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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

Published by Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen and Jeff Mason CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. government is ramping up efforts to staunch the spread of monkeypox by sending hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses to states in the coming months, expanding access for those most at risk and increasing supply to areas with high case numbers. The plan, announced on Tuesday, involves rapidly expanding access to doses of Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccine – which has so far been limited – to prevent monkeypox in areas with the highest transmission and need. State and local health departments can also order supplies of Emergent BioSolutions’ ACAM2000 vaccine, which is in much greater supply but which has more side effects and cannot be used by everyone, including those who are immunocompromised. The Biden administration will allocate 296,000 doses of Jynneos from a national stockpile to states and territories in the coming weeks, with 56,000 allocated immediately and 1.6 million doses made available over the coming months, officials said. The United States has 306 cases of monkeypox, a viral infection related to smallpox that causes painful skin lesions. Although the virus is endemic in parts of Africa, the current outbreak has hit countries where the virus does not usually spread, sparking concern that it could become more widespread. “As additional supply becomes available, we will further expand our efforts, making vaccines available to a wider population,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters. Those at highest risk have been men who have sex with men. Demand for the vaccine has been growing. Last week, a New York clinic started offering the vaccine and quickly ran out of available shots. Previously, health officials have been focused on offering the vaccine to individuals with direct contact with a person who has had a confirmed case of monkeypox. The new strategy will expand that definition to include presumed exposures, said Jennifer McQuiston, Deputy Director of CDC’s Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology. These would include those who had close contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, those who know their sexual partner was diagnosed with monkeypox, and men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners in a venue where there was known to be monkeypox or in an area where monkeypox is spreading. The goal of the initial phase of the strategy is to slow the spread of the disease, administration officials said. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen and Jeff Mason; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Richard Pullin) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal have been cast in ‘Strange Way of Life’. The ‘Black Phone’ and ‘Mandalorian’ actors will star in the Western short film – known as ‘Extraña Forma de Vida’ in Spanish – from writer and director Pedro Almodóvar, with filming set to get underway in late August. As reported by Variety, the movie will be shot in English and follows gunslingers Silva and Chieff Jake, who worked together as hired gunmen 25 years earlier. The film will begin with Silva riding a horse across the desert to Bitter Creek, where he has come to meet Jake with the pretext of a reunion, but there is more than meets the eye. In a statement, Almodóvar teased: “I won’t say any more because I don’t want to reveal all the script’s surprises.” The movie will also star Jason Fernández, José Condessa, George Steane, Manu Ríos, Pedro Casablanc and Sara Salámo. The movie will be shot in the Tabernas desert in Almeria in southern Spain, as well as the settlement built 50 years ago by Sergio Leone for his ‘Dollars’ spaghetti Western trilogy. Meanwhile, production company El Deseo is working on building a ranch near Madrid which will also be used for filming. Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello will be in charge of costume design on the project as well as serving as an associate producer. Producer Agustín Almodóvar described the film as “another exercise of freedom in the line of ‘The Human Voice'”, and praised Almodóvar for the way he “reinterprets genres, questioning their codes”. He added: “We’ll look to self-finance and recuperate later. “This is shot with the freedom we had when we made Super 8 movies in the ‘70s, but with 40 years experience in the sector.” View the full article

