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Published by Raw Story By Matthew Chapman On Friday, the Green Bay Press Gazette reported that a prison guard in Brown County, Wisconsin will be given a plea deal that removes hate crime charges after he allegedly threw an LGBTQ woman into a fire. “According to police reports and witness accounts, on July 3, 2021, Green Bay Correctional Institute officer Shane Nolan called Dessiray Koss a derogatory term for LGBTQ people, threw her into an active fire pit and tried to strangle her when she fought back,” reported Natalie Eilbert. “Koss is openly gay and was at her private residence at the time of the incident. The at… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Kim Cattrall has landed another new gig. The former “Sex and the City” star has been tapped to play a makeup mogul on Netflix’s upcoming queer-themed series “Glamorous.” The streaming giant announced the casting notice on Thursday to close Pride Month 2022. “Glamorous” revolves around Marco Mejia, a gender-nonconforming queer young man who lands a job working for makeup mogul Madolyn Addison. YouTube sensation Miss Benny was previously announced to play the lead; Cattrall will play Addison. The 65-year-old Golden Globe Award winner will get a chance to return to her fashion forward, no-nonsens… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Kristi Lieske conducts a survey of horseshoe crabs spawning on a beach at the Ted Harvey Wildlife Area near Dover, Delaware Dover (United States) (AFP) – On a bright moonlit night, a team of scientists and volunteers head out to a protected beach along the Delaware Bay to survey horseshoe crabs that spawn in their millions along the US East Coast from late spring to early summer. The group make their way up the shoreline laying a measuring frame on the sand, counting the individuals inside it to help generate a population estimate, and setting right those unfortunate enough to have been flipped onto their backs by the high tide. With their helmet-like shells, tails that resemble spikes and five pairs of legs connected to their mouths, horseshoe crabs, or Limulidae, aren’t immediately endearing. But if you’ve ever had a vaccine in your life, you have these weird sea animals to thank: their bright blue blood, which clots in the presence of harmful bacterial components called endotoxins, has been essential for testing the safety of biomedical products since the 1970s, when it replaced rabbit testing. “They’re really easy to love, once you understand them,” Laurel Sullivan, who works for the state government to educate members of the public about the invertebrates, tells AFP. “They’re not threatening at all. They’re just going about their day, trying to make more horseshoe crabs.” For 450 million years, these otherworldly creatures have patrolled the planet’s oceans, while dinosaurs arose and went extinct, and early fish transitioned to the land animals that would eventually give rise to humans. Now, though, the “living fossils” are listed as vulnerable in America and endangered in Asia, as a result of habitat loss and overharvesting for use in food, bait, and the pharmaceutical industry, which is on a major growth path, especially in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Recruiting citizen scientists helps engage the public while also scaling up the government’s data collection efforts, explains the survey project’s environment scientist Taylor Beck. Vital ecological role- “Crabs” are something of a misnomer for the animals, which are in fact more closely related to spiders and scorpions, and are made up of four subspecies: one that inhabits the Eastern and Gulf coasts of North America, and the other three in Southeast Asia. Atlantic horseshoe crabs have 10 eyes and feed by crushing up food, such as worms and clams, between their legs then passing the food to their mouths. Males are noticeably smaller than females, whom they swarm in groups of up to 15 when breeding. Males grasp females as they head to shore, where the females deposit golf ball-size clusters of 5,000 eggs for the males to spray their sperm on. Millions of these eggs, tiny green balls, are inadvertently churned up onto the beach surface, where they are a vital food source for migrating shorebirds, including the near-threatened Red Knot. Nivette Perez-Perez, manager of community science at the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, points out a vast band of eggs that stretch nearly the whole beach at the James Farm Ecological Preserve. As she gestures, aptly-named laughing gulls with bright orange beaks swoop down to feast. Like others in the area, Perez-Perez long ago succumbed to the crabs’ charms. “You’re so cute,” she tells a female she has picked up to point out its anatomical features. Just flip ’em Breeding is a dangerous business for horseshoe crabs as it’s on the beach that they are at their most vulnerable: as the tide washes in, some end up on their backs, and while their long hard tails can help some right themselves, not all are so lucky. Around 10 percent of the population is lost each year as their exposed undersides bake in the Sun. In 1998, Glenn Gauvry, founder of the Ecological Research & Development Group, helped start the “Just flip ’em” campaign, encouraging members of the public to do their part by gently picking up upturned crabs that are still alive. “Where it matters most of all, is changing the heart,” he tells AFP on Delaware Bay’s Pickering Beach, proudly sporting a “Just flip ’em” baseball cap festooned with horseshoe crab pins. “If we can’t get people to care and to connect to these animals, then they’re less likely to want legislation to protect them.” Every year around 500,000 horseshoe crabs are harvested and bled for a chemical called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate, vital for testing against a type of bacteria that can contaminate medications, needles and devices like hip replacements. Estimates place the mortality rate of the process at 15 percent, with survivors released back to sea. A new synthetic alternative called recombinant factor C appears promising, but faces regulatory challenges. Horseshoe crabs are a “finite source with a potentially infinite demand, and those two things are mutually exclusive,” Allen Burgenson, of Swiss biotech Lonza, which makes the new test, told AFP. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Vladimir Putin did not hold back after the members of G7 joked about the infamous picture showing the Russian leader riding a horse with no shirt on, Radar has learned. On Thursday, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States met to discuss Russia and the war in Ukraine. Mega During the meeting, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly suggested that the seven leaders remove their shirts to “show that [they’re] tougher than Putin” and “show them [their] pecs.” The quip was in reference to the 69-year-old Russian strongman’s habit of being photographed shirtless while riding horses, fishing, hunting and participating in other physical activities. