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Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Louisiana has banned transgender girls from joining girls’ sports teams, the latest in a string of similar bans in U.S. states with conservative Republican-controlled legislatures. The bill binds schools and colleges in the state and was approved by the Republican-controlled state legislature last month with enough support to override any veto from Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who opposed the legislation. Edwards said he would allow the bill to become law on Monday without his signature, telling reporters that it was obvious to him that even if he vetoed the bill it would still become law. He has joined transgender rights groups in criticizing the bill as bigoted against a subset of young people who already face discrimination and violence. Edwards said there is no known example in Louisiana of a transgender girl joining or attempting to join a girls sports team. “I hope we can all get to a point soon where we realize these young people are doing the very best they can to survive,” Edwards said of the state’s transgender youth. “I just think we can be better than that bill.” Last year, Edwards had vetoed similar a measure advanced by Republicans in the 2021 legislative session. Republicans in South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas have passed similar laws in recent months. In March, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division wrote to state attorneys across the country in support of transgender people, reminding the states’ chief law-enforcement officials that it is illegal to discriminate against people based on gender identity. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Queen Latifah was “p***** off” to be told she is obese. The 52-year-old actress started working with a new fitness trainer – who she described as “scientific” – and was “mad” when it was explained to her that her Body Mass Index value categorised her as obese. “I hooked up with a trainer she broke down this whole thing. She has degrees. She’s scientific and mathematics. She was showing me different body types and she said ‘This is what your BMI is, this is what your weight is and you fall into this category of obesity I was mad at that. It really p***** me off!” The ‘Hairspray’ star – whose real name is Dana Elaine Owens – went on to express her shock at the claims that her body weight was “30%” higher than what it should be according to the scale, which takes into the account the height and weight of a person and interprets the units into a number on a scale of 18.5 up to 40 in order to determine an “ideal” weight. Speaking on ‘Red Table Talk’, she told hosts Jada Pinkett-Smith and Willow Smith: ” I was like, ‘What? Me?’ I mean, I’m just thick. She said ‘You are 30% over where you should be.’ And I’m like, ‘Obesity?'” The ‘Girls Trip’ actress previously explained that when it comes to her weight, “health” is of most importance to her and would only change her body image for herself rather than for anything to do with her career. She said: “Health is most important to me. It’s not about losing weight or gaining weight. When I want to lose weight, or gain weight, I know how to do it in a healthy way. So if I have to do something that is going to be completely unhealthy for me, then that’s not the job for me. Someone else should have that job that’s already there… It’s called No.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega The verdict is in. Todd and Julie Chrisley were found guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion, Radar has learned, following two days of jury deliberations. Todd, 53, and Julie, 49, appeared “grim-faced” as the verdict was read on Tuesday, Law360 reported, marking an end to the reality TV couple’s three-week trial in Atlanta. During the court battle, Assistant US Attorney Annalise Peters said the Chrisley Knows Best stars exaggerated their earnings to banks to borrow more than $30 million. “They made up documents and they lie through their teeth to get whatever they want, whenever they want it,” Peters said in court, saying their funds were hidden from the IRS. The couple’s accountant,Peter Tarantino, was charged with a single count of conspiracy to defraud the federal government and two counts of aiding in the filing of false tax returns, for which he was also found guilty. This story is developing … View the full article

Published by Reuters By Daina Beth Solomon, Ted Hesson and Matt Spetalnick LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has pooled $3.2 billion in corporate pledges aimed at addressing some of the economic factors driving migration from Central America, her office said on Tuesday, lending impetus to measures to be discussed at the Summit of the Americas this week. The new commitments from companies, including Visa Inc and the apparel company Gap Inc, exceed $1.9 billion, adding to $1.2 billion made in December. The latest round of corporate investments announced by Harris are intended to create jobs, expand access to the internet and bring more people into the formal banking system. The pledges form a major part of President Joe Biden’s plan to address “root causes” of migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, a region known as the Northern Triangle. Curbing irregular migration is a top priority for Biden at a time when record numbers of people are trying to enter the United States at the Mexican border. Biden, who travels to Los Angeles on Wednesday for the U.S.