Published by DPA Airbnb is trying to make its platform more sustainable for local communities by ending the "party house" phenomenon with a permanent ban on large gatherings in rented stays. Jens Kalaene/dpa Two years after introducing a temporary ban on parties in rented homes during the pandemic, Airbnb is making made the ban permanent for all accommodation worldwide. The ban, which Airbnb made officially permanent in a Tuesday announcement, was first introduced amid fears that parties would shift to rented flats when bars and clubs were closed during pandemic lockdowns. Airbnb says the ban has since proven effective in combatting disruptive gatherings and “party house” events with open invitations advertised on social media. Since the ban was introduced in August 2020, reports of parties have decreased by 44% year-over-year, according to the company. With the move, Airbnb is also trying to make their business model more compatible with local communities by ending the “party house” phenomenon that has become a dreaded arrival to apartment buildings, where a constant turnover of noisy guests can burden nearby tenants. “Over time, the party ban became much more than a public health measure,” Airbnb said. “It developed into a bedrock community policy to support our hosts and their neighbours.” At the same time, the company is also lifting its cap on 16 people per home, after introducing the limit over social distancing concerns during the pandemic. Guests who ignore the party ban are threatened with having their account suspended and even being completely kicked from the platform, and Airbnb says that in 2021 alone, more than 6,600 guests around the world were banned from Airbnb for violating the party ban. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) – Lev Parnas, a onetime associate of Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, will be sentenced on Wednesday for violating U.S. campaign finance laws during the 2018 elections. Parnas, 50, was convicted in October of seeking funds from Russian businessman Andrey Muraviev to donate to candidates Parnas believed could help secure licenses to operate cannabis businesses. U.S. law bars foreign individuals from contributing to campaigns. The Manhattan federal court jury also found that Parnas had concealed that he and former associate Igor Fruman were the true source of a donation to a group supporting Trump. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken is scheduled to sentence Parnas at a hearing starting at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). Prosecutors last week said Parnas deserved to serve between six and eight years in prison, arguing the Ukraine-born American businessman “put himself above this country” and lacked true remorse. A lawyer for Parnas had urged Oetken not to send Parnas to prison, arguing he deserved credit for his post-arrest cooperation with the U.S. House of Representatives’ investigation leading to Trump’s 2019 impeachment. Parnas and Belarus-born U.S. citizen Igor Fruman are best known for helping Giuliani investigate Democrat Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. While Trump was impeached for abusing his powers to investigate political rivals, he was later acquitted by the Senate. Both Fruman, who pleaded guilty, and Andrey Kukushkin, a Muraviev associate who was convicted on some counts alongside Parnas, received one-year sentences. Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, has not been accused of wrongdoing. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by David Gregorio) View the full article

Published by uPolitics.com In a packed White House room, President Joe Biden, several officials from his administration and leaders of the LGBTQ community gathered to celebrate the signing of an executive order guaranteeing federal protection of LGBTQ rights. The President, Vice President Kamala Harris and other cabinet members, including Pete Buttigieg, joined a crowd of cheering activists and representatives of the LGBTQ community. “My message to all the young people: Just be you, you are loved,” Biden said. “I want you to know that as your president, all of us on this stage have your back. We have your back.” The exe… Read More View the full article

Published by Al-Araby A potato crisps brand in Lebanon has pulled a long-standing logo on packets of chips depicting the seven colours of a prism after coming under fire by people falsely accusing the makers of promoting homosexuality. Master Chips released a statement after “rumours” about the motive for including a small rainbow on the cover of its long-running ‘Snackers’ products. Some Lebanese homophobic campaigners from across the religious spectrum had falsely claimed the prism was included to promote homosexuality leading to the company buckling under the criticism The makers said: “The company wants to clar… Read More View the full article

Published by uInterview.com The writer and star of the upcoming gay romantic comedy Bros, Billy Eichner, made his high school dream come true when he hosted a screening of his film in New York City hosted by none other than Mariah Carey. Eichner celebrated the occasion on Twitter, writing in all caps “I WILL NEVER RECOVER!!!!!” The day after the event. Eichner and Carey posed for photos on the red carpet, with Carey even pinching the Bros star’s butt for one of the shots. Eichner added in another excited tweet, “I LITERALLY HAD MY FIRST KISS WHILE LISTENING TO THE @MariahCarey EMOTIONS ALBUM IN JUNIOR HIGH AND NOW THIS I… Read More View the full article

