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Published by Reuters By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump’s efforts to punish his perceived enemies will be tested in South Carolina on Tuesday as Republican U.S. Representatives Tom Rice and Nancy Mace try to fend off Trump-backed primary election challengers. In Nevada, Trump-endorsed Republican Adam Laxalt is seeking his party’s nomination for a crucial U.S. Senate race in this year’s midterm elections. Republican Jim Marchant, who falsely claims the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, is vying for a chance to become the state’s top election official. Voters also go to the polls in Maine and North Dakota to choose party nominees to compete in the November general election. With Democratic President Joe Biden slumping in the polls and soaring inflation souring voters’ moods, Republicans are expected to win control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. That would bring Biden’s legislative agenda to a halt and give Republicans the power to launch investigations that could be politically damaging. Rice, a five-term South Carolina incumbent who was one of 10 Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, is seeking reelection against a crowded field of contenders that includes Trump-backed challenger Russell Fry, a state legislator. Mace, a first-term incumbent, drew Trump’s ire by refusing to back Republican efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results and then breaking party ranks to hold his former adviser, Steve Bannon, in contempt of Congress. She is defending her seat against Trump-endorsed Katie Arrington, a former state lawmaker. Arrington won the same district’s 2018 Republican primary only to lose in the general election to Democrat Joe Cunningham, who in turn lost to Mace in 2020. Rice and Mace each need to more than 50% of Tuesday’s vote to avoid a June 28 run-off. Whoever ultimately wins the two Republican contests will likely be elected to Congress in November. The results will be watched as a measure of Trump’s continued influence over the Republican Party as he hints at another run for the White House in 2024. His endorsees so far have had mixed success in battleground states including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina. KEY NEVADA CONTESTS Republicans in Nevada are looking to pick up the Senate seat held by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the 2022 midterm campaign. Adam Laxalt, a former state attorney general, leads a crowded field of Republican primary contenders. He holds a 15-point advantage over his nearest rival, political newcomer Sam Brown, according to a May poll by the Nevada Independent. Laxalt is the son of former New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici and the grandson of former Nevada governor and U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt. In Nevada’s secretary of state contest, Marchant, a former state legislator, is vying for the party nomination to oversee the 2024 presidential election against six other Republican candidates. He has received endorsements from high-profile conservatives, including former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and pro-Trump businessman Mike Lindell. Among 2020 election deniers running for election posts across the country, Marchant has distinguished himself by claiming that elections have been rigged for decades and by arguing that electronic voting machines should be replaced by paper ballots. He blamed his own 2020 U.S. House loss to Democratic Representative Steven Horsford on election fraud. Republicans also will select nominees to run against three vulnerable House Democrats from Nevada – Horsford, Dina Titus and Susie Lee. Titus, who entered Congress in 2009, faces a challenge for her party nomination from progressive Democrat Amy Vilela, who is endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders. The Republican field in Titus’ district includes former Nevada Trump campaign aide Carolina Serrano, retired Army Colonel Mark Robertson and pro-Israel activist David Brog. Brog is endorsed by Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In Maine, Paul LePage, whose turbulent eight years as the state’s governor foreshadowed Trump’s rise, is running unopposed for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Governor Janet Mills in November. LePage, who once described himself as “Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular,” was widely criticized as governor for his inflammatory remarks on a host of topics from immigration, the environment and LGBTQ issues to abortion and voting rights. He left office with an approval rating below 40%. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by AFP Police in the US state of Idaho say they have been getting death threats since arresting 31 alleged white nationalists at the weekend Los Angeles (AFP) – Police in the US state of Idaho have received death threats after arresting 31 members of a white supremacist group who were preparing to riot at a weekend Pride event, an officer said Monday. The arrests were made Saturday after someone called 911 to warn about masked men who “looked like a little army” climbing into a truck and seemingly headed to the LGBTQ event at a park in the northwestern state. The men — who police believe are linked to US far-right cell Patriot Front — were intercepted before they could reach Coeur d’Alene City Park. They were armed with “shields, shin guards and other riot gear… including at least one smoke grenade,” and were arrested for conspiracy to riot, said Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White. At a Monday press conference, White said half of around 150 calls received by his department since the arrests were from anonymous people wanting to “scream and yell at us” and “offer death threats against myself and other members of the police department, merely for doing our jobs.” White attributed the abusive calls to “hate groups from outside” Coeur d’Alene, with one person phoning from Norway to “give us their opinions.” The police chief said he and his department had been surprised by “the level of preparation that we saw” and by the “equipment that was carried and worn by those individuals.” “It was very clear to us immediately that this was a riotous group” with “some ill intent,” he added. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a justice and rights body which tracks extremist organizations, has labeled Patriot Front a white nationalist hate group. White said the arrested men came from at least 11 different US states, and that he had not previously encountered the Patriot Front in the area. The remote hills of northern Idaho were long associated with Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi group which hoped to establish a separate white-only region, and was tied to numerous violent crimes across the United States. But Mayor Jim Hammond said the area was “not going back to the days of the Aryan Nations” and was “able to completely rid ourselves of that group and the kind of awful culture that they were trying to present to our community.” An FBI spokeswoman told AFP that federal officers were assisting local authorities. “If, in the course of the investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate,” said Sandra Barker via email. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Walt Disney Co has been unable to obtain permission to show its new Pixar movie “Lightyear” in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries, a source said on Monday, and the animated film appeared unlikely to open in China, the world’s largest movie market. A “Lightyear” producer told Reuters that authorities in China had asked for cuts to the movie, which Disney declined to make, and she assumed the movie would not open there either. The animated film depicts a same-sex couple who share a brief kiss, which prompted the United Arab Emirates to ban the film. The United Arab Emirates said the couple’s relationship violated the country’s media content standards. Homosexuality is considered criminal in many Middle Eastern countries. Representatives of other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Lebanon, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why they would not allow the film to be exhibited. “Lightyear” is a prequel to Pixar’s acclaimed “Toy Story” franchise. Chris Evans voices the lead character, Buzz Lightyear, a legendary space ranger. In the film, Buzz’s close friend is a female space ranger who marries another woman. A scene showing milestones in the couple’s relationship includes a brief kiss. Disney has not received an answer from Chinese authorities on whether they would allow the film in cinemas, “Lightyear” producer Galyn Susman said. But she said filmmakers would not make changes to the movie. China has rejected other on-screen depictions of homosexuality in the past. “We’re not going to cut out anything, especially something as important as the loving and inspirational relationship that shows Buzz what he’s missing by the choices that he’s making, so that’s not getting cut,” Susman told Reuters at the movie’s red-carpet premiere in London. China is not a “make or break” market for Pixar, one theater industry source said. It contributed a mere 3% to the global box office for “Toy Story 4,” which grossed more than $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales in 2019, according to Comscore. Any objections to “Lightyear” over LGBTQ issues were “frustrating,” Evans said. “It’s great that we are a part of something that’s making steps forward in the social inclusion capacity, but it’s frustrating that there are still places that aren’t where they should be,” Evans said. “Lightyear” is set to debut in theaters in the United States and Canada on Friday. In May, Disney refused requests to cut same-sex references in Marvel movie “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.” Saudi Arabia and a handful of other Middle Eastern countries did not show the film. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski; Additional reporting by Kristian Brunse in London; Editing by Richard Chang) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tom Hiddleston has declared the Marvel universe “has to reflect the world we live in” and says Loki coming out as bisexual is a “small step” forward. The actor has played the anti-hero in a number of Marvel films and a recent TV spin-off in which Loki reveals he’s had love affairs with both men and women – and Tom says he felt “honoured” to have been able to bring that aspect of the character to the screen. He told Variety: “Back from my early days of researching the character in the ancient myths, the identity of Loki was fluid in every aspect and in gender, in sexuality. “It’s a very ancient part of the character and I think I thought about it … It hadn’t emerged in the stories we’ve told. And I was really pleased and privileged, actually, that it’s came up in the series.” Tom went to add: “It’s a small step. There’s so much more to do. But the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to reflect the world we live in. So it was an honour to bring that up. It was really important to me. It was really important to (director) Kate Herron and (showrunner) Michael Waldron, and I’m pleased that we could bring it into our story.” The character’s sexuality was mentioned in the third episode of Disney+ series Loki in a conversation with a female version of himself played by Sophia Di Martino. Loki’s romantic past with both princes and princesses was brought up in a single line of dialogue which sparked criticism from some who claimed it should have been explored further. Among the critics was ‘Doctor Who’ boss Russell T. Davies, who slammed the move as “pathetic” during a recent panel discussion. He told the audience: “I think that’s a very great worry. ‘Loki’ makes one reference to being bisexual once, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh my god, it’s like a pansexual show.’ It’s like one word. He said the word ‘prince,’ and we’re meant to go, ‘Thank you, Disney! Aren’t you marvelous?’ “It’s pathetic. It’s a ridiculous, craven, feeble gesture towards the vital politics and the stories that should be told.” Director Kate Herron later responded to Davies’ criticism, telling Variety: “I don’t disagree that there should be bigger stories being told, but – and I think he has a right to his opinion – I’m very proud of what we did in the show. Russell is a hero of mine, but like I’ve said, I hope that we did at least open the door and that more stories will come.” View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Thirty-one members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front were expected to appear in an Idaho court on Monday for an arraignment following their weekend arrest on suspicion of plotting to violently disrupt an LGBTQ pride event. The men, arrested on Saturday after the U-Haul rental truck they were riding in was pulled over, face misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot and possibly additional offenses, according to Lee White, the police chief in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. A local resident called authorities after spotting the group of men, all dressed alike with white gaiter-style masks and carrying shields, loading themselves into the truck “like a little army,” White told reporters following the arrests. He said the truck was stopped by police about 10 minutes after the call a short distance from the “Pride in the Park” event in Coeur d’Alene, an Idaho Panhandle city about 380 miles north of the capital, Boise, and about 36 miles east of Spokane, Washington. Video taken at the scene of the arrest and posted online showed a group of men in police custody, kneeling next to the truck with their hands bound, wearing similar khaki pants, blue