-hosted summit, will also promote a new economic plan for the Western Hemisphere building on existing trade agreements, U.S. officials said. Even as he grapples with pressing concerns such as mass shootings, high inflation and the Ukraine war, the Democratic president wants to use the summit to repair Latin America relations damaged under his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, and to counter China’s growing influence in the region. But the administration’s decision to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, which prompted Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to stay away, has threatened to overshadow Biden’s agenda. However, U.S. efforts to stem migration from the Northern Triangle have been hampered by corruption, with projects likely worth millions shelved and some private sector engagement stalled. Further complicating matters, the presidents of Guatemala and Honduras have signaled they will not attend the summit and will instead send other officials. It was unclear whether El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele would attend, but the White House’s official guest list shows his foreign minister as head of the delegation. Several thousand migrants, many from Venezuela, set off from southern Mexico on Monday on a journey to the United States timed to coincide with the summit. At least 6,000 people, according to Reuters witnesses, left the city of Tapachula, near Mexico’s border with Guatemala. CORPORATE PLEDGES The latest corporate pledges includes $270 million from Visa focused on bringing 6.5 million people into the formal banking system, and a $150 million pledge from Gap to increase materials sourced from the region. The other firms span a variety of sectors, including auto-parts, agriculture, telecommunications and digital services. A CEO summit running parallel to the leaders’ gathering could yield commitments for further investment in economically troubled Latin America, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and is struggling to recover. Harris also announced an initiative with the private sector that aims to connect 1.4 million women to the financial system and train more than 500,000 women and girls in job skills. Additionally, Harris unveiled a $50 million project called the Central American Service Corps designed to give young people in the Northern Triangle paid community service opportunities in areas such as education and violence prevention. Despite friction over summit invitations, most leaders in the Americas plan to attend. White House officials insist the controversy will blow over and the event – the first hosted by the United States since the first such gathering in 1994 – will be a success. But before heading to the summit, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, in a newspaper op-ed, accused the United States of being “inconsistent, if not contradictory” for refusing to invite Communist-ruled Cuba and leftist-led Venezuela and Nicaragua while engaging with non-democratic governments in other regions such as Southeast Asia. (Reporting by Daina Solomon and Matt Spetalnick in Los Angeles and Ted Hesson in Washington; Additional reporting by Dave Graham in Los Angeles and Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Editing by Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Actor and Uvalde, Texas, native Matthew McConaughey met with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, and urged more congressional action on gun violence in an emotional speech, sharing stories of those who were killed in last month’s elementary school shooting. Nineteen children and two teachers were shot to death at Robb Elementary School in McConaughey’s hometown on May 24 by an 18-year-old gunman wielding a semi-automatic rifle. McConaughey, who publicly weighed a run for governor in Texas last year but ultimately ruled it out, briefly met with Biden at the White House, according to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, then appeared at the daily news briefing. The 52-year-old actor described growing up in the South Texas town. “Uvalde is where I was taught to revere the power and the capability of the tool that we call a gun,” he said. “Uvalde is where I learned responsible gun ownership.” McConaughey said responsible gun owners are “fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals,” and urged raising the minimum age for purchasing an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to 21. Gun rights advocates say the Second Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right to own and bear firearms. McConaughey appeared to choke up several times while holding up photos of some of the child victims. He talked about their families, what they were wearing on the day they were shot, and what they wanted to be when they grew up. The actor described meeting a cosmetologist who was asked to prepare the victims for their open-casket funerals. “They needed much more than makeup to be presentable. They needed extensive restoration. Why? Due to the exceptionally large exit wounds of an AR-15 rifle.” He gave a brief biography of each victim, slamming his fist on the lectern at one point to describe one of them. “While we honor and acknowledge the victims, we need to recognize that this time seems that something is different,” he said. “There is a sense that perhaps there’s a viable path forward. Responsible parties in this debate seem to at least be committed to sitting down and having a real conversation about a new and improved path forward.” McConaughey spoke as Democrats in the U.S. Senate said they were encouraged by talks with their Republican counterparts on firearms legislation — but warned any compromise would fall short of the steps they say are needed to curb gun violence. McConaughey said he visited the White House to try to turn the moment into a reality. His