North Idaho Pride Alliance “Pride In The Park”FBI Monitored Multiple Hate Groups In Idaho The arrest of 31 Patriot Front members, including the white-nationalist group’s leader Thomas Rousseau, for allegedly conspiring to assault an Idaho LGBTQ event was a big leap in the evolution of alt-right hate groups escalating planned mass violent actions against LGBTQ populations and gatherings. A new report in Rolling Stone shows that the arrests in Coeur d’Alene, ID on June 11 were a product of the FBI’s monitoring of Patriot Front, and that the agency has been monitoring multiple similar xenophobic hate groups over the last year. Coeur d’Alene Plot Unraveled According to the report, the FBI monitored and shared details of Patriot Front activities with Idaho law enforcement as far back as August of last year. Those included data on increasing acts of vandalism in Coeur d’Alene specifically. Complaints about Patriot Front posters and stickers promoting the white-nationalist organization rolled in from residents of the city at that time. The FBI and local police updated each other as the propaganda campaign continued, trying to identify individuals that posted the material. “We need to catch these people. Disgusting,” said Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer in an email exchange with law enforcement obtained by nonprofit organization Property of the People. According to NIPA organizers, the Coeur d’Alene event “was a great success, According to NIPA organizers, the Coeur d’Alene event “was a great success,” with roughly 2,000 people in attendance, many of which weren’t even aware of the Patriot Front arrests until seeing news reports. “The energy that was felt throughout the venue was overwhelmingly positive and full of love and connection,” Jessica Mahuron, NIPA outreach director, told The Spokesman-Review last week. “It was safe, even given some of the challenges on the fringes of our event and sometimes interfering in our event.” Though the Pride event didn’t experience violence or major disruption, Mahuron noted that the tactics and hateful rhetoric of the various hate groups that organized and motivated others to participate in such actions deserve serious attention. “It’s something that a lot of different agencies in the community need to have a conversation about: Where things go from here,” Mahuron said. “I personally would like for us to see the hope that is in our story, about a small community organization that faced enormous challenges that are not normal for even a Pride organization to experience.” Idaho LGBTQ: Previously on Towleroad New Documents On Foiled Patriot Front Attack Of Idaho LGBTQ Pride Event Show FBI Monitored Multiple Hate Groups A Year Prior Brian Bell June 29, 2022 Read More More ‘Don’t Say Gay Bills’ Are Being Prioritized In Multiple States As The Anti-Gay Bill in Florida Passes to Governor Brian Bell March 17, 2022 Read More Idaho, Alabama, Wisconsin Advance Anti-Trans Youth Bills, Including Life In Prison Punishment For Providing Puberty Blockers Brian Bell March 10, 2022 Read More At 18, Gay Sex Got Him 7 Years in Prison. Montana Made him Register as a Sexual Offender Until This Week — though Sodomy Laws Were Tossed 17 Years Ago Brian Bell May 13, 2021 Read More Nation’s Only Anne Frank Memorial Vandalized with Swastikas and Signs Reading ‘We Are Everywhere’ Andy Towle December 10, 2020 Read More Idaho Official Ends Zoom Call with Health Board Because COVID Deniers are Outside Her House, Terrorizing Her Family: WATCH Andy Towle December 9, 2020 Read More Image via North Idaho Pride Alliance View the full article

Published by Reuters By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The sixth day of congressional hearings into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol featured Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to then-President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinson’s testimony focused on what Meadows and Trump knew about the attack in the days before and on Jan. 6, informed by her close working proximity to both men. Here are some takeaways from the hearing: TRUMP RALLY ATTENDEES WERE ARMED Many Republicans – including Trump and Republican Representative Louie Gohmert – have said the rioters were not armed, but Hutchinson’s testimony contradicted this claim. She testified that both Meadows and Trump knew many in the crowd were armed with AR-15s, handguns, brass knuckles and batons and equipped with body armor. Trump was irate that many rally attendees were having to go through metal detectors, a standard security procedure for people near the president, because it gave the appearance of fewer people attending the rally. “They’re not here to hurt me,” Hutchinson recalled Trump as saying. “Let them in, let my people in. They can march to the Capitol after the rally’s over.” WHITE HOUSE LAWYERS HAD LEGAL CONCERNS ABOUT JAN. 6 Hutchinson testified that White House lawyer Pat Cipollone told her on Jan. 3, 2021, that it would be “legally a terrible idea” for Trump to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6. “He said to me, ‘We need to make sure that this doesn’t happen,” Hutchinson testified. “‘We have serious legal concerns if we go up to the Capitol that day.'” TRUMP GRABBED STEERING WHEEL OF PRESIDENTIAL LIMO Trump was so furious that the Secret Service and White House lawyers were planning to return him to the White House rather than allow him to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6 that he tried to grab the steering wheel from the back seat of the presidential limo, Hutchinson said. “‘I’m the effing president, take me to the Capitol now,'” Hutchinson testified Trump said. Trump denied that assertion in a statement posted on Truth Social, his social media app.”Her Fake story that I tried to grab the steering wheel of the White House Limousine in order to steer it to the Capitol Building is ‘sick’ and fraudulent,” he wrote and denied her testimony that he threw food and plates against the wall on several occasions. TRUMP THREW LUNCH AT WALL AFTER BARR INTERVIEW According to video testimony shown on Tuesday by the committee from Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s White House press secretary at the time, Trump was so enraged by then-Attorney General Bill Barr’s interview with the Associated Press saying there was no evidence of election fraud that Trump threw his lunch at the wall, breaking a porcelain dish and leaving ketchup dripping down the wall. “There were several times throughout my tenure with the chief of staff that I was aware of him either throwing dishes or flipping the tablecloth to let all the contents of the table go onto the floor and likely break or go everywhere,” Hutchinson told the committee. (Reporting by Moira Warburton, Richard Cowan, Rose Horowitch and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller) View the full article