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Published by Reuters By Arathy Somasekhar HOUSTON (Reuters) -Protesters holding signs and crosses with photos of victims from the Texas elementary school shooting protested Friday outside the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Houston, as the gun lobby came under pressure after the massacre. Attendance was dampened and speakers and featured musical acts stayed away as about 500 protesters, some shouting “NRA go away,” and “Shame, it could be your kids today,” jeered attendees outside the George R. Brown Convention Center. Tuesday’s fatal shooting of 19 pupils and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, by an 18-year-old gunman equipped with an AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle again focused attention on the NRA, the nation’s biggest gun lobby and a major donor to Congress members, mostly Republicans. Uvalde is about 280 miles (450 km) west of Houston. Video of the main auditorium in Houston, which holds about 3,600 people, showed it to be about half-full as former President Donald Trump took the stage late Friday afternoon. “The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law abiding citizens,” Trump told the audience to cheers, echoing speakers who rejected background checks or bans on semiautomatic weapons. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, urged attendees not to back down in their fight against gun control. “Now would be the worst time to quit. Now is when we double down,” she said. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick dropped out of making in-person remarks at the event. Patrick said he withdrew so as not to “bring any additional pain or grief to the families and all the suffering in Uvalde.” The headliners at a weekend concert, Don McLean, Larry Gatlin and Lee Greenwood, canceled their appearances. Gatlin issued a statement supporting background checks, calling it a “step in the right direction.” U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said in a speech to the meeting that communities needed weapons to stay safe. “Taking away guns will not make them safer.” The NRA’s decision to proceed with its largest annual gathering is part of a decades-long strategy of standing up to pressure for gun control that dates to the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado. Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive director, addressed the school killings but said gun owners “love our nation, love our children and grandchildren. … That’s why we will always cherish and protect our fundamental right to defend ourselves and our communities.” At a park near the convention center, protester Harper Young, a 15-year-old Houston student, held a poster and choked back tears. “It’s completely unacceptable that gun violence is happening again and again. It’s horrific,” he said. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, rejected suggestions that teachers be armed to thwart future shootings. “More guns equal more violence,” she said. “Assault weapons should be banned,” she said outside the meeting. Houston activist Johnny Mata called on the NRA to halt the convention and hold a memorial service for the Uvalde victims. “They have the audacity not to cancel in respect of these families, said Mata, who represented advocacy group Greater Houston Coalition for Justice. The NRA should “quit being a part of the assassination of children in American schools.” Tim Hickey, a Marine Corps veteran attending the event, dismissed the protests. “These people are puppets and sheep to the media. They are not changing anyone’s mind,” he said. On the convention center’s exhibit floor, attendees handled rifles, handguns, hunting and assault-style rifles at dozens of booths, and browse Sierra Bullets and other firms’ ammunition displays. The weekend convention was the five million-member group’s first annual get together after two prior cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Posters celebrating its 150th anniversary hung over the exhibit hall. In a pre-recorded video, Abbott said, “as Texans and as Americans we grieve and mourn with these families.” But he said existing gun laws did not stop the Uvalde shooter and pushed back at calls for new legislation, saying “laws will not stop evil madmen from committing these atrocities.” (Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar, Shannon Stapleton and Callaghan O’Hare; Writing by Gary McWilliams; Editing by Alistair Bell and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by AFP A police officer stands near the makeshift memorial for the shooting victims outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 28, 2022 Uvalde (United States) (AFP) – Fresh harrowing accounts emerged Saturday of the ordeal faced by survivors of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, fanning public fury over the massacre even as the deeply traumatized town prepared for a visit Sunday by US President Joe Biden. The haunting stories told by young students who were forced to play dead as a heavily armed gunman continued a methodical spree — killing 19 students and two teachers — have been underscored by accounts of the slow reaction by police during the drama. Ten-year-old Samuel Salinas was sitting in his fourth-grade classroom when the shooter, later identified as Salvador Ramos, 18, barged in with a chilling announcement: “You’re all going to die.” Then “he just started shooting,” Salinas told ABC News. Texas authorities belatedly admitted Friday that as many as 19 police officers were in the school hallway for more than an hour without acting, thinking the shooter had ended his killing. “From the benefit of hindsight… it was the wrong decision, period,” said Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven McCraw. Ramos, who carried two assault-style rifles, was finally killed by police. Uvalde survivors have described making desperate, whispered pleas for help in 911 phone calls during his assault. Many played dead to avoid drawing the shooter’s attention. Eleven-year-old Miah Cerrillo even smeared the blood of a dead friend on herself as she feigned death. Samuel Salinas said he thinks Ramos fired at him, but the bullet struck a chair, sending shrapnel into the boy’s leg. “I played dead so he wouldn’t shoot me,” he said. Another student, Daniel, whose mother would not provide his last name, said he saw Ramos fire through the glass in the classroom door, striking his teacher. The bullets were “hot,” he told the Washington Post, and when another bullet ricocheted and struck a fellow student in the nose, he said he could hear the sickening sound it made. Though his teacher lay on the floor bleeding, she repeatedly told the students, “‘Stay calm. Stay where you are. Don’t move,'” Daniel recalled. He was finally rescued by police who broke the windows of his classroom. Since then, he has had recurrent nightmares. A troubling timeline President Joe Biden will visit Uvalde on Sunday to again make the case for gun control, as activists set about galvanizing voters on the issue in the run-up to November’s midterm election. Despite the scourge of mass shootings, efforts at nationwide gun control have repeatedly failed, though polls show