comments, however, were expected to have little impact. The actor, who met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill earlier in the day to discuss gun reform legislation, asked politicians to change how they approached their job in remarks that did not single out either party. His comments, however, appeared to be intended for Republicans in Congress who have opposed gun legislation. “Let’s admit it,” he said. “We can’t truly be leaders if we’re only living for re-election.” (Reporting by Steve Holland and Nandita Bose in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA The day after Karine Jean-Pierre took over as White House Press Secretary, the Buffalo, New York, mass shooting occurred, followed by Uvalde, Texas. “It has been a tragic three weeks,” Jean-Pierre, 47, told Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts. “I was there in Uvalde when the people cried out to President Biden to take action, to ‘do something.’” Jean-Pierre stressed that Joe Biden has signed the most executive actions, at this time in a president’s term, addressing gun control. She said her boss is “very encouraged with what the Senate is trying to do, the bipartisan negotiations that we’re seeing.” She deflected though when asked if Biden was personally lobbying senators on the gun control issue. “He wants to give the Senate and Congress some space on the Hill to have that conversation,” she noted. “It sounds very promising.” MEGA Roberts then switched topics, citing an ABC News poll that found 80 percent of Americans said inflation is a very important factor for them when voting in the upcoming midterm elections. “What we’re dealing with right now is global challenges,” Jean-Pierre suggested. “We’re in a pandemic. When the president walked into this office, the economy was in a crisis.” MEGA “We understand that Americans are truly, truly feeling this,” she continued. “We understand there’s more work to be done, but we are continuing to take steps.” Roberts then segued to the summer’s other hot topic, abortion. “The president has continued to tap into the different entities to make sure we fortify Title 10 and we’re going to continue to talk to groups and figure out what else we can do,” she explained. “But really, we have to get Congress to act on this so we can codify Roe v. Wade.” Roberts concluded the interview by wondering how Jean-Pierre feels as the first Black person, the first immigrant and the first openly gay individual to hold the White House Press Secretary position. “Representation does indeed matter,” she stated. “I think about my daughter, I think about my friends. I hope when she sees me on TV, she thinks to herself, ‘I can do this and I can do more, when I’m older.’” MEGA View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Talk about a double whammy. James M., a 35-year-old gay, Human Resources manager who contracted Monkeypox, told The Daily Mail it happened after he was deported from Dubai in February for testing positive for HIV. He had been working in the Middle Eastern country for four years. Upon his return to the U.K., he says he hooked up with around 10 different partners and has a hunch one of his partners, who had a spot on their chest, gave him monkeypox. His symptoms included back aches, exhaustion, extreme thirst and pain when going to the bathroom. He shared his story as the monkeypox outbreak continues to spread across the globe and health agencies continues to talk about the dangers of the virus. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control issued new recommendations to protect travelers. On May 25, James was directed to a special clinic for testing. He says that’s when the highly contagious nature of monkeypox really hit home. MEGA “When I got to the clinic, I was told to go and wait outside the main door and call them, they said they were going to put on PPE and they told me not to touch door handles,” he recalled. “The whole experience kind of heightens your sense of, ‘Oh this must be really serious.” “I remember going to COVID centers and it wasn’t as daunting or overwhelming as this.” James’ harshest words are reserved for U.K.’s Health Security Agency. “I was told to stay home until UKHSA contacted me… and they never did,” he bemoaned. He says it’s been eight days since he was instructed to self-isolate and there has been no contact tracing. He thinks it’s no wonder Britain has the second highest monkeypox caseload after Africa. MEGA He also is critical of a hospital that told him at point, when he wanted to check in due to severe symptoms, that there was no monkeypox specialist on duty during weekends. Meanwhile, specialists he was in touch with later admitted, he said, that they dropped the ball regarding contact tracing. The agency disputes James’ account, saying it tried repeatedly to get in touch with him. James insists that because he did not have the telltale Monkeypox rash, the initial diagnosis by the agency was that he could not possibly have it. His test for the disease came back positive May 28. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kristen Stewart is looking for “gay ghost hunters” as part of a new TV show. The 32-year-old actress is to team up with stylist CJ Romero and the team behind Netflix’s hit reality series ‘Queer Eye for the “most titillating queer ghost-hunting show” and took to social media to ask for participants. In a video posted to Instagram, she said: ““I am scarily excited to announce that I’m teaming up with Scout, the producers of Q’ueer Eye’, ‘Legendary’, The Hype, on the most gayest, most funnest, most titillating queer ghost-hunting show ever.” The ‘Twilight star’ – who herself identifies as bisexual and has previously dated the likes of former co-star Robert Pattinson as well as Victoria’s Secret model Stella Maxwell and singer St. Vincent – added that she needs the “most incredible LGBTQ+” paranormal enthusiasts to sign up to ‘Paranormal Experts’. She added: “We need to find the most incredible LGBTQ+ ghost hunters, paranormal specialists, mediums, psychics, investigators.” The ‘Spencer’ actress was joined in the video by long-time friend CJ Romero – who also urged fans to take part in the new TV venture especially if they were part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Without revealing any further details of the show, he said: “Are you a medium, historian, ghost hunting expert… and also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community?? Well if so, please go to the link in my bio and apply today!!!! Can’t wait to see what you ghouls bring us!” However, while Kristen is on the lookout for LGBTQIA+ participants, the application noted that submissions “will be accepted for all applicants, regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation.” https://ghost.castingcrane.com/ View the full article

Published by InsideHook By Bonnie Stiernberg It’s June, which means it’s time for brands everywhere to try and exploit Pride Month with some ill-advised and clunky marketing campaigns, and we’ve got a real doozy today thanks to Burger King Austria. On Monday, the fast-food company unveiled its new Pride Whopper, which features “same-sex” buns — two tops or two bottoms. Naturally, it did not go over well. According to an Instagram post by Burger King Austria, the Pride Whoppers come “with two matching buns for equal love and equal rights.” “We stand for the equal rights of all identities and sexual orientations,” it r… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA Pope Francis attends the Pentecost mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Pope Francis has appointed four high-profile investment bankers to a new investment committee set up to ensure the ethical nature of the church’s investments, the Vatican announced on Tuesday. The committee was set up under a new constitution, called the Praedicate Evangelium (Proclaim the Gospel), that went into force on Sunday for church agencies. Under the Praedicate Evangelium, the committee will be made up of members appointed for five-year terms. They are to ensure the ethical nature of the Vatican’s equity investments, “in accordance with the church’s social doctrine” while also observing criteria of profitability, suitability, and moderate risk. The four members of the Committee are: Jean Pierre Casey of RegHedge, a British investor; Giovanni Christian Michael Gay of Germany’s Union Investment Privatfonds; David Harris of Norway’s Skagen Funds; and John J Zona, investment officer of Boston College in the US. Francis has recently reformed the appointments process for church authorities, making it possible for women to sit in senior posts long reserved to men. Following revelations of a huge loss on luxury London property between 2014 and 2018, the pope has moved to reorganize Vatican investment policy. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Andy Cohen doesn’t think ‘Queer Eye’ would have been a “hit” on Bravo. The ‘Watch What Happens Live’ host thinks the cable network made the “right move” in passing on the opportunity to reboot the makeover show – which was originally titled ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’ and ran from 2003 to 2007 on Bravo – because it was so expensive to make and he thinks it found the right home with streaming service Netflix. Speaking on SiriusXM’s ‘Jeff Lewis Live’, Andy said: “I don’t think it would have been a huge show on Bravo. I don’t … I don’t think people are watching linear television in the way they are watching Netflix. “And I think it premiered on Netflix and people loved it. “It was going to be super expensive; ‘Queer Eye’ was a super expensive show to make. And I think Bravo probably made the right move not doing that show. “I don’t think it would have been a hit.” Andy serves as executive producer on the ‘Real Housewives’ franchise, and while he doesn’t “regret” cancelling the Miami series – which is now being rebooted – at the time, he wishes ‘The Real Housewives of DC’ had been kept on after it was axed after just one season amid controversy surrounding Michaele Schon and her then-husband Tareq Salahi, who notoriously breached security to attend a White House state dinner. He said: “I think shows get cancelled for a reason, like the ‘Real Housewives of Miami’. “The new version is really good — and the next season we’re shooting now is really great. But I don’t regret cancelling it at the time. “The ratings went down that whole season, the ratings went down for that reunion. You know what show I regretted they cancelled? And I was a fierce proponent for keeping it on — ‘The Real Housewives of DC’. “If you look at that cast, that was an integrated cast, it was racially diverse at a time when our shows weren’t enough, and I really liked that show. “I thought there was a lot that could have come [of it]. But I think the Salahis kind of tanked it.