shirts, white masks and baseball caps. Police officers seized at least one smoke grenade, a collection of shields and shin guards and documents that included an “operations plan” from the truck, all of which made their intentions clear, White said. “They came to riot downtown,” he said. The men had come from at least 11 states across the country, White said, including Texas, Colorado and Virginia. The Patriot Front formed in the aftermath of the 2017 white nationalist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, breaking off from another extremist group, Vanguard America, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. Saturday’s pride event, described by organizers as the largest ever seen in North Idaho, drew a crowd of several hundred people for festivities that included a talent show and drag queen dance hour, local media reported. KREM-TV in Spokane reported several smaller groups turned out to protest the gathering, with dozens of individuals seen carrying guns on the fringe of the park in what organizers said was an attempt to intimidate those attending the LGBTQ event. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Chris Reese) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine (Reuters) – “A Strange Loop,” the story of a Black gay man and his mental struggles as a playwright, won the Tony award on Sunday for best new musical as Broadway honored its first season since the long pandemic shutdown. “The Lehman Trilogy,” about the rise and fall of investment firm Lehman Brothers, took the best new play honor at a live ceremony held at Radio City Music Hall in New York. “Strange Loop” triumphed over “MJ,” a crowd-pleasing musical about Michael Jackson. Star Myles Frost won best actor in a musical for playing the King of Pop. Being on stage to accept the Tony felt like a “miracle,” said Ben Power, the writer of “Lehman Trilogy”, after COVID-19 halted preview shows of the play for 577 days. “In New York, even after everything, even after today, anything is possible,” Power said, adding that the play had been written as “a hymn to the city of New York.” “Strange Loop” writer Michael R. Jackson based the musical on his own internal doubts as well as external obstacles as he tried to pen a Broadway show. “I just wanted to create a little bit of a life raft for myself as a Black gay man,” he said. Best actor winner Frost addressed his mother in the audience as he accepted his award for “MJ.” “Mom, I made it,” he said, and thanked her for bringing him up to be a “strong Black man.” For best revival of a musical, voters honored “Company,” the final project backed by composer and theater legend Stephen Sondheim, who died in November. The new “Company” reverses the gender roles of the original, which centered on a single man considering his life choices as he turned 35. Producer Chris Harper thanked Sondheim “for letting us re-imagine the classic musical.” “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda introduced a tribute to Sondheim, saluting his “immortal” songs and lyrics and his mentorship of younger artists, including Miranda himself. The three-hour telecast of the awards event featured a slew of performances from nominated shows, to help entice audiences back to theaters. Hugh Jackman sang “76 Trombones” from “The Music Man” while Mare Winningham performed Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” featured in the musical “Girl from the North Country.” Michael Jackson’s children, Prince and Paris, introduced a rendition of “Smooth Criminal” by the “MJ” cast. Patti LuPone won her third Tony award, for a supporting role in “Company.” She thanked “all of the COVID safety people” for making Broadway’s return possible. In the audience were 150 COVID-19 safety managers who had kept shows running. Simon Russell Beale, the star of “Lehman Trilogy”, won the Tony for lead actor in a play. Joaquina Kalukango took best actress in a musical for playing a 19th-century tavern owner in race relations story “Paradise Square.” “I give thanks to all of the nameless ancestors who have suffered. This show gives power to them,” Kalukango said. Sunday’s Tonys were the 75th edition and the ceremony honored some of Broadway’s biggest hits over the decades. Host Ariana DeBose opened it with a medley honoring shows from “Cabaret” to “Wicked,” “The Wiz” and “Hamilton.” She and others at the ceremony welcomed the industry’s efforts to diversify the stories and casts on stage. “I’m so proud that the theater is becoming more reflective of the community that adores it,” said DeBose, the Oscar-winning Afro-Latina star of “West Side Story.” Best play revival went to “Take Me Out,” the story of a gay baseball player. Deirde O’Connell, who won the Tony for lead actress in a play for “Dana H,” urged aspiring writers to “make the weird art.” (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) View the full article

Published by AFP Ariana DeBose, the master of ceremonies for the 75th Tony Awards, at Radio City Music Hall in New York on June 12, 2022 New York (AFP) – A musical about a Black and queer author won a top prize at the Broadway awards in New York on Sunday, while a play about Lehman Brothers and a Michael Jackson biopic also triumphed at the Oscars of the theater. The 75th Tony Awards concluded a season of renewal for the theaters of the American cultural capital, which reopened in the fall of 2021 after 18 months of closure because of Covid-19. Wall Street finance story “The Lehman Trilogy” emerged victorious with five awards, including best play, best actor (Simon Russell Beale) and best director (Sam Mendes). The play by Italian Stefano Massini follows the long life of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers, founded in the 19th century by three German immigrant brothers, whose collapse in 2008 triggered a global financial crisis. “MJ the Musical,” a successful biopic on Michael Jackson, which received the assent of his heirs and a mixed reception from critics because it virtually ignores the accusations of child abuse against the “King of Pop,” won four awards, including that of best actor in a musical for Myles Frost. Two of the children of the star who died in 2009 at age 50, Paris and Prince Jackson, made an appearance on stage. “A Strange Loop,” a favorite with 11 nominations, ultimately won two Tonys, including the most prestigious best musical and best libretto for its author, Michael R. Jackson — no relation to the “King of Pop.” ‘Life raft’ The musical tells the story of the torments of a theater usher, an aspiring artist, Black and queer like Michael R. Jackson, who wants to become a Broadway writer. “I felt unseen. I felt unheard. I felt misunderstood. And I just wanted to create a little bit of a life raft for myself as a black gay man,” the artist, wrapped in a large fuchsia cape, recounted to a standing ovation. Upon his arrival on the stage of Radio City Music Hall, the mistress of ceremony Ariana DeBose, Oscar winner for her