broad support from Americans. Speaking at a University of Delaware commencement on Saturday, Biden — himself a grieving father twice over — evoked the image of parents preparing to bury their children in Texas, and lamented “too much violence. Too much fear. Too much grief.” “We have to stand stronger,” he told the graduates at his alma mater. The Uvalde shooting was the deadliest since 20 children and six staff were killed at the Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. McCraw revealed a series of emergency calls — including by a child begging for police help — that were made from two adjoining classrooms where the gunman was barricaded. But he said the on-scene commander believed at the time that Ramos was in there alone, with no survivors, after his initial assault. “I’m not defending anything, but you go back in the timeline, there was a barrage, hundreds of rounds were pumped in in four minutes, okay, into those two classrooms,” McCraw said. “Any firing afterwards was sporadic and it was at the door. So the belief is that there may not be anybody living anymore.” McCraw separately told reporters, however, that a 911 call received at 12:16 pm reported eight or nine children still alive. As many as 19 officers were outside the classroom door at that time, according to McCraw’s timeline. McCraw said one caller — a child who dialed 911 multiple times — begged for police to come. Her final call was cut off as she made it outside. Texas Governor Gregg Abbott told journalists who grilled him during a testy news conference Friday that he was given inaccurate information in the wake of the massacre. “I was misled,” Abbott said. “The information that I was given turned out in part to be inaccurate, and I’m absolutely livid about that.” View the full article

Published by AFP War has ravaged the eastern Donbas region, including this school in the town of Bakhmut Kramatorsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Russia pressed its onslaught on eastern Ukraine Saturday, saying it had captured the strategic town of Lyman and had successfully tested hypersonic missiles in the Arctic. Ukrainian forces battled to repel Russian forces from the outskirts of the key city of Severodonetsk, a Ukrainian official said, however denying claims it had been surrounded. Russia is waging all-out war for the eastern Donbas region — Ukraine’s industrial heartland where President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of carrying out a “genocide”. “The town of Krasny Liman has been entirely liberated from Ukrainian nationalists,” the Russian defence ministry said, using the Russian name for Lyman and confirming an announcement made a day earlier by pro-Moscow separatists. Lyman lies on the road to the urban centres of Severodonetsk and Kramatorsk. Russian forces have been closing in on Severodonetsk and nearby Lysychansk in Lugansk province, with conflicting reports about the extent of their advance. Regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said Russian shelling continued on Severodonetsk as Ukrainian soldiers fought to oust the invading forces from a hotel on its edges, but rejected claims the city had been encircled. “Severodonetsk has not been cut off… there is still the possibility to deliver humanitarian aid,” he told Ukrainian television. A Lugansk police official, cited by Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, late Friday said Severodonetsk was “now surrounded” and Ukrainian troops could no longer leave the city. France, Germany urge talks Three months after Russia launched its invasion on February 24, leaving thousands dead on both sides and forcing 6.6 million people out of the country, Moscow has gained control over swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, including port cities Kherson and Mariupol. Other Ukrainian ports have been cut off from the world by Russian warships, preventing key grain supplies from being transported out. Russia and Ukraine supply about 30 percent of the wheat traded on global markets. Russia has tightened its own exports and Ukraine has vast amounts stuck in storage, driving up prices and cutting availability for importers across the globe. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rejected any responsibility, instead blaming Western sanctions. But on Saturday he told French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a phone call Russia was “ready” to look for ways to allow more wheat onto the global market. “Russia is ready to help find options for the unhindered export of grain, including the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports,” the Kremlin reported him as saying. He called for the lifting of sanctions to allow “an increase in the supply of Russian fertilisers and agricultural products” onto the global market. Macron and Scholz urged Putin to hold “direct serious negotiations” with Zelensky, the German chancellor’s office said. And they demanded Russia free 2,500 Ukrainian fighters taken as prisoners of war after surrendering earlier this month at a sprawling steelworks in the ravaged port city of Mariupol. More weapons ‘dangerous’ Zelensky late Friday said his country was doing everything to defend the Donbas from intense artillery and missile strikes. “We are protecting our land in the way that our current defence resources allow. We are doing everything to increase them,” he added. To further help the Ukrainians, Washington was preparing to send advanced long-range rocket systems, US media reports said. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby did not confirm the plans to deliver the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, highly mobile equipment capable of firing up to 300 kilometres (186 miles) that Kyiv has said it badly needs. But he said Washington was “still committed to helping them succeed on the battlefield”. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged his country’s continued support “including helping provide the equipment they need” in a call Saturday with Zelensky, his office said. But Putin warned Macron and Scholz that ramping up arms supplies to Ukraine would be “dangerous” and risk “further destabilisation”. He spoke after his army said it had successfully fired one of its Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles some 1,000 kilometres (625 miles) across the Arctic. Ship docks in Mariupol As he seeks to ramp up international pressure on Moscow, Zelensky will speak to EU leaders at an emergency summit Monday as they try to agree on an embargo on Russian oil, which is being held up by Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban has close relations with Putin. “We need to act until they stop their policy of aggression,” Zelensky told a think tank in Indonesia. But Moscow said Russia expects to receive one trillion rubles ($15 billion) in additional oil and gas revenues this year, a windfall from the sharp rise in oil prices caused in part by its invasion of Ukraine. In Ukraine, a spokesman for the Russian-controlled Mariupol port said a first ship had docked there on Saturday. “It will be loaded up with 2.7 tonnes of steel,” he told Russian state news agency TASS. There was however no official announcement from either the Russian or separatist authorities. burs-ah/ach View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ellen DeGeneres is Portia de Rossi’s “idol”. The ‘Arrested Development’ star heaped praise on her wife as she hosted her last-ever episode of her long-running chat show. Portia, 49, shared a slideshow of photos on Instagram and captioned the images: “To my utterly beautiful, supremely talented, insanely accomplished wife on the day of your final show. I married an icon. I married my idol.” Ellen opened her final show with a clip from the first-ever episode in 2003. She later closed the landmark show with a monologue celebrating the changes in LGBTQ representation in showbiz. Ellen explained that she “was not allowed to say gay” at the start of her TV career. She said: “I was not allowed to say ‘gay.’ I said it at home a lot. Like, you know, ‘What are we having for our gay breakfast’ or ‘Pass the gay salt? Has anyone seen the gay remote?’ Things like that, but we couldn’t say ‘gay’. I couldn’t say ‘we’ because that implied that I was with someone, sure; couldn’t say ‘wife’ and that’s because it wasn’t legal for gay people to get married – and now I say ‘wife’ all the time. “Twenty-five years ago, they cancelled my sitcom because they didn’t want a lesbian to be in primetime once a week, and I said, ‘OK, then I’ll be on daytime every day. How about that?'” Ellen also thanked her viewers for the support they’ve shown her over years. She added: “I hope I’ve been able to inspire you to make other people happy and to do good in the world, to feel like you have a purpose. And I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: If I’ve done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I’ve inspired you to be yourself – your true, authentic self. “And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them, even if you don’t understand. They’re showing you who they are, and that is the biggest gift anybody can ever give you. And by opening your heart and your mind, you’re going to be that much more compassionate – and compassion is what makes the world a better place. “Thank you so much for being on this journey with me. I feel the love, and I send it back to you.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English David Beckham doesn’t think it should be “strange” for gay footballers to come out. The former England captain – who has Brooklyn, 23, Romeo, 19, Cruz, 17, and 10-year-old Harper with wife Victoria – thinks it was a “shame” that it was still a big deal for Blackpool player Jake Daniels to become the first current UK male professional footballer to reveal he’s attracted to other men earlier this month. He said: “It’s a shame that when someone does come out that it’s such a strange thing. I’ve always felt that way about when someone does come out… it shouldn’t be. “At the end of the day there will be a huge amount of gay people in sports and why should they be any different from anyone else.” David hung up his boots in 2013 and thinks there’s a lot less prejudice in the game now than there was in his playing days, though he warned there’s still improvements to be made. He told the Evening Standard newspaper: “I played for 22 years, I saw a lot of racism and homophobia and do think it has changed. But there’s still a lot of work to be done.” Meanwhile, the Inter Miami owner and his family are planning to spend this summer in Florida to be with Romeo, who currently plays for his MLS soccer side. He said: “Usually we love to be in Europe for the summer, but we like to be together as a family. “[Romeo is] getting older now, so at some point he’s going to want to be with his girlfriend or mates and not want to spend the summer with us but he has no choice.” And after Brooklyn married Nicola Peltz Beckham last month, David is hoping the couple will join their family over the summer too. He said: “Brooklyn will be hopefully in Palm Beach. He’ll be able to hopefully come down with his new wife.” View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune Illinois legislators and advocacy group Equality Illinois issued a joint statement Thursday calling out State Farm after the insurance giant pulled support for a gender identity school book program. Facing backlash, Bloomington, Illinois-based State Farm ended its partnership this week with the GenderCool Project, a “youth-led” nonprofit organization that distributes children’s books about being transgender, inclusive and nonbinary to schools and libraries. Now the insurance company is feeling the heat from LGBTQ advocates. “When it came to our attention that State Farm had reversed this partn… Read More View the full article

Published by Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — A state investigator who looks into teacher misconduct demanded to know who in Orange County Public Schools authorized the purchase of the book “Gender Queer,” a controversial memoir the district pulled from several high school libraries in late October, according to emails between the employee and the school district. “This office is trying to find out who approved the book,” wrote Ian Dohme, a Florida Department of Education employee, in an email to an OCPS administrator on April 13. Dohme’s request was alarming because he works for the department’s Office of Professional Pra… Read More View the full article

The Sims 4How Do You Say “Binary Breaker” In Simlish? After more than a year, fans’ wishes for a Sims pronouns update is here. The long-running simulator video game series “The Sims” broke new ground for trans and gender-diverse players on Tuesday by adding the ability to provide customizable pronouns for created characters in the series latest entry, “The Sims 4.” According to a Maxis blog post, the update prompts players to choose the gender of their character (or Sim) when entering Create a Sim mode. Among the options are he/him, she/her and they/them, but the update also adds a custom option that allows players to enter any pronoun choice they desire. Players may change the gender of their Sims at any time and the game automatically updates to properly gender the character in in-game text. After banging the drum for over a year, the trans nonbinary agender streamer got the chance to take an emotional victory lap during a stream from the It Gets Better Project’s official Twitch channel. Fighting back tears, Momo Misfortune introduced the update and spoke the update’s importance to the game’s large LGBTQ fan base. “Last year, it took 84 days of me tweeting, creating a campaign, and I just want to say thank you to everybody. Whether you shared the campaign, whether you signed it, talked about it – look, it’s here,” they said. “We made a difference. I may have started the campaign, but we all did this together.” “I think this just really shows how much the Sim Gurus care about our opinions and what we think is important, because this is so important,” they continued. “I’m just thinking about how when I was younger and I started playing ‘The Sims,’ it was a way for me to safely explore my sexuality. And now that we have customizable pronoun options in the game, this is going to help so many kids be able to safely explore their identities. That’s so important because, for a lot of us queer folks, ‘The Sims’ is an escape