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican on Tuesday unveiled a committee to oversee the ethics of its investments, even as a corruption trial related to a botched London real estate deal in which it lost more than 200 millions euros continued. The committee will be headed by a cardinal, Irish-American Kevin Joseph Farrell, who is based at the Vatican, but include four outside lay financial experts, a statement said. They are Jean Pierre Casey of RegHedge investments in Britain, Giovanni Christian Michael Gay of Union Investment Privatfonds GmbH in Germany, David Harris of Skagen Funds in Norway and John J. Zona, head of investments at Boston College, a Catholic university in the United States. The creation of an investment ethics committee was stipulated in the Vatican’s new constitution, Praedicate Evangelium (Preach the Gospel), which Pope Francis issued in March and which came into effect two days ago. The constitution tasked the committee with guaranteeing that Vatican investments would be proper, ethical and not overly risky. The new members hold five-year terms. The Vatican announced the committee as the 21st hearing of a major corruption trial was in progress and while one of its key defendants, Italian broker Raffaele Mincione, was being questioned for a second straight day. The trial began last July. The real estate venture at the centre of the trial began in 2014, when the Vatican’s Secretariat of State invested 350 million euros ($390 million) with Mincione to buy a building in a high-end area of London. In 2018, the Vatican felt it was being fleeced by Mincione, according to the indictment document, and turned to another broker, Gianluigi Torzi, to get out of the first deal. But Vatican prosecutors accuse Torzi of duping the Vatican and trying to take control of the building by assigning himself the voting shares. The Vatican then gave Torzi 15 million euros to get out of the deal with him. Mincione, Torzi and the other eight defendants at the trial, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a former top Vatican official, deny any wrongdoing. They face accusations including extortion, abuse of office, fraud and money laundering. Last January, the Vatican signed a contract to sell the building, definitively exiting a venture that the court has been told resulted in a loss of 217 million euros. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Alex Richardson) View the full article

Published by uInterview.com Chrishell Stause, the Selling Sunset star, was glowing last night when she accepted the award for Best Reality Star at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. After thanking her home streamer Netflix and the rest of the Selling Sunset cast, Stause also took a moment to thank fans for accepting her after she recently came out as queer last month. Chrishell Stause DatingStause revealed she was dating the non-binary Australian singer G-Flip last month during the reunion special for Selling Sunset. She later filmed a video on Instagram clarifying her feelings further. “Some of you won’t understand this or agre… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos seems excited to be going to work for his “friend” Marjorie Taylor Greene on Capitol Hill. “Mummy always said I’d end up in government!” the far-right pundit who identifies as an “ex-gay” wrote on social media Monday. That caption ran alongside a photo of what appears to be the 37-year-old provocateur’s House of Representatives ID atop a leather Louis Vuitton bag. “I’ve finally been persuaded out of retirement,” he also wrote. “But my skills are a bit rusty, so the best role I could land was an unpaid internship with a friend. Pray for me!” Greene, the… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters) -The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Monday it had instructed monkeypox vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic to deliver an additional 36,000 doses this week as part of a drawdown from a U.S. vaccine stockpile. In a statement, HHS said the doses will be added to the existing 36,000 in the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile. Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine, called Jynneos, is approved to treat both monkeypox and smallpox. The Danish company, which developed the vaccine with the support of HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, still has more than 1 million government-owned doses of the vaccine on hand. Another 16.4 million doses of vaccine could be finished if needed, HHS said. During a news briefing last week, HHS official Dawn O’Connell said Bavarian Nordic can store the vaccine at a lower temperature than is possible once in the stockpile, extending the vaccine’s shelf life by about two years. In addition to the Bavarian Nordic vaccine, the United States has more than 100 million doses of ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine from Emergent BioSolutions Inc, that is also effective against monkeypox. As of June 3, the government has delivered about 1,200 vaccines and 100 courses of treatment within the United States. The United States has so far 25 confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency on Friday urged U.S. doctors to test for monkeypox if they suspect cases, saying there may be community-level spread but that the overall public health risk remained low. Around 30 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, with more than 911 confirmed or suspected cases mostly in Europe, according to the World Health Organization, Reuters reporting and local data. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Susan Heavy and Rami Ayyub in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by AFP US President Joe Biden embraces New York State Governor Kathy Hochul during a visit to Buffalo, New York, on May 17, 2022 following a racist massacre at a supermarket New York (AFP) – New York’s governor raised the age for buying a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21 Monday as she tightened gun laws following the racist massacre at a supermarket in Buffalo. Kathy Hochul approved a package of gun reform laws that had been passed by the state senate in the wake of last month’s shooting that killed 10 Black people. The measures come amid a spate of mass killings in the United States that have sparked renewed calls for greater gun control laws. Payton Gendron, 18, is accused of gunning down the shoppers at Tops Friendly Market using a an AR-15 assault rifle that he had bought legally. As well as being at least 21 years old, buyers of semiautomatic rifles will now also have to obtain a permit, meaning undergoing a background check. Democratic New York already has some of the strongest gun laws in America. The new laws also ban most civilians from purchasing body armor, such as bullet-proof vests. Gendron, a white supremacist, was wearing heavy body armor during his alleged attack on May 14. Hochul also agreed to expand the state’s “red flag” laws, which allow courts to take away guns from people deemed a risk to themselves and others. Ten days after the Buffalo shooting, a teenaged gunman shot dead 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. US President Joe Biden has called for new gun-control legislation, including a ban on assault weapons. At a minimum, Biden has said lawmakers should raise the age at which assault weapons can be purchased from 18 to 21. But gun regulation faces deep resistance in the United States, from most Republicans and some rural-state Democrats. US gun violence has killed more than 18,000 people so far in 2022, including nearly 10,300 suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive. View the full article

Published by AFP Henry Washington (AFP) – A leader of the Proud Boys and four other members of the far-right group were indicted on sedition charges on Monday in connection with the January 6 assault on the US Capitol. Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 38, is already facing other charges related to the failed attempt by supporters of former president Donald Trump to block Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory. A superseding indictment unveiled on Monday added the more serious charge of seditious conspiracy to the charges against Tarrio, the former “national chairman” of the Proud Boys, and the four other members. Tarrio was arrested in Miami in March and is also charged with conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of law enforcement, destruction of government property and other offenses. More than 800 people have been arrested in connection with the storming of Congress by Trump supporters, according to the Justice Department, but only a handful face the charge of seditious conspiracy, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Stewart Rhodes, 56, founder of another far-right organization, the Oath Keepers, has been charged with seditious conspiracy along with 10 other members of the group. Three members of the Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty. According to the superseding indictment, Tarrio was not in Washington on January 6 but he met with Rhodes on January 5 in an underground parking garage in Washington and was in contact with members of the Proud Boys who breached the Capitol. Along with Tarrio, four other members of the Proud Boys — Dominic Pezzola, 44, Joseph Biggs, 38, Ethan Nordean, 31, and Zachary Rehl, 36 — were charged with seditious conspiracy in addition to their previous charges. The indictment comes three days ahead of a public hearing by the House select committee investigating the storming of the US Capitol. The committee is trying to see if Trump or members of his circle had a role in planning or encouraging the violent attack, and has subpoenaed advisors and aides to the former president. The assault on the Capitol left at least five people dead and 140 police officers injured and followed a fiery speech by Trump to thousands of his supporters near the White House. Trump was impeached for a historic second time by the House after the Capitol riot — he was charged with inciting an insurrection — but was acquitted by the Senate, where only seven members of his own Republican party voted against him. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The former leader of the right-wing group the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, and four associates were charged with seditious conspiracy on Monday for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump’s supporters. Federal prosecutors accused the five men of plotting the attack in advance and encouraging other Trump supporters to prevent Congress from certifying his 2020 election defeat by Democrat Joe Biden. Thousands of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol that day after a fiery speech in which he repeated his false claims that his loss was result of widespread fraud, an allegation repeatedly rejected by multiple courts, state election officials and members of Trump’s own administration. Eleven members of another right-wing group, the Oath Keepers, were charged in January with seditious conspiracy for allegedly playing a similar leadership role in the deadly attack. Federal prosecutors rarely use the seditious conspiracy charge, defined as attempting “to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States.” It carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Federal prosecutors investigating the attack filed the new charges against Tarrio, Dominic Pezzola, Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs and Zachary Rehl, according to court papers. All five have pleaded not guilty to other criminal charges related to the attack. The new indictment accuses them of encouraging other Proud Boys to come to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021; raising money to buy bulletproof vests and other tactical gear; and directing crowd members into the Capitol and assaulting police once the attack was underway. It said Tarrio received a document titled “1776 returns” that