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also joked about Putin’s penchant for shirtless photos when he suggested the seven leaders try to match the Russian president’s “bare-chested horseback riding display” – alluding to the infamous photo from 2009 showing Putin shirtless on a horse. Shortly after the Group of Seven’s meeting in the German Alps on Thursday, Putin fired back at the leaders while he was speaking to reporters in Turkmenistan. Mega “I don’t know how they wanted to get undressed, above or below the waist,” Putin said. “But I think it would be a disgusting sight in any case.” “Everything in a person should be harmonious: both body and soul,” the Russian despot continued, “but for that to happen it’s necessary to stop abusing alcohol and other bad habits, do physical exercise and take part in sports.” Putin patronized the G7 leaders even further when he described them as “people of character who could achieve success if they put their minds to it.” “[They] must work on themselves, but the very fact that they are talking about it is already good, is praiseworthy,” he concluded. Mega As RadarOnline.com reported, this is just the latest incident in which Putin disparaged members of G7 – the inter-governmental political forum that focuses on global leadership. Earlier this week it was revealed that – during a phone call between French President Emmanual Macron and the Russian president in February – Putin suggested he would rather play ice hockey than meet with United States President Joe Biden to discuss Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. “To be honest, I wanted to go play ice hockey,” Putin flippantly responded when Macron suggested he, Putin and Biden meet for a summit. “Here I am talking to you from the sports hall before starting the physical exertion. But first I will talk with my advisors.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News A new Spider-Man is coming out — and he’s gay, proud, and fabulous. Marvel is introducing its first gay Spider-Man, a character named Web-Weaver, in the upcoming “Edge of Spider-Verse #5,″ out in September. Earlier this month, writer Steve Foxe announced on Twitter that he’d “had the huge gay honor of helping to co-create WEB-WEAVER, who’ll make his debut in EDGE OF THE SPIDER-VERSE #5 this September!” The character was designed by Kris Anka, who shared on Twitter late last week that he took inspiration from the late fashion designers Alexander McQueen, from England, and Thierry Mugler, from F… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Max Hunder and Tom Balmforth KYIV (Reuters) – Russian forces abandoned the strategic Black Sea outpost of Snake Island on Thursday in a victory for Ukraine that could loosen the grip of Russia’s blockade on Ukrainian ports. Russia said it had decided to withdraw from the outcrop as a “gesture of goodwill” to show Moscow was not obstructing U.N. efforts to open a humanitarian corridor allowing grains to be shipped from Ukraine. Ukraine said it had driven the Russian forces out after an artillery and missile assault overnight. “KABOOM!” tweeted Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff. “No Russian troops on the Snake Island anymore. Our Armed Forces did a great job.” In another boost for Ukraine’s struggle to beat back the Russian invasion, the United States said it would provide another $800 million in weapons and military aid to Kyiv. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking after a NATO summit in Madrid, said Washington and its allies were united in standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it will not end with Russia defeating Ukraine,” Biden told a news conference. “We are going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.” SMOKE AND FIRE The retaking of Snake Island came after weeks in which momentum in the four-month-old conflict appeared to be shifting in favour of Russia, which has focused its firepower on capturing cities and towns in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military posted an image on Facebook of what appeared to be the island, seen from the air, with several columns of black smoke rising above it. “The enemy hurriedly evacuated the remains of the garrison with two speed boats and probably left the island. Currently, Snake island is consumed by fire, explosions are bursting,” it said. Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov said Ukrainian forces were not yet occupying the island but would do so. The rocky outcrop overlooks sea lanes to Odesa, Ukraine’s main Black Sea port, where Russia is blocking food cargos from one of the world’s leading grain suppliers. Snake Island captured world attention after Russia seized it on the war’s first day. A Ukrainian guard, ordered by Russia’s flagship cruiser Moskva to surrender, radioed back “Russian warship: go fuck yourself”. “The most significant aspect is that this could open the door to Ukrainian grain exports from Odesa, which is critical for Ukraine’s economy and for the global food supply,” Rob Lee of the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, said. Lifting the blockade has been a primary goal of the West. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused Russia of deliberately causing world hunger as “blackmail”. Moscow denies blocking the ports and blames food shortages on Western sanctions it says limit its own exports. “We do not prevent the export of Ukrainian grain. The Ukrainian military has mined the approaches to their ports; no one prevents them from clearing those mines and we guarantee the safety of shipping grain out of there,” Putin said on Thursday. Several military experts said that driving the Russians from Snake Island would not by itself be enough to unblock the ports. “Does that mean that suddenly the grain flows? No it doesn’t really,” said Marcus Faulkner, a lecturer of War Studies at King’s College London, noting that ports were still mined and that Russia could still intercept cargo ships at sea. Russia had defended the island since February despite Ukraine claiming to inflict severe damage, sinking supply vessels and destroying Russian fortifications. New weapons sent by the West made the Russian garrison even more vulnerable, especially HIMARS, a rocket system supplied by the United States which Ukraine began fielding last week. Lee said Russia’s abandonment of the island was “likely a tangible result of NATO arms deliveries to Ukraine”. Mathieu Boulegue of the Chatham House think tank in London cautioned that the Russian move could free up the assets deployed on Snake Island to strengthen its forces elsewhere on the Black Sea coast. “We should not be fooled by it…It might be short-term relief but there will be long-term pain,” he said. RUSSIAN MOMENTUM In the battle for the Donbas, Ukrainian authorities said they were trying to evacuate remaining residents from the city of Lysychansk, where they believe around 15,000 people remain. Russian forces have been trying to encircle Lysychansk since they captured Sievierodonetsk, on the opposite side of the Siverskyi Donets River, last week after weeks of heavy fighting. “Fighting is going on all the time. The Russians are constantly on the offensive. There is no let-up,” regional Governor Serhiy Gaidai told Ukrainian television. An official