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Published by Reuters GENEVA (Reuters) -The rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak can be stopped, an official from the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. “We do at this moment still believe that this outbreak of monkeypox can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups but time is going by and we all need to pull together to make that happen,” Rosamund Lewis, WHO Technical Lead on Monkeypox, told reporters. The outbreak represents a global health emergency, the WHO’s highest level of alert, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday. The WHO label – a “public health emergency of international concern” – is designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments. “WHO is still working towards determining a global coordination mechanism. At the moment, it’s something that’s still in discussion,” Lewis said. First identified in monkeys, the virus is transmitted chiefly through close contact with an infected person. Until this year, the viral disease has rarely spread outside Africa where it is endemic. But reports of a handful of cases in Britain in early May signalled that the outbreak had moved into Europe. This year, there have been more than 16,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries. Lewis said the real number was probably higher. Five deaths, all of which occurred in Africa, have been reported. (Writing by Paul Carrel, editing by Kirsti Knolle, Robert Birsel) View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Matthew Chapman On Monday, The New York Times reported that a Trump-backed candidate in Washington State who is trying to beat a Republican incumbent who voted to impeach the former president, now finds himself under attack by even farther-right activists trying to claim they are the real standard-bearers of the MAGA movement. Joe Kent, a veteran trying to dethrone Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), has espoused conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and January 6, and has even appeared on white nationalist podcasts. But according to the report, none of this has convinced some of Trump… Read More View the full article

h.t. @mikesington Published by AlterNet By Brandon Gage Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan issued a powerful defense of marriage equality and admonished the Republican Party’s assaults on civil liberties during Saturday’s edition of The Joe Rogan Experience. Silhouetted in a haze of smoke, Rogan and his guest, comedian Andrew Schulz, lamented the right-wing’s cultural crusades. “It’s not just abortion rights, now they’re going after gay marriage too, which is so strange to me, that people like [United States Senator] Marco Rubio [R-Florida] was saying that it was like a silly thing to argue about, to be concerned about. And then some… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Nicolle Wallace is such a ratings powerhouse at MSNBC that her name is at the top of the list of people to replace Rachel Maddow. “If Nicolle can score over a million viewers in the afternoon can you imagine what she would get in primetime?” a top MSNBC insider tells Radar. Mega Wallace has turned her sleepy 4 PM timeslot into a monster hit, beating Joy Reid’s show in primetime and even topping Chris Hayes in the key advertiser 25-54 age demographic. “With Rachel (Maddow) out of the way, Nicolle has become the new boss of MSNBC. It isn’t clear if she wants to replace Rachel in primetime or continue to dominate in the late afternoon. But what is clear is that it is her decision to make. Nicolle is the new Queen of MSNBC,” our insider added. We’re told the bosses at MSNBC love Wallace so much that they offered her the 9 PM gig, but she turned it down — making way for Maddox’s replacement Alex Wagner. That doesn’t mean she won’t take over an earlier evening timeslot in the future. “She passed,” sources tell RadarOnline.com, pointing out that Wallace wants to be present in her children’s lives. “She has kids at school and wants to be home,” they add. “Make no mistake, they offered it NW first.” The insider also said, “Her 4-6 PM schedule is perfect. She’s home to have dinner with kids and put them to bed.” Mega As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, Wagner is set to take over Maddox’s TV spot in August — and Rachel signed off on the switch. “Several big names that were suggested were rejected by Rachel. She was insisting that a ‘fresh-faced’ woman take over her primetime slot rather than bring in a higher profiled name who presents the past, not the future,” sources told us earlier this month. “Katie Couric and former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann were both names Maddow couldn’t get behind.” Mega “Representation matters to Rachel. Growing up she never saw an openly gay woman on TV. This is personal to Rachel, and she wasn’t going to let an old white man replace her,” a friend explained. “Alex Wagner isn’t gay, but she also isn’t white. Rachel likes her and let’s be honest, it is Rachel’s team who is producing Wagner’s new show. So basically, Rachel is the boss.