for us to be able to be who we really are and who we wish we could be out in public, out in the open, to our friends, to our family.” The Sims Pronouns: Previously on Towleroad The Sims Pronouns Update Is Here: ‘The Sims 4’ Adds Customizable Pronouns To In-Game Characters Brian Bell May 28, 2022 Read More EA, Paradox Heed Calls For Same-Sex ‘Crusader Kings’ Weddings; And To Keep Them in ‘Sims 4’ Russia Editions; Plus Gayming Award Noms — ROUNDUP Brian Bell February 18, 2022 Read More Writer Of Bisexual Superman Has Perfect Way Of Dealing with Those Protesting Too Much; Also Brockhampton Splits Up; G4 Host Blasts Boys Who Belittle and Sexist Viewers: Entertainment Roundup Brian Bell January 18, 2022 Read More Wonder Woman’s 1st Trans Amazon; ‘Battlefield’s 1st Non-Binary Specialist; ‘Superman’ Colorist Quits Offended By New Motto. Brian Bell October 26, 2021 Read More China Bans Games With LGBTQ, Effeminate Men or Nazi Characters; Activision Blizzard Settles; ‘Life Is Strange’ Promotion Benefits Community Brian Bell October 4, 2021 Read More ‘Frat Boy’ Culture at Activision Blizzard: Groping, Junk-Grab ‘Gay Chicken’ Game, ‘The Cosby Suite,’ Cited in California Suit. Employees Walk Out Brian Bell July 28, 2021 Read More Image via Electronic Arts/Maxis View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA “Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn’t take one more step.” Those lyrics, from Don McLean’s seminal hit “American Pie,” perfectly sum up the singer’s stance in the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. In light of the tragic events, McLean has pulled out of “NRA’s Grand Ole Night Of Freedom Concert,” set for Saturday night as part of the organization’s May 27-29 national convention in Houston. “In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA,” McLean told People Magazine. “I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans. I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation.” MEGA The move follows a similar decision by Larry Gatlin, who explained in a statement: “I cannot, in good conscience, perform at the NRA convention. While I agree with most of the positions held by the NRA, I have come to believe that, while background checks would not stop every madman with a gun, it is at the very least a step in the right direction toward trying to prevent the kind of tragedy we saw this week in Uvalde — in my beloved, weeping Texas.” MEGA The Saturday evening concert event will be MC-ed by SiriusXM “Y2K” host Danielle Peck and features Lee Greenwood, Larry Stewart, Jacob Bryant and T. Graham Brown. Meanwhile, Friday’s first day of convention activities will include one major protest linked to the Uvalde massacre. Former President Donald Trump is also set to address the crowd, as Radar previously reported. According to the Houston Chronicle, the May 27 protest is being coordinated by the local chapter of Black Lives Matter and Discovery Green Conservancy. MEGA “We’re not there to incite anything, we’re just there to make the NRA uncomfortable andr un them out of Houston,” said local BLM member Ashton Woods. Houston mayor Sylvester Turner previously stated it’s too late to cancel the NRA convention, Nevertheless, a protest planned for Thursday will demand just that, in front of City Hall. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Justin Timberlake has sold his song catalogue in a deal reportedly worth $100 million. The ‘SexyBack’ hitmaker is “excited to be partnering with” Hipgnosis Song Management – who offer investors the chance to earn royalties from the work of a diverse range artists such as Barry Manilow and Beyonce – and a $1 billion fund supported by the private equity firm Blackstone in a deal believed to be valued at $100 million, according to The Guardian newspaper. The 41-year-old entertainer – who has sons Phineas, two, and Silas, seven, with his wife Jessica Biel, 40 said: “I am excited to be partnering with Merck and Hipgnosis – he values artists and their creative work and has always been a strong supporter of songwriters and storytelling.” The deal between the former NSYNC star and the management company gives them 100 per cent control and ownership over his stake in more than 200 songs he has been involved in writing. The founder and CEO of Hipgnosis, Merck Mercuriadis said: “Justin Timberlake is not only one of the most influential artists of the last 20 years but he’s also one of the greatest songwriters of all time. His hit songs including ‘Cry Me a River’, ‘Rock Your Body’, ‘SexyBack’, ‘My Love’, ‘What Goes Around… Comes Around’, ‘Suit Tie’, ‘Mirrors’ and ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ are amongst the most iconic of the period.” This arrangement with Justin is the third one finalised by and Hipgnosis Song Capital in 2022 as this year this snapped up the late singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen’s share of catalogue and 80 per cent of the royalties of country star Kenny Chesney. View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA It’s “reckoning” time for slimeball actor Kevin Spacey. That’s the reaction from Spacey’s estranged brother Randy Fowler when he learned his Oscar winning actor was slapped with four counts of sexual assault for allegedly attacking three men between 2005 and 2013 in London and Gloucestershire. “It not surprising to me that eventually they would’ve gathered enough evidence to pursue the four charges against him — I think the reckoning is going to happen,” Fowler exclusively told Radar hours after Spacey was charged. The charges filed by the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division determined there was enough evidence to accuse the embattled Baby Driver actor of “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” The charges come just one week after Radar online exclusively reported the 62-year-old Usual Suspect was quietly slithering his way back onto the big screen – starring in three films—despite cries by critics who can’t believe Hollywood is ready to forget the handsy-creep accused of abusing roughly 30 victims. “The charges could possible derail his comeback,” Fowler said. “We live in a very small planet right now, people that spending all this money on his comeback could realize that they are on a sinking ship, and they should pull the plug on the projects and eat their losses.” MEGA The American Beauty star is set to star in the mystery thriller Peter Five Eight, which was shopped around at the high-profile Cannes Film Festival. Gabe Hoffman — the producer of the ground-breaking documentary An Open Secret, which exposed the rampant sexual abuse of child actors and led to the downfall of Spacey pal director Bryan Singer — believes the money hungry movie makers who used Spacey in recent films are now eating crow. “The studios only care about making money, a big part of that bet rode on that there is nothing more left to come out about Spacey,” he said. “So, with the new charges this bet just blew up in their face – BIG TIME– in the worst way possible.” MEGA As RadarOnline.com noted these new charges against Spacey come as the actor prepares to face trial in October over accusations, he sexually assaulted Anthony Rapp in 1986 when the younger actor was only 14 years old. Rapp claims a then 26-year-old Spacey invited him over to his apartment and grabbed him by his backside without permission. Spacey then allegedly proceeded to lie him on a bed before climbing on top of him without consent. MEGA Spacey denies the Rapp charges and the CPS “reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr. Spacey are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.” Fowler thinks his rich and powerful brother may not be capable of buying his way out of the new charges — all occurring when he served as artistic director at the UK’s Old Vic Theater. “His troubles, in my opinion, are just beginning,” Fowler explained. “I don’t believe can go through life hurting other people without karma coming back and making you pay the piper. All these cases cannot be mistaken identity. They all can’t be made-up; they all can’t be people looking for money… They (CPS) wouldn’t had filed charges unless they had evidence!” “It took them five years to file charges – so they I guess they did they’re homework.” View the full article