from the pro-Russian separatist administration in the province told RIA news agency the Lysychansk oil refinery was now fully controlled by Russian and pro-Russian forces, and all roads to Lysychansk were also under their control. Ukraine says the main road out is largely impassable because of fighting, but the city is not yet fully cut off. Despite yielding ground and taking punishing losses in the Donbas in recent weeks, Ukraine hopes to inflict enough damage to exhaust Russia’s advancing army. Ukrainian forces have been mounting a counter-attack in the south, where Russian-installed proxies have announced preparations for votes to join Russia. In Madrid, the NATO leaders repositioned the alliance on a Cold War footing once more, declaring Russia to be its main adversary and announcing plans to put 300,000 troops on a higher alert. The alliance invited Finland and Sweden to join, and leaders promised more weapons for Ukraine, including Biden’s pledge of a $800 million tranche of support on top of the more than $6.1 billion already announced by the United States since Russian forces rolled into Ukraine. Britain offered a further $1.2 billion in military aid, including air defence systems. (Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Peter Graff and Angus MacSwan; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Andrew Heavens) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department has opened a probe into a division of the New York City Police Department looking at whether it engages in gender-biased policing, including how it handles investigations of sexual assault and treatment of survivors, the department said on Thursday. The Justice Department said in a statement that it received information alleging deficiencies at the NYPD’s Special Victims Division (SVD) that have “persisted for more than a decade.” The alleged deficiencies include failing to conduct basic investigative steps and instead shaming and abusing survivors and re-traumatizing them during investigations, the Justice Department said. The probe will include a comprehensive review of the policies, procedures and training for SVD investigations of sexual assault crimes, the department said. “Based on information provided to the Justice Department, we find significant justification to investigate whether the NYPD’s Special Victims Division engages in a pattern or practice of gender-biased policing,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general, of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Victims of sex crimes deserve the same rigorous and unbiased investigations of their cases that the NYPD affords to other categories of crime,” the Justice Department said. The NYPD said it welcomed the review. “I believe any constructive review of our practices in the Special Victims Division will show that the NYPD has been evolving and improving in this area but we will be transparent and open to criticism as well as ideas in the process,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a statement. The probe will include a review of how SVD interacts with survivors and witnesses, how it collects evidence and completes investigations, and any steps the NYPD has taken to address deficiencies in its handling of sexual assault crimes, the Justice Department said. The Justice Department said it will also reach out to the public to learn about their experiences with the SVD. The department said it that in addition to notifying the police commissioner, it has notified New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix, who have agreed to cooperate with the investigation. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Leslie Adler) View the full article

Published by The Street By Veronika Bondarenko “The board has full confidence in him and his leadership team,” Disney’s board announced on Wednesday. When it comes to leadership of a company as big as Disney (DIS) – Get The Walt Disney Company Report, there truly is no pleasing everyone. there is always someone who will praise and someone who will want to oust top leadership. The entertainment company’s board on June 27 unanimously voted to extend CEO Bob Chapek’s contract by another three years until 2025. “Bob is the right leader at the right time for The Walt Disney Company, and the board has full confidence in hi… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA An online petition demanding that Justice Clarence Thomas must resign from the Supreme Court immediately or else be impeached is quickly gaining traction, Radar has learned. More than 450,000 signatures have rolled in since its launch. MEGA The creator via advocate group MoveOn explained why it’s “important” to sign the petition, citing how the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week, which in turn allowed each state to decide its own laws on abortions. “Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — who sided with the majority on overturning Roe — made it clear what’s next: to overturn high court rulings that establish gay rights and contraception rights,” the description continued. Thomas had argued in a concurring opinion that the Supreme Court “should reconsider” its past rulings on those matters. The petition also highlights that Thomas voted against a Supreme Court decision to compel the release of Donald Trump‘s records regarding the January 6 insurrection in 2021, mentioning Thomas’ wife as well amid questions over her involvement. The lawyer for the wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, has said his client will not voluntarily testify about what role she may have played in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and stay in power, as RadarOnline.com reported. Ron Sachs – CNP / MEGA In a letter obtained by The New York Times, Ginni’s attorney responded to the House January 6 committee, writing that there was no “sufficient basis” for her to appear. All of the above has fueled more public outcry in the wake of Cassidy Hutchinson‘s bombshell testimony against Trump, which he denied via his own platform, Truth Social. Hutchinson, who served as an aide to his last chief of staff, Mark Meadows, claimed Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle and lunged at a Secret Service agent when he was “furious” they would not take him to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. MEGA Amid the controversies, Thomas has been accused of “mixing his powerful role with his conservative political activism.” The petition argues, “He must resign — or Congress must immediately investigate and impeach.” View the full article

