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Published by OK Magazine @wendywilliams/show The Wendy Williams Show is officially coming to an end on Friday, June 17, and it’s a bittersweet moment for fans. The long-running talk show hosted by Wendy Williams first premiered in the summer of 2008 and ran for 13 seasons, before it hit a rough patch when the 57-year-old had to take a break from the show after suffering a series of health issues including battling Graves’ disease and being diagnosed with COVID-19. Despite boasting a 14 year run, the once-beloved chat-fest has its own history of scandal, from Williams being slammed for making insensitive comments about the LGBTQ+ community to being criticized by viewers for her repeated rude quips about other celebrities. WENDY WILLIAMS ‘NO LONGER NEEDS A WHEELCHAIR’ AS AILING HOST PLANS TV RETURN AFTER SHOW CANCELLATION Scroll through the gallery below to see scandals that shocked Wendy Williams fans throughout her time on The Wendy Williams Show. (2012) Mocking Beyoncé’s Education mega Williams sent fans abuzz when she mocked the way Beyoncé speaks in her HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream. “Fortunately one of the TVs in our kitchen has closed-captioning, so I’ll be able to understand what she says,” the television personality said in a 2012 episode. “You know Beyoncé can’t talk. She sounds like she has a fifth grade education. … We have to call a spade a spade.” (2015) Body-Shaming Ariana Grande mega In August 2015, Williams shamed Ariana Grande for her slim body type during a taping of The Wendy Williams Show. “She’s 21. She’ll forever look 12. And I don’t mean that in a good way,” Williams said of the “7 Rings” artist. “It’s nice to look younger than you are, but when you look too young and then you’re short—she’s only like 4’11. I don’t look at her as, like, a woman.” (2016) Implying Caitlyn Jenner Wasn’t A Woman mega Many viewers were not amused when The Wendy Williams Experience author insinuated that Caitlyn Jenner was not a woman, before crudely pointing out her alleged surgery status. “Caitlyn still has a member, so that is not a…I mean, until you don’t – aren’t you caught in limbo?” she awkwardly asked producers while on stage. (2018) Slurring Words On Air @thewendywilliamsshow/youtube Williams was caught slurring her words on air in a 2018 episode. She later admitted she usually avoids taking pain medication and blamed the incident on struggling to balance her health issues and filming the show. (2019) Calling Out Christie Brinkley For ‘Fake’ Injury mega Christie Brinkley quit Dancing with the Stars after she was injured during rehearsals, but Williams called the swimsuit model out for allegedly faking the tumble. “Well, that looked fake as h***,” she quipped. “I don’t see a wrist and a shoulder being fractured, but that was real cute.” (2019) Dragging Meghan Markle For Marrying Prince Harry mega The former radio DJ raised eyebrows when she blasted Meghan Markle for her complaints about royal life after marrying Prince Harry. “You knew exactly what you were doing … Please don’t try to garner sympathy from us,” Williams said of the Suits actress. “Nobody feels sorry for you. You know what you were signing up for, girl!” (2019) Moving Into Sober Living House mega The tv host revealed in early 2019 that she had moved into a sober living house after battling addiction issues. “When you see me come to work glammed up, right after the show I go across the street, I do my Pilates. I told you — two hours a day or [so], to take care of my body,” she explained. “I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past. I never went to a place to get the treatment. I don’t know how, except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped.” (2020) Making Homophobic Comments To Audience @wendywilliamsshow/youtube Williams shocked audience members in an episode that aired in early 2020 when she insulted men in the audience for innocently clapping when she spoke about “Galentine’s Day”, a recently invented holiday celebrating friendships between women. “If you’re a man and you’re clapping, you’re not even a part of this,” she told them. “I don’t care if you’re gay … Stop wearing our skirts and our heels. Gay men, you will never be the women that we are — no matter how gay, sir.” (2020) Poking Fun At Dionne Warwick’s Age, Marijuana Use @wendywilliamsshow/youtube The embattled host dragged 81-year-old singer Dionne Warwick‘s activity on Twitter in December 2020, claiming the artist likely has to have her niece, Brittani, help her use social media. “I totally believe that she is doing her own tweeting, but I think that Brittani is her right hand. After Aunt Dionne does what she wants, after midnight, maybe after some bud,” she joked, referring to the older woman’s 2002 marijuana charges. “Aunt Dionne knows how to stay relevant and Brittani is right there giving her all the filters and checking it over before she sends [it].” Warwick later shot back on Twitter, slamming Williams for being “not nice” and claiming she isn’t “able to speak without maliciously made comments.” (2021) Joking About TikTok Star Swavy’s Tragic Death mega Williams came under fire by Swavy‘s grieving mother after the host made insensitive comments about his death. The TikTok star — born Matima Miller — was killed at only 19-years-old in a Delaware shooting in 2021. “I have no idea who this is. Neither does one person in this building,” she told the audience, before going to compare the influencer’s follower count to her own. “Like, as a mother, Wendy Williams, how dare you? So disrespectful,” Swavy’s mother, Chanelle Clark, said in a televised interview with CBS news. “I used to watch you as a child and even though you have a gossip show and all that, you didn’t even know my son.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Julia Garner has been offered the role of Madonna in a new biopic. The life story of the Queen of Pop is set to be turned into a movie by Universal Pictures and 28-year-old actress Julia – who is known for playing scheming heiress Anna Delvey in Netflix hit ‘Inventing Anna’ – has reportedly been tapped to play the leading role, although the offer is yet to be formally accepted. A source told Variety: “Julia’s team is still considering and expected to accept the offer.” If she accepts the role of the ‘Material Girl’ hitmaker, former ‘Ozark’ actress Julia will have sought off competition from the likes of Florence Pugh, Bebe Rexha, Sky Ferreira, Emma Laird, as well as ‘Euphoria’ stars Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, and Barbie Ferreira – all of whom were rumoured to have been in the running for the mammoth role. The movie has been in the works since 2020 and upon the initial announcement, Madonna – who is the best-selling female artist in history with sales of more than 300 million – claimed that it was “essential” that she shre the “roller coaster ride” of her life on screen. She said: “I want to convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer — a human being, trying to make her way in this world. The focus of this film will always be music. Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive. There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me. It’s essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision.! View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Stempel and Manya Saini (Reuters) -Warren Buffett on Tuesday donated about $4 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust and four family charities, part of the billionaire’s pledge to give away nearly all of his net worth. Berkshire Hathaway Inc, which Buffett has run since 1965, said the donation comprises about 14.4 million of its Class B shares, whose closing price on Tuesday was $277.64. Eleven million shares will go to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and 1.1 million will go to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named for Buffett’s late first wife. Another 770,000 shares will also go to each of three charities run by Buffett’s children Howard, Susan and Peter: the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation and the Novo Foundation. Since 2006, the 91-year-old Buffett has donated more than half of his Berkshire shares, with the donations worth about $45.5 billion at the time they were made. Despite the donations, Buffett still owns approximately 16% of Berkshire and controls about one-third of its voting power. Both percentages have been fairly stable in recent years because Berkshire has aggressively repurchased its own stock. Buffett has built Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire into a more than $600 billion conglomerate, owning dozens of businesses such as the BNSF railroad and Geico auto insurance, and stocks such as Apple Inc and Bank of America Corp. He and Bill Gates also pioneered “The Giving Pledge,” where more than 200 people like Michael Bloomberg, Larry Ellison, Carl Icahn, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg committed at least half their fortunes to philanthropy. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Manya Saini in Bengaluru;Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Cynthia Osterman) View the full article

Published by AFP Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden hosts a major White House reception Wednesday in honor of LGBTQ rights, striking a counter blow in the heating culture wars ahead of November midterm elections. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and several cabinet members — including openly gay Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg — were to join hundreds of representatives from the LGBTQ community in the White House East Room to celebrate Pride Month. Just ahead of the bash, Biden signed an executive order aimed at providing federal support on a variety of rights in the LGBTQ community that the White House sees as under attack from Republican state-level leaders — especially in Florida, where potential presidential candidate Governor Ron DeSantis has put combating “woke” culture at the heart of his agenda. The executive order addresses “discriminatory legislative attacks against LGBTQI+ children and families, directing key agencies to protect families and children.” It seeks to prevent so-called “conversion therapy,” boost health care programs against youth suicide, support LGBTQ foster families and protect against homelessness in the community. The high profile intervention by Biden aims to counter an “onslaught of hateful… legislation that we’re seeing in the states,” a senior official told reporters. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there had been more than 300 laws introduced at state level this year alone that infringe on LGBTQ people and their parents. Among those invited to the White House were “kids and families from across the country who have been personally impacted by these discriminatory bills,” the official said. These included 18-year-old Javier Gomez, who gained renown as an activist while still at school in Florida. “We’ve had to stand up to their governors and state lawmakers as they advance discriminatory legislation,” the official said. “These attendees represent the best of America. They are diverse, passionate advocates who are fighting to ensure that the promise of freedom and equality is made real for all you can expect the president today to celebrate the historic progress of his administration.” Biden is targeting an important layer of the Democratic voter base ahead of midterm elections where Republicans are widely seen as on track to win back control of Congress. For Republicans, the issue is equally potent, with activists accusing Democrats of moving too far to the left, especially on transgender rights. The standard bearer on the right is DeSantis, seen by many as a natural heir to former president Donald Trump’s populist brand in the 2024 presidential election. In March, he signed a controversial law banning lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida elementary schools, a step some Republicans say protects young children from what they term indoctrination. Biden and other critics say it will hurt the LGBTQ community and stoke bullying. Debate over what opponents dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law quickly went national, even drawing in entertainment giant Disney, which criticized the measure and found itself in open conflict with DeSantis. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Wednesday aimed at curbing discrimination against transgender youth and drying up federal funding for the controversial practice of ‘conversion therapy.’ Biden’s executive order asks the federal health and education departments to expand access to gender-affirming medical treatments and find new ways to counter a flurry of bills passed by conservative lawmakers this year that ban these treatments for transgender youth. The order asks federal agencies to ensure that federally funded programs do not offer conversion therapy, and the Federal Trade Commission to consider policing such practices that seek to change a patient’s sexual orientation or gender identity as deceptive businesses. Biden will sign the new policies as he marks Pride Month and hosts a LGBT reception at the White House on Wednesday afternoon. The measures also include new steps to encourage the placement of LGBT children in foster homes that support their sexual orientation and also create a new working group on LGBT homelessness. They come after the Department of Justice has challenged some of those conservative state laws as unconstitutional. The White House said more than 300 “anti-LGBTQI+” laws were introduced in state legislatures over the past year, a reference to bills barring classroom discussion of gender identity, blocking access to healthcare to help young people transition, and restricting participation in sports. The White House’s steps fall short of an outright federal ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in public spaces and federal programs. That would require congressional approval for the Equality Act. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons, William Maclean) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Denise Richards “supports” her daughter Sami’s decision to join OnlyFans. The 51-year-old model – who has Sami, 18, and Lola, 17-with ex-husband Charlie Sheen, and is also mom to adopted 11-year-old daughter Eloise – took to social media to inform fans that she will always be there for her eldest after she announced that she had signed up to sell racy photos on the adults-only subscription service. Alongside a snap of herself in a bikini top, Sami wrote on Instagram: “Click the link in my bio if u wanna see more [kiss emoji] and Denise commented: “Sami I will always support you and always have your back. I love you [heart emoji](sic)” It comes after former ‘Two and a Half Men’ star Charlie – who split from Denise back in 2005 after four years of marriage when she was pregnant with their second child – blasted the notion that his daughter had joined OnlyFans and noted it would “not have happened” if she was still living with him. He told PageSix: “She is 18 years old now and living with her mother. This did not occur under my roof. I do not condone this, but since I’m unable to prevent it, I urged her to keep it classy, and creative, and not sacrifice her integrity.” Back in 2021, Sami alleged that she had moved back in with her father over a year ago and accused Denise – who is married to Aaron Phypers – of running an “abusive household.” In a TikTok post, she said: “1 year ago today: trapped in an abusive household, hated myself, would go days without eating or sleeping, insanely depressed, hated school, etc…” However, a source claimed a few weeks ago that she had moved back in with her mother “within the last month.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Hudson is “still processing” her new EGOT status. The 40-year-old actress-and-singer won her first Tony Award for ‘A Strange Loop’, which scooped Best Musical at Sunday night’s (12.06.22) ceremony at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, adding to her Emmy, Grammy and Oscar. And the ‘Respect’ star, who became the 17th star in history to win all four awards, has admitted she has been left “overwhelmed” by the “outpouring of love”. Making a toast with a glass of fizz in a clip posted on Instagram, Jennifer said: “As I said when I won the Oscar [for Dreamgirls], look what God can do. Well, he did it again.” She added in the caption: “Wow !!! I am overwhelmed by all the outpouring of love and support that I am Still receiving and I’m still processing this whole new ground. “What an honor! Thank u all for being with me on this journey. I could not live this life without u. “Like I said when I won my Oscar, look what God can do. Well He did it again! (sic)” Jennifer won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Effie White in 2007’s ‘Dreamgirls’. She went on to win two Grammys, first for her self-titled album in 2008, and in 2017 ‘The Color Purple’ was named Best Musical Theater Album. The former ‘American Idol’ contestant earned her first Daytime Emmy last year for ‘Baby Yaga’, in which she voices Forest and also co-produced. Jennifer named her dogs after two of the awards, Oscar and Grammy, and she previously quipped that she’ll have to get two more dogs and name them Tony and Emmy when she earns her EGOT status. She said: “I should get two more dogs. “I got a dog and named it Oscar, and then I won my Oscar. And then I got a dog and named it Grammy, and then I won my Grammy. “So I think I should get some dogs and name them Emmy and Tony — and it’ll give me good luck, and I’ll win. [They’re] like my good luck charms.” Jennifer is among a handful of stars who have achieved EGOT status, including John Legend, Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn and Mel Brooks. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday filed federal hate crime charges against an 18-year-old white supremacist accused of killing 10 people at a supermarket in a Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York last month. Payton Gendron is facing 26 counts of hate crimes and a firearms offense, according to news reporters traveling with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday to the site of the shooting in western New York state. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Earlier this month, Gendron pleaded not guilty to a 25-count indictment handed down by a New York state grand jury charging him with crimes including first- and second-degree murder and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. The state’s domestic terrorism hate crime charge alone carries a penalty of life imprisonment without parole on conviction. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung -The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a bid by Republican state officials to take over the legal defense of a hardline immigration rule imposed under former President Donald Trump barring permanent residency for immigrants deemed likely to need government benefits. The unsigned one-sentence ruling “dismissed as improvidently granted” an appeal by 13 Republican state attorneys general led by Arizona’s Mark Brnovich seeking to defend the rule in court after Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration refused to do so and rescinded it. The rule widened the scope of immigrants deemed likely to become a “public charge” mainly dependent on the government for subsistence. The state attorneys general had hoped to ask lower courts to throw out decisions that sided with various challengers to the rule, including a number of Democratic-led states. Biden’s administration in February proposed a new public charge rule that it called more “fair and humane.” It would avoid penalizing people for seeking medical attention and other services. Trump’s rule was in effect from February 2020 until Biden’s administration rescinded it in March 2021, acting on a decision in a separate legal case in Illinois that vacated the rule nationwide. Republican state officials also sought to intervene in that case in their uphill battle to revive Trump’s rule. U.S. guidelines in place for the past two decades had said immigrants likely to become primarily dependent on direct cash assistance or long-term institutionalization, in a nursing home for example, at public expense would be barred from legal permanent residency, known as a “green card.” Trump’s policy expanded this to anyone deemed likely to receive a wider range of even non-cash federal benefits such as the Medicaid healthcare program, housing and food assistance for more than an aggregate of 12 months over any 36-month period. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal decided in 2020 that Trump’s policy impermissibly expanded the definition of who counts as a “public charge” in violation of a federal law called the Administrative Procedure Act. Other courts made similar rulings. Brnovich sought to intervene in a challenge to Trump’s immigration rule involving three lawsuits, including two filed in California and Washington state by 18 mostly Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia. Brnovich was joined by officials from Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia. The Republican officials said the public charge rule would save states more than $1 billion annually by limiting the immigration of individuals who are not self-sufficient. During the time the policy was enforced, the government issued only five adverse decisions under it, according to court filings, all of which have since been reversed. The U.S. Supreme Court on March 3 ruled that Kentucky’s Republican attorney general could seek to restore a restrictive abortion law after the state’s Democratic governor dropped defense of the statute when lower courts struck it down. (Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and Joey King are to star in a romantic comedy for Netflix. Richard LaGravenese will direct the movie for the streamer and is also writing the script after polishing the latest draft of the screenplay from Carrie Solomon – the rising scriptwriter who is working on the Margot Robbie ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ prequel set up at Warner Bros. Plot details for the movie are vague, but the project sees a surprising romance cause comic consequences for a young woman, her mother and her movie star boss as they face the complications of love, sex and identity. Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Alyssa Altman are producing via their Roth/Kirschenbaum Films banner. The company are behind Adam Sandler’s latest Netflix movie ‘Hustle’ and are also working on the big-budget flick ‘The Gray Man’ for the streaming service. Film chiefs are hoping to begin production in Atlanta later on this summer. Nicole has pledged to star in more movies from female filmmakers after a conversation with Meryl Streep made her realise the lack of opportunities for women in the industry. The 54-year-old star said: “Directors, writers, crew-members – the figures were astounding. “There was a lot of talk about how things were changing. But then I was like, ‘We’ve actually got to do something.’ “It was my way of going, ‘Hold me accountable.’ “My commitment to this industry is that I will give a platform for new voices to come forward and they can piggyback on me… That’s part of the ‘paying it forward’.” The ‘Big Little Lies’ actress continued: “I could rest. Or I could actually do what I’d promised I’d do. Sure, I’m tired. But at the same time, I feel this strong sense that I need to stop talking about it, and actually… do it.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Harry Styles thinks a One Direction reunion would be “really nice”. The 28-year-old singer has become a hugely successful solo artist since his former band went on indefinite hiatus at the end of 2015, months after the departure of Zayn Malik, but he thinks it would be “great” if they all got back on stage again “in the right way”. Speaking on the ‘Spout’ podcast, Harry – who was also joined in the band by Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne – said about the possibility of a reunion: “I don’t know. I mean, I think the thought of it is really nice. “I think we all went through something really special together and there’s a lot of love there. So yeah, I think if there’s a moment for us to do it in the right way, I think it’d be great.” Niall recently admitted he’s in regular contact with the rest of the band but they don’t discuss the possibility of getting back together, but he knows that if they did, they would all have to be in agreement. He said: “I don’t know … no-one really talks about it. Still talk to them all the time. There’s a couple of little babies from them lads. Everyone’s having their own success on their own. I’m enjoying what I’m doing. “Of course, if everyone wanted to do it, I’d be down for it … you kind of need to all get in the same room and have the chat, but I don’t know when that would be.” On what conditions he would have, he added: “Having the same opinion is going to be always hard. Unless everyone was completely in, I wouldn’t want to do it. I wouldn’t want to half-force someone into doing it.” The band were formed when they took part in ‘The X Factor’ in 2010 and show boss Simon Cowell claimed last year he could “persuade” them to get back together. He said: “I think it will happen. If they got together, whether it is making records again or touring, it would be the most amazing thing. I’d love it to happen. “If I could get into a room with them all and just say to them, ‘You know what, whether it’s six months or something, I think you would have such a great time and enjoy each others’ company again’ “Maybe I could persuade them. But I think they should do it, definitely. The fans, of course, would love it.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Natalie Grover and Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) -The World Health Organisation is looking into reports that the monkeypox virus is present in the semen of patients, exploring the possibility that the disease could be sexually transmitted, a WHO official said on Wednesday. Many cases in the current monkeypox outbreak, largely centred on Europe, are among sexual partners who have had close contact, and the agency reiterated that virus is mainly transmitted via close interpersonal contact. In recent days, scientists say they have detected viral DNA in the semen of a handful of monkeypox patients in Italy and Germany, including a lab-tested sample that suggested the virus found in the semen of a single patient was capable of infecting another person and replicating. Catherine Smallwood, monkeypox incident manager at WHO/Europe, said it was not known whether recent reports meant the monkeypox virus could be sexually transmitted. “This may have been something that we were unaware of in this disease before,” she told a press briefing. “We really need to focus on the most frequent mode of transmission and we clearly see that to be associated with skin to skin contact.” More than 1,300 cases of the viral disease have been reported by about 30 countries since early May. Most cases have been reported in men who have sex with men. The outbreak has triggered concern since the virus is rarely seen outside of Africa, where it is endemic, and the majority of the European cases are not related to travel to the continent. As the outbreak spreads, the WHO has recommended targeted vaccination of close contacts, including healthcare workers, but has warned it is already seeing a rush to stockpile vaccines. “Once again, a ‘me first’ approach could lead to damaging consequences down the road,” said Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe. “I beseech governments to tackle monkeypox without repeating the mistakes of the pandemic – and keeping equity at the heart of all we do.” (Reporting by Natalie Grover and Jennifer Rigby in London; Editing by Angus MacSwan and John Stonestreet) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Liliana Salgado (Reuters) – Arizona fire captain Kevin Goodman says his company, Escape Armour, exists for one reason: to prevent the loss of even a single child in a school shooting. Goodman, who has four children, designed a bulletproof vest that easily fits into school backpacks, so kids can have it with them at all times. It’s not the first such product, but he says his armour uses better materials. “So to be able to make something that possibly could protect a child in this kind of horrible situation some time, I mean, that’s why I do it,” he told Reuters. Goodman, who has worked as a firefighter, fire captain and fire investigator, as well as an engineer, in Arizona since 1998, took Reuters outside Phoenix city limits to demonstrate how the vest works. Using a mannequin to simulate a child, he fired several shots using a 9mm rifle, 9mm handgun and .45-caliber handgun. As he removed an armour plate from the vest – which did not let any bullets through – he commented on where each shot hit. “These two hits here would have pierced right through my heart. These on the on the right side would have gone through my right lung. And these lower ones over here, there’s two hits here, these would have easily gone through my left side lung,” Goodman said. Escape Armour offers two different products: a foldable vest that comes in three sizes and a standalone shield that makes any backpack bulletproof. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, in the deadliest U.S. school shooting in a decade. It ended when officers who had waited nearly an hour to storm the classroom shot the gunman dead. There have been at least 239 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit research group. (Editing by Gerry Doyle; Editing by Robert Birsel) View the full article

Published by AFP US President Joe Biden has regularly lambasted the oil industry for what he says is a failure to tap into already approved wells and increase output Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden on Wednesday chastised the oil industry over soaring fuel prices at the heart of 40-year high inflation, warning of unspecified emergency measures. The letter, sent to seven major oil corporations, was Biden’s most direct salvo yet in a campaign to blame the industry for stoking price increases. Average fuel prices are now $5 a gallon for drivers in the United States, up from $3 a year ago, and the spike is reverberating through the entire economy, helping to sink Biden’s approval ratings to below 40 percent. “Refinery profit margins well above normal being passed directly onto American families are not acceptable,” Biden wrote in the letter to executives from Shell, Marathon Petroleum Corp, Valero Energy Corp, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Chevron and BP. Biden said the economy is in “a time of war,” referring to the global fallout from President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions against energy exporter Russia. “My administration is prepared to use all reasonable and appropriate federal government tools and emergency authorities to increase refinery capacity and output in the near term, and to ensure that every region of this country is appropriately supplied,” Biden said, without detailing what kind of actions he could take. Biden has regularly lambasted the oil industry for what he says is a failure to tap into already approved wells and increase output. However, the letter, accompanied by a graph depicting rising producer profits, marked an escalation in the war of words. In the letter he asked for “explanation of any reduction in your refining capacity since 2020 and any concrete ideas that would address the immediate inventory, price, and refining capacity issues in the coming months — including transportation measures to get refined product to market.” “The crunch that families are facing deserves immediate action. Your companies need to work with my Administration to bring forward concrete, near-term solutions that address the crisis,” he wrote. Biden’s Democratic Party risks a heavy defeat, losing control of Congress, in November elections and polls show that fears over the economy dominate. In a fiery speech Tuesday, Biden blamed Republican obstruction in Congress and Russia’s war in Ukraine for price increases that he said are “sapping the strength of a lot of families.” The Federal Reserve was due Wednesday to raise interest rates again in an aggressive effort to tamp down inflation, amid fears that the unintended result will be recession. View the full article

Published by Al-Araby Saudi officials are seizing rainbow-coloured toys and articles of clothing from shops in the capital as part of a crackdown on homosexuality, state media reported. Targeted items include rainbow-coloured bows, skirts, hats and pencil cases, most of them apparently manufactured for young children, according to a report broadcast Tuesday evening by the state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel. “We are giving a tour of the items that contradict the Islamic faith and public morals and promote homosexual colours targeting the younger generation,” says an official from the commerce ministry, which is inv… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tom Hanks wouldn’t accept his starring role in ‘Philadelphia’ in the present day because he thinks it should be played by a gay actor. The Hollywood veteran won an Oscar for his portrayal of lawyer Andrew Beckett who takes action against his employers when he’s sacked after being struck down with AIDS – and Tom is adamant he would no longer be right for the part. He told The New York Times: “Let’s address ‘could a straight man do what I did in ‘Philadelphia’ now?’ No, and rightly so.” Tom continued: “The whole point of Philadelphia was don’t be afraid. One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man. We’re beyond that now, and I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy.” He added: “It’s not a crime, it’s not boohoo that someone would say we are going to demand more of a movie in the modern realm of authenticity.” As well as winning a Best Actor Oscar for Tom, the film also scored an Academy Award for Best Original Song for Bruce Springsteen’s track ‘Streets of Philadelphia’. Tom is not the only actor who has weighed in on the issue of straight stars playing gay roles in Hollywood – Neil Patrick Harris has insisted he doesn’t have a problem with it and actually finds it “sexy”. He told The Times: “I think there’s something sexy about casting a straight actor to play a gay role – if they’re willing to invest a lot into it. In our world that we live in you can’t really as a director demand that (an actor be a given sexual orientation). Who’s to determine how gay someone is?” The openly gay actor played a straight part in sitcom ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and insists his sexuality shouldn’t determine which roles he’s offered. Neil added: “I played a character for nine years who was nothing like me. I would definitely want to hire the best actor.” View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune The Hulu romantic comedy “Fire Island” takes Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and puts a modern gay spin on it, both fizzy and incisive about classism and racism. Margaret Cho co-stars in a role that is part den mother, part provider of vacation housing. The character was originally envisioned as a guy until she expressed interest in being part of the project. “I really wanted