers could serve as fodder for Republican rivals, sources said. Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Tim Ryan is running a populist campaign in Ohio against Trump-backed Republican J.D. Vance. The state has shifted hard to Republicans in recent elections, but polls show the race is a toss-up. In July, Ryan, who currently holds a seat in the U.S. House, cited scheduling conflicts for skipping a Biden economic speech in Cleveland and has dodged questions about whether Biden should run again. Ryan would only consider appearing with Biden under limited circumstances, an official with the campaign effort told Reuters. The official, for example, noted that Biden is expected to return to Ohio in coming weeks for the groundbreaking of an Intel plant that will eventually provide 3,000 jobs and get a big boost from the recently passed CHIPS Act, which aids the semiconductor industry. “That is something Tim Ryan would likely attend with Biden. The messaging and politics are aligned,” the official said. Ryan campaign spokesperson Izzi Levy said she could not comment on his plans related to his congressional work. But regarding political events with Biden, she said, “We have not asked him to campaign in Ohio and have no plans to do so.” RISING TIDE The Nov. 8 elections will determine whether Democrats retain their slim majorities in the House and Senate, or Republicans gain control. There are 43 competitive House races and seven Senate races, according to a Reuters analysis of data from three nonpartisan research groups on the competitiveness of U.S. elections. The White House thinks it can make gains in the Senate despite expected losses in the House. Biden will speak at a Democratic National Committee event in Maryland on Thursday, his first political rally in months. It will serve as the kickoff to his midterm push. Democrats at the top of the ticket in Maryland are largely running against Trump-aligned opponents who face an uphill battle in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one. Democrats in competitive races across the country say they are eager to see Biden hit the road and combat Republican attacks by boasting about a string of legislative achievements that include historic bipartisan bills on gun control and infrastructure along with more partisan achievements on climate change and health care. Officials frequently use the adage that a rising tide lifts all boats. “If Biden can lift his poll numbers, it helps all Democrats,” a Democratic pollster involved in Pennsylvania races said. In Pennsylvania, campaign officials say a Biden visit is unnecessary – and potentially risky – because Democrats have early leads over Republican candidates viewed as flawed. Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is a Trump-backed election-denier who attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington while Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz is struggling in early polls amid questions about his ties to the state. “We hope the president comes to the state, but we are not sure how much the Democratic candidates will be joining him. At this point, it doesn’t make much sense,” said one senior Democratic official involved in the governor’s race. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidate for governor in Pennsylvania, has appeared with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately this year. Manuel Bonder, a campaign spokesman, said Shapiro “will continue welcoming President Biden to his home state.” Jennifer Holdsworth, a Democratic strategist, called the decision by some Democrats to distance themselves from Biden a “colossal mistake.” “This has been a monumentally consequential administration. Voters don’t care about the politics of the moment, they care about results and this administration has delivered,” Holdsworth said. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Heather Timmons and Cynthia Osterman) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An appeals court put on hold U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s scheduled testimony for Tuesday before a grand jury in Georgia probing efforts by Donald Trump to overturn the former president’s 2020 election defeat, with the case returning to a lower court for another look. A federal judge on Monday had rejected Graham’s challenge to the subpoena to testify before the grand jury. Graham, a Republican, had argued his position as a U.S. senator provided him immunity from having to appear before the investigative panel. Sunday’s order by the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes as a temporary reprieve for Graham who otherwise would have had to testify on Tuesday. Testimony from Graham, a close ally of Trump, could shed further light on the coordinated effort by Trump’s team to reverse the 2020 results. The appeals court gave Graham a new chance to challenge the subpoena based on protections for lawmakers under the U.S. Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause. That provision can protect lawmakers from being compelled to discuss legislative activity. “The district court shall expedite the parties’ briefing in a manner that it deems appropriate,” Sunday’s order said. The grand jury wants to question Graham about at least two phone calls he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff in the weeks following the November 2020 presidential election, in which Graham explored the possibility of re-examining absentee ballots, according to prosecutors. The Georgia probe is one among several legal troubles faced by the former president, whose Florida home was searched by federal agents this month and whose role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol is being investigated separately by a congressional panel. Trump has falsely claimed that rampant voter fraud caused his loss in Georgia, a battleground state where President Joe Biden’s victory helped propel him to the White House. The special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, is undertaking a criminal investigation into alleged wrongdoing. Trump was recorded in a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call pressuring a top state official to “find” enough votes to overturn his loss to Biden in the state. He has denied any wrongdoing. The grand jury had also subpoenaed members of Trump’s former legal team. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s onetime personal lawyer, testified before the special grand jury in Atlanta on Wednesday. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Mike Scarcella, Mary Milliken and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Representative Liz Cheney vowed on Sunday to oppose Republican candidates who back former President Donald Trump’s falsehoods about a stolen 2020 election and declared Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley “unfit” for office after they voted to overturn the presidential results. Cheney, who is Trump’s leading critic and vice chair of the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, told ABC’s “This Week” that a broad movement of election denial could undermine the U.S. constitutional order if left unchecked. The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney has already said she will spend the next two years trying to stop Trump from returning to the White House in 2024, possibly with her own presidential bid. She declined to tell ABC whether she would run inside or outside the Republican Party, should she decide to make a presidential bid. “I’m going to be very focused on working to ensure that we do everything we can not to elect election deniers,” Cheney said in an interview recorded last week, days after she lost her Republican primary race to a Trump-backed candidate. “We’ve got election deniers that have been nominated for really important positions all across the country. And I’m going to work against those people. I’m going to work to support their opponents.” Cheney did not say which Republican candidates she would oppose but acknowledged that they would include some of her fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives. Republicans are favored to take control of the House but could face a bigger challenge capturing a Senate majority in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, which will determine the balance of power in Congress for the next two years. As one of two Republicans on the House Jan. 6 committee, Cheney has been able to draw a direct connection between the deadly melee and Trump’s repeated false claims that he won the 2020 election against President Joe Biden. “Donald Trump is certainly the center of the threat,” Cheney said. “What he’s created is a movement on some level that is post-truth.” The Jan. 6 assault forced Congress to temporarily suspend its certification of Trump’s loss to Biden, during which Hawley, Cruz and other Republican members of Congress voted against certification of election results. Cheney said the actions of Hawley, Cruz and other Republican lawmakers “fundamentally threatened the constitutional order and structure” and concluded that “they both have made themselves unfit for future office.” A Cruz spokesperson responded with a statement saying the senator does not want or need Cheney’s endorsement. Hawley’s office was not immediately available for comment. Neither Cruz nor Hawley is up for re-election in November. She also criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for campaigning on behalf of election deniers including Republican gubernatorial candidates Kari Lake of Arizona and Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania. “That is something that I think people have got to have real pause about. You know, either you fundamentally believe in and will support our constitutional structure, or you don’t,” Cheney said. Like Trump himself, DeSantis has flirted with voters about the possibility of his own 2024 presidential run, while he seeks reelection in Florida this year. The DeSantis campaign was not immediately available for comment. Cheney’s re-election loss in Wyoming last week was widely seen as a victory for Trump’s revenge campaign against House Republicans who voted to impeach him after the Jan. 6 riot. She told ABC she heard from Biden afterwards: “We had a very good talk, a talk about the importance of putting the country ahead of partisanship.” (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Mary Milliken and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Chen Lin SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore will decriminalise sex between men but has no plans to change the legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday. LGBTQ groups welcomed Lee’s decision to repeal Section 377A of the penal code, a colonial-era law that criminalises sex between men, but also expressed concern that ruling out same-sex marriage would help to perpetuate discrimination. In his annual national day rally speech, Lee said Singaporean society, especially young people in the city-state, were becoming more accepting of gay people. “I believe this is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept,” he said. It was unclear when exactly Section 377A would be repealed. Singapore becomes the latest Asian country to move toward ending discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community. In 2018, India’s highest court scrapped a colonial-era ban https://www.reuters.com/article/india-lgbt-verdict-idINKCN1LM0O6 on gay sex, while Thailand has recently edged closer to legalising same-sex unions. Under Singapore’s Section 377A, offenders can be jailed for up to two years under the law, but it is not currently actively enforced. There have been no known convictions for sex between consenting adult males for decades and the law does not include sex between women or other genders. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) groups have brought multiple legal challenges attempting to strike down the law, but none has succeeded. On Sunday, several LGBTQ rights groups said in a joint statement they were “relieved” by Lee’s announcement. “For everyone who has experienced the kinds of bullying, rejection and harassment enabled by this law, repeal finally enables us to begin the process of healing. For those that long for a more equal and inclusive Singapore, repeal signifies that change is indeed possible,” they said in the statement. But the groups also urged the government not to heed calls from religious conservatives to enshrine the definition of marriage in the constitution, saying this would signal that LGBTQ+ citizens were not equal. RESISTANCE In February, Singapore’s highest court had ruled that since the law was not being enforced, it did not breach constitutional rights, as the plaintiffs had argued, and it reaffirmed that the law could not be used to prosecute men for having gay sex. Some religious groups including Muslims, Catholics and some Protestants continued to resist any repeal of the law, Lee said. An alliance of more than 80 churches expressed strong disappointment on Sunday over the government’s decision. “The repeal is an extremely regrettable decision which will have a profound impact on the culture that our children and future generations of Singaporeans will live in,” it said. Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious society of 5.5 million, of whom about 16% are Muslim, with bigger Buddhist and Christian communities. It has a predominantly ethnic Chinese population with sizeable Malay and Indian minorities, according to the 2020 census. Stressing his government’s continued support for the traditional definition of marriage, Lee said: “We believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, that children should be raised within such families, that the traditional family should form the basic building block of society.” Singapore will “protect the definition of marriage from being challenged constitutionally in the courts”, he said. “This will help us repeal Section 377A in a controlled and carefully considered way.” (Reporting by Chen Lin, editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Gareth Jones) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English JoJo Siwa and Kylie Prew have split up after their reconciliation. The former ‘Dance Moms’ star and the 18-year-old social media influencer have called it quits after they briefly got back together. In a live video posted to TikTok, Kylie told her followers: “Someone asked me, just now, if I was single. I am. I been single for almost two months, and it’s OK, it’s not deep, I promise. Everything’s fine. Not everything has to be messy and gross. Because it’s not. And I just wanted to clear the air.” She added: “We’re both safe and happy and healthy and that’s all that matters. It doesn’t need to be drama because that just gives everyone unwanted anxiety, especially if they’re like me.” JoJo has not publicly addressed Kylie’s comments or divulge any details about their breakup. This is not the first time that the pair have ended things as they first called it a day in October last year before Kylie and ‘Dancing With the Stars’ alum declared they reunited in an adorable Instagram post. On a social media post of them at Disneyland, the 19-year-old YouTuber wrote: “If you love something let it go, if it comes back…. [white heart emoji] [infinity emoji]” The ‘Boomerang’ hitmaker also spoke on the record about her love for Kylie, calling being in love “very nice”. JoJo said: “I am in a relationship and I’m very happy and very lucky to be loved. It’s been very nice.” She continued: “I think something that’s been great, is it’s been so honest, and I think that’s a mistake that I’ve made in the past, is maybe trying to be something that I maybe wasn’t. But this is just so pure and so honest, and it’s so real and it just feels like I/we got it right.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Randi Love NEW YORK (Reuters) – A museum in New York City that told the story of the 9/11 attacks from the perspectives of the people affected has closed its building and ended its walking tours, a co-founder said Thursday. After shuttering the doors of the 16-year-old 9/11 Tribute Museum Wednesday evening, volunteers spent Thursday morning coordinating the pickup of a World Trade Center steel beam that was heading for storage, along with other artifacts such as first responders’ gear and parts of the two planes that crashed into the buildings. Attendance has decreased from nearly 300,000 a year prior to a six-month closure in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic to a record low of 26,000 in 2021, said Jennifer Adams-Webb, a co-founder of the museum and CEO of the non-profit September 11th Families’ Association, which helped start the museum. “The visitors just aren’t back,” she said, saying the only way the museum would have been able to stay open was with government support. It had been unable to secure that, despite months of conversations with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and other offices, she said. The Department of Cultural Affairs did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The main difference between the tribute museum and the larger, nearby 9/11 Memorial & Museum at Ground Zero was her program’s focus on first-hand stories from people who were directly affected, Adams said. Among the volunteer tour leaders was Peter Bitwinski, a worker for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Bitwinski said he was at his desk in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, when hijackers slammed airplanes into the twin towers. The Sept. 11 attacks – which also saw planes downed at the Pentagon outside Washington and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania – killed nearly 3,000 people. Bitwinski said he and others evacuated, helping a wheelchair-bound co-worker and taking more than an hour to descend nearly 70 flights of stairs. Once they finally exited and cleared the area, Bitwinski said they saw smoke, debris and “people jumping from the highest floors of the towers.” In addition to helping people understand what happened that day and honoring the victims and first responders, the 9/11 Tribute Museum “helped me individually to continue to heal,” Bitwinski said. “I had psychological counseling, but each time I share and talk, it’s a healing experience for me, too.” The museum plans to continue offering online educational resources and community support, but has ceased guided walking tours. More than 500,000 people took the tours since the opening of the museum in 2006, Adams-Webb said. Artifacts are set to be moved to the New York State Museum in Albany. (Reporting by Randi Love in New York. Editing by Donna Bryson and Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article