role as Anita in the remake of “West Side Story,” said she was “proud” of Broadway’s efforts to be more open to diversity. After the pandemic and the death of George Floyd, an African-American killed by police in June 2020, provoking a broad movement against racism in the United States, Broadway reopened in the fall of 2021 with seven plays or musicals written by black authors, the first time this has ever happened. “There have been incremental changes, but the work continues,” said the singer and actor Darius de Haas, one of the founders of Black Theatre United, which advocates for a more diverse representation in American theaters. “Producers and theater owners have opened their eyes and seen that they can not only have stories that reflect more diversity on Broadway, but also that it can work economically.” Located around the bustling Times Square, the 41 Broadway theaters are not only the stuff of New York City legend, but also one of its cultural, economic and tourist lungs. Before the pandemic, revenues easily exceeded $30 million per week, and $50 million for the week of Christmas. This 2021-2022 season has been disrupted again, but Broadway is back in the black, with 230,000 patrons last week, compared to about 300,000 the equivalent week in 2019. View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Sarah K. Burris A San Francisco library’s drag queen story time was attacked by men purporting to be affiliated with the Proud Boys militia. SFGate reported over the weekend that as LGBTQ+ pride takes place around the country, one of those events turned into a homophobic and transphobic attack. Police told the site that Panda Dulce, a local drag performer, was reading at the San Lorenzo Library when “a group of 8-10 Proud Boys” came into the room shouting and threatening those there. They wrote that the group was forced to leave, and that Panda Dulce was forced to hide in a back office with… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Ron, be gone! That was the message Sunday from dozens of LGBTQ rights activists and local elected officials outraged over Chelsea Piers’ decision to host a conservative conference featuring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Amid chants of “Shame!” and calls for a boycott they voiced their fury over Chelsea Piers’ refusal to cancel the event and denounced DeSantis for his support of the so-called “don’t say gay” bill in his home state. “It is unacceptable that Chelsea Piers has not canceled a speech by the most anti-LGBTQ public official in America,” said state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Dem who … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Cattrall will star as a make-up mogul in a new Netflix series. The 65-year-old actress – who is best known for playing Samantha Jones in ‘Sex and the City’ – will play a starring role in ‘Glamorous’, which is due to begin shooting in Toronto in July. Kim will appear alongside YouTuber Miss Benny, who is playing the part of Marco Mejia, a gender non-conforming queer person. The ten-episode series is being written and executive produced by Jordon Nardino, according to Variety, which reports that Damon Wayans Jr. and Kameron Tarlow of Two Shakes Entertainment will also executive produce the project. ‘Glamorous’ was originally ordered as a pilot at The CW in 2019, but it’s now been picked up by Netflix. Meanwhile, Michael Patrick King recently confirmed that Samantha Jones will feature in season two of ‘And Just Like That…’, the ‘Sex and the City’ revival series. Kim didn’t appear in season one of the HBO Max show, but her iconic character will play a part in the upcoming episodes. Kim isn’t expected to reprise her role on screen, but she recently insisted Samantha will “live forever”. The actress – who starred in ‘Sex and the City’ alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon – remains proud of the character and is confident that her legacy will live on for years to come. She said: “I think the character of Samantha was awakened 25 years ago and she will live forever. “She’s your best friend, and she’s someone who will tell you the truth. Because she’s been there and done that. “I love her so much. But she lives in a time and a place, and I honour that.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Dozens of members of the white supremacy group Patriot Front were arrested just outside of an Idaho LGBTQ+ “Pride in the Park” event on Saturday, June 11. The group was found hidden inside of the back of a U-Haul with riot gear. All of the members were dressed in matching ensembles made up of khaki pants, dark blue shirts, light brown hats and white balaclavas hiding their faces. They also wore arm patches and logos identifying themselves as members of the neo-fascist group. U-Haul Truck – not truck involved in arrestsmega Coeur d´Alene Police Chief Lee White stopped the moving truck and arrested the people involved before they could reach the event after police received a tip that “it looked like a little army was loading up” into a U-Haul earlier that afternoon. White confirmed the arrests in a news conference, adding the authorities were also able to find “operations plans”, shin guards and shields in the back of the truck. “It is clear to us based on the gear that the individuals had with them, the stuff they had in their possession and in the U-Haul with them, along with paperwork that was seized from them, that they came to riot downtown,” he continued. White also noted the suspects were identified as coming from all over the United States, including: Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia, Arkansas, and one from Idaho, and all had ties to the same white supremacy organization. Patriot Front is widely described as a “white nationalist hate group” that was started after the “Unite the Right” rallies in Charlottesville back in 2017. All 31 people were charged with “conspiracy to riot.” Their arraignment is scheduled for Monday, June 13. mega “Law enforcement really came through today, and I think this is a really important message and also a healing message that’s needed in this country,” Jessica Mahuron, the outreach director at the North Idaho Pride Alliance, said per NPR. “I know that a lot of law enforcement members actually had to delay their vacations and this was stressful on all throughout the city.” View the full article

