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Published by AFP Georgia's Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp speaks during his victory party at the College Football Hall of Fame on May 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta (AFP) – Republican voters delivered a stark repudiation Tuesday of Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” that the 2020 US election was stolen, backing Georgia Governor Brian Kemp for re-election by a huge margin over a candidate recruited by the former president. Trump had banked much of his own political capital hand-picking David Perdue to oust Kemp in the nominating contest to compete for the governor’s mansion in November’s midterm elections. Perdue made Trump’s bogus claims about 2020 a centerpiece of his campaign, in a direct appeal to his endorser’s supporters who continue wrongly to question the validity of the outcome. But the former senator was forced to concede, in an embarrassing blow for Trump, as the early count showed him trailing by almost 50 points less than 90 minutes after polls closed. “Four years of the Kemp administration will mean that you keep all of your hard-earned money,” Kemp said in his victory address. “Your communities will be safe. Your kids will be in school without fear of partisan agendas in the classroom. Parents will have a voice and we’ll keep working to bring good paying jobs to every corner of our state.” Kemp, frequently the target of Trump’s wrath for refusing to help overturn the election, was always expected to win, but the margin of defeat represents a stinging rebuke of Trump from a state he lost by the narrowest of margins in 2020. Five states were holding nominating contests for congressional elections that will decide which party controls the US Senate and House of Representatives for the remainder of President Joe Biden’s first term. But all eyes are on Georgia, where wounds from the 2020 presidential election are still festering two years after Biden won the state by under 12,000 votes. Up and down the ballot, the Republican side of the Georgia primary pitted candidates peddling the former president’s election fraud claims against hopefuls who pushed back in defense of the Constitution. ‘Inelegant delivery’ – The race to be Georgia’s secretary of state is seen as equally consequential as the contest for governor, as these are the officials who oversee elections in the United States. Democrats fear that, across the country, Trump will be able to install loyalists who can weaponize specious fraud accusations from 2020 to make it harder for his opponents to vote in 2024. As the man responsible for certifying Georgia’s 2020 election results, Brad Raffensperger was in lockstep with Kemp in pushing back against Trump, making him another key target for the former president’s vengeance. He defeated Jody Hice, one of more than a dozen Trump-backed candidates across America bidding to become secretary of state and professing to believe the 2020 election was stolen. With 98 of precincts reporting, Raffensperger had 52 percent of the vote, clearing the 50 percent threshold that allowed him to avoid going into a head-to-head run-off and enabling him to declare victory outright. In a grueling night for Trump, another of the election deniers he endorsed, John Gordon, lost his challenge to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate since 1992 to win Georgia, while Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff triumphed in runoff elections in January 2021 that wrested control of the US Senate from Republicans. Warnock cruised through his primary and will face Trump-backed football star Herschel Walker, who had an easy night too, sailing to the Republican nomination for Senate. Georgia’s Democrats are doing all they can to cement their 2021 gains, headlined by Democratic star campaigner Stacey Abrams, who is unopposed in her bid for governor. Abrams courted controversy over the weekend with remarks that Georgia is the “worst state in the country to live,” citing its healthcare and crime statistics, rising incarceration rates and falling wages. At a news conference Tuesday, she attempted to clean up a comment that Republicans have seized on as a sign of her lack of local pride, faulting herself for an “inelegant delivery” of her message. In a brief concession speech, Perdue backed Kemp in his bid to see off Abrams’s challenge. “We’re going to make sure Stacey Abrams is not governor of the state,” he said. Nominating contests are also being held in Minnesota, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas, where a school shooting that left 19 children dead had cast a grim pall over the state’s primary. View the full article