to be in the film as soon as I found out it was happening,” she said. She’s a longtime friend of screenwriter and star Joel Kim Booster, as well as co-star Bowen Yang. “And I’ve been going to Fire Island since 2008, s… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Travis Gettys Two of the white nationalists arrested after traveling to Idaho in a U-Haul truck have ties to a right-wing former state legislator from Washington. Mishael and Josiah Buster, two brothers from Spokane, were among 31 members of Patriot Front who traveled from various states to Coeur d’Alene, where police said they intended to provoke a violent clash during a LGBTQ+ pride event — which also drew an alternative “prayer walk” organized by former state Rep. Matt Shea, reported The Spokesman-Review. Shea, who was expelled from the House Republican caucus after he was found to have… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Natalie Grover and Emilio Parodi LONDON/MILAN (Reuters) – Fragments of the monkeypox virus have been detected in semen in a handful of patients in Italy, raising questions over whether sexual transmission of the disease is a possibility, scientists said on Monday. The monkeypox virus is understood to spread through close contact with an infected person, who may shed the virus via its hallmark skin lesions or large respiratory droplets. Many of the monkeypox cases confirmed in the current outbreak are among sexual partners who have had such close contact. However sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, chlamydia, and syphilis are understood to be caused by pathogens that pass from one person to the next specifically in semen, vaginal secretions or other bodily fluids. Researchers at the Spallanzani Institute, a Rome-based hospital and infectious disease research facility first highlighted evidence of the monkeypox virus in semen in four patients in Italy in a report on June 2. They have since identified six out of seven patients at the facility with semen containing the virus’ genetic material. In particular, a sample tested in the lab from a single patient suggested that the virus found in his semen was capable of infecting another person and replicating. This data, which is being submitted for publication, is not enough evidence to prove that the virus’ biological traits have changed, such that its mode of transmission has evolved, Francesco Vaia, the institute’s general director, told Reuters. “However … having an infectious virus in semen is a factor that tips the balance strongly in favour of the hypothesis that sexual transmission is one of the ways in which this virus is transmitted,” he said. Vaia said the World Health Organization has been notified of the latest findings. The U.N. agency was not immediately available for comment. The data comes as more than 1,300 cases of the viral disease have been reported by about 30 countries, mostly in Europe, since early May. Most cases have been reported in men who have sex with men. The outbreak has triggered concern since the virus is rarely seen outside of Africa, where it is endemic, and the majority of cases are not related to travel to the continent. Scientists are scrambling to understand what is driving the current outbreak, its origins and whether anything about the virus has changed. In a separate report published online https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1725831/v1/05f6e057-2c45-4be5-b6e1-238183ca7bac.pdf?c=1654543629 on June 6 and yet to be peer reviewed, German scientists also detected viral DNA in the semen of two patients in the country. The detection of viral DNA does not necessarily imply presence of infectious virus, said Carlos Maluquer de Motes, who runs a research group studying poxvirus biology at the University of Surrey. An analysis by UK researchers found that viral DNA from a range of different viruses, including the Zika virus, has been found in semen, but it is unclear whether the presence of genetic material increases the risk of sexual transmission. Overall, it is still not known for sure whether monkeypox is infectious through semen, added Enrico Bucci, a biologist from Temple University in Philadelphia. “It is suspected and it is very likely that it is. But there is a lack of formal evidence that will be available with further experiments in the laboratory.” (Reporting by Natalie Grover in London and Emilio Parodi in Milan; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by AFP Murder, she wrote: novelist Nancy Crampton Brophy, who penned 'How to kill your husband' has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her spouse Los Angeles (AFP) – A US writer who penned a tract entitled “How to Murder Your Husband” was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for fatally shooting her spouse. Nancy Crampton Brophy, 71, will be eligible to apply for parole in 25 years, a judge in the northwestern state of Oregon told her. Crampton Brophy’s month-long murder trial heard how the author had used a gun barrel bought on eBay to kill her husband in the hope of collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in life insurance. The weapon, which she claimed had been acquired as research for a new novel, has never been found. Chef Daniel Brophy was found on the floor of a classroom in a now-defunct culinary institute where he worked, in June 2018. He had been shot twice. CCTV footage showed his wife driving in the area at the time. The author, whose “Wrong Never Felt So Right” series of novels include “The Wrong Husband” and “The Wrong Lover,” claimed she had no memory of being there, but surmised that she would have been in the neighborhood trying to get inspiration for a new work of fiction. Crampton Brophy, whose lawyers said last month they would appeal the verdict, denied the murder, insisting that years of financial struggle were behind the couple and that she had no reason to kill her husband. “Where is the motivation? I would ask you,” Crampton Brophy said as she sparred with the prosecutor during her trial. “An editor would laugh and say, ‘I think you need to work harder on this story, you have a big hole in it.'” Her blog post “How to kill your husband,” which is still readily available online, discusses methods and motivations for dispatching an unwanted spouse. These include financial gain and the use of a firearm, although it notes guns are “loud, messy, require some skill.” “But the thing I know about murder is that every one of us have it in him/her when pushed far enough,” the essay says. View the full article