laid out plans to occupy buildings in the Capitol complex three days before the attack. Members of the group sought to erase those messages when Tarrio was arrested on Jan. 4 for burning a church’s “Black Lives Matter” banner the prior month, prosecutors said. Tarrio was ordered to stay out of Washington as a condition of his release, but prosecutors say he still played a leading role in the attack. The indictment says he returned to the city on Jan. 5 and met with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes in an underground parking garage. Rhodes and other Oath Keepers have pleaded not guilty to the seditious conspiracy charges and are due to stand trial later this year. Three other members of the group have pleaded guilty. About 800 people have been charged with taking part in the Capitol riot, with about 250 guilty pleas so far. The new charges come days before the U.S. House of Representatives plans to hold its first prime-time hearing that will attempt to reverse Republican efforts to downplay or deny the violence of the day. There are five months until Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress for the next two years. [L1N2XT157] The Justice Department has previously obtained seditious conspiracy convictions against Puerto Rican nationalists and alleged Islamist militants including Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the radical Islamic clergyman known as the “Blind Sheikh.” Seditious conspiracy charges featured prominently in a case federal authorities brought in 1987 against leaders and members of a neo-Nazi group known as The Order. Fourteen alleged members or supporters were indicted, with 10 facing seditious conspiracy counts. After a two-month trial, a jury acquitted all defendants. (Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Timothy Ahmann; Editing by Scott Malone, Leslie Adler, Alistair Bell and David Gregorio) View the full article

Ivan Gonzyk (Credit Ivan Gonzyk / Instagram). Used with permission. LGBTQ soldiers are gaining acceptance in the Ukrainian military LGBTQ soldiers representatives within the Ukrainian army are rarely portrayed. In 2018, Viktor Pylypenko, an openly gay veteran of the Donbas Volunteer Battalion, decided to change that by forming LGBT Military, a union of military, veterans, and volunteers fighting for equal rights. This piece explores how his idea came about, alongside the stories of two other soldiers from the LGBTQ+ community that the union has helped to support. ‘We were here’ Around 330,000 Ukrainians have taken part in the Ukraine government’s military operation against Russia-led militants in the east of the country since 2014, but there is no public information about how many of them are members of the LGBT military community. This is what motivated We Were Here, a Kyiv-born photography project featuring members of the Ukraine forces of diverse gender and sexual orientations. The pictures were taken by Anton Shebetko, a Ukrainian artist and photographer who lives in Amsterdam. “The ‘We Were Here’ project aims to shine a light on the people who are on the one hand modern-day heroes of Ukrainian society and on the other, are being ignored by most of their compatriots,” Shebetko said. These videos are not dubbed nor so they seem subtitled. Look for bits of English and even without, there are some great opportunities to see about about LGBTQ life in Ukraine over the last few years and then since the Russians started attacking. –ED [This post contains video, click to play] Most of the people in the photographs have their faces covered. One of the soldiers, Viktor Pylypenko, came out during the exhibition, becoming the first openly gay person in Ukraine who was known to take part in the Russian–Ukrainian war. That moment also marked the beginning of the creation of LGBT Military, as it inspired Pylypenko to set up the association. The union has been sharing stories of LGBTQ+ soldiers on its Instagram page to raise awareness of the community and the profiles of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and other diverse identities within the armed forces. These are the stories of two people featured on the page. (continues after instagram profiles via LGBT Military) The LGBTQ+ community is still marginalized in Ukrainian society Though sexual diversity in Ukraine is not outlawed (it’s legal since independence in 1991), the LGBTQ+ community have long faced stigma and marginalization. In the past month alone, Ukrainians have witnessed hate speech towards the LGBTQ+ community from at least two public figures. Earlier this month, singer and Ukrainian jury member of Eurovision Irina Fedishin said that there were many members of the LGBTQ+ community among the Eurovision participants, so it was difficult for her to watch the show, calling LGBTQ+ representatives “sinners.” The other case occurred earlier with the mayor of the Ukrainian city Ivano-Frankivsk. Speaking at the March for Life and Family Values at the beginning of May, Ruslan Martsinkiv said that “a gay man cannot be a patriot, only a Christian can be a patriot.” Both figures have been criticized publicly for their words. Zi Fáamelu, a trans musician who has been forced to relocate from Ukraine to Germany said in an Instagram post, “although my story is known all over the world, from Italy to Japan, from Turkey to Brazil, I don’t want to be remembered as a victim of a hate crime. I am Zi Fáamelu, a human being, a daughter, an artist, and I’m ready for the next chapter of my journey. I choose joy,” she said on Instagram. This article by journalist Maryna Bakyeva was first published in Geneva Solutions. An edited version is republished here through Global Voices. More on Ukraine on Towleroad