Published by Reuters UK By Henriette Chacar JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Unilever on Wednesday sold its Ben & Jerry’s ice cream business in Israel to its local licensee for an undisclosed sum, aiming to smooth over a potentially damaging diplomatic row over the company’s political stance. The deal comes after the U.S. ice cream brand announced last year it would stop marketing products in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, saying that selling there was “inconsistent” with its values. Under the new arrangement Ben & Jerry’s ice cream will be available to all consumers in Israel and the occupied West Bank. The episo… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English London Pride will feature a Snapchat-powered AR art exhibition to celebrate queer artists. The annual event – which is set to take place in the capital on Saturday 2 July – is designed to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and and this year will project work from “underrepresented” artists onto iconic London landmarks with an exhibition titled ‘Pride Augmented: A Celebration of Queer Art’, which attendees can experience with Snapchat. Nnamdi Obiekwe, Co-Founder, V.O Curations said: “The opportunity to tell the stories of underrepresented and emerging LGBTQ+ artists through Snap’s AR technology is truly powerful and exciting. Pride Augmented: A Celebration of Queer Art is an exhibition geared towards creating a more inclusive LGBTQ+ community, a celebratory space for unique identities, and a restorative one for those who have faced barriers in their day-to-day lives. The exhibition is a reminder to all of the importance of representing and amplifying queer voices.” Curated by V.O Curations, the exhibition includes the artworks of Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Flo Brooks, Emanuel de Carvalho, Guendalina Cerruti, Bernice Mulenga and Ebun Sodipo and pride goers can discover the exhibition, by opening their Snapchat camera to scan a rainbow-splashed Snapcode and enjoy a virtual tour of the exhibition from ‘The Orb.’ Paul Sabas, Co-Lead, Snap Pride said: “It’s our privilege to partner with VO Curations to showcase and celebrate the beautiful artwork of underrepresented, emerging artists from the LGBTQ+ community ahead of London Pride. This is an exhibition that truly celebrates and empowers diverse voices from the queer community. AR is a powerful tool for storytelling and for inclusivity. We are excited to bring the stories of these artists to life for Snapchatters and make these artworks accessible to our Gen Z community – we hope this exhibit will spark important conversations and help marginalised individuals in the LGBTQ+ community feel seen.” View the full article

Published by The Boot To fans, Trixie Mattel is the raucous winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 3. To the government, she’s Brian Michael Firkus and, no matter what you call her, she’s not just a pretty face: Mattel combines her act with country music that is as touching (and sometimes cheeky) as the best of them. Mattel grew up in Milwaukee, Wis. and developed an affinity for country music while living with her grandparents. Her grandfather, a country music musician, showed her the ropes. With a flair for the stage, Mattel earned a BFA in musical theater at the Peck School of the Arts at the University o… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kit Connor says attending his first fashion show was “surreal”. The ‘Heartstopper’ star called attending the Loewe catwalk at Paris Fashion Week “crazy” and lived up the hype after being invited by creative director Jonathan Anderson – who has dressed stars such as Josh O’Connor and Sir Anthony Hopkins – after he finished his final school exams. The 18-year-old actor told GQ: “It was probably one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had, I did not see that coming. It’s one of those things that you always hear about as being one of the crazy experiences, and it lives up to it.” Kit loved the outfit that Jonathan dressed him, saying “It was a look that fed into my own classic taste, but had a subtle edge,” and admitted that supporting LGBT designer was “a message that he wants to continue with” and vowed to “support the community as best he can.” The Netflix star found his “outfit felt like a suit of armour” against the prongs of fans in the French capital. Kit said: “The crowds of Heartstopper fans in Paris were quite mad and myself and the other cast members were quite swamped when we left the hotel. In a weird way my outfit felt like a suit of armour, which I think is something that’s really great about fashion – it gives you a shield of confidence.” He also knows “there’s a lot” sartorially for him to try out before he finds his true style. Kit said: “I’m still only 18 years old and so I think there’s lot for me to try out. I love photo shoots and I love getting to wear things I’d never usually wear.” View the full article

Published by PopCrush On Reddit, a protective father shared how he called his sister out for disrespecting his son, which resulted in him promptly storming out of her wedding. The single father-of-three took to Reddit explaining his son, Connor, 15, came out as transgender five years ago. The man and his sons were invited to his sister’s wedding, who was “pretty indifferent” to Connor’s transition. “Her wedding was super well organized to the last detail. She wanted all the men to wear shirts and ties and the women, sundresses,” he wrote via Reddit. “I texted her a picture of our outfits the day before the wedding,… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax and Alexandra Ulmer (Reuters) -This week’s testimony at congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol assault portrayed an enraged Donald Trump throwing food against a White House wall, voicing support for threats against his vice president, and dismissing the news that some of his supporters had come armed with rifles. Democrats hope the revelations will remind voters why they didn’t reelect the former president in 2020. But the biggest political beneficiary may be Trump’s fellow Republican, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, his top potential rival for the 2024 presidential nomination. Neither Trump nor DeSantis has yet declared a 2024 run for the White House, the first nominating contests are more than 18 months away, and the nation still needs to get through the Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years. Trump has proven remarkably resistant to political damage and remains his party’s most popular figure. But still, there are signs that DeSantis’ star is rising. Dan Eberhart, a prominent Republican donor, estimated three-quarters of roughly 150 fellow donors with whom he regularly interacts backed Trump six months ago, with a quarter going for DeSantis. Now, the balance has shifted: about two-thirds want DeSantis as the 2024 nominee. “The donor class is ready for something new,” said Eberhart, who supports both politicians but says he’s much more excited about DeSantis. “And DeSantis feels more fresh and more calibrated than Trump. He’s easier to defend, he’s less likely to embarrass, and he’s got the momentum.” DeSantis has emerged as a fundraising giant, with a political war chest similar to Trump’s in size. He has raised more than $120 million since winning office in 2018, with recent financial disclosures showing his political accounts had over $110 million in cash in mid-June, with a November reelection campaign ahead. By comparison, Trump’s Save America group – his main political committee – had just over $100 million in cash at the end of May, according to a federal disclosure. Should DeSantis run for president, federal election rules would bar him from transferring