Published by The Street By Luc Olinga The CEO of Tesla intervenes more and more in all societal debates and does not hesitate to take controversial positions. Elon Musk loves lighting fires. The CEO of Tesla (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc. Report thus uses his Twitter account, which has nearly 98 million followers, to express himself both on urgent matters and on hot societal issues. For several months now, the billionaire entrepreneur has taken a stand on almost all the debates dividing the country. Recently, it was on the issue of guns that Musk spoke out after the mass shooting that killed nineteen children and two adults… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax (Reuters) – Police in northwest Idaho arrested more than two dozen members of a white nationalist group on Saturday and charged them with planning to stage a riot near a LGBTQ pride event, authorities said. Lee White, police chief in the city of Coeur D’Alene, told reporters 31 members of Patriot Front face misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot and additional charges could come later. A local resident spotted the men, wearing white masks and carrying shields, getting into a U-Haul truck and called police, telling the emergency dispatcher it “looked like a little army,” according to White. Police pulled the truck over about 10 minutes after the call. Video taken at the scene of the arrest and posted online showed about 20 men kneeling next to the truck with their hands bound, wearing similar khaki pants, blue shirts, white masks and baseball caps. Police recovered at least one smoke grenade and documents that included an “operations plan” from the truck, as well as shields and shin guards, all of which made their intentions clear, White said. “They came to riot downtown,” he said. The men come from at least 11 states, White said, including Texas, Colorado and Virginia. Patriot Front formed in the aftermath of the 2017 white nationalist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, when it broke off from another extremist organization, Vanguard America, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by The Street By Luc Olinga The founder of Twitter has long advocated for a democratic internet with users who control their data. Twitter (TWTR) – Get Twitter Inc. Report seems to be behind him. If Jack Dorsey, the founder and former CEO of the microblogging website continues to monitor behind the scenes the eventful acquisition of the platform for $44 billion by his friend and fellow billionaire Elon Musk, he’s being quiet about it. Instead, the entrepreneur has decided to finally take action to which is one of his latest fights. Dorsey wants a new and decentralized internet. The emergence of the blockcha… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Natalia Zinets and Max Hunder KYIV (Reuters) – Russian forces have blown up a bridge linking the embattled Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk to another city across the river, cutting off a possible evacuation route for civilians, local officials said on Sunday. Sievierodonetsk has become the epicentre of the battle for control over Ukraine’s eastern region of Donbas. Parts of the city have been pulverised in some of the bloodiest fighting since the Kremlin unleashed its invasion on Feb. 24. Ukrainian and Russian forces were still fighting street-by-street there on Sunday, the governor of Luhansk province, Serhiy Gaidai, said. Russian forces have taken most of the city but Ukrainian troops remain in control of an industrial area and chemical plant where hundreds of civilians are sheltering. But the Russians had destroyed a bridge over the Siverskyi Donets River linking Sievierodonetsk with its twin city of Lysychansk, Gaidai said. That leaves just one of three bridges still standing, and reduces the number of routes that could be used to evacuate civilians or for Ukrainian troops to withdraw to positions on the western side of the river. In Lysychansk itself, Russian shelling killed one woman and destroyed four houses and a shopping centre, Gaidai said. The head of the Sievierodonetsk administration said a little more than a third of the city remained under the control of Ukrainian forces and about two-thirds were in Russian hands. “Our (forces) are holding the defensive line strongly,” Oleksandr Stryuk told national TV. ACROSS THE RIVER After being forced to scale back its initial campaign goals following its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has turned its attention to expanding control in the Donbas, where pro-Russian separatists have held a swathe of territory since 2014. Sievierodonetsk is the last city in Donbas’s Luhansk province still held by Ukraine and its loss would be significant strategic blow. Victory for the Russians would move them a big step closer to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stated goals in what he calls a “special military operation”. Elsewhere, Russian cruise missiles destroyed a large depot containing U.S. and European weapons in western Ukraine’s Ternopil region, Russia’s Interfax agency reported. Ternopil’s governor said rockets fired from the Black Sea at the city of Chortkiv had partly destroyed a military facility and injured 22 people. A local official said there were no weapons stored there. Reuters could not independently confirm the differing accounts. Moscow has repeatedly criticised the United States and other nations for supplying Ukraine with weapons. Putin said earlier this month that Russia would strike new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile rocket systems. Ukrainian leaders have renewed pleas to Western countries in recent days to speed up deliveries of heavy weapons as Russian artillery pounds the east of the country. To the south and southwest of Sievierodonetsk, Russian forces were firing mortars and artillery around a number of settlements, according to Ukraine’s general staff. But it said Ukrainian forces had repulsed Russian attempts to advance towards some communities. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports. Ukrainian forces have proven more resilient than expected, but the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said that as they use the last of their stocks of Soviet-era weapons and munitions, they will require consistent Western support. Putin says Russia’s actions aim to disarm and “denazify” Ukraine. Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked war of aggression to capture territory. Also on Sunday, the leader of the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region in the Donbas said there was no reason to pardon two British nationals who were sentenced to death last week after being captured while fighting for Ukraine. A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic on Thursday found Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner – and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun – guilty of “mercenary activities” seeking to overthrow the republic. Britain says Aslin and Pinner were regular soldiers and should be exempt under the Geneva Conventions from prosecution for participation in hostilities. The separatists say they committed grave crimes and have a month to appeal. “I don’t see any grounds, prerequisites, for me to come out with such a decision on a pardon,” Denis Pushilin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. Aslin’s family said he and Pinner “are not, and never were, mercenaries”. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk, Additional reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Kim Coghill and Angus MacSwan; Editing by William Mallard and Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by Reuters UK WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators announced on Sunday that it has agreed on a framework for potential legislation on gun safety including support for state “red flag” laws, tougher background checks for firearms buyers under 21 and a crackdown on a practice called “straw purchases.” “Our plan saves lives while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans,” the group, led by Democrat Chris Murphy and Republican John Cornyn, said in a statement. “We look forward to earning broad, bipartisan support and passing our commonsense proposal into law.” The… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP A Missouri woman said she had contracted HPV during unprotected sexual encounters in her partner’s vehicle despite him Los Angeles (AFP) – A US woman who contracted a sexually transmitted disease from her partner during romantic encounters in his car has been awarded $5.2 million in damages from his vehicle insurance company. The woman in the state of Missouri successfully claimed her partner had negligently infected her with HPV, and that his policy covered her for “injuries and losses.” Referred to in court documents only as M.O., the woman had requested an award of $9.9 million, before an arbitrator determined a sum of $5.2 million would cover her “damages and injuries.” “Insured should have disclosed his diagnosis to M.O. prior to the sexual activity that occurred, but he did not,” found the arbitrator. GEICO, the insurer, had rejected the woman’s initial settlement offer, and last year contested the award, but it was upheld by the Missouri Court of Appeals this week. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the United States, and high-risk strains can cause cancer. There is a vaccine against it. In her initial settlement offer, the woman said she had contracted HPV during unprotected sexual encounters in her partner’s vehicle in late 2017 despite him “having knowledge of his condition.” The arbitrator found that her partner had “been told that his throat cancer tumor was diagnosed as HPV positive.” The woman requested compensation for “past and future medical expenses,” as well as “past and future mental and physical pain and suffering.” Reports of the ruling quickly went viral on social media, prompting humor as well as outrage. “Crazy damages claims like this are a big part of why car insurance costs so much,” tweeted Elon Musk. “It should be possible to sue law firms for pursuing insane damages claims.” View the full article

Published by Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — To commemorate the six-year remembrance of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub massacre, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation ordering flags at all local and state buildings to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday. “As a mark of respect for the victims, their families, and the many affected by this tragedy, I signed the attached Proclamation directing the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at all local and state buildings, installations, and grounds throughout the State of Florida,” it read. On June 12, 2016, a gunman walke… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) -Iran and Venezuela, oil producers grappling with crippling U.S. sanctions, signed a 20-year cooperation plan in Tehran on Saturday, with the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader saying the allies would continue to resist pressure from Washington. The signing ceremony, carried by Iranian state TV, was overseen by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro and took place at the Saadabad Palace in north Tehran. The plan includes cooperation in the fields of oil, petrochemicals, defence, agriculture, tourism, and culture. It also includes repair of Venezuelan refineries and the export of technical and engineering services. “Venezuela has shown exemplary resistance against sanctions and threats from enemies and Imperialists,” Iran’s Raisi said. “The 20-year cooperation document is testimony to the will of the two countries to develop ties.” “Sanctions and threats against the Iranian nation over the past 40 plus years have been numerous, but the Iranian nation has turned these sanctions into an opportunity for the country’s progress,” he said. Maduro said through an interpreter that a weekly flight from Caracas to Tehran would begin on July 18. In a meeting with Maduro, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed Iran would continue to back Venezuela in the face of U.S. pressures, according to state media. “The successful experience of the two countries showed that resistance is the only way to deal with these pressures,” Khamenei said. “The two countries have such close ties with no other country, and Iran has shown that it takes risks in times of danger and holds its friends’ hands.” Maduro said: “You came to our aid when the situation in Venezuela was very difficult and no country was helping us.” Defying U.S. pressures, Iran has sent several cargos of fuel to Venezuela and helped in refinery repairs. Last month, Venezuela began importing Iranian heavy crude, widening a swap agreement signed last year to exchange Iranian condensate for Venezuelan heavy crude. Maduro arrived in Tehran on Friday with a high-ranking political and economic delegation after visiting Turkey and Algeria. During the visit, Iran delivered to Venezuela the second of four Aframax-sized oil tankers, with a capacity of 800,000 barrels, ordered from the Iranian company SADRA, state media said. SADRA has been under U.S. sanctions for more than a decade over its links to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards. In May, Iran’s state-owned National Iranian Oil Engineering and Construction Co signed a contract worth about 110 million euros to repair Venezuela’s smaller 146,000 barrel-per-day refinery. (Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jason Neely, Angus MacSwan and Diane Craft) View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Savannah Chrisley paid a visit to her dad, Todd, and she came bearing gifts! The Chrisley Knows Best star was seen just outside of his Nashville mansion, taking what appeared to be a bag of homemade cookies or muffins from his daughter. Todd sported a white t-shirt, khaki pants and white socks, while Savannah had her hair up in a bun, and wore a white top tucked into her black jeans. mega This is the first time Todd has been spotted outside of his luxurious Nashville home since his guilty verdict. The embattled television personality and his wife, Julie, were placed on house arrest as they await sentencing after being convicted of fraud and tax evasion on Tuesday, June 7. “After the verdict was read, the judge changed the bond on both