RadioRob

Published by Reuters By Nancy Lapid (Reuters) – Drugmaker Gilead Sciences plans to announce on Tuesday that it will provide up to $5 million in grants to help a coalition of LGBTQ+ and human rights advocacy groups craft public health responses to monkeypox outbreaks, the company said. Outside of Africa, where the virus is endemic, new cases have largely occurred among gay and bisexual men. Experts warn that the virus could spread to other populations, especially due to vaccine shortages. The World Health Organization and the United States have declared monkeypox a public health emergency. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), GLAAD, the National Black Justice Coalition, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights are each receiving $350,000 from Gilead for public education toward preventing and treating the virus. Gilead is a leading producer of therapies to treat HIV. The company said it is also evaluating whether any of its treatments or experimental drug candidates could be effective against monkeypox. GLAAD’s staff has not been able to meet recent demands for information about monkeypox, said spokesperson Rich Ferraro. “With this partnership we’ll be able to do more,” he said. The funds will help the groups produce videos, graphics and other information resources for distribution to the media and at community centers, bars, nightclubs, parties and events. Torrian Baskerville, director of HIV and Health Equity at HRC, said the U.S. response to the virus at federal, state and local levels has been “slow across the board.” Policy changes are urgently needed to streamline the distribution of vaccines, with current systems varying among states, he said. NMAC – formerly the National Minority AIDS Coalition – will receive $500,000 to coordinate the coalition’s public policy efforts. Another $3 million is reserved for emergency grants to smaller organizations worldwide. Already stretched thin by COVID-19, these groups may otherwise need to delay patients’ usual care during monkeypox outbreaks, said Gilead spokesperson Korab Zuka. (Reporting by Nancy Lapid; editing by Michele Gershberg and Bernadette Baum) View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Matthew Chapman On Monday, the San Antonio Express-News reported that a South Texas church is putting on an unauthorized knockoff production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” — complete with added-in religious proselytizing and attacks on LGBTQ people. “The ‘Hamilton’ team in New York also says it did not give a license or permission to the Door McAllen church in McAllen, Tex., to stage the performance, thus making the show an illegal reproduction,” reported Timothy Bella. “The version of ‘Hamilton’ produced by the Door McAllen and RGV Productions that was perfor… Read More View the full article

Published by NJ.com North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School Librarian Martha Hickson received the American Library Association’s Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity in June for her efforts to challenge efforts to ban books housed in the district’s collection. Hickson opposed efforts in 2021 to ban five LGBTQ+ books from the district’s library bookshelves, becoming the target of personal attacks which led her to taking an extended sick leave. She has since returned to her job and says she continues to speak out at district Board of Education meetings about censorship and the import… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Alex Jones’ text messages have been turned over to the January 6 House Select Committee to aid in their investigation into last year’s Capitol riot, Radar has confirmed. As RadarOnline.com reported last week, Jones’ lawyer – Federico Andino Reynal – accidentally handed over two years’ worth of text messages and emails from Jones’ phone to Mark Bankston, the lawyer who represented two parents of a child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting who sued Jones for defamation. Mega According to Bankston, who spoke to CNN on Monday, he is “cooperating with the committee” regarding the messages he received after the Jan. 6 committee “expressed interest” in the messages and the potential content that may link Jones directly to last year’s deadly riot. Reynal requested the judge overseeing the case order Bankston to “destroy” the material, but Judge Maya Guerra Gamble refused to do so. Mega “I’m not standing between you and Congress,” Judge Gamble told Bankston when he asked about sending the texts to the Jan. 6 committee. “That is not my job. I’m not going to do that.” Although a source confirmed to CNN the messages have successfully been handed over, the insider did not reveal when the messages were sent, who Jones was in correspondence with and what material the messages contained. The source also revealed that, although the messages have successfully been handed over, it is not known whether or not the committee has had a chance to see the messages. Jones was previously implicated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and testified before the committee earlier this year – although he later claimed he repeatedly used his Fifth Amendment right not to answer any questions during the deposition. Mega The 48-year-old conspiracy theorist and The Alex Jones Show host is accused of playing a “central role” on January 6 after hundreds of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters marched on the U.S. Capitol building following a “Stop the Steal” rally. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), who sits on the Jan. 6 House Select Committee, revealed on Sunday the committee was interested in Jones’ text messages and potentially new information linking Jones to Capitol riot further. “Well, we know that his behavior did incentivize some of the January 6 conduct and we want to know more about that,” Lofgren told CNN Sunday evening. “We don’t know what we’ll find in the texts because we haven’t seen them. But we’ll look at it and learn more, I’m sure.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English John Travolta has led tributes to Olivia Newton-John, who died aged 73 on Monday (08.08.22). The ‘Grease’ star gushed that the actress – who played Sandy Olsen to his Danny Zuko in the 1978 movie musical – “made all our lives so much better” on social media on a retro photo of the late star. The 68-year-old actor wrote on Instagram: “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!” Randal Keiser, who directed the high school classic, praised her for being “one of a kind, and so very kind”. He told the Hollywood Reporter: “I’m Heartbroken. She was one of a kind, and so very kind. For over four decades of our friendship she exuded nothing but love to everyone she met. Olivia was exactly the way you imagined her. I will miss her forever.” George Takei lamented that Hollywood “lost a great, iconic artist” with her passing. He wrote on Twitter: “We have lost a great, iconic artist in Olivia Newton John, gone too soon from us at age 73. I trust she is now in the great Xanadu beyond. Know that we are forever hopelessly devoted to you, Olivia. Rest in song and mirth.” Gabrielle Union shared how much ‘Grease’ meant to her and her sister and how much she loved ‘Xanadu’. She wrote on Twitter: “’Grease’ is my #1 movie of all time and made me a lifelong Olivia Newton John fan. Me and my sister watched Xanadu more times than I could count. Sending so much love and prayers to a real gift of a woman and talent.” Motown legend Dionne Warwick paid her respects to her “dear friend”. She tweeted: “Another angelic voice has been added to the Heavenly Choir. Not only was Olivia a dear friend, but one of the nicest people I had the pleasure of recording and performing with. I will most definitely miss her. She now Rests in the Arms of the Heavenly Father.” Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin shared how she was “saddened” by the death of her ‘It’s My Party’ co-star. She said on Twitter: “I am SO saddened at the news of the passing of Olivia Newton John. I remember being so star struck when I met her at my first Hollywood gathering for Paramount. She was the sweetest and brightest light and I loved getting to know her on “It’s My Party.” RIP dear, sweet Olivia.” Mia Farrow added: “Very sad that lovely, talented brave Olivia Newton-John has died. I never got to meet her, but everyone says she was wonderful – always kind.” Jane Lynch – who starred on ‘Glee’ where Olivia played a fictionalised version of herself in 2009 – tweeted: “ONJ. Angel”. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director James Gun revealed that the icon was his “first real crush”. He wrote on Twitter: “Really sad to hear about the passing of Olivia Newton-John. My first real crush as a kid. I loved Grease her music I coincidentally also bought lived in for a while the wonderful home she built in Malibu. May she Rest In Peace.” Broadcaster Katie Couric wrote: “Rest In Peace, Olivia.” TV chef Nigella Lawson tweeted: “Her memory is already a blessing.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Britney Spears has confirmed her musical comeback with Elton John. The ‘Piece of Me’ hitmaker, 40, is making her return to pop music after being freed from her conservatorship with a duet with the xx-year-old legend titled ‘Hold Me Closer’, a revamped version of his hit 1971 song ‘Tiny Dancer’. The collaboration – which has been teased for months – was confirmed by Elton on Instagram as he posted a photo of a rose and a rocket emoji with the caption “hold me closer” on Monday (08.08.22). Britney – who recently tied the knot with Sam Asghari, 28 – was released from a legal arrangement that gave her father Jamie Spears, 70, control over her medical, financial and other decisions since 2007 when the ‘Sometimes’ hitmaker was placed under after experiencing mental health difficulties. Currently, Jamie is involved in a misconduct allegation court case surrounding the conservatorship. Judge Brenda Parry denied a motion he put forward to have Britney come in for questioning. This year, Britney and Sam have gone through a lot together as a couple, such as suffering the miscarriage of their “miracle baby”. They also launched required legal action after her ex Jason Alexander – who she was married to for 54 hours in 2004 – gatecrashed her wedding last month. Since then, Jason has pled not guilty to charges of stalking, trespassing, battery and vandalism. Recently, Sam defended Britney from allegations from her ex Kevin Federline, 44 – who said their two teenage sons, Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden, 15 – are opting not to see their mother. In an Instagram post, Sam wrote: “There is not validity to his statement regarding the kids distancing themselves and it is irresponsible to make that statement publicly. “The boys are very smart and will be 18 soon to make their own decisions and may eventually realize the ‘tough’ part was having a father who hasn’t worked much in over 15 years as a role model…Kevin’s gravy train will end soon which probably explains the timing of these hurtful statements…I do not know him personally and have nothing against him aside him choosing to vilify my wife. His character is revealed by approval of the cruel 13 year (conservatorship) and his loyalty to Jamie indicates his approval at time of its conception as well.” Britney added: “It saddens me to hear that my ex-husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children. As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone .. It concerns me the fact that the reason is based on my Instagram … it was LONG before Instagram … I gave them everything. Only one word: HURTFUL … l’Il say it … My mother told me ‘You should GIVE them to their dad.’ I’m sharing this because I can. Have a good day folks!!!” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Rosie O’Donnell spilled all “the dirt” about the onset ‘A League of Their Own’ drama to the cast of the new television series inspired by the movie. Kelly McCormack says the 60-year-old comedian gave all the gossip about what it was like to work on the 1992 movie about baseball and what Madonna was like as she appears in the new Amazon Prime series as Vi, a totally new character. The 31-year-old actress told E! News’ The Daily Pop: “Rosie would tell us all the dirt. She’d be like, ‘This is what happened on set,’ and she was just talking about how much baseball they had to do and how grimy it was and working with Madonna.” Abbi Jacobson – who stars and created the show that drops on 12 August on the streaming platform – intended the series to be an homage, instead of a recreation. The 38-year-old funny lady said: “We really wanted to open up and get to explore characters that were outside of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, too. What was this generation of women who played baseball like?’ and, ‘How can we explore the stories that weren’t told in the film?'” Melanie Field outlined her belief that “the heart” of the show is just find your true calling and your people. The 34-year-old actress added: “I think at the heart and soul of this piece is just be true to yourself, follow your journey, find your team, find your family, and that your dreams matter.” The cast were keen for any of the original stars to come and make an appearance anytime they liked, including Tom Hanks who wished them “his best”. D’Arcy Carden, 42, said: “I can’t think of anyone from the original that I wouldn’t love to see come back. I had quick words with Tom Hanks. He sent us his best and told us how much fun he had doing the movie.” Chante Adams, 27, concurred, added: “If Geena Davis and Tom Hanks want to make an appearance, we won’t stop them.” Kate Berlant admitted her dream guest star would be the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna. The 35-year-old actress said: “That was the role I think I was the most obsessed with as a kid. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ezra Miller has been charged with felony burglary in Vermont. ‘The Flash’ star stands accused of the charge after Vermont State Police were alerted to a complaint at a property in May, according to a police report. It detailed they found various bottles of alcohol were taken from the abode without the homeowners knowledge. Following an investigation – which included taking statements from neighbours and looking at security camera footage – the police say the found reason to press charges against the 29-year-old actor. Ezra was found by the cops late on Sunday night (07.08.22) and given a citation to be in Vermont Superior Court for an arraignment on 26 September, the report states. According to an investigation by Rolling Stone magazine, ‘The Perks of Being A Wallflower’ star has been providing shelter to a 25-year-old mother of three at his ranch in the town of Stamford, which is believed to be an unauthorised cannabis farm with unregulated firearms. This arrest is the latest in a string of legal problems Ezra has found themselves in. Earlier this year, ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ star was arrested twice in Hawaii; once for disorderly and harassment and another time for second-degree assault. Ezra also faces numerous assault allegations from women across the world, such as woman who claims they choked her in a bar in Iceland and another woman who says Ezra harassed her in her Berlin home. These instances have begun speculation about the potential cancelling of upcoming standalone ‘The Flash’ flick will be halted, however executives from Warner Brothers have not implied it will be. David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery said: “ We have seen ‘The Flash,’ ‘Black Adam’ and ‘Shazam 2.’ We are very excited about them. We’ve seen them. We think they are terrific, and we think we can make them even better.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA This was the scene outside the Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago owned by Donald Trump on Monday night soon after the former president revealed the FBI had launched a raid on his property. The image, snapped by local media WPTV, show what appears to be a plain-clothed Secret Service agent with his weapon — an automatic machine gun — as he paraded outside the property. An unmarked vehicle is also in the picture exiting Mar-a-Lago. WPTV Radar has confirmed the FBI notified its counterparts at the Secret Service that a warrant would be executed and Secret Service facilitated access to the property without issue. Trump was not at home during the time. MEGA It’s understood the ex-president was either in New York City or at his New Jersey golf club, Bedminster, as the search warrant was executed. It did not stop him from revealing the unprecedented law enforcement action via a statement on his social media platform just before 7 p.m ET. “These are dark times for our nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before,” he said. Trump did not specify why the FBI was searching his estate. MEGA But as Radar reported, the search warrant focused on seizing classified documents the former president was supposed to turn over to the National Archives. Trump is at the center of two criminal probes: the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and the probe of the Jan. 6 insurrection. MEGA A source with knowledge of the circumstances of the raid said “whatever the FBI uncovered, it could ultimately lead to unsuspected new evidence in both of the investigations.” “However, any decision to launch a raid like this is not ever made without the full consent of the nation’s top law enforcement official,” the insider told RadarOnline.com “That is Attorney General Merrick Garland and in order for Garland to give the green light on a raid of this magnitude, he needs to be convinced that his deputies had enough evidence of the commission of a criminal offense,” the source added. “It’s not just Garland’s view, either. A judge would have had to view the search warrant request from the Department of Justice and issued the order to search for and seize property.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Brian Ellsworth and Sarah N. Lynch PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) -Former President Donald Trump said FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday and broke into his safe in what his son acknowledged was part of an investigation into Trump’s removal of official presidential records from the White House to his Florida resort. The unprecedented search of a former president’s home would mark a significant escalation into the records investigation, which is one of several probes Trump is facing from his time in office and in private business. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment on the search, which Trump in a statement called a raid and said involved a “large group of FBI agents.” The FBI’s headquarters in Washington and its field office in Miami both declined comment. Eric Trump, one of the former president’s adult children, told Fox News the search concerned boxes of documents that Trump brought with him from the White House, and that his father has been cooperating with the National Archives on the matter for months. A source familiar with the matter also confirmed to Reuters the raid appeared to be tied to Trump’s removal of classified records from the White House. Trump said the estate “is currently under siege, raided, and occupied.” He did not say why the raid took place. “After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” Trump said, adding: “They even broke into my safe!” Trump was not present at the time as he was in New York on Monday, Fox News Digital reported, publishing a photo of Trump that a Fox reporter said showed him leaving Trump Tower. Trump, who has made his club in Palm Beach his home since leaving the White House in January 2021, has generally spent summers at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, because Mar-a-Lago typically closes for the summer. A federal law called the U.S. Presidential Records Act requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president’s official duties. Any search of a private residence would have to be approved by a judge, after the investigating law-enforcement agency demonstrated probable cause that a search was justified. It almost certainly would also be approved by FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, and his boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was appointed by Trump’s successor and political rival, President Joe Biden. Democratic supporters of Biden have criticized Garland for being overly cautious in investigating Trump over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. A White House official said Biden was not given advance notice of the search and referred queries to the Justice Department. “Make no mistake, the attorney general had to authorize this,” said Phillip Halpern, a former federal prosecutor who specialized in public corruption cases, adding that Wray and a host of prosecutors would also be involved. “This is as big a deal as you can have, and … every single person in the chain would have had to sign off on this,” Halpern said. Trump supporters have accused the Democrats of weaponizing the federal bureaucracy to target Trump, even as Biden has attempted to distance himself from the Justice Department. MISSING RECORDS In February, Archivist David Ferriero told U.S. House lawmakers that the National Archives and Records Administration had been in communication with Trump throughout 2021 about the return of 15 boxes of records. He eventually returned them in January 2022. At the time, the National Archives was still conducting an inventory, but noted some of the boxes contained items “marked as classified national security information.” Trump previously confirmed that he had agreed to return certain records to the Archives, calling it “an ordinary and routine process.” He also claimed the Archives “did not ‘find’ anything.” The Justice Department launched an early-stage investigation into Trump’s removal of records to the Florida estate, a source familiar with the matter said in April. Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, said he only removed mementos that he was legally authorized to take. “Look, my father-in-law as anybody knows who’s been around him a lot loves to save things like newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, photographs, documents that he had every authority to take from the White House,” Lara Trump told Fox News. Several dozen Trump supporters gathered near Mar-a-Lago, which is steps from the ocean, and where several men stood guard next to a dark sport utility vehicle. Police cars parked in the street, lights flashing, as officers directed traffic and kept onlookers from the gates. Trump supporters honked their horns and played music from their cars as some waved Trump flags or American flags. “It’s another unjust thing like the made up impeachment hoaxes,” said Jim Whelan, 59, who works in advertising. He held a large sign reading, “Fake News is CNN.” Trump supporters apparently were expecting him to arrive, as one officer announced on a megaphone: “Trump is not returning to Mar-a-Lago tonight. His trip has been canceled.” (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch in Washington and Brian Ellsworth in Palm Beach; Additional reporting by Eric and Steve Holland in Washington; Writing by Daniel Trotta and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Mary Milliken, Leslie Adler and Michael Perry) View the full article

Published by AFP Beyonce, shown here attending the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, released a new album in July 2022 New York (AFP) – After releasing her much-anticipated album “Renaissance,” Beyonce has scored the number one spot on the top US songs chart for the first time in well over a decade. Her lead single “Break My Soul” is the 40-year-old’s first solo song to hit the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 since 2008’s “Single Ladies,” the industry tracker said Monday. Her seventh solo studio album also opened at number one on Billboard’s top albums chart, the entertainment outlet said. It’s the second-highest debut of the year, following Harry Styles’s “Harry’s House.” “Renaissance” also unseated Latin trap global sensation Bad Bunny from the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, where his “Un Verano Sin Ti” had held the top spot for five straight weeks, along with two peaks when it first came out in May for a total of seven weeks at number one. Eminently danceable and rife with nods to disco and EDM history, Beyonce’s latest album burst onto the summer scene primed for its needle drop at the club. Beyonce’s soaring vocals have their place on “Renaissance,” but it’s the rhythmic, urgent call to the dance floor that stands out, with a tapestry of influences paying homage to pioneers of funk, soul, rap, house and disco. In the weeks preceding the album’s release, Beyonce teased it with a steady stream of the glossy, curated portraits of herself that over the past decade have become her signature. But though she’s received wide praise for keeping the world of music videos on the cutting edge, Beyonce put out her latest record sans visuals (they’re promised at a later date.) For all her cultural clout and an indisputable throne in music’s pantheon, Beyonce’s songs historically have not seen the same commercial dominance as other contemporary global stars. That was poised to change with “Renaissance” — and Queen Bey made good on her chances. On Monday, the megastar released a series of portraits on Instagram including a clip of her in a disco ball of an outfit, smiling for the camera as she waved her finger to signal her number-one status. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Nicki Minaj will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs. The ‘Super Freaky Girl’ hitmaker has been named the winner of the prestigious award at the MTV Video Music Awards. Bruce Gillmer, Paramount’s president of music, music talent, programming and events and Music for Paramount COO said: “Nicki has broken barriers for women in hip-hop with her versatility and creative artistry. She has shifted the music industry and cemented her status as a global superstar with her crossover appeal, genre-defying style and continuing to be unapologetically ‘Nicki.'” Nicki added on her Instagram on Monday (07.08.22): “I’m receiving the Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 #VMAs! You DO NOT !!!! I REPEAT!!!! You do NOTTTTTT want to miss my performance – Sunday August 28 at 8p on @MTV.” Along with securing the gong, she will also take to the stage at the award show on 28 August for the first time since 2018, along with other named performers Anitta, J Balvin, Marshmello x Khalid and Panic! At The Disco. Kendrick Lamar, Jack Harlow and Lil Nas X lead the list of nominations – which were revealed last month – on the night, including nods for video of the year, best collab, best direction, best art direction, best visual effects and best choreography. Doja Cat and Harry Styles are up for six awards each, just beating Billie Eilish, Drake, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, who all have five nominations. Madonna – who was given her 69th VMA nod for ‘Madame X’ – became the first artist to be nominated in five decades. Fans can vote for their favourite acts in the 22 gender neutral categories up until 19 August and can tune into see who is victorious at the ceremony, which is to take place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, which will be simulcast live on The CW, BET, BET Her, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network. Pop, TVLand and VH1. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jane Fonda credits Jennifer Lopez with resurrecting her career after she went 15 years without landing a role. The 84-year-old made the admission while speaking about her decades-long career as an actress, activist, and fitness guru. Despite her iconic status, Jane said it wasn’t until her role alongside J-Lo, 53, in 2005 film ‘Monster-in-Law’ that her career again got off the ground. Even though it was sneered at by critics, Jane amazingly deemed the movie the “only smart thing” she has ever done in her work career. Before it, she had not starred in a movie since 1990 when she played the title character in ‘Stanley and Iris’ alongside Robert De Niro. The two-time Academy Award winner was quoted in the Daily Mirror saying: “The biggest stroke of luck was getting the role in Monster-in-Law at a point in my career when I had been out of the acting business for 15 years or more. “It was with Jennifer Lopez, and it was a great comeback for me. I was almost 65 years old when I got this script out of the blue. “It was the only smart career thing I ever did. I thought, ‘People are going to come to the movie to see J.Lo, but they’ll rediscover Fonda’, and that’s what happened.” After the role alongside Jennifer, Jane landed parts including that of Nancy Reagan in ‘The Butler’ and Grace Hanson in Netflix’s ‘Grace and Frankie’. Jane has also said that she feels more youthful aged 84 than she ever did in her 20s. She admitted that she felt “lost” when she was younger and was “very unhappy, old and didn’t feel like I would live for very long”. But she has said she regrets having a facelift in a battle to maintain her youth. Jane admitted she is “not proud” of the operation and wouldn’t put herself through it again, telling Vogue: “I had a facelift and I stopped because I don’t want to look distorted. I’m not proud of the fact that I had one. “Now, I don’t know if I had it to do over if I would do it. But I did it. “I admit it, and then I just say, okay, you can get addicted. Don’t keep doing it. A lot of women, I don’t know, they’re addicted to it.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Gillian Anderson wants her next role to be a psychopath. The 53-year-old actress says she wants to diversify after playing mainly trailblazing and independent women, including Dana Scully in ‘The X Files’, Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Crown’ and Jean Milburn in ‘Sex Education’. She told the Daily Mirror: “Women interest me. I enjoy it (playing real life women.) But the pressure and expectation is greater. “I might take a break for a while and play some psychopaths.” It comes after Gillian was touted for a role as a villain in ‘Doctor Who’ by the new Time Lord Ncuti Gatwa, who starred alongside Gillian in ‘Sex Education’ as Eric Effiong. Gillian added her success is down to taking risks, saying: “I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in my lane, figuratively and literally. “I remember being in a therapy session with my mum, working through some stuff.: She added her mother told a therapist: “No one is ever telling Gillian what she could and couldn’t do. She’s going to do what she wants’. “That was true then and now.” Mum-of-three Gillian added: “If I’d listened to other people I wouldn’t have ended up in the UK, wouldn’t have ended up doing theatre, ‘The X-Files’… sometimes you can succeed if you don’t toe the party line.” She recalled in podcast ‘The Envelope’: “It felt like something changed in 2016. “In that year I was getting to play Blanche in ‘Streetcar’ and in ‘The Fall’. “I remember thinking, ‘If I die this year, I’ll be happy’. I get to play these amazing extraordinary women for different reasons. “One an absolute hot mess and the other supposedly under control. They were a real force for feminism.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Ellen DeGeneres has not reached out to offer words of support to her ex Anne Heche following her near-fatal car crash, Radar has learned. Insiders tell RadarOnline.com that the famous talk show host has not contacted Anne Heche, whom she dated from 1997 to 2000, or even sent a message. “Ellen is aware of the horrible incident, she read about the news like everyone, but she has not made any attempt to reach out directly to Anne or members of her family,” sources tell RadarOnline.com. “The pair haven’t spoken in years, although Ellen wants nothing but the best for Anne.” Heche’s relationship with DeGeneres was groundbreaking when they got together in 1997, with Heche making the decision at the time to go public and come out of the closet. Mega “My movie premiere for Volcano, I had told them that I was taking Ellen as my date and I was told if I took Ellen I would lose my Fox contract,” Heche claimed. “At that moment, she took my hand and said, ‘Do what they say’ and I said, ‘No thanks.’ I took Ellen to the premiere, and I was ushered out before the movie even ended and was told I was not allowed to go to my own after party for fear that they would get pictures of me with a woman.” “I was in a relationship with Ellen DeGeneres for three-and-a-half years and the stigma attached to that relationship was so bad that I was fired from my multi-million dollar picture deal and I did not work in a studio picture for 10 years.” As RadarOnline.com previously reported, last week, Heche was rushed to an intensive care unit with “severe burns” after a fiery crash. Eyewitnesses claimed Heche was driving a blue Mini Cooper when she crashed into the garage of an apartment building. Residents attempted to get Anne out of the car but she drove off. Moments later, she crashed into a home and started a fire. Photos from the scene show a bottle in Anne’s cupholder that appeared to be alcohol. Mega “She’s lucky to be alive,” a source said. “She has severe burns and has a long recovery ahead. Her team and her family are still trying to process what led up to the crash.” Hours before the crash, a new episode of Heche’s podcast Better Together was released. On the show, the actress and her co-host Heather Duffy talked about drinking vodka and wine. “Today’s been a very unique day,” Heche said to Duffy. “I don’t know what happened, sometimes days just suck and I don’t know if you ever have them, but some days Mama says are … some days are those no good very bad days. And I don’t know why some days just end up like this, and things don’t really rock me like that.” Heche has yet to make an official comment on the matter. Law enforcement obtained a warrant to draw the actress’ blood to test for drugs and alcohol. Mega View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Pete Davidsongot down on one knee before Kim Kardashianended their intense 9-month relationship. “Everything was just moving too fast. Kim wanted to slow things down and instead Pete proposed,” sources tell Radar. “He is devastated. Everyone warned him that he was going to push her away, but he didn’t listen. Remember, this is the same guy that proposed to Ariana Grande after just a few weeks. Pete learned nothing from that relationship. He falls hard and he falls fast.” Mega Insiders add that Kim is focused on her four kids. “Kim is a great mom. She’s fully committed to her kids and any man she meets needs to know that. Pete understood and was fine sharing Kim with her children, but he also wanted to get married yesterday,” says a friend. As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, Kim’s ex Kanye West celebrated her breakup with the former Saturday Night Live star and is on a public campaign to win her back. Days after their split made headlines, Ye took to social media to once again bully Pete, aka “Skete.” Mega The rapper created the nickname during the Instagram tirade that got him suspended by the social media giant. “Skete Davidson Dead At Age 28,” Kanye wrote along with a mock-up cover of The New York Post. Kim’s ex-husband continuously meddled in her relationship with Pete, making it harder for the duo. “When Kim is with someone else, Kanye can cause problems with the kids. He tries to divide and conquer. He can’t help it…Kim is a really dedicated mother, and her kids will always come first. She wants and needs harmony at home and in her life,” insiders told Page Six. Mega However, RadarOnline.com is told there’s no way Kim’s getting back together with Kanye — no matter how hard he tries. “Kanye has been telling people that The Kardashians star broke up with Pete to get back with him, but this is not going to happen,” sources spilled. Kim filed for divorce from Kanye in February 2021. The judge declared them legally single in March. They are still battling over property and custody of their four kids — North, 9, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 3. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Peter Eisler and Nathan Layne (Reuters) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is alleging that her Republican political opponent in the November elections orchestrated a conspiracy with a state lawmaker and a lawyer to break into voting equipment in a hunt for evidence to prove former president Donald Trump’s false voter-fraud claims. The charge that Nessel’s Republican challenger, Matt DePerno, was involved in a potential felony is outlined in a petition filed by Nessel, a Democrat, seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor to continue the investigation. The petition notes that DePerno has emerged as “one of the prime instigators of the conspiracy,” creating a conflict of interest for her office to take the case further. Reuters exclusively reported on Sunday that DePerno led a team that gained unauthorized access to voting equipment in Richfield Township. The news organization linked the Trump-backed Republican candidate to the incident by matching the serial number on the compromised machine to a photograph in a report submitted by DePerno in a failed lawsuit alleging voter fraud. The Richfield tabulator is among five such machines that the attorney general said were accessed without authorization, including a separate incident in Roscommon County and other breaches in Missaukee County’s Lake Township and Barry County’s Irving Township. The incidents occurred between early March and late June of 2021, the attorney general said. DePerno did not respond to requests for comment, but said on Twitter that Nessel’s investigation was politically motivated. His tweet included a fundraising plea for donations to help him “fight back.” “My opponent called for me to be arrested for the ‘crime’ of investigating voter fraud in 2020,” DePerno said in a tweet. His campaign called Nessel’s actions “unethical” in a statement. Nessel declined a request for an interview and her communications director, Amber McCann, did not answer questions about when DePerno became a suspect in its investigation and why the office did not request a special prosecutor earlier. McCann said in a statement that the office “reviews facts and follows evidence” during investigations. It remains unclear when the conflict of interest emerged. DePerno announced his candidacy against Nessel in July 2021 and received the Republican Party’s endorsement in April. Nessel announced her investigation into voting breaches in February. The investigation into a Republican attorney general candidate in a voting-system breach comes amid a national effort by backers of Trump’s stolen-election falsehoods to win state offices that could prove critical in deciding any future contested elections. Nessel’s petition says DePerno plotted to illegally access voting equipment with Republican State Rep. Daire Rendon and Stefanie Lambert, a lawyer who helped high-profile Trump allies file an ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit seeking to overturn Michigan’s election results. The trio “orchestrated a coordinated plan to gain access to voting tabulators” in three township offices and a county office, the petition said. In one case, Rendon allegedly told the Roscommon County clerk, falsely, that the state House of Representatives was conducting an investigation into election fraud. The machines were taken to “hotels and/or AIRBNB’s” in Oakland County, in metropolitan Detroit. There, technical experts “broke into the tabulators and performed ‘tests’ on the equipment,” the petition says. In at least one instance, the petition notes, DePerno “was present at a hotel room during such ‘testing.’” Rendon and Lambert did not respond to requests for comment. The attorney general’s petition listed a series of crimes for potential prosecution, including malicious destruction of property, fraudulent access to a computer, and conspiracy. A conspiracy charge could be punished with up to five years in prison under Michigan state law. The attorney general’s petition said her office had sought approval for criminal charges from the state Criminal Trials and Appeals Division. The office asked that a special prosecutor take over the handling of that request and any subsequent prosecutions. The Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council, an autonomous entity within the attorney general’s office, will decide if a special prosecutor is warranted. Nessel’s petition also names Dar Leaf, the sheriff in rural Barry County, as a participant in the scheme, alleging that he asked the Irving Township clerk to cooperate with “investigators” involved in the conspiracy. In a story last month, Reuters detailed the alleged involvement of Leaf, a far-right backer of Trump’s stolen-election falsehoods and a prominent figure in the extremist “constitutional sheriffs” movement. He said in an interview that no one in his department was involved in taking the tabulator and that he did not authorize anyone to do so. Leaf did not respond to a request for comment on Nessel’s allegations. The technical team that examined the voting equipment removed from government offices included James Penrose, a former analyst for the National Security Agency who has assisted prominent Trump allies in their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, the attorney general’s petition said. It also included Doug Logan, head of Cyber Ninjas, the now-defunct company hired to do a widely criticized partisan audit of the 2020 voting results in Maricopa County, Arizona. Others involved in examining the machines were Jeff Lenberg, a computer security consultant, and Ben Cotton, founder of the digital forensics firm CyFIR LLC. Penrose, Lenbert and Cotton all worked with DePerno on his lawsuit alleging election fraud in Michigan’s Antrim County. None responded to requests for comment. Logan also did not respond to a request for comment. Nessel’s petition names all four members of the technical team as targets for possible charges, along with DePerno, Rendon, Lambert and Leaf, the Barry County sheriff. Another person named as a target is Ann Howard, a Michigan lawyer who allegedly coordinated the printing of fake ballots to be run through the tabulators during their examination. Howard declined to comment. Nessel’s allegations mark a dramatic turn in an investigation that the attorney general launched in February at the request of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, who had received information on at least two of the breaches. Benson, a