Published by AFP The two-time Oscar winner was artistic director of the Old Vic London (AFP) – Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey is facing sexual assault charges in the UK, police and prosecutors said on Thursday, after a review of allegations against him. The two-time Oscar winner for “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty” was artistic director of The Old Vic theatre in London between 2004 and 2015. Allegations against him first emerged in the wake of the #MeToo movement that saw numerous claims of sexual assault and harassment in the movie industry. That prompted an investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police, and a review by The Old Vic of the 62-year-old Spacey’s time in charge there. The Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement that it had “authorised criminal charges” against the actor “for four counts of sexual assault against three men”. “He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent,” said Rosemary Ainslie, from the service. “The charges follow a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation,” added Ainslie, who heads the special crime division. The Met said separately that the first two counts of sexual assault date from March 2005 in London, and concern the same man, who is now in his 40s. The third is alleged to have happened in London in August 2008 against a man who is now in his 30s. The same man is alleged to be the victim of the separate charge. The fourth sexual assault charge is alleged to have occurred in Gloucestershire, western England, in April 2013 against a third man, who is now in his 30s. None of the alleged victims can be identified under English law. The CPS, which brings prosecutions in England and Wales, and the police both referred to Spacey by his full name, Kevin Spacey Fowler. British legal restrictions are in place limiting what the media can report until the case comes before a jury to avoid prejudicing any trial. The CPS said that when considering whether to approve charges, it makes “fair, independent and objective” assessments about whether a case should go to court. Claims against Spacey in 2017 led to the end of his involvement in the filming of the final season of the political drama “House of Cards”. He was also dropped from a Gore Vidal biopic on Netflix and as the industrialist John Paul Getty in “All the Money in the World”. Christopher Plummer was brought in as a last-minute replacement. Spacey, considered one of the finest actors of his generation, has previously denied similar charges in the United States. A criminal case against him for sexual assault there was dropped in 2019. The actor is currently in New York and facing a civil case arising from the abandoned criminal action, US court documents show. British media said it was understood he had not been formally charged in the UK because he was not in the country, and there was no immediate word if he would have to be extradited. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jan Wolfe (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump must testify under oath in the New York Attorney General’s civil investigation into his business practices, an intermediate state appeals court ruled on Thursday. A four-judge panel unanimously upheld a trial court decision from February enforcing subpoenas for Trump and his two eldest children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, to provide deposition testimony in Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation. “Once again, the courts have ruled that Donald Trump must comply with our lawful investigation into his financial dealings,” James said in a statement. “We will continue to follow the facts of this case and ensure that no one can evade the law.” Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In January, James said her nearly three-year investigation into the Trump Organization had uncovered significant evidence of possible fraud https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ny-attorney-general-details-possible-fraud-donald-trumps-family-business-2022-01-19. She described what she called misleading statements about the values of the Trump brand and six properties, saying the company may have inflated real estate values to obtain bank loans and reduced them to lower tax bills. Trump issued a statement earlier this year calling the accusations false and accusing James of a political agenda in targeting him and his family. Trump and his children have said testifying would violate their constitutional rights because their words could be used in a related criminal probe led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, which James joined last May. Trump, a Republican, has also accused James of selectively prosecuting him because he is a political enemy. James and Bragg are Democrats. The appeals court rejected those arguments, saying James reviewed “significant volumes of evidence” before issuing the subpoenas. “Appellants have not identified any similarly implicated corporation that was not investigated or any executives of such a corporation who were not deposed,” the court said of the Trumps. “Therefore, appellants have failed to demonstrate that they were treated differently from any similarly situated persons.” (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by Luc Cohen; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Diane Craft and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Depeche Mode’s Andy Fletcher has died aged 60. The keyboardist and founding member – who was born in Nottingham and moved to Basildon in the 70s – of the 80s band has passed away In a joint statement posted to Twitter, his bandmates Dave Gahan and Martin Gore said: “We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher. The ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ hitmakers said Andy – who was known as Fletch -“had a true heart of gold” and was “always” a great friend. The statement continued: “Fletch had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh, or a cold pint. The ‘Enjoy the Silence’ musicians offered their “hearts” to the touring DJ’s family – which includes his wife Grainne Mullan and their two children, Meghan and Joe – and asked fans to “keep them in their thoughts” while giving them space to grieve. They said: “Our hearts are with his family, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy in this difficult time.” In a 2017 interview with The Skinny, Fletch mused it was the “electricity” between him and the rest of the band that made their work great. He said: “Martin and Dave live in the US and I live here, but it doesn’t really affect our relationships. Me and Martin are very close. Dave is more like a brother to me – if that makes sense. But what makes bands better than solo artists is the electricity that’s generated. Sometimes a band can’t stand each other but that electricity makes for great music. It’s the same with Depeche Mode; we have moments where we don’t like each other, and moments when we love each other. It’s the electricity that’s generated between us all that produces the good music.” View the full article