Published by AFP Alopecia, which is driven by the immune system attacking hair follicles, has recently come to the fore through high profile cases including Hollywood actress Jada Pinkett Smith, pictured here with her husband Will Smith Washington (AFP) – The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a drug called baricitinib as the first oral tablet for treating severe alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder affecting more than 300,000 people in the United States every year. Alopecia causes either temporary or permanent patchy hair loss that can affect any hair-bearing site of the body, leading to emotional distress. The condition has come to the fore recently through high-profile cases including Hollywood actress Jada Pinkett Smith and congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. “Access to safe and effective treatment options is crucial for the significant number of Americans affected by severe alopecia,” said FDA official Kendall Marcus in a statement. “Today’s approval will help fulfill a significant unmet need for patients with severe alopecia areata.” Baricitinib, which is made by US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and known by the trade name Olumiant, belongs to a class of drugs called Janus kinase inhibitors. It works by interfering with the cellular pathway that leads to inflammation. Its approval for use against alopecia was based on the results of two randomized, controlled clinical trials involving a total 1,200 adults with severe alopecia. Each trial split participants into three groups: a placebo group, a group that received a two-milligram dose every day, and a group that received a four-milligram dose every day. After 36 weeks, almost 40 percent of those on the higher dose grew back 80 percent of their scalp hair, compared to around 23 percent of the lower dose group, and five percent of the placebo group. Around 45 percent of people in the higher dose group also saw significant eyebrow and eyelash regrowth. The most common side effects included upper respiratory tract infections, headaches, acne, high cholesterol, and increase of an enzyme called creatine phosphokinase. Prior treatments for alopecia included topical or oral drugs, but these have been considered experimental and none was approved. Baricitinib was previously approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and during the Covid pandemic its license was extended to the treatment of hospitalized Covid patients. View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti announced he is ready to plead guilty to criminal charges and face a judge for his sentencing, According to court records obtained by Radar Online, Avenatti asked a federal judge in California for a hearing to change his plea and request sentencing. The documents state that he plans to plead guilty to multiple charges, though it does not specify which ones. Without knowing which charges he plans to admit to, its unclear how long Avenatti faces spending in prison. MEGA Avenatti plans to plead “open,” which means he plans to plea without the promises of a set punishment. While Avenatti had a court hearing scheduled for later this week, he has requested a telephone hearing to change his pleas. Avenatti and his rep say they have tried to make a deal with federal prosecutors, including ramped up efforts in the last 30 days, they have yet to reach an agreement, the documents state. MEGA “Mr. Avenatti wishes to plea in order to be accountable accept responsibility; avoid his former clients being further burdened; save the Court and the government significant resources; and save his family further embarrassment,” court paperwork read. Prosecutors claimed that between 2015 and 2019, Avenatti stole more than $10 million from clients. Recently, Avenatti has learned his prison sentence in other case. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for threats made against Nike. He was also sentenced to four years in prison for taking money from Stormy Daniels. MEGA Daniels, a former porn star and mistress to ex-President Donald Trump, and Avenatti gained national attention early in the Trump campaign for detailing their escapades. But the friendship between Daniels and Avenatti soured, and he diverted $300,000 worth of payments to himself. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, had claimed she received $130,000 from Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for keeping quiet about sexual encounters she had with Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied those claims. According to Reuters, Avenatti freed Daniels from her nondisclosure agreement with Trump. View the full article

Published by AFP Thousands of gun control advocates join the Washington (AFP) – Two horrific massacres in recent weeks have succeeded in bringing Democrats and Republicans close to the most significant federal legislation addressing US gun violence in three decades. Twenty senators — 10 from each party — reached a deal Sunday to put through legislation that would tighten some rules on gun sales and put more resources toward mental health treatment. The 10 Republicans are just enough to ensure that the legislation could overcome Senate rules that have allowed the party since the 1990s to block almost every single measure aimed at controlling the flood of personal firearms on the US market. Their agreement comes less than a month after two shocking mass shootings: first, when 10 African Americans were killed on May 14 at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and then less than two weeks later when 19 children and two teachers were shot and killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Those tragedies also brought into focus smaller, but more frequent instances of gun violence across the United States. Chris Coons, a Senate Democrat who led the chamber’s bipartisan effort, said the legislation could be introduced within days and possibly passed in early July. “In the wake of the horrifying recent shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and across the country, Americans have demanded that the Senate take meaningful steps forward on this issue,” said Coons. “This framework will save lives. If it becomes law, it will lower the risks of mass shootings, of lethal domestic violence incidents, of violence we see too frequently on our streets.” Modest measures The senators’ agreed measures are modest, and far short of what US President Joe Biden called for following last month’s tragic killings. They include: Enhanced background checks for people under 21 buying a gun, allowing a review of juvenile crime and mental health records Funding and incentives for states to pass “red flag” laws to keep guns out of the hands of people deemed a danger to themselves or society, and perpetrators of domestic abuse Tougher penalties for “straw purchasers” of guns for others that feed illegal firearms trafficking Closing loopholes on gun dealer regulations Federal support for state investments in school security and mental health programs But they did not approach demands from gun control advocates, including an outright ban on assault rifles, as was in place from 1994 to 2004, a ban on gun sales to people under 21, mandatory waiting periods in all gun purchases, and bans on high-capacity magazines. Both the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings were by 18-year-olds using high-powered AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles. Moreover, whatever gains that come with the legislation could be dealt a setback by a Supreme Court ruling due this month that could overturn state restrictions on carrying guns in public. ‘Breaking the logjam’ – Even so, gun control advocates cheered the measures, recognizing