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Sarah K. Burris Pennslyvania Republican Rep. Glenn Thompson’s son got married on Friday and his father was there with support. Yet, when given the opportunity to codify the right for his son to be married, he voted it down. Gawker was the first to reveal the nuptials but NBC News explained that Rep. Thompson’s son confirmed he “married the love of [his] life” on Friday evening and that his “father was there.” They noted that they wouldn’t publish the son’s name for his own privacy. Thompson’s congressional office also confirmed the nuptuals were shared with Rep. Thompson. “Congressman and M… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Mel C says the Spice Girls is a big dysfunctional family. The singer, 48, feels their parents, friends and siblings are part of the group and it adds to up a chaotic “bond”. She told The People: “We’re one big dysfunctional family. No matter what anyone says. “Our relationship extends beyond the five of us because our parents are friends and our siblings are friend. “The Spice Girls isn’t just a girl band. There’s a huge Spice family. And what’s lovely is, everybody has their own lives and careers and responsibilities, but we’re always there for one another. “We might not get the chance to see each other as much as we’d like, but we still have that sisterly bond. That will never ever go away.” She added about her daughter Scarlet, 13, and the children of her bandmates Mel B, Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell being friends: “A lot of our children are the same-ish age now, so they’re all friends too – it’s amazing. I hope they end up as close as we are.” Her daughter’s father is Mel C’s ex-partner Thomas Starr and she now splits her time between London, Liverpool and Los Angeles with music executive Joe Marshall, her boyfriend of seven years. Mel, born Melanie Chisholm, added she is aiming to have a turn on Broadway, saying: “That’s definitely a bucket list thing for me – I wouldn’t know what the perfect role for me would be as of yet. “I mean, Chicago is a classic, so imagine being able to play Roxie Hart on Broadway. But who knows? I’m open to ideas. Bring on New York!” She added she and Mel B have been “manifesting” the day they can announce the Spice Girls are officially getting back together, with Victoria. Mel said: “You’ve got to manifest these things. I’ve taken a leaf out of Mel B’s book – she always believed we were finally going to do it.” After nine UK No1 singles, 100 million record sales worldwide and a box office record-breaking movie, the band split so they could focus on solo material, before calling it quits as a band in 2000. They reunited for a tour in 2007, performed at the closing ceremony of the Olympics in 2012 and toured again without Victoria in 2019. View the full article

Published by AFP Adele is set to begin her string of Las Vegas dates in November 2022 New York (AFP) – Adele delighted fans Monday by detailing the dates for her rescheduled shows in Las Vegas, after postponing them earlier this year the day before she was due to start. The residency entitled “Weekends With Adele” at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace will feature eight extra shows in addition to the 24 rescheduled dates, and is slated to run from November 18, 2022 through March 25, 2023. “Words can’t explain how ecstatic I am to finally be able to announce these rescheduled shows. I truly was heartbroken to have to cancel them,” the Grammy Award-winning superstar said on her website. “But after what feels like an eternity of figuring out logistics for the show that I really want to deliver, and knowing it can happen, I’m more excited than ever!” In a tearful video in January the artist had pushed back the sold-out show saying it wasn’t ready, blaming “delivery delays and Covid.” “Now I know for some of you it was a horrible decision on my part, and I will always be sorry for that, but I promise you it was the right one,” the 34-year-old said in her statement Monday. “To be with you in such an intimate space every week has been what I’ve most been looking forward to and I’m going to give you the absolute best of me. Thank you for your patience, I love you.” Last fall the British performer released her first record in six years — “30” — a cathartic, big-ballad album that lays bare the emotional torture of navigating divorce. The album’s first single “Easy On Me” reigned over the US and British singles charts for weeks, proving the enduring strength of Adele’s prowess as a hitmaker with broad appeal. View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune With the upheaval caused by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade came aftershocks of worry about what could come next. Could, as Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in his concurring opinion, same-sex marriage get lined up in the court’s crosshairs as a future target? Contraception? Interracial marriage? The court’s conservative 6-3 majority has much of America hand-wringing about long accepted rights now vulnerable to being diminished or even entirely struck down. This legitimate concern could be alleviated if those rights were shielded from judicial constitutional interpretation. Con… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Alex Henderson In December 2021, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor used the word “stench” to describe the extreme politicization of the Court by far-right Republicans — and she isn’t alone in that view. Polls, in recent months, have shown the Court’s reputation suffering more and more. David Litt, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, discusses that soiled reputation in an article published by The Atlantic on July 24 — laying out some reasons why most Americans, according to polls, now hold the High Court in such low regard. One of them is the Court’s ruling in Dobbs v…. Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Billy Porter “always intended” to direct a representational movie. The 52-year-old actor – who is openly gay – is making his directorial debut with new rom-com ‘Anything’s Possible’ about a transsexual teen and explained that it has been “magical” to be able to helm a project about queer representation. He said: “It’s magical. It has always been my intention. I have been mentored by people who’ve made space for me, and it has always been my goal to be able to do that and pay it forward. The whole thing feels redemptive. All of it. I was told my queerness would be my liability, and it was for a really long time, and now it ain’t. Now, I get to do what I want to do because I chose myself, I chose my own authenticity, and I chose to be truthful and honest, no matter what and no matter where the chips would fall. I hope that, in setting myself free, others will be set free too..” The former ‘Pose’ star went on to explain that he has learned to “trust his instincts” and although there is “a lot of bull****” around move–making, he still “loves” the process of directing a movie. He told Collider: “What I learned is that I know a lot more than I thought I knew, and I need to trust my instincts, at all times, because my instincts are right. That doesn’t mean that I’m not open to collaboration. I love the directing process. I have to figure out how to navigate all the other bullshit that’s around it. There’s a lot of bullshit around the process of movie-making. There just is a lot. That’s just the nature of the beast. So, I feel like I’ve gained some skills and craft in navigating that.” ‘Anything’s Possible’ is available to stream on Prime Video. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took a personal tone in his criticism of Republicans opposed to codifying federal protections for same-sex marriage Sunday, saying marriages like his deserve to be safeguarded. The secretary, who is openly gay, recounted meeting with House Republicans on unrelated matters last Tuesday, the day they voted on the bill. “I don’t understand how such a majority of House Republicans voted no on (my) marriage … hours after I was in a room with a lot of them talking about transportation policy,” Buttigieg told CNN’s “State of the Union.” He said he had been “hav… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jonathan Van Ness has fixed his “broken heart” with a new dog. The 35-year-old reality star – who has been married to journalist Mark Peacock since 2020 – was “devastated” when he had to rehome his pup Pablo but took to Instagram to reveal that he and his husband now have a new canine companion called Rose. Alongside a picture of himself cuddling the new dog, he wrote: “Pupdate for y’all. Meet Mark and my newest addition Rose! My heart has been heavy since as you maybe or maybe not have guessed we had to rehome our Pablo earlier this year. We love him so much but with his temperament and my traveling and being around so many people made Pablo miserable. Luckily we have great friends who have taken Pablo and he is so so happy and thriving. But then there was my broken heart. I was so determined to make Pablo safe and happy at our home but I had to do what was best for him. But, I was literally devastated.” (sic) The ‘Queer Eye’ star went on to add that he called the local rescue centre on the off-chance that they would have a suitable dog for him and was delighted to find out that they did, before urging his 5.7 million followers to help the Safe in Austin shelter in any way they could He added: “I called @safeinaustinrescue and asked Jamie if she had any pups who needed a home and she said yes [heart emoji] Remember Safe in Austin isn’t an adoption shelter, but rather a therapeutic shelter for animals and therapy place for people. Who also currently need donations and volunteers with an influx of abandoned pups.”(sic) View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Brandon Gage United States Representative Matt Gaetz unleashed a sexist rant against supporters of abortion rights during a speech at Turning Point Action’s Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida on Saturday. The event was sponsored by Turning Point USA, a right-wing nonprofit organization founded by conservative provocateur Charlie Kirk, where Gaetz’s stage entrance was dramatized with ominous music, pyrotechnics, and dry ice fog. “Have you watched these pro-abortion, pro-murder rallies? The people are just disgusting. Like, why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pr… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Natalie Grover, John Revill and Jennifer Rigby (Reuters) -The rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak represents a global health emergency, the World Health Organization’s highest level of alert, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday. The WHO label – a “public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)” – is designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments. Members of an expert committee that met on Thursday to discuss the potential recommendation were split on the decision, with nine members against and six in favour of the declaration, prompting Tedros himself to break the deadlock, he told reporters. “Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners,” Tedros told a media briefing in Geneva. “Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus,” he added. He said the risk of monkeypox – which spreads via close contact and tends to cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions – was moderate globally, except in the Europe, where the WHO has deemed the risk as high. Previously, Tedros has typically endorsed expert committee recommendations, but the two sources told Reuters earlier on Saturday said he had likely decided to back the highest alert level due to concerns about escalating case rates and a short supply of vaccines and treatments. So far this year, there have been more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries, and five deaths in Africa. The viral disease has been spreading chiefly in men who have sex with men in the recent outbreak, outside Africa where it is endemic. Health experts welcomed the WHO’s decision to issue the PHEIC declaration, which until now had only been applied to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio. “The right result is clear – not declaring an emergency at this point would be a historic missed opportunity,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C., calling the decision politically brave. The decision should help contain the spread of the viral disease, said Josie Golding, head of epidemics and epidemiology at the Wellcome Trust. “We cannot afford to keep waiting for diseases to escalate before we intervene,” she said. JUNE MEETING The WHO and national governments have been facing intense pressure from scientists and public health experts to take more action on monkeypox. Cases of the viral disease have ballooned since the committee first met at the end of June, when there were only about 3,000 cases. At the time, the expert group agreed to reconsider their position on the emergency declaration if the outbreak escalated. One of the key issues driving a reassessment was whether cases would spread to other groups, particularly children or others who have been vulnerable to the virus in past outbreaks in endemic countries. On Friday, the United States identified its first two monkeypox cases in children. WHO officials said on Saturday they were exploring the possibility of the virus spreading via new modes of transmission. (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby and Natalie Grover in London and John Revill in ZurichEditing by Helen Popper) View the full article