Published by DPA A phone booth, redesigned by the artist Glenn Ligon, on a Manhattan street. The New York city administration began dismantling telephone booths in January 2021, and has been setting up free wi-fi kiosks to replace pay phones. Christina Horsten/dpa The last remaining public telephone booth on the streets of New York City has been removed and will be put in a museum, authorities have said. The telephone booth with two coin-operated machines near Times Square is to be exhibited in the New York City Museum in the future, the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation announced. Over the past years, the city administration has been setting up so-called LinkNYC kiosks across New York, which offer free wi-fi and USB charging ports, to replace coin-operated pay phones. There are still some privately operated pay phones left in the city, however, for example in several subway stations. View the full article

Published by AFP Baz Luhrmann has previously lit up Cannes with 'Moulin Rouge!', 'Gatsby' and 'Strictly Ballroom' Cannes (France) (AFP) – Cannes is set to be shaken, rattled and rolled on Wednesday as the world premiere of “Elvis” rocks the film festival on the French Riviera, in what is proving a vintage year for music-lovers. The highly anticipated new film is the latest from Australia’s Baz Luhrmann, the technicolour genius behind “Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge!”. Rising star Austin Butler, 30, steps into the blue suede shoes of Elvis Presley, and whispers around the Cannes Film Festival suggest it will rocket him into the A-list. The film also features Tom Hanks as The King’s infamous manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It has been warmly welcomed by the family of Presley, who died in 1977 at the age of 42 after a descent into drug addiction. His granddaughter Riley Keough, who happened to be at Cannes with her directorial debut “War Pony” last week, said she had watched the film with her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, and grandmother, Priscilla Presley. “There’s a lot of family trauma and generational trauma that started around there. It was a very intense experience,” she told reporters. Luhrmann has become a favourite at Cannes, having wowed critics with his debut “Strictly Ballroom” in 1992, and opening the festival twice, with “Moulin Rouge!” and “Gatsby”. Kaleidoscopic Celebrating its 75th edition, the festival has been a feast for music lovers this year. There were rave reviews for a new documentary about David Bowie, “Moonage Daydream” — part of a recent wave of innovative films about music legends. “It’s not a biography,” its director, Brett Morgen, told AFP. “The film is meant to be sublime, and kaleidoscopic, and kind of wash over you.” Ethan Coen, one half of the beloved Coen brothers film-making duo, was also in Cannes to present a documentary about another rock’n’roll pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis. Both docs eschew expert talking heads in favour of a more immersive experience. “I don’t care what experts say,” Coen told AFP at the festival. “Jerry Lee is a performer so I want to see the performance — not what some expert thinks about it.” Divided contest As arguably the world’s leading film festival, Cannes seeks a line-up that balances hard-hitting dramas, arthouse experimentation and blockbuster spectacles. This year has seen plenty of Hollywood glamour, with “Elvis” preceded by last week’s launch of “Top Gun: Maverick”, which brought Tom Cruise and a French Air Force display team to the red carpet. While they are playing out of the competition, the race for the top prize Palme d’Or has been a very mixed affair so far. No clear frontrunner has emerged from the 21 films in competition, with critics deeply divided over almost every entry. Perhaps the best reception up to now has been for “Decision to Leave” by Korean director Park Chan-wook, known for his 2003 thriller “Oldboy”. But the awards, to be presented on Saturday, are decided by a jury of film professionals — this year including Indian superstar Deepika Padukone, Iran’s two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi and led by French actor Vincent Lindon. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega The feud between Elon Musk and Bill Gates continues, because the Tesla founder took to Twitter on Tuesday to trash the Microsoft co-founder yet again, Radar has learned. After Breitbart published an article on Monday claiming Gates “poured millions into [a] dark money fund attacking Elon Musk,” the 50-year-old SpaceX founder turned to his favorite social media platform to take a shot at the 66-year-old fellow billionaire. Mega “Sigh,” Musk tweeted alongside a link to the Breitbart article claiming the Gates Foundation donated “hundreds of millions of dollars” to at least 11 groups behind a campaign pressuring advertisers to boycott Twitter should the Tesla founder take over. Breitbart further claimed that Gates is donating the funds via two “dark money” groups: the New Venture Fund and the Tides Foundation. The feud between Musk and Gates first started earlier this month after the Microsoft mogul criticized Musk’s plan to purchase Twitter for a whopping $44 billion. “He actually could make it worse,” Gates said while speaking to the Wall Street Journal at the time. ‘That’s not his track record. His track record with Tesla and Space X is pretty mind-blowing at putting together a great team of engineers and taking people who work in those fields in a less bold way and really showing them up.” Mega “I kind of doubt that’ll happen this time but we should have an open mind and never underestimate Elon,” he added. In the past, Musk has regularly accused the Microsoft co-founder of betting against Tesla stock. “I heard that at one point he had a large short position. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it seems weird,” Musk told Joe Rogan during a sit-down interview. “People I know who know the situation pretty well, I asked them ‘are you sure?’ and they said ‘yes, he has a huge short position on Tesla.’ That didn’t work out too well.” Mega Musk also recently took to Twitter to ridicule Gates’ belly by comparing the 66-year-old billionaire to a pregnant man emoji. “In case u need to lose a boner fast,” Musk wrote along with side-by-side photos of Gates and the pregnant man emoji in question. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Paula Abdul is mulling over plans for her upcoming 60th birthday and admitted she’s hoping to “do something big”. The pop star-turned-TV regular marks the milestone on June 19 and although she hasn’t finalised her party plans, the ‘Opposites Attract’ hitmaker revealed she’s hoping to splash the cash on chartering a yacht or whisking her friends off on an exotic holiday. She told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “I’m gonna do something big. Maybe charter a yacht or go somewhere exotic (and) take some friends.” Paula then joked she may end up staying at home and spending the day with her beloved pet dogs. She laughed: “Knowing me, I’ll stay home, be with my dogs.” However, she’s still hoping to come up with glamorous plan in time for her big day. She added: “I wanna do something fun and something spectacular. “Every day we (should) celebrate ourselves. We are above ground. We are living. We are healthy. You know what? We’re celebrating really important things in life.” It’s been an up and down 12 months for Paula as last year she underwent breast reduction surgery to make her implants smaller. The former ‘America Idol’ judge underwent a corrective operation to reverse a previous breast augmentation procedure. She explained she’d started having back pain and needed the operation to help ease her discomfort – especially when indulging her passion for dancing. In a video shared on Instagram by medical device firm InMode – which Paula is a brand ambassador for – she said: “With my height, I’m petite, I started with smaller breasts and about 20-plus years ago I had implants put in, and the more I was dancing the harder it was getting on my back. “As the years go by, gravity happens too, and I just always felt like [they were] a little too big for my frame, and I wanted to get the old implants out.” View the full article

Published by AFP Nike will stop supplying products to retailers in Russia, extending a freeze in the country following the invasion of Ukraine New York (AFP) – Nike will not renew licensing agreements in Russia, the company said Wednesday, joining a growing list of Western companies pulling back from the country following the invasion of Ukraine. The move affects licensed retailers as Nike shuttered company-owned stores two months ago soon after Moscow sent troops into the neighboring country. “Due to operational challenges in Russia, Nike has made the decision not to renew or enter into any new business commitments, including with our franchisee Up&Run,” the company said. “Our business remains on pause and we are providing pay continuity to our employees.” Nike’s statement was in response to an AFP inquiry into the status after Russian newspaper Vedomisti reported that Up & Run’s parent, Inventive Retail Group (IRG), would shutter its retail locations in Russia because of lack of access to merchandise. IRG’s website shows 37 Nike locations, nine of which are listed as “temporarily closed.” “As you can see from our stores, deliveries are suspended and the goods are in short supply,” IRG spokeswoman Lyudmila Semushina told AFP. “In the current realities, we cannot continue to support the work of Nike mono-brand stores and will be forced to close them.” Nike’s move comes just two days after Starbucks said it was shuttering its 130 cafes in the country, and last week, McDonald’s announced its exit from Russia, where it had 850 restaurants employing 62,000 workers. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into pro-Western Ukraine on February 24, triggering unprecedented sanctions and sparking an exodus of foreign corporations including H&M, Adidas and Ikea. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Elizabeth Piper and Muvija M LONDON (Reuters) -A “humbled” Boris Johnson said he took full responsibility but would not quit after a damning official report on Wednesday detailed a series of illegal lockdown parties at the British leader’s Downing Street office. Johnson has faced repeated calls to resign from opposition politicians and some in his own party over the alcohol-fuelled gatherings, after it was revealed that he and officials had broken COVID-19 rules that all but banned people from socialising outside their households. “I … am humbled and I have learned a lesson,” Prime Minister Johnson told parliament, saying he would not quit over the scandal. His foreign minister Liz Truss, seen as a possible successor, said she backed him “100%” after his apology. The report by senior official Sue Gray did not specifically blame Johnson, but gave graphic details and included photographs from more than a dozen gatherings. He attended some, including a party to celebrate his 56th birthday on June 19, 2020 that he was fined over but which Gray said he was unaware of in advance. “Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen,” the report said. “The senior leadership …must bear responsibility for this culture.” Johnson, who commissioned the report after revelations of boozy Downing Street events, said he was appalled by some of the behaviour it had uncovered. Gray’s interim findings were published in January, but details were withheld until the end of a police inquiry that concluded last week with 126 fines handed out. DISMAYING BEHAVIOUR AT ‘HEART OF GOVERNMENT’ Her full report included emails and messages that showed many gatherings were planned in advance, with discussions on who would bring alcohol – drinks that “we we seem to have got away with”, the then head of Johnson’s Downing Street office, Martin Reynolds, said in one message. [L5N2XH35B] There were warnings from another official that people should not be “waving bottles of wine” before a gathering that coincided with a televised news conference when ministers told the public to follow the COVID rules. At one June 2020 event, Gray said “excessive alcohol consumption” led to one person being sick and a fight between two others. [nL5N2XH35B] At another, the night before the April 2021 funeral for Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip, individuals partied into the early hours and damaged a swing. “Many will be dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the heart of government,” Gray said. “The public have a right to expect the very highest standards of behaviour in such places and clearly what happened fell well short of this.” She cited multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff who had to remove red wine from walls after one event. For months, evidence of the parties has dripped out into the media, forcing Johnson to apologise, change his office team and promise a reset to try to restore his authority. Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer said it was time for Johnson to quit, saying the report laid bare that the government believed that it was one rule for them and another for everyone else. “You cannot be a lawmaker and a law-breaker,” Starmer – himself under police investigation for breaking COVID rules, told parliament. He has said he’ll resign if fined. Johnson’s immediate fate lies in the hands of his Conservative lawmakers who can call for a leadership challenge. Many had said they would wait for Gray’s full report before deciding whether to demand Johnson should go. “Are you willing day in and day out to defend his behaviour publicly?” Tobias Ellwood, a long-time critic of Johnson, implored of his parliamentary colleagues. Others felt the report was less damning than it could have been. “This is all so banal,” one Conservative said on condition of anonymity. Johnson had initially denied there had been parties or rule-breaking at Downing Street, and some lawmakers say his position is untenable if he is found to have lied to parliament, a matter under investigation by the Committee of Privileges. By way of apology for his earlier denials, said he wanted to “correct for the record” that no rules were broken. “Clearly this was not the case for some of those gatherings after I had left,” Johnson told parliament. Drunkenness, vomiting and a scuffle detailed at UK government lockdown partiesFACTBOX-What are the findings from a report into lockdown parties in Downing Street? (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Mujiva M, William James, Andrew MacAskill and Alistair Smout; writing by Michael Holden; editing by John Stonestreet) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Caitlyn Jenner.MEGA Caitlyn Jenner got snubbed. Citing anonymous sources, TMZ reports that Caitlyn Jenner was not invited to Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker‘s wedding in Italy over the weekend. Jenner never got an invitation to the ceremony in Portofino, according to the outlet. However, the couple has no hard feelings toward Jenner, Kardashian’s former stepparent, TMZ reports. Rather, Kardashian and Barker wanted a smaller ceremony and Jenner simply didn’t make the cut. Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker.MEGA TMZ’s sources said Kardashian and Jenner have a relationship, but they do not speak that often, so the former decided it was not necessary to invite the latter. Jenner spent the weekend cheering on her new passion, Jenner Racing, according to TMZ. Driver Jamie Chadwick won her fifth W Series race in a row in Barcelona. “Win! Win! Win! No matter what!” Jenner tweeted. Jenner, however, did attend Kim Kardashian and Kanye West‘s wedding in Italy in May 2014, a year after splitting from Kris Jenner. It was also a year before Jenner’s transition. Caitlyn Jenner.MEGA Kardashian and Barker have a Los Angeles wedding celebration planned, TMZ reports, so it’s possible Jenner will get another chance to be part of the celebration. Jenner wasn’t the only one having a ball while Kourtney Kardashian and Barker were getting married. Kourtney Kardashian’s ex, Scott Disick, was spotted at a New York City strip club over the weekend. Page Six reports that Disick, 38, was spotted at Sapphire strip club in the early hours of May 23, according to TMZ. He went to the gentlemen’s club around 2:30 a.m. with a group of men and women. He stayed for about an hour and chatted iwth one woman in particular before leaving, Page Six reports. Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker.MEGA On May 22, the former “Flip It Like Disick” star detailed his stay at New York City’s Casa Cirpiana on an Instagram Story. “Little movie night,” a story showing his room service was captioned. Disick also posted a photo of a steak dinner, saying “If ya know, ya know.” Disick was perhaps planning a longer vacation as he posted a photo from a private jet May 22, saying “Where 2?” He then posted his flight status, saying “Next stop, the beach.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nate Raymond (Reuters) – President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated three women to serve as appellate judges including Florence Pan, who would succeed U.S. Supreme Court-designate Ketanji Brown Jackson on the influential federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. Pan’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit marks the second time Biden has picked her to fill a seat vacated by the incoming Supreme Court justice, after selecting Pan in 2021 to succeed Jackson as a district court judge. Biden also nominated public interest lawyer Rachel Bloomekatz to serve on the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. Magistrate Judge Doris Pryor to sit on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The White House said the nominees continue fulfilling Biden’s pledge to diversify the federal bench. Nearly three-quarters of his 98 federal judicial nominees have been women. A majority have been people of color. The D.C. Circuit is considered by many the second most important court after the Supreme Court thanks to a docket filled with cases concerning government decisions and regulations. Pan would fill a vacancy created by the U.S. Senate’s April confirmation of Jackson to become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court once Justice Stephen Breyer retires at the end of this term. The Senate in September confirmed Pan on a 68-30 vote to become first Asian American woman judge on the federal district court in Washington, D.C. She was previously a D.C. Superior Court judge. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday will vote on advancing another D.C. Circuit nominee, U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs, who Biden considered for the Supreme Court nomination. Pryor, a former prosecutor and public defender who is Black, would be the first judge of color on 7th Circuit from Indiana. Bloomekatz launched a public interest law firm in Columbus, Ohio, in 2019 after working at Washington-based appellate firm Gupta Wessler. She served as state counsel for Biden’s 2020 campaign in Ohio. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Vladimir Putin has promoted one of his longtime bodyguards to a new minister position, suggesting the Russian leader is becoming increasingly more paranoid of those ordered to protect him, Radar has learned. Major-General Alexander Kurenknov, Putin’s former bodyguard, was appointed to Emergencies Minister on Tuesday just months after the former Emergencies Minister, Yevgeny Zinichev, died under mysterious circumstances after allegedly falling off a 90ft waterfall in September. Mega The promotion of Kurenknov also marks the sixth of Putin’s bodyguards to be promoted to a high position within the Kremlin, suggesting the 69-year-old Russian leader is becoming more paranoid and only feels safe amongst those who have a long and loyal history of protecting his life. “Putin knows him well personally,” Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said regarding Kurenknov’s new promotion. “And the choice means that, according to the head of the state, Kurenkov’s personal, service and professional qualities will allow him to serve in this function.” Mega While it took Putin nearly six months to fill the Emergencies Minister position following Zinichev’s mysterious death in September, sources close to the Russian president