Democrat, said in a statement to Reuters: “There must be consequences for those who broke the law to undermine our elections in order to advance their own political agendas.” (Reporting by Peter Eisler and Nathan Layne; editing by Brian Thevenot) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Rich McKay BRUNSWICK, Ga. (Reuters) -A judge sentenced Travis McMichael to life in prison on Monday for committing federal hate crimes in the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man shot while jogging in a mostly white Georgia neighborhood in a case that involved issues of racist violence and vigilantism in America. U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced McMichael, a 36-year-old white former U.S. Coast Guard mechanic, in the coastal city of Brunswick. McMichael already is serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole after being convicted of Arbery’s murder in a state trial last November. He was the first of the three white men convicted in February in a subsequent federal trial to be sentenced in consecutive hearings on Monday. In handing down the sentence, Wood said the widely seen cellphone video of McMichael shooting Arbery at close range with a shotgun was seared into her memory. “You acted because of the color of Mr. Arbery’s skin,” the judge told McMichael, who looked ashen as the sentence was pronounced. McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, 66, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, were found guilty of violating Arbery’s civil rights by attacking him because of his race and of attempted kidnapping. Gregory McMichael and Bryan are scheduled to be sentenced later in the day. Arbery’s case is one in a series of killings of Black people in recent years that have drawn attention to the issue of racism in the U.S. criminal justice system and law enforcement. It also highlighted the broader issue of U.S. gun violence. The slain man’s father, Marcus Arbery, told the court during the hearing: “These three devils have broken my heart into pieces that cannot be found or repaired.” Referring to Travis McMichael, he added: “You hate Black people.” Travis McMichael, who declined his right to testify at the hearing, had asked through his lawyer to be transferred out of the state prison system into a federal prison he perceived to be safer. Wood said the rules required that McMichael return to the state prison system where he is already serving a life sentence. His lawyer, Amy Lee Copeland, said a Georgia state prison was too dangerous for him and that he had received death threats. “This case involves at least in part concerns of vigilante justice,” she told the court. “I realize the rich irony, judge, in expressing my concern that my client will face vigilante justice himself.” Federal prosecutors argued any such transfer would amount to special treatment for which there is no legal basis. The three men were convicted last November in state court of murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal intent to commit a felony, with a jury rejecting self-defense claims. They have appealed their state convictions. Gregory McMichael was a former Glynn County police officer who later worked for the local prosecutor’s office. Roddie Bryan worked as a mechanic. Arbery had gone jogging through the leafy Satilla Shores neighborhood, near Brunswick, on a February 2020 afternoon when the McMichaels decided to grab their guns, jump in a pickup truck and give chase. Their neighbor Bryan joined the chase in his own pickup truck and pulled out his cellphone to record Travis McMichael firing a shotgun at Arbery at close range. Arbery had nothing on him besides his running clothes and sneakers. The video emerged months later, prompting anti-racism protests in a number of cities because the McMichaels and Bryan had not been arrested after a local prosecutor concluded the killing was justified. The McMichaels have said they believed that Arbery appeared suspicious, speaking of a series of neighborhood break-ins. No evidence ever emerged connecting Arbery to any Satilla Shore thefts. In the hate crimes trial, the McMichaels were also convicted of a federal firearms charge. In that case, the McMichaels had agreed to plead guilty and the son acknowledged in court that he singled out Arbery because of his “race and color.” The judge rejected the plea agreement because it would have bound her to a 30-year sentence to be served in federal prison before the men were returned to the Georgia prison system, considered harsher than federal penitentiaries. The plea deals were subsequently withdrawn. (Reporting by Rich McKay in Brunswick, Ga.; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; editing by Donna Bryson and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by AlterNet By David Badash Two of the country’s best journalists have published reporting from their new book about Donald Trump that includes huge bombshells, including that as president he compared himself to Hitler, in a positive way for both men. Trump, essentially, imagined himself as Hitler, and wanted his generals to display unflinching, unquestioning loyalty. “Trump’s love affair with ‘my generals’ was brief, and in a statement for this article the former President confirmed how much he had soured on them over time,” The New Yorker’s Susan B. Glasser and The New York Times’ Peter Baker write at T… Read More View the full article

Published by The Mercury News SAN FRANCISCO — Despite experiencing one of the country’s largest outbreaks of monkeypox, San Francisco’s health department has pulled back on contact tracing – a standard public health practice in combating viral disease – for those who have been infected, this news organization has learned. The revelation comes amid successive declarations of public emergencies over the monkeypox virus by the federal government, the state and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, whose director of public health announced at the end of July it was “imperative that we mobilize city resources rapidly” to curb its s… Read More View the full article