Published by AFP Crosses sit outside Robb Elementary School on May 26, 2022, in remembrance of those killed in Uvalde, Texas Washington (AFP) – Firearms have surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among American youngsters, with official data showing a strong rise in gun-related homicides such as the killing of 19 children in a Texas school rampage. Overall, 4,368 children and adolescents up to the age of 19 died from firearms in 2020, a rate of 5.4 per 100,000 a dashboard by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed. Homicides made up nearly two-thirds of the gun deaths. By comparison, there were 4,036 deaths linked to motor vehicles, the previous leading cause of death among this age group. The gap has been narrowing as road safety measures have improved over the decades, while gun related deaths have risen. The trend lines crossed in 2020, the latest year for which data is available — a finding identified in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) last week. The letter’s authors noted the new data was consistent with other evidence that gun violence rose during the Covid-19 pandemic, for reasons that aren’t fully clear, but “it cannot be assumed that (it) will later revert to pre-pandemic levels.” The newly updated CDC dashboard shows that nearly 30 percent of the deaths were suicides, just over three percent were unintentional, and two percent were of undetermined intent. ‘Deadly consequences’ A small number were categorized as “legal intervention” referring to killings by law enforcement. The deaths disproportionately impacted Black children and adolescents, who were more than four times as likely to die as white children — for whom motor vehicles still posed a greater threat. The second most impacted group by guns were American Indians, followed by white Hispanics. Males meanwhile were six times likelier to die by a gun than females. By region, the gun-related death rate was highest in the capital Washington, followed by the state of Louisiana, then Alaska. The figures served to underscore that while mass shootings such as the one in Uvalde provoke horror, they make up only a small fraction of overall childhood gun deaths. “Since the 1960s, continuous efforts have been directed toward preventing deaths from motor vehicle crashes,” wrote the authors of another recent letter to the NEJM, contrasting the situation with that of firearms, where regulations have been loosened. While vehicle safety has been spearheaded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there is no equivalent agency to regulate gun safety, and historically very little government research funding was assigned to the area because of Republican opposition. Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of leading journal Science published an editorial Thursday calling for more research into the public health impacts of gun ownership to advance policy change. “Scientists should not sit on the sidelines and watch others fight this out,” he wrote. “More research into the public health impacts of gun ownership will provide further evidence of its deadly consequences,” he continued, arguing that severe mental illness, often blamed for mass shootings, was prevalent at similar levels in other countries that do not have regular mass shootings. View the full article

Published by The Kansas City Star The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board dismissed a request from Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, asking them to update their ratings system so parents could shield their kids from LGBTQ characters. In a letter responding to Marshall and four other senators, Charles Rivkin, the chairman of the board, argued that parents were satisfied with the current accuracy of television ratings. He pointed to a 2020 national survey that found 95% of parents said they were satisfied with their accuracy and 80% said they had a favorable opinion of the ratings system. He also said shows with… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Seven thousand pairs of shoes, representing the children killed by gun violence between the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and 2017, are spread out on the lawn on the east side of the US Capitol in Washington in March 2018 Washington (AFP) – Only five months into 2022, more than 17,000 people, including 650 children, have been shot and killed in the United States. The toll of gun violence in America is staggering, according to figures compiled by organizations pushing for stricter regulation of firearms sales. 111 deaths per day – Nearly 41,000 people are killed by gun violence every year in the United States on average, according to the organization Everytown for Gun Safety, translating to 111 victims every day. In Texas, where the sale of personal firearms is only marginally regulated, an average of more than 3,600 people are killed by guns every year, according to Everytown. Since the beginning of 2022, at least 17,199 people have been killed by guns, according to a count by the Gun Violence Archive. About 7,600 of them were victims of homicide, either purposeful or accidental, and more than 9,500 died by suicide. In 2021, more than 45,000 gun deaths were recorded, including 20,920 murders — the highest since 2017, when around 58,000 people were killed, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Shootings also leave other casualties: In the last six months, some 14,000 people have been wounded by a gun. The youngest victims – Children are not spared when it comes to the cost of US gun violence. Even when they are not the direct targets of violence, such as in Tuesday’s massacre at a school in Uvalde, Texas, they can become the collateral victims of stray bullets or accidental discharges. So far in 2022, some 640 minors have been shot and killed, and more than double that number — 1,594 — have been injured. Of that number, 140 of the children killed — and nearly 300 of those injured — have been age 11 or younger. Last year, 1,560 kids were killed and more than 4,000 wounded. More than one mass shooting per day There have been 213 known mass shootings in the United States in the first 145 days of 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which categorizes such incidents as ones in which there are four