of the Chrisleys,” legal expert Julie Rendelman said in an interview with ET. “First, they are now on home confinement although they can go out for doctors’ visits and the like.” As Radar previously reported, other exceptions include attorney visits, court appearances, religious services and leaving for the purpose of employment or educational obligations. Home confinement may not be the worst gig for the businessman, who lives in a 13,279 square foot, European-style mansion with six bedrooms and ten bathrooms. However, according to Rendelman, the judge-ordered spending limitations could be an unwelcome change to their lavish lifestyles. “One of the biggest things that changed is that any spending for either of them over $1,000 they must inform probation,” she told the outlet, adding it may not be “an easy task for the Chrisleys, considering their previous spending habits.” Last week, Radar also confirmed that the couple’s guilty verdict was not filmed for season 9 of Chrisley Knows Best. Insiders claimed the season finished filming before the trial started and that it is “not currently in production.” Although a sentencing date is yet to be scheduled for the reality stars, Todd and Julie face up to 30 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and tax fraud. Julie was also hit with an additional charge and found guilty of wire fraud. View the full article

Published by AFP Protesters hold signs in Washington, DC during a demonstration calling for action on US gun violence on June 11, 2022 Washington (AFP) – Thousands of people took to the streets in the United States on Saturday to push for action on the devastating gun violence plaguing the country, where Republican politicians have repeatedly blocked efforts to enact stricter firearms laws. Protesters of all ages streamed onto the National Mall in Washington, where a gun violence prevention group placed more than 45,000 white vases holding flowers — one for each person killed by a firearm in the United States in 2020. “Protect People Not Guns,” said one sign held by a protester near the Washington Monument. “Fear Has No Place In Schools,” read another. Two horrific shootings last month — one at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 young children and two teachers, and another at a New York supermarket that left 10 Black people dead — helped spark the call for the protests. But the problem of gun violence — which has killed more than 19,300 people so far this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive — goes far beyond high-profile mass killings, with more than half of those deaths due to suicide. “The will of the American people is being subverted by a minority,” said Cynthia Martins, a 63-year-old resident of the US capital, referring to the Republican Party. She carried a sign that used the party’s “GOP” moniker to spell out “Guns Over People.” “There’s a reason that we’re still in this situation and there’s still mass shootings,” Martins said, adding: “Hand wringing is not going to do anything — you have to make your voice heard.” Garnell Whitfield, whose 86-year-old mother was killed in the racially motivated supermarket shooting in Buffalo, New York on May 14, spoke from a stage at the Washington protest. “We are here to demand justice,” Whitfield said. “We are here to stand with those who are bold enough to demand sensible gun legislation.” The protests were organized by March for Our Lives, which was founded by survivors of a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, who held a rally that drew hundreds of thousands of people to the nation’s capital in March 2018. Demonstrators marched in Parkland on Saturday, carrying signs with messages such as “Am I Next?” and “Books Not Bulletproof Backpacks.” Widespread outrage, little change Protesters also turned out in New York City, with demonstrations planned at hundreds of locations around the country. Ease of access to firearms, and mental health problems that can lead to them being used in attacks, have both been in the spotlight in the wake of the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. The massacre was carried out by a gunman who bought two assault rifles shortly after turning 18. Gun control advocates are calling for tighter restrictions or an outright ban on such rifles, one of which was also used in Buffalo. But opponents of tougher regulations have sought to cast mass shootings as primarily a mental health issue, not a weapons problem. Frequent mass shootings have led to widespread outrage in the United States, where a majority of people support tighter gun laws, but opposition from many Republican lawmakers has long been a hurdle to major changes. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed a broad package of proposals this week that included raising the purchasing age for most semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, but the party does not have the requisite 60 votes to advance it in the Senate. A cross-party group of senators has also been working on a narrow collection of controls that could develop into the first serious attempt at gun regulation reform in decades. The package would boost funding for mental health services and school security, narrowly expand background checks, and incentivize states to institute so-called “red flag laws” that enable authorities to confiscate weapons from individuals considered a threat. But it does not include an assault weapons ban or universal background checks, meaning it will fall short of the expectations of President Joe Biden, progressive Democrats and anti-gun violence activists. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Rebel Wilson and Ramona Agruma are “very serious” about their romance. The 42-year-old actress has been dating Ramona since January and they’re “super happy together”. A source told People: “It’s a very serious relationship and they’re super happy together. It’s been very cool for Rebel’s friends to see her this secure with someone.” Rebel recently made her romantic relationship with Ramona public, as she posted a sweet snap of them together on her Instagram account. The Hollywood star – who has more than 11 million followers on the photo-sharing platform – said: “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess #loveislove. (sic)” Another source recently claimed that the loved-up duo have already “discussed marriage and starting a family together”. The insider said: “She and Agruma have grown very close in a short time. Wilson’s mother Sue Bownds, who lives in Sydney, recently flew to LA to meet Agruma, while the couple have openly discussed having a family and getting married.” Actor and singer Hugh Sheridan also recently revealed that he introduced Rebel and Ramona to each other. He shared: “I’d been setting Rebel up with various people and Ramona up with various people. I’m a bit of a matchmaker in my spare time, but Rebel was a really hard one and so was Ramona. “I think for a woman that is successful, it takes a strong man to stay with them, but I thought a woman with a woman that’s successful might lift each other up. “So I told Rebel later on and they spoke for a week before Rebel came back from Australia to meet her, and they’ve been together ever since.” View the full article