leftover gubernatorial race money to a presidential campaign. He could, however, refund donors and resolicit the money for a White House bid. EASIER TO ‘INCH AWAY’ It remains to be seen whether the Jan. 6 hearings, which have presented evidence that Trump and his inner circle pushed conspiracy theories about voter fraud they knew to be false, will mar Trump’s standing among his supporters. The twice-impeached Trump has defied conventional wisdom many times in the face of prior scandals. In posts on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump lambasted a former White House aide who testified about his behavior on Jan. 6 and denied her most explosive allegations. His reaction proved that he recognized how damaging the testimony was, said Douglas Heye, a Republican strategist. “It’s beneficial for anybody who’s looking at running for 2024,” Heye said. “This is making it easier for Republicans – candidate and voter – to inch away from Trump.” An opinion poll released last week in the state of New Hampshire, traditionally the site of the first presidential primary, showed Trump and DeSantis in a statistical tie among likely Republican voters. The University of New Hampshire poll found 39% supported DeSantis, with 37% backing Trump. That’s a dramatic swing from October, when Trump had double DeSantis’ support. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is weighing a 2024 campaign after breaking with Trump following the Capitol riot, was in a distant third at 9%. There have been other signals suggesting Trump’s power over Republican voters is not absolute. He has seen mixed results for his most high-profile endorsements in key swing states during this year’s midterm elections. Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich said Trump was in a “stronger position” than ever. “The American people remain hungry for his leadership,” Budowich said. A DeSantis spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. DeSantis, 43, owes his political rise in part to Trump, who endorsed him for governor in 2018 when DeSantis was a relatively obscure congressman. Trump’s backing helped propel DeSantis to an upset victory in the Republican primary, and he edged out a scandal-damaged Democratic candidate, Andrew Gillum, that November. After the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, DeSantis was aggressively skeptical on containment policies, relaxing restrictions on businesses and schools in defiance of federal guidelines and overruling local officials who sought to preserve mask mandates. He has also enacted numerous conservative bills with the help of the Republican-controlled legislature, including an election “police force” dedicated to investigating voter fraud, new voting limits, and a ban on teachers discussing gender identity with young children – decried by critics as the “don’t say gay” law. In an unprecedented move, he effectively took over the redistricting process from Republican lawmakers, vetoing their congressional map and substituting his own proposal that eliminated two majority-Black districts while delivering four additional seats to Republicans. “He’s taking on every culture war fight that he can to demonstrate to the base that he’s a fighter,” Heye said. (Additional reporting by Jason Lange in Washington, Editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Amazon has restricted the sale of LGBTQ-related products on its website in the UAE following “government pressure”, according to reports on Wednesday. The tech giant blocked over 150 LGBTQ-related search terms alongside the sales of items including Pride flags and books, after the UAE gave Amazon until Friday to adhere to its demands, according to company documents seen by The New York Times. The UAE is classified by UK LGBTQ Charity Stonewall as a Zone 3 country, which means “sexual acts between people of the same sex are illegal”. The move comes as Pride Month, dedicated to empowering the LG… Read More View the full article

Published by Al-Araby For the LGBTQI+ community in North Africa and the Middle East, Pride Month is bittersweet. While celebrating their love and existence within safe and private spaces, members of the queer community in many North African and Middle Eastern countries are painfully reminded on an almost daily basis of the prevailing homophobia that exists within their societies. “Tunisia is often hailed as a shining example when it comes to advancements in gender justice in the region in the wake of the Arab Spring; however, there is still a lot of work to do” Confronting the challenges that continue to exist for … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt and Nandita Bose MADRID (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Thursday threw his support behind calls for the U.S. Senate to push aside the legislative filibuster to protect abortion rights, as pressure built on his administration following the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Biden said at a news conference on the sidelines of a NATO conference in Madrid that “we have to” pass laws making abortion a right in all 50 U.S. states. “If the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights, it should … require an exception to the filibuster for this action,” said Biden, a Democrat. There is no immediate evidence Democrats have gathered enough votes in Congress to suspend the filibuster, making Biden’s statement more of a symbolic gesture than a policy plan. White House officials did not immediately offer any more details on what the president’s strategy would be. The new stance, and Biden’s announcement of a Friday meeting with state governors on abortion rights came after sharp criticism from his own party over the White House’s response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last week, which overturned American women’s right to obtain abortions on privacy grounds. “There has been pressure building up to act and show that we are doing more,” said an administration source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The president has always believed something must be done.” The hot-button issue is seen as a potent political force ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections, where Democrats are seeking to retain control of the House of Representatives and Senate. Protecting abortion rights is a top issue for Democratic women, Reuters polling shows. In recent days, both White House aides and congressional leaders have said they lacked the 60 votes needed to end a filibuster to pass most legislation, including a broad abortion rights bill. Proposals to eliminate the filibuster for certain bills have run into opposition from key senators, including Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, both of whom have rejected the idea. A spokesman for Manchin said on Thursday that the senator’s position has not changed. As recently as May, all 50 Republicans and Manchin voted against advancing legislation making abortion legal throughout the United States. In January, a voting rights bill failed in the Senate eight days after Biden tried to propel it to passage by supporting a filibuster carve-out. Biden had previously endorsed bypassing the filibuster