or more people killed or wounded, not including the shooter. “There have been more mass shootings than days in the year,” Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said in Congress Tuesday. He represents the district where Sandy Hook elementary school, where 26 kids and teachers were killed in 2012, is located. It was the nation’s worst ever school shooting. There were 692 mass shootings in 2021, the most since 2014, when the Gun Violence Archive began keeping records. Record homicides In a country where firearms are easily bought and sold and laws vary by state, 2020 saw 19,350 shooting murders, a historic high — 35 percent more than in 2019 — and 24,245 suicides — 1.5 percent more than 2019 — according to statistics compiled by US health authorities. The homicide rate reached 6.1 per 100,000 residents in 2020, a 25-year record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a report published this month, though the toll was still not as high as the peak of the 1980s. Officials speculated that the struggles of poverty and the Covid-19 pandemic could have contributed to the spike. 390 million guns The right to bear arms is guaranteed in the second amendment of the US Constitution, and the number of pistols, revolvers and other gun types has increased in recent years. More than 23 million guns were sold in 2020, a record, and almost 20 million in 2021, according to numbers published by the site Small Arms Analytics. According to another project called the Small Arms Survey, 393.3 million firearms were in circulation throughout the United States in 2020 — or about 120 guns for every 100 people. And an unknown number of “ghost guns” — sold piece by piece and without serial numbers — must be added to that count. In June 2021, 30 percent of American adults said they owned at least one firearm, according to a survey by Pew Research Center. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Apple has unveiled new Pride bands and a watch face for the Apple Watch to mark Pride Month. The tech giant is releasing a Pride Edition Sport Loop and the Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop for June’s Pride Month. The former has the word “pride” woven into it and has all the colours of the pride flags; light blue, pink, and white in honour of transgender and non-binary people, and brown and black to represent the Black and Latinx communities. The latter symbolises “the full spectrum of the rainbow” along with a Nike Bounce face. The bands are priced at $49/£49 and go on sale at Apple Stores on May 26, and The Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop will also be available via Nike.com shortly. Lastly, the Pride watch face is available now for Apple Watch Series 4 models or later. As per Apple, it “combines colours to represent the strength and mutual support of the LGBTQ+ movement.” View the full article

Published by Reuters UK By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS (Reuters) – Lithuania’s parliament on Thursday voted to accept a draft bill legalizing same-sex civil partnerships for further debate, after voting down a similar bill in May 2021. Seventy lawmakers voted in favour and 52 against accepting the measure for discussion, with several opponents raising questions about whether legalizing same-sex partnerships would go against Catholic teachings. Proponents were mildly encouraged but acknowledged that challenges lay ahead to passage of the bill in the strongly Catholic country. “My feelings are mixed after the vote,” Elzbieta… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA Karl Lauterbach, German Minister of Health, attends a press conference on monkeypox, on the sidelines of the German Doctors Day (Aerztetag). Melissa Erichsen/dpa German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has warned against the stigmatization of gay men in relation to an ongoing outbreak of monkeypox. It must be prevented “that people who are homosexual and have sex with men are stigmatized,” Lauterbach told public broadcaster ZDF. “It is important to say that it can affect anyone.” According to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for disease control, monkeypox is transmitted through close physical contact. There has been a notable amount of infections among men who had sexual contact with other men. The comments come after Holger Wicht, a spokesman for the German AIDS charity, said on a podcast that the term “risk group” was often understood to mean that gay men pose a particular risk, while it is actually meant to indicate a risk of becoming infected. However, Wicht also told the news portal T-Online: “Mr Lauterbach is making a recognisable effort not to stigmatise.” Sven Lehmann, the German government’s first-ever commissioner for queer affairs, told the newspapers of the Funke media group that it was a fallacy “that gay or bisexual men are intrinsically more at risk – the virus knows no sexual orientation.” “Scaremongering and stigmatization” must be avoided at all costs, he said. Lauterbach also pointed this out on Tuesday: “The main risk group at the moment are men who have had sex with other men. And that must be able to be addressed in order to protect this group.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Todd Chrisley’s ex-lover and employee testified earlier this week that he allegedly helped the reality TV star commit fraud by creating fake documents and impersonating Todd, Radar has learned. In a bombshell testimony that also revealed the 53-year-old Chrisley Knows Best star was having a gay affair, Mark Braddock told a court on Tuesday that he helped Todd and his wife Julie commit tax fraud during their affair in the early 2000s. Mega Then, when Todd and Braddock’s affair ended in 2012, Todd reportedly threw his ex-lover and employee out of his Chrisley Asset Management office and even went so far as to threaten to call the police on Braddock. Following the contentious end to their affair, Braddock turned both Todd and Julie into the FBI for committing tax fraud. Making Braddock’s testimony on Tuesday even more shocking were claims that both he and Todd were blackmailed following their affair by anonymous individuals who threatened to spill their gay relationship unless the pair paid nearly $40,000 for the blackmailers’ silence. “Pay cash and we’ll shut up,” a text message sent to both Todd and Braddock allegedly said. Mega Todd and Braddock ultimately paid the blackmailers $38,000 in cash, according to Braddock’s testimony, which was withdrawn in four $9,500 increments from Braddock’s bank account before being handed off to Todd to pay the blackmailers. In the past, Todd never denied the swirling rumors that he was gay, and even revealed in 2017 that such rumors didn’t “bother” him. “In order for it to disappoint me, it would mean that I don’t agree with someone being gay,” Todd told the Domenick Nati Show at the time. “I don’t believe that’s a choice that you make. I believe that you are the way that God has made you.” “I’m flattered that people think I can get laid on both ends,” he continued. “That doesn’t bother me. And my wife certainly is flattered that as many men want her husband as there are women. With that being said, I’m never going to have a drought. You on the other hand might. But Todd will never have a drought.” Mega Todd and Julie have been married for nearly 26 years and currently share five children: daughter Lindsie, 32, son Kyle, 30, son Chase, 25, daughter Savannah, 24, and son Grayson, 16. The Chrisley are also currently on trial on charges of fraud and for allegedly evading up to $2 million in tax fraud. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Ruhi Soni (Reuters) -The Biden administration made a revised proposal on Wednesday to ban the disposal of mining waste in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, dealing a potential death blow to the contentious Pebble Mine project that has been pursued for over a decade. The project, one of the world’s largest copper and gold deposits, has been through a roller coaster of regulations for the past 15 years as Bristol Bay’s salmon has supported important wildlife and a multibillion-dollar industry. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a statement it is seeking public comments on the revised proposal at hearings in June as well as by written submissions through July 5. (https://bit.ly/3lG2tQs) Pebble Limited Partnership top boss John Shively called the move a giant step backwards for the Biden Administration’s climate change goals. “The Pebble Project remains an important domestic source for the minerals necessary for the Biden Administration to reach its energy goals,” said Shively, chief executive of Pebble, which is owned by Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. “If it blocks Pebble it will have to seek minerals to meet its goals from foreign sources which simply do not have the same environmental standards that we do.” Under former U.S. President Barack Obama, the EPA in 2014 proposed limits on large-scale mining in the watershed, citing environmental concerns. But under former President Donald Trump, the EPA had dismantled scores of environmental rules, including the initial proposal from the Obama administration. The project, however, has faced other regulatory hurdles, after the Army Corps of Engineers, under the Trump administration, denied a key permit for the mine in November 2020 following opposition by Alaska’s Republican senators seeking to protect the $2.2 billion salmon industry that employs 15,000 people. In September last year, the Biden administration had re-launched the process to permanently protect the watershed. (Reporting by Ruhi Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) View the full article

Published by The Charlotte Observer A bill from North Carolina Senate Republicans that regulates teaching about LGBTQ people is almost surely going to be blocked by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, if it gets that far. But expect to see it live on in the election, which is shaping up to be fought on many familiar culture-war battlegrounds as well as newer ones involving parents’ role in schools. One supporter called it a litmus test for voting this fall. The General Assembly has Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, but not the supermajorities needed to override a veto from the governor unless Democrats vote with them. … Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Los Angeles (AFP) – For nearly two decades, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and its openly lesbian host have beamed into homes across America, busting stereotypes and charming daytime TV audiences with a feel-good blend of quirky comedy and celebrity cameos. But after more than 3,000 episodes, a talk show that came to rival even Oprah Winfrey’s in terms of its cultural impact departs Thursday under a cloud, after allegations of a toxic workplace at stark odds with its “be kind” mantra. “When we started this show in 2003, the iPhone didn’t exist. Social media didn’t exist. Gay marriage wasn’t legal,” DeGeneres said last month, after pre-taping the show’s final episode. “We watched the world change — sometimes for the better, sometimes not.” There is no doubt the cultural landscape has been upended since rising comedian DeGeneres came out in 1997 — simultaneously as her character on sitcom “Ellen,” and in real life with an interview on the cover of Time magazine. DeGeneres was hailed as a gay icon, but her sitcom was cancelled a year later amid a backlash, and she spent five years in the wilderness before reinventing herself as a talk show host. “It was a sensation, it was a landmark — and it became a political football,” said Mary Murphy, associate professor of journalism at University of Southern California. “She led the way. She was probably — and may still be — the most famous LGBTQ person in America.” No ‘gotchas’ While DeGeneres has never shied away from her sexuality, her Rolodex of A-list guests and light touch have been key to the talk show’s success, especially in more conservative parts of America. For 19 seasons, Hollywood A-listers and pop stars have jostled for seats on DeGeneres’ couch, where they are invited to promote their latest projects, and never put through more than a gentle ribbing. Some have appeared more than a dozen times — Jennifer Aniston, the show’s first-ever guest, will return for Thursday’s finale. “She is one with the celebrities, she’s their friend. They know that. And she made it jovial,” said Murphy. “Maybe it was because, having been so burned, as she was, she didn’t want to burn other people. There were no gotchas.” Audience members and the latest viral YouTube stars are also regularly invited on stage to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame, in human interest segments and wacky games. “Ellen is this funny, silly, quirky character that really didn’t take herself too seriously,” said Jeetendr Sehdev, author of “The Kim Kardashian Principle.” “We hadn’t quite seen a daytime talk show host before that looked like her and that behaved like her… She was the cropped haired woman wearing a suit and tie while everyone else was getting blowouts.” ‘Full of contradictions’ But rumors that life was less rosy backstage came to a head with a 2020 Buzzfeed expose alleging a “toxic work culture” including sexual harassment, bullying and racism. Three senior producers were fired, while DeGeneres was accused of failing to mind her shop — and of being less affable with employees in private than her cheery public persona would imply. Last May, DeGeneres announced the show would end after its 19th season, but denied it was due to the workplace claims. “I need something new to challenge me,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. But DeGeneres has courted increasing controversy, including her defense of comedian Kevin Hart after he withdrew as Oscars host in 2018 over a series of homophobic tweets. “Suddenly, she kind of fell from grace,” said Murphy. “She seemed to be… in touch with celebrities, in touch with audiences, out of touch with the people working for her.” According to Sehdev, Ellen has always “been full of contradictions.” “That has been both partly the reason why she has also appealed to people, and has been capable of generating that mass appeal,” he said. “And at the same time, (it) has also been the reason why her integrity and her credibility and authenticity have been questioned.” View the full article