Wastewater surveillance techniques that have emerged as a critical tool in early detection of covid-19 outbreaks are being adapted for use in monitoring chances of monkeypox transmission and predicting monkeypox cases. Monkeypox Transmission Risk can be Determined from Wastewater Sludge The same wastewater surveillance techniques that have emerged as a critical tool in early detection of covid-19 outbreaks are being adapted for use in monitoring the startling spread of monkeypox across the San Francisco Bay Area and some other U.S. communities. Before the covid pandemic, wastewater sludge was thought to hold promise as an early indicator of community health threats, in part because people can excrete genetic evidence of infectious diseases in their feces, often before they develop symptoms of illness. Israel has for decades monitored wastewater for polio. But before covid, such risk monitoring in the U.S. was limited largely to academic pursuits. With the onset of covid, a research collaboration that involves scientists at Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and Emory University pioneered efforts to recalibrate the surveillance techniques for detection of the covid-19 virus, marking the first time that wastewater has been used to track a respiratory disease. That same research team, the Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network, or SCAN, is now a leader in expanding wastewater monitoring to detect monkeypox, a once-obscure virus endemic to remote regions of Africa that in a matter of months has infected more than 26,000 people globally and more than 7,000 across the U.S. The Biden administration last week declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, following similar decisions by health officials in California, Illinois, and New York. And SCAN’s scientists envision a future in which wastewater sludge serves as a reservoir for tracking a slew of menacing public health concerns. “We’re looking at a whole range of things that we might be able to test for,” said Marlene Wolfe, an assistant professor of environmental health at Emory. Since expanding its surveillance in mid-June, the SCAN team has detected monkeypox in several of the 11 Northern California sewersheds it is monitoring, including Palo Alto, San Jose, Gilroy, Sacramento, and two locations in San Francisco. Funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and the CDC Foundation, SCAN is doing similar monitoring in Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, and four other states and wants to scale up to 300 U.S. sites. It is one of a growing number of sewage surveillance projects across the U.S. run jointly by universities, public health agencies, and utilities departments that are feeding covid findings to state and federal agencies. How many of those networks have expanded their search to monkeypox is unclear. SCAN sites in California, Georgia, Michigan, and Texas and a research team in Nevada are among the few that have reported sludge samples that tested positive for the monkeypox virus. As with covid, data on monkeypox can be used to compare trends across regions, but there are limits to what this kind of monitoring can accomplish. Wastewater monitoring doesn’t pinpoint who is infected; it reveals only the presence of a virus in a given area. And it takes a specialist to analyze the samples. Researchers consider wastewater surveillance a complement to other public health tools, not a replacement. “We’re still really on the front end in terms of discovering the potential here,” said Heather Bischel, an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering at the University of California-Davis, which included wastewater monitoring as part of its Healthy Davis Together covid testing program for the campus and surrounding community. “But what we’ve seen already shows that this type of monitoring is adaptable to other public health threats.” Some U.S. communities were sampling sewage before the pandemic to figure out what kinds of opioids residents were using. More recently, along with covid and monkeypox, the technology has shown promise for monitoring flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning pilot studies to see whether sewage can reveal trends in antibiotic-resistant infections, foodborne illnesses, and candida auris, a fungal infection. Much of the wastewater testing that ramped up during the pandemic’s first year was done in concert with universities or county offices and reliant on funding provided through federal covid relief legislation. On Bischel’s campus, those funds were combined with university donor money to put together a comprehensive testing and treatment program for the school and the city of Davis that included wastewater surveillance. The sewage testing is ongoing under a separate grant. Currently, the CDC is reporting only covid results on its national wastewater surveillance system, a reflection of the limited number of sewersheds that so far are testing for monkeypox. The global spread of monkeypox was first detected in the United Kingdom in May and prompted conjecture that this virus, too, might shed into wastewater, either through feces or when an infected person with an open sore takes a shower. Sewersheds in areas with infected people might then “light up” with evidence of the disease — if the wastewater testing could pinpoint it. “It did light up,” said Brad Pollock, who chairs public health sciences at UC Davis Health. “It acts as a warning system, and you don’t have to persuade people to take individual tests in order to use the information; it’s collected passively, so you get a more broad community look.” The virus is thought to be spreading primarily through intimate skin-to-skin contact and exposure to symptomatic lesions, although researchers are exploring other potential means of transmission. For now, the U.S. outbreak is concentrated largely in gay communities among men who have sex with men. The discovery of monkeypox in San Francisco’s wastewater system in June, the first such finding in the nation, set off alarms in a city with a thriving LGBTQ+ population. On July 28, San Francisco declared monkeypox a public health emergency, urging the federal government to step up its distribution of vaccines. For its Northern California surveillance, SCAN partners with local health officials and universities to collect samples and then sends them to Verily Life Sciences — a health tech company owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet — for analysis. In the Atlanta area, SCAN is working with Emory and Fulton County health officials. Not all public health agencies are moving as fast. A wastewater monitoring plan for the virus is only now being put together in Los Angeles County, which had confirmed more than 300 cases of monkeypox by the end of July. And though California is collecting monkeypox data from its surveillance partners, it’s not available for all regions, underscoring that wastewater monitoring for viruses is still an emerging methodology. “With every new thing that we add to the testing platform, we are learning things,” said SCAN’s Wolfe. “The pandemic really cracked open our imagination for a tool that already existed but that hadn’t been developed to its full capacity. That’s changing now.” KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. USE OUR CONTENT This story can be republished for free (details).KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. Subscribe to KHN’s free Morning Briefing. Monkeypox Cases Growth or Decline Tranckable via Sewage? View the full article

Published by AlterNet By David Badash Ron DeSantis is facing much more challenging odds of winning re-election than some would assume as a just-released poll finds less than half of Floridians would vote for their Republican governor. The poll, released by Florida progressive groups but more heavily weighted toward a GOP electorate finds just 48 percent of all registered voters would vote for DeSantis, and 43 percent would choose the Democratic nominee, Florida Politics reports. The Democratic gubernatorial primary is August 23, between U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, their former governor, and Nikki Fried, the current co… Read More View the full article