View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — L Morgan Lee isn’t your typical overnight success story. The performer, who became the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Tony Award for her supporting performance in “A Strange Loop,” has been working at her goal for 20 years. Her standout role as “Thought 1″ in Michael R. Jackson’s ribald and irreverent Pulitzer Prize-winning musical will pit the actress against “Mr. Saturday Night’s” Shoshana Bean, “The Music Man’s” Jayne Houdyshell, “Girl From the North Country’s” Jeannette Bayardelle and “Company’s” Patti LuPone and Jennifer Simard at the Tonys ceremony on J… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Lopez broke down in tears as she was honoured with the Generation Award at the MTV Movie and TV Awards. The ‘Marry Me’ star – whose soundtrack to the rom-com, ‘On My Way’, also nabbed Best Song – got emotional collecting the special award at Sunday night’s (05.06.22) ceremony at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar. At the Vanessa Hudgens-hosted bash, the 52-year-old singer-and-actress thanked both those who were huge supporters and skeptical of her talents. The ‘On The Floor’ hitmaker also thanked her fiance Ben Affleck, 49, and her 14-year-old twins Emme and Max – whom she has with ex-husband Marc Anthony. She began: “I want to thank the people who gave me joy and the ones who broke my heart. The ones who were true and the ones who lied to me. I want to thank true love and I want to thank the way I lied to myself—because that’s how I knew I could grow. “I want to thank disappointment and failure for teaching me to be strong and my children for teaching me to love.” She continued: “I want to thank all the people who told me, to my face or when I wasn’t in the room, that I couldn’t do this. I really don’t think I could have done it without you.” Jennifer added: “It is an honour to be able to connect with audiences and you guys, and because of you I will continue to do justice to that honour as long as I am around.” The ‘Second Act’ star quipped: “Thank you so much. And to Ben and everyone at home, waiting for me to have dinner. I will be home by 7!” The Generation Award is given to “beloved actors whose diverse contributions to both film and television have turned them into household names.” View the full article

Published by AFP Los Angeles (AFP) – Zendaya dominated the MTV Movie and TV Awards on Sunday as her teen drama “Euphoria” and big-screen superhero blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home” were voted best show and best movie respectively. The light-hearted awards, taking place at the start of the summer blockbuster season, are voted for online by the public, and underscored the huge popularity of the 25-year-old former Disney child star. Zendaya won best performance in a show for “Euphoria,” HBO’s often bleak and hard-hitting look at modern teen life, which also won offbeat awards for “best fight” and a new award for the best on-screen “hookup.” The MTV awards have long bestowed tongue-in-cheek “golden popcorn” statuettes for categories ranging from “best kiss” to “most frightened performance.” With obsessive fans encouraged to vote multiple times for their favorites, the awards tend to recognize mainstream and commercial hits with large and devoted social media followings. It was little surprise therefore that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” — by far the biggest box office hit since the pandemic — won best movie. The film has earned almost $1.9 billion worldwide, and is the third-biggest hit for domestic theaters ever. It also won best performance in a movie for Zendaya’s on-screen and real-life boyfriend Tom Holland, who plays the latest incarnation of the web slinging superhero — although neither attended the ceremony in Santa Monica, near Los Angeles, in person. Lending some A-list stardust to the room, Jennifer Lopez was presented a non-competitive “Generation Award.” She thanked “true love” before telling her fiance Ben Affleck “and everybody at home” that she was on her way back for dinner. Lopez also won best song, for “On My Way (Marry Me),” while 19-year-old multiple Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo won best music documentary “Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u.” Jack Black was also honored by MTV for his career on Sunday. The 52-year-old attempted an energetic entrance, somersaulting on stage to youthful cheers from the audience, before breathlessly calling for “a little blast of oxygen.” Daniel Radcliffe, who won best villain for adventure comedy “The Lost City,” joked that his British accent had made his evil turn a breeze. “This is a universally recognized accent of pure evil,” he said. “This is a voice that would kick a puppy or not give Oliver Twist more food. “I really should thank my parents most for just having the foresight, all those years ago, to have me be British, so that I could grow up sounding naturally evil enough to one day win this award.” View the full article

[This post contains video, click to play] Published by The Boot Cameron Hawthorn uses country music to tell queer stories — full stop. If country music is three chords and the truth, then Hawthorn uses the storied genre to tell his own story, one that has only recently been reflected in country music. The Kansas native first came out using the music video for “Dancing in the Living Room” as a clever visual aid. While the gentle ballad could be about anyone in its audio form, Hawthorn uses it as an extension of the song’s meaning. His follow-up single, “To Break Hers,” co-written with Lena Stone, details the particular regret of breaking up with a sweethear… Read More View the full article