the potential for a significant shift towards breaking the gun industry’s stranglehold. “We applaud this historic step forward for gun violence prevention — one born out of the recognition that this nation needs change and action to save American lives from preventable gun violence,” said Kris Brown, president of the Brady: United Against Gun Violence group. “We’re breaking the logjam in Congress and proving that gun safety isn’t just good policy -– it’s good politics,” said Shannon Watts, founder of the group Moms Demand Action. Narrow political margin Yet supporters were not fully confident the measures will pass, knowing that the legislation could be blocked if fewer than 10 of the Senate’s 50 Republicans support it. Working in their favor is that none of the 10 Republicans who agreed to the deal Sunday are standing for reelection in November. Four are retiring, and five won’t face reelection until 2026; one other faces reelection in 2024. The 20 senators “are committed to each other and to this project,” said Coons. But the National Rifle Association, which has wielded powerful influence over Republicans for decades, made clear their fundamental opposition. “NRA will continue to oppose any effort to insert gun control policies, initiatives that override constitutional due process protections and efforts to deprive law-abiding citizens of their fundamental right to protect themselves into this or any legislation,” the group said. David Hogg, leader of anti-gun violence group March For Our Lives and himself a school shooting survivor, called for action to counter the NRA’s political pressure. “We’re going to need a lot of gun owners to speak out and let these Republican senators know that they are supported, that the NRA speaks only for the NRA and not the majority of responsible, voting gun owners,” he said. View the full article

Published by AFP The House panel probing the US Capitol riot holds its second public hearing in Washington on June 13, 2022 Washington (AFP) – Donald Trump deluged aides with wild voter fraud conspiracy theories after losing the 2020 US election, his top law-enforcement official said in testimony revealed Monday by a congressional probe which the ex-president branded a “mockery of justice.” Appearing in a pre-recorded deposition at a congressional hearing into the 2021 assault on the US Capitol, former attorney general Bill Barr described his then-boss as having no interest in the facts that debunked his groundless narrative. “I was demoralized because I thought, boy… he’s become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff,” Barr told the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection by supporters of Trump. “When I went into this and would tell him how crazy some of these allegations were, there was never an indication of interest in the actual facts,” said Barr, who likened addressing Trump’s avalanche of false allegations with playing the game “whack-a-mole.” The panel is holding six hearings throughout June to outline its case that the riot at the seat of US democracy in Washington was the culmination of a seven-step conspiracy by Trump and his inner circle to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden. Trump ignored repeated warnings from top aides against falsely claiming the November 2020 election was stolen, according to testimony unveiled by the panel. “We will tell the story of how Donald Trump lost the election — and knew he lost the election — and as a result of his loss, decided to wage an attack on our democracy,” the committee’s Democratic chairman Bennie Thompson said in his opening remarks. Trump released his first extended reaction to the probe Monday evening, with a rambling 12-page statement in which he called the panel a “mockery of justice” and a “Kangaroo Court hoping to distract the American people from the great pain they are experiencing.” The second of six planned hearings was shown videotaped accounts from the former president’s advisors, including Barr and campaign manager Bill Stepien, saying they repeatedly counseled him not to declare victory on election night because he hadn’t won — but that Trump went ahead anyway. “He thought I was wrong, he told me so, and that they were going to go in a different direction,” Stepien said. ‘Far flung conspiracies’ Thompson’s deputy on the panel, Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney, said Trump chose to listen to the advice of “apparently inebriated” former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani “to just claim he won, and insist that the vote counting stop — to falsely claim everything was fraudulent.” Trump started pushing what came to be known as his “Big Lie” around 2:30 am on November 4, 2020, prematurely declaring victory on the night of an election he ultimately lost to Biden by seven million votes. Barr said in his testimony that Trump claimed major fraud “right out of the box on election night… before there was actually any potential of looking at evidence.” Giuliani and associates including the lawyer Sidney Powell would go on to push debunked theories of massive voter fraud that put them at odds with the White House lawyers Stepien referred to as “Team Normal.” Cheney highlighted “far-flung conspiracies” — dismissed as “nonsense” by Barr — of fraud involving voting machines “with a deceased Venezuelan Communist allegedly pulling the strings.” Trump repeated a number of unfounded claims in his statement late Monday. “Democrats created the narrative of January 6th to detract from the much larger and more important truth that the 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen,” he said. ‘Big rip-off’ The committee says the initial claim of fraud grew quickly into a conspiracy to cling to power by Trump and his inner circle — and a fundraising campaign that raised $250 million between election night and the Capitol insurrection. The committee’s senior investigative counsel Amanda Wick said much of the cash was funneled into a political action committee that made donations to pro-Trump organizations. “As early as April 2020, Mr Trump claimed that the only way he could lose an election would be as a result of fraud,” Democratic panel member Zoe Lofgren said. “The big lie was also a big rip-off,” she said, promising to show how the Trump campaign raised hundreds of millions of dollars from supporters who were falsely led to believe their donations would be used for the legal fight over fraud claims. All but one of the 62 lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign were dismissed — the vast majority by Republican-appointed judges — while the one that was upheld didn’t affect the outcome. Powell filed four federal lawsuits in staunchly Democratic cities that were all rejected as frivolous and, in Detroit, a judge ordered that she face sanctions for a “historic and profound abuse of the judicial process.” The panel ended the hearing by returning to the Capitol riot, showing footage of mob participants explaining how Trump’s voter fraud claims had motivated their actions. “I know exactly what’s going on right now. Fake election,” one said. View the full article