in only limited cases, such as voting rights and avoiding a debt default, but not for abortion rights. On Thursday, he said the filibuster carve-out should apply not just to abortion but to other rights based on privacy, a likely reference to contraception and gay rights. Biden has grown more open to bypassing the filibuster in recent months to protect fundamental rights, according to people familiar with the matter, but debated the merits of making any statement on the issue until after the midterms, when Democrats could theoretically gain seats in the Senate. The White House plans a range of executive actions in the coming days, and has also promised to protect women who cross state lines for abortions and support for medical abortion. The White House felt increasing pressure to make a grand gesture after media reports, including from Reuters, that it was unlikely to take up Democrats’ bolder suggestions angered some in the president’s own party. Biden and administration officials have been concerned that more radical moves would be politically polarizing, undermine public trust in institutions like the Supreme Court or lack strong legal footing, sources inside and outside the White House said. The Senate last December circumvented the filibuster – without altering the rule – when Democratic and Republican senators brokered a onetime deal to raise the federal government’s borrowing authority with simple majority votes. Abortion rights lack the same bipartisan support. (Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Mark Porter, Jonathan Oatis and Heather Timmons) View the full article

VaccineMonkeypox Vaccine Supply, Prioritization Expanding The Biden administration provided further details on its strategy to address the increasing number of monkeypox cases within the U.S. and further clarified why much of the immediate response remains focused on men who are sexually active with other men. During a call with LGBTQ press Wednesday, White House pandemic office head Dr. Raj Panjabi outlined a strategy focused on “testing, vaccines and outreach” in an effort to stem the growth of Monkeypox cases, which sits at 351 across 27 states and Washington, D.C. as of Wednesday according to CDC statistics. The administration stated Tuesday that it plans to increase the number of doses of Jynneos, a newer monkeypox vaccine with fewer side effects administered in two shots four weeks apart, in the federal stockpile by 240,000 in the coming weeks, with another 750,000 expected over the summer. The Department of Health and Human Services provided 56,000 doses immediately, but clinics in hard-hit areas are already experiencing shortages. The single-dose smallpox vaccine ACAM2000 is more widely available and effective in vaccinating against moneypox, but it is typically associated with harsher side effects than Jynneos. Part of the outreach strategy is also focused on healthcare workers as its symptoms can be confused with herpes, syphilis and other sexually-transmitted infections. The World Health Organization is currently studying the virus to determine if it is able to infect individuals through sexual transmission after portions of the virus were found in semen samples earlier this month. “Be Careful” “You don’t want to panic people, but you want to get people to appreciate, particularly with the Pride activities that are going on now, to be aware and to just be careful,” said Dr. Fauci. “Being careful can be very practical; making sure that you’re aware of things like skin lesions or lesions around areas of the body, particularly when you’re having a sexual encounter … We do believe that, from a theoretical and practical standpoint, the risk is probably increased when you have activities associated with the prior Pride activities, because people tend to get involved in sexual networking there.” Dr. Fauci reiterated the need for awareness when asked if Pride attendees should be concerned or afraid after hugging or being in close proximity to others during those celebrations. “You don’t want to be paralyzed by this. You just need to exert some care in the choice of people in which you have skin-to-skin personal contact,” he said. “You don’t want to all of a sudden shut yourself off from interaction, but just know that there is a virus there … have an exertion of a little bit more care.” Monkeypox: Previously on Towleroad Biden Administration Outlines Monkeypox Strategy, Including Increased Testing, Vaccination And Community Education Brian Bell June 29, 2022 Read More WHO warns ‘sustained transmission’ of monkeypox risks vulnerable groups Towleroad June 29, 2022 Read More U.S. steps up fight against monkeypox, allocates more vaccines to states Towleroad June 29, 2022 Read More Monkeypox State-by-State Case Count (CDC and State Health Orgs) & CDC Health Guidelines Towleroad June 24, 2022 Read More Monkeypox is Real: Most Cases Are Gay/Bi Men (1000+). This Version Seems More Contagious, But Less Lethal. Symptoms, Spread, Origin, Vaccine Towleroad June 24, 2022 Read More U.S. CDC confirms evidence of local monkeypox transmission; WHO Considers Declaring Monkeypox a Global Health Emergency Towleroad June 24, 2022 Read More Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Chris Prattshocked the world when he came out and denied going to Hillsong church or being religious altogether after catching flak for going to an anti-LGBTQ establishment — but now, after spending years preaching about his faith, his words are coming back to bite him. TheJurassic World actor, 43, claimed he’s “not a religious person” and called religion “oppressive as f—” in his latest interview with Men’s Health, despite hijacking several interviews and social media conversations throughout the years to talk about his church and faith. Pratt famously defended his church in 2019 after the organization was accused of being “infamously anti-LGBTQ.” Over the years, he was quoted several times saying he went to Zoe Church in Los Angeles, a facility with strong Hillsong ties. Mega “I never went to Hillsong,” Pratt told Men’s Health, failing to mention Zoe’s connection to Hillsong. “I’ve never actually been to Hillsong. I don’t know anyone from that church,” he insisted. FYI — Zoe Church’s pastor Chad Veach told The New York Times that he “modeled his church after Hillsong.” Hillsong’s ex-senior global pastor Brian Houston, the one who was charged with hiding his father’s sex crimes, said, “we are not a church that affirms a gay lifestyle.” Here are some other comments made by Pratt about his faith that’s left fans scratching their heads after his confusing “not religious” interview. In February of this year, the Guardians of the Galaxy actor posted a photo of a cross and added a caption that sure sounds religious. “Pray, rest, renew the spirit, cast down darkness, choose positivity and trust in the knowledge that you are so loved just the way you are. Not because you’re great. Not because I’m great. Because He is great. Like if you believe,” Pratt wrote just 18 weeks ago. Mega In February 2019 while appearing on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Pratt dished about a 21-day fast that he did “through his church.” In a separate sit-down, the star got deep about praying. “Nothing fills my soul more than to think that maybe some kid watching that would say, ‘Hey! I’ve been thinking about that. I’ve been thinking about praying. Let me try that out,” he told the cameras. When Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, spoke up about Pratt’s church affiliation and its “anti-LGBTQ” stance, the Avengers actor didn’t hesitate to fiercely defend his house of worship. Mega “It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which ‘hates a certain group of people’ and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ.’ Nothing could be further from the truth,” Pratt wrote in 2019. “I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone. Despite what the Bible says about divorce, my church community was there for me every stop of the way, never judging, just gracefully accompanying me on my walk,” he insisted. “They helped me tremendously offering love and support. It is what I have seen them do for others on countless occasions regardless of sexual orientation, race or gender.” Fans can’t help but slam Pratt on the hypocrisy of his latest interview. “Chris Pratt: ‘I’m not religious, pffft, as if.’ Also, Chris Pratt: ‘So any way, this reminds me of when I was golfing with my pastor,'” one person tweeted. “I don’t know if this is going to make sense to everyone, but it is so weird watching Chris Pratt go through the same process I went through from back in 2003 when I was balls deep in a Christian cult telling everyone “I’m not religious”. Its like a textbook response to criticism,” shared another. “I think you meant “Chris Pratt’s PR firm is seeking to change perceptions about his religious views because it’s detrimental to his career,” posted a third. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Baz Luhrmann is turning ‘Australia’ into a six-part series. The 59-year-old filmmaker has officially revealed his 2008 epic adventure film – which starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman – will be transformed into a limited Hulu series titled ‘Faraway Downs’ only using footage he’d already shot for the movie, albeit with a new soundtrack and different ending. He said in a statement: “I originally set out to take the notion of the sweeping, ‘Gone With the Wind’-style epic and turn it on its head — a way of using romance and epic drama to shine a light on the roles of First Nations people and the painful scar in Australian history of the ‘Stolen Generations’. “While ‘Australia’ the film has its own life, there was another telling of this story; one with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists that an episodic format has allowed us to explore. “Drawn from the same material, ‘Faraway Downs’ is a new variation on ‘Australia’ for audiences to discover.” ‘Faraway Downs’ will follow English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) as she inherits a large cattle ranch in Australia following the death of her husband. Cattle barons look to take her land, and so she joins forces with a cattle drover (Jackman) to protect the ranch. The series will be told through young Nullah (Brandon Walters), who is a bi-racial Indigenous Australian who is caught up in the ‘Stolden Generations’. Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich added: “Baz is one of the world’s great auteur storytellers, so revisiting Faraway Downs and experiencing his incredible film ‘Australia’ in this unique, new episodic format has been a revelatory and unique adventure. “We look forward to taking viewers into the ranch and experiencing all of the stories that are both held within and continue to unfold there.” View the full article

Published by Reuters LONDON (Reuters) – The World Health Organization said “sustained transmission” of monkeypox worldwide could see the virus begin to move into high-risk groups, like pregnant women, immunocompromised people and children. WHO said on Wednesday it is investigating reports of infected children, including two cases in the United Kingdom, as well as following up reports in Spain and France. None of the cases in children have been severe. The virus has now been identified in more than 50 new countries outside the countries in Africa where it is endemic. Cases are also rising in those countries, said WHO, calling for testing to be ramped up. “I’m concerned about sustained transmission because it would suggest that the virus [is] establishing itself and it could move into high risk groups including children, the immunocompromised and pregnant women,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby and Mrinalika Roy; Editing by Catherine Evans) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday widened the power of states over Native American tribes and undercut its own 2020 ruling that had expanded Native American tribal authority in Oklahoma, handing a victory to Republican officials in that state. In a 5-4 decision authored by conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court ruled in favor of Oklahoma in its bid to prosecute Victor Castro-Huerta, a non-Native American convicted of child neglect in a crime committed against a Native American child – his 5-year-old stepdaughter – on the Cherokee Nation reservation. The change of course only two years after the previous ruling in a case called McGirt v. Oklahoma was made possible by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s 2000 appointment by Republican former President Donald Trump to replace the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, as he did in 2020, joined the court’s liberal bloc in favor of Native American interests, but its expanded conservative majority meant that this time he was in the minority. “To be clear, the court today holds that Indian country within a state’s territory is part of a state, not separate from a state,” Kavanaugh wrote. Kavanaugh added that “under the Constitution and this court’s precedents, the default is that states may exercise criminal jurisdiction within their territory.” In the McGirt decision, the Supreme Court had recognized about half of Oklahoma – much of the eastern part of the state – as Native American reservation land beyond the jurisdiction of state authorities. That ruling, criticized by Governor Kevin Stitt and other Republicans, meant that many crimes on the land in question involving Native Americans would need to be prosecuted in tribal or federal courts. Wednesday’s ruling affects Oklahoma and could be extended to other states. About 20 states where tribal reservations are located could seek new authority to exert criminal jurisdiction over crimes committed by non-Native Americans against native Americans on Native American land. That includes western states with large Native American populations including Arizona and New Mexico. Until now, states generally lacked jurisdiction over such crimes, which were prosecuted by the federal government. ‘GRIM RESULT’ Writing in dissent, Gorsuch called Wednesday’s ruling a “grim result for different tribes in different states,” but said its impact could still be limited by individual treaties and laws passed by Congress. “One can only hope the political branches and future courts will do their duty to honor this nation’s promises even as we have failed today to do our own,” Gorsuch added. Chuck Hoskin, principal chief of Cherokee Nation, said in a statement that the justices had ignored court precedent and “basic principles” of law. “While we are disappointed in this ruling, it does not diminish our commitment to meeting our public safety responsibilities and to protecting Oklahomans on our reservations and across the state,” Hoskin added. Thirty-five states are home to federally recognized tribes, according to the National Congress of American Indians. Before the Supreme Court ruling, 16 had already been given authority by Congress to assert jurisdiction over at least some tribal land for crimes involving Native Americans. As a result of the McGirt ruling, about 3,600 cases every year in Oklahoma were set to fall under federal instead of state jurisdiction. Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor, a Republican, said in a statement that as a result of the McGirt ruling many crimes were not being prosecuted by the federal government. “Now the state prosecutors can take up the slack and get back to what we have been doing for 113 years,” O’Connor added. The state already prosecutes crimes committed in the affected land in which no Native Americans are involved. Tribal courts handle crimes committed by and against Native Americans. Tribes had welcomed the McGirt ruling as a recognition of their sovereignty. The Supreme Court in January rejected Oklahoma’s request to outright overturn it. Castro-Huerta was convicted in state court of neglecting his stepdaughter, who has cerebral palsy and is legally blind, and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals last year threw out that conviction because of the 2020 precedent. Castro-Huerta by then was already indicted for the same underlying offense by federal authorities, transferred to federal custody and pleaded guilty to child neglect. He has not yet been sentenced. There are 574 federally recognized tribes in total although some states have very little tribal land. The population of Native Americans and Alaska Natives combined in the United States is 3.7 million, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A lawyer for Virginia “Ginni” Thomas has dimmed prospects for a quick appearance before congressional investigators probing the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, asking what they want from his client, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Ginni Thomas on June 16 expressed eagerness to speak with the House of Representatives panel investigating the 2021 assault, telling the Daily Caller she “can’t wait to clear up misconceptions.” The committee sent an invitation that day. In a letter on Tuesday, lawyer Mark R. Paoletta curbed that enthusiasm, telling the committee: “I do not understand the need to speak with Mrs. Thomas.” “Before I can recommend that she meet with you, I am asking the Committee to provide a better justification for why Mrs. Thomas’s testimony is relevant to the Committee’s legislative purpose.” The justice’s wife is active in conservative political circles and said she attended a rally by then-President Donald Trump outside the White House before his supporters marched on the Capitol to try to block certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s defeat of Trump, a Republican, in the 2020 election. At the rally, Trump made a fiery speech repeating his false claims his election defeat was due to widespread fraud. The Washington Post had reported earlier that the committee obtained emails between Ginni Thomas and attorney John Eastman, who advised Trump that then-Vice President Mike Pence could thwart formal congressional certification of Trump’s loss. Her political activity has raised questions about whether her husband should recuse himself from cases involving Trump and the Capitol riot. In January, Clarence Thomas was the lone dissenting voice when the court rejected Trump’s request to block release of White House records sought by the committee. Paoletta said Ginni Thomas had no role in the Jan. 6 attack and never discussed election litigation strategy with Eastman. He also dismissed the committee’s interest in text messages following the election between her and Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows. “These texts are simply much ado about nothing,” he wrote in the letter to the committee seen by Reuters. The committee did not answer a query on its response to the letter on Wednesday. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by AFP People take pictures at Bruce's Beach in April 2021 in Manhattan Beach, California Los Angeles (AFP) – Los Angeles county officials have approved a plan to return California beachfront property to the descendants of a Black family who had the land seized from them a century ago, in a move hailed as a step towards atoning for racial injustice. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to transfer ownership of a piece of land in the city of Manhattan Beach to the great-grandsons of Charles and Willa Bruce, who had operated a resort for Black residents there until it was taken away from them in the 1920s in what the board called “an act of racism.” “We can’t change the past and we will never be able to make up for the injustice that was done to Willa and Charles Bruce a century ago, but this is a start,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn, who led the effort to return the 7,000 square foot (650 square meters) property to the family. Hahn added that the move will allow the descendants “to start rebuilding the generational wealth that was denied to them.” Willa and Charles Bruce purchased the land in 1912 and after adding a few other adjacent plots created a beach resort, which came to be known as Bruce’s Beach, catering to Black residents, who had few options at the time for enjoying the California coast. Complete with a bath house, dance hall and cafe, the resort attracted other Black families who purchased land nearby. But the resort quickly became a target of vandalism and racial attacks from local residents. In 1924, it was seized by the city under the pretext of needing to build a city park and the Bruces as well as other Black families ultimately lost their businesses. The city park, built on a portion of the seized land, took decades to materialize. “The experience of Willa and Charles Bruce is an example of how racism against Black people has reached crisis proportions,” the board said in a statement, “and has resulted in large disparities in family stability, health and mental wellness, education, employment, economic development, public safety, criminal justice, and housing.” The Bruces plan to lease the land to the city for $413,000 a year and will have the option to sell it back to the county for a price not to exceed $20 million. The United States is in the midst of a historic reckoning on racism, with Confederate symbols from the Civil War removed across the country, and mass protests calling for racial justice following the high-profile killings of a number of unarmed Black people by police and other manifestations of racial disparities. View the full article