Published by DPA Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (C), Zsolt Nemeth, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly and Laszlo Tokes, President of the Hungarian National Council of Transylvania (EMNT), attend the 31st Balvanyos Summer Free University and Student Camp in Tusnadfurdo. Prime Minister's Press Office/Benko Vivien Cher/dpa Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban used an annual forum in Romania to lash out at Western allies, whom he claimed are trying to impose foreign values on his country, and criticize EU and US strategy on Ukraine. “The strength, the performance, the prestige and the capacity to act of Western civilization are on the wane,” the right-wing and Moscow-friendly politician told thousands of supporters in the Romanian resort town of Baile Tusnad on Saturday. Orban described himself as a defender of Hungary’s cultural and political identity from bureaucrats in “Brussels.” In a familiar refrain, he peddled the conspiracy theory that the Hungarian-US billionaire philanthropist and investor George Soros was actually the one setting European policy. Soros, a Holocaust survivor and pro-democracy champion, is frequently cast as a far-left bogeyman by Orban. The vilification of Soros has been widely denounced as anti-Semitic. “They should live as they want, but they should also let us live as we want,” Orban demanded, alluding to an EU infringement case over a Hungarian law restricting restricting access to information on LGBTQ issues. Orban also touched on the war in Ukraine, criticizing the West for ignoring Russia’s security concerns before Moscow invaded. “With US president (Donald) Trump and German chancellor (Angela) Merkel, this war would never have happened,” he said, apparently guided by the assessment that these politicians – like him – would have stood for more Russia-friendly policies. View the full article

Published by Miami Herald Florida is facing several disease outbreaks — COVID, monkeypox, dengue fever. But meningococcal disease is now on the minds of health experts, too. So you may be wondering: What should you know and what can you do about it? In a discussion with reporters, Dr. Ulyee Choe, statewide medical director for the Florida Department of Health, compared the adverse effects of monkeypox with meningococcal disease that can lead to fatal meningitis. He didn’t like what he was seeing in the Sunshine State. “Meningococcal disease, to some degree, concerns me more given the severity of the disease,” Choe said… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA The rainbow flag is hoisted on the southwest tower of the German Reichstag building during Berlin’s Christopher Street Day. Christoph Soeder/dpa The lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag, has for the first time raised the rainbow flag, which with its six coloured stripes is considered a symbol of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community and stands for tolerance. Since Saturday morning, one such flag has been flying on the south-west tower of the Reichstag building in Berlin, the seat of the German parliament. Two more have been raised in front of the east and west portals of the building. The occasion is the major demonstration planned for noon (1000 GMT) in Berlin for the city’s LGBTQ+ Pride festival, known locally as Christopher Street Day (CSD), for which the organizers expect hundreds of thousands of participants. It was only in April that the Ministry of the Interior officially granted permission for the rainbow flag to be hoisted in front of or on federal official buildings on certain occasions. Bundestag President Bärbel Bas announced the flag-raising at the Reichstag building in June and explained that this would once again significantly increase the visibility of the commitment to diversity. The event is named after Christopher Street in New York, the site of the 1969 riots that launched the gay rights movement. The rainbow flag is hoisted on the southwest tower of the German Reichstag building during Berlin’s Christopher Street Day. Christoph Soeder/dpa View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Bob Brigham Steve Bannon was ridiculed on Friday for not following through on his bluster after he was convicted of refusing to obey a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. In November, after Bannon was released after being charged, he boldly predicted he would turn the tables on everyone seeking to enforce the subpoena. “I’m telling you right now, this is going to be the misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Biden,” Bannon predicted. “We’re going on the offense, we’re tired of playing defense, we’re goi… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Meaghan Ellis A Wisconsin Democratic recently confronted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for his comments on a proposed piece of legislation that would protect same-sex rights. According to HuffPost, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) pushed back against Rubio’s assessment of the bill where he called it a “stupid waste of time.” Rubio’s remarks were reportedly made in close proximity to Baldwin, who is considered to be the U.S. Senate’s first openly gay elected lawmaker. Per the news outlet, the Senate “may take up a bill to codify same-sex marriage protections, which could be under threat by the conse… Read More View the full article