Published by XXL Mag Azealia Banks got booed after she threw her microphone and walked off stage during her Pride Month performance last night. On Friday (June 10), Azealia Banks was the headliner for the annual Wynnwood Pride event in Miami, Fla. According to a Twitter user, @misscostantino, who was at the event, the Harlem rapper showed up two hours late for her scheduled performance and the crowd was frustrated. Banks, who performed topless during her brief set, rapped a few songs and then abruptly stopped performing. The Broke with Expensive Taste rapper then threw a tantrum detailing how the promoters alleged… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has emerged as a leader of a faction of the Republican Party opposed to former president Donald Trump Washington (AFP) – Liz Cheney’s dogged pursuit of Donald Trump over last year’s riot at the US Capitol has cemented her status as the sole Republican to gamble her career as she breaks ranks with her party in the fight for US democracy. The 55-year-old congresswoman from Wyoming, a daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, was once seen as the tax-cutting, God-fearing, small-government apotheosis of American conservatism. But her refusal to accept Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 election set her on a collision course with the Trump-dominated modern Republican Party, which booted her out of the leadership and disowned her at home in the “Cowboy State.” Cheney was one of just 10 Republicans in the House of Representatives to vote to impeach the former president for inciting the January 6, 2021 insurrection by his supporters. “Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain,” she said Thursday in her role as the vice-chair of the House committee investigating Trump over the insurrection. Cheney and her colleagues on the panel maintain that the president and his inner circle were part of a criminal conspiracy to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden that culminated in the violence of January 6, 2021. “In our country, we don’t swear an oath to an individual, or a political party,” Cheney said. “We take our oath to defend the United States Constitution. And that oath must mean something.” ‘Evasion and deflection’ Critics of the Republican leadership argue that it is an oath that the party largely abandoned in its unswerving fealty to its wayward leader, and the populist “America First” sentiment that swept him to power. A year and a half after being defeated by Biden, Trump retains an iron grip on the Republican Party, which in February adopted as part of its official policy platform the falsehood that the mayhem at the Capitol constituted “legitimate political discourse.” “The parts of the conservative elite that still have some self-knowledge know Liz Cheney is right,” conservative commentator Bill Kristol tweeted on Friday. “But they can’t take a stand against the new (Trumpist) establishment of which they desperately want to be a part. So it’s all evasion and deflection.” Only one other Republican, Adam Kinzinger, has joined Cheney’s rebellion — but the stakes are lower for the Illinois congressman as he retires anyway in January. Both have been tarred as “RINOs” — “Republicans in name only” — by colleagues with far less conservative voting records. Other Republican lawmakers have tried to walk a fine line between condemning Trump’s role in whipping up the crowd that stormed the Capitol and staying in his good graces. Not Cheney. “The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” she said as she explained why Trump deserved blame for the insurrection — reprising word-for-word a withering assessment she first deployed during Trump’s second impeachment. Wyoming political royalty Cheney, the elder of Dick Cheney’s two daughters, comes from a family that is the equivalent of political royalty in staunchly conservative Wyoming. From 1979 to 1989, her now 81-year-old father held the House seat that she now occupies. Dick Cheney resigned from Congress to become defense secretary under president George H.W. Bush and went on to serve for eight years as vice president under president George W. Bush. After graduating from University of Chicago law school, Liz Cheney worked for the International Finance Corporation and served in various State Department posts. She made an abortive bid for a US Senate seat from Wyoming in 2014 before winning election to the House in 2016. She easily won re-election in 2018 and 2020, defeating her Democratic opponents by more than 40 points each time. But the self-described “proud rodeo mom” of five children may have a tougher time around when she faces re-election in November. Republican candidates are already lining up to challenge Cheney in the party primaries — and Harriet Hageman, who has the backing of Trump, appears to have built up a substantial lead. Cheney, Hageman alleged in a statement on Friday, is doing “nothing to fight for the people who are suffering, instead playing a central role in the illegitimate January 6 committee designed to distract people from the miserable record of President Biden.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine (Reuters) -An estimated 20 million people tuned in to live U.S. television broadcasts of Thursday’s hearing by lawmakers probing the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Nielsen ratings agency said on Friday. The viewership across 12 networks ranked below other political events such as President Biden’s State of the Union address, which pulled in 38 million viewers in March, but higher than most congressional hearings. The first televised hearing of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump, for example, attracted about 14 million viewers on 10 networks in 2019. It was held during the day, when TV viewership is lower. The committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters is holding rare primetime hearings to spotlight the findings of its nearly year-long investigation. Broadcasters including ABC, CBS and NBC interrupted regular programming to show the event. Nielsen’s figures included people who watched via traditional television or streamed through Internet-connected TVs, but they do not capture the full extent of online viewing via social media. The tally also does not include Fox News Channel, which opted to run its regular opinion programming during the hearing. Fox Business Network covered the hearing live. Of the 20 million viewers, 15.2 million were age 55 and older, Nielsen said. Less than 1 million people age 18 to 34 watched via the TV networks. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio) View the full article