claim Putin is still distraught over the minister’s death – so much so that Putin reportedly described Zinichev’s passing as an “irreplaceable personal loss.” But although Zinichev’s death was ultimately ruled an accident, others familiar with the situation believe Zinichev was actually murdered. “I will say right away that it was not the death, but the murder, of the general,” Russian Professor Valery Solovey said about the mysterious and strange circumstances surrounding the late minister’s death. “He did not die alone, several other people died with him.” As RadarOnline.com reported, the promotion of Kurenknov and Putin’s allegedly increasing paranoia come amid rumors that those closest to the Russian president are planning to assassinate the leader after his failure to successfully take Ukraine after sending forces in more than three months ago. Mega “He’s all about staying in power,” General Keane, who previously worked as the Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, recently said about a possible coup or assassination attempt against Putin. “That’s his motivation. He will do anything to stay in power.” “The alternative, he knows full well, by a successor who doesn’t agree with him, could mean the end of him – his demise,” Keane continued. “He’s fighting to stay in power and he’s determined, I think, to still accomplish his goals even though his focus is in the south [of Ukraine].” “He has no future beyond him being the president of Russia. That’s a fact.” View the full article

Published by DPA An illustration photo shows a medical syringe with the word Monkeypox virus in the background. Sufficient supplies of the Imvanex vaccine against monkeypox are available to handle the current outbreak, the producer of the shot told DPA on Wednesday. Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Sufficient supplies of the Imvanex vaccine against monkeypox are available to handle the current outbreak, the producer of the shot told dpa on Wednesday. Bavarian Nordic is the only company in the world whose monkeypox vaccine has regulatory approval. It is currently possible to produce 30 million doses annually, spokesman Rolf Sass Sørensen said. Cases of monkeypox are spreading. The virus usually causes mild symptoms such as rash, fever and pustules, but can also be severe. The company is based in Denmark and produces the vaccine there, although it was initially developed in the German branch in Martinsried near Munich. However, the shot is only approved in the US, where it is called Jynneos, and Canada. Planning is currently under way for it to be approved in the European Union is being planned, Sørensen said. In Europe, the vaccine has only been approved for smallpox in humans, which is considered extinct. The vaccine is also being used in Britain but “off label,” without the corresponding approval, Sørensen continued. He said the company was receiving many enquiries about the shot but did not state which countries had bought the vaccine or how much. Germany has ordered “up to 40 000 doses” of smallpox vaccine, according to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. Bavarian Nordic’s smallpox shot was originally developed based on work with the US government set up after the attack on 2001 World Trade Center attack, when Washington feared a future attack could involve smallpox viruses. The government planned to vaccinate the entire population, Sørensen said, noting that the older vaccines were associated with significant side effects. “That’s why they came to us and asked us to make a better and newer generation of smallpox vaccine,” he added. It is a very safe vaccine that has been tested on very solid data, he said. View the full article

Published by Radar Online PTNY/©2013 RAMEY PHOTO Ricky Gervais sparked backlash for anti-trans jokes in his new Netflix comedy special, leaving some members of the LGBTQ community outraged. The controversial comic, 60, became a hot topic on social media after his SuperNature special premiered on the streaming platform. “I love the new women,” Gervais quipped at one point. “They’re great, aren’t they? The new ones we’ve been seeing lately. The ones with beards and c—–. They’re as good as gold, I love them.” Joe Russo / MEGA He then referenced the trans bathroom controversy just minutes into his comedy set, igniting more angry tweets. “It’s the old-fashioned ones, they go, ‘Oh, they want to use our toilets.’ ‘Why shouldn’t they use your toilets?’ ‘For ladies!’ ‘They are ladies — look at their pronouns! What about this person isn’t a lady?’ ‘Well, his p—-.’ ‘Her p—-, you f—ing b—t!'” he joked. Gervais went on to discuss “woke comedy” and how comedians are now supposed to create a “safe space” for the audience instead of saying what they really want to. “I tried to watch a bit of it, and I decided I’d rather watch Louis C.K. masturbate,” he said of the comic’s sexual misconduct scandal. “Can’t mention him anymore. He’s canceled.” PTNY/©2013 RAMEY PHOTO Gervais also mentioned Kevin Hart losing his 2018 Oscars hosting opportunity after homophobic tweets were brought to light. “You don’t know who the dominant mob will be,” he continued. “You know, like, the worst thing you can say today — that get you canceled on Twitter, death threats — the worst thing you can say today is, ‘Women don’t have p——,’ right? Now, no one saw that coming.” After watching his newly released special, several critics voiced their disapproval. “To him we exist only as a punchline, a threat, something less than human,” one social media user vented while another echoed, “If you’re a comedian and you support trans people, it’s your responsibility to be speaking out against Dave Chappelle and the new Ricky Gervais special.” ©2011 RAMEY PHOTO “Trans people are on the least funded end of the healthcare spectrum and facing a barrage of negativity from an increasingly trans hostile media. This isn’t a joke,” British artist Miss Freda Wallace also posted in response. In the special, Gervais seemingly knew some backlash would arise as he offered a disclaimer, telling the audience he does support trans rights in real life. “I support all human rights, and trans rights are human rights,” he insisted. “Live your best life. Use your preferred pronouns. Be the gender that you feel you are. But meet me halfway, ladies. Lose the c—. That’s all I’m saying.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News A “prayerful” Nancy Pelosi Tuesday hit back at the Catholic archbishop who banned her from receiving Holy Communion over her pro-choice stance. The powerful House speaker said the archbishop of her hometown of San Francisco has no business imposing his conservative views on her or the nation’s tens of millions of Catholics. “We just have to be prayerful, we have to be respectful,” Pelosi said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show. “I come from a largely pro-life Italian-American Catholic family, so I respect people’s views about that. But I don’t respect us foisting it onto others.” Pe… Read More View the full article

Published by The Charlotte Observer Following the lead of other Republican-led states, North Carolina lawmakers proposed a bill Tuesday that would ban teachers from talking about gender or sexuality in early elementary school grades, and could force school employees to out LGBTQ students to their parents. Critics in other states have called similar bills “Don’t say gay” rules and accused their backers of homophobic intentions, but Republicans have defended the changes as being pro-parent, and not anti-gay. “It has no place in the K-3 curriculum,” said Sen. Deanna Ballard of Watauga County, the bill’s lead sponsor. The bill faces… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Awkward! Mick Jagger doesn’t have time to be compared to Harry Styles. In a new interview, the 78-year-old spoke about their “easy relationship,” but he also dissed him in the process. “I mean, I used to wear a lot more eye make-up than him. Come on, I was much more androgynous. He doesn’t have a voice like mine or move on stage like me,” Jagger told The Sunday Times. “He just has a superficial resemblance to my younger self which is fine — he can’t help that.” HARRY STYLES OBSESSED WITH OLIVIA WILDE ROMANCE, ‘HE’S TURNED INTO HER LITTLE PUPPY DOG,’ DISHES SOURCE Styles, 28, has been a fan of Jagger for a long time. In fact, the former One Direction member did an impression of the rockstar on Saturday Night Live. Jagger has spoken about Styles in the past. “I was looking at a photograph of him and __Bianca [Jagger] __the other day and he was wearing this amazing yellow suit. I’m a massive fan and I like him a lot. I don’t know what he thinks of me,” he previously shared. “He’s got it going on. I can see the influence. But I don’t say anything to him, I just tell him he [looks nice. I like him](https://okmagazine.com/p/harry-styles-ashamed-sex-life/). He’s very decent.” “I know him, he comes to see me in lots of show,” he added. mega JOE JONAS, HARRY STYLES & MORE! TAYLOR SWIFT’S MOST FAMOUS BOYFRIENDS & THE SONGS FANS BELIEVE THEY INSPIRED The U.K. native recently released his third album, where he gets more candid about his life. “I think because I started so young, it became kind of like – that’s who I am. I don’t know if I ever stopped for long enough to realize what I was if I didn’t do it. But I think getting to a place where I feel like, ‘This is what I do and I love it, but it’s not necessarily who I am.’ Just feels like a much healthier place to be operating from and making music from,” he said. mega View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Keanu Reeves has been hailed one of the world’s nicest men in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022 issue. The actor, 57, was gushed over in the special edition by his co-star Carrie-Anne Moss, 54. She said in an essay for the magazine: “In this often unkind and shallow world, my friend Keanu gives others hope.” The actress, who played Trinity alongside Reeves in ‘The Matrix’ films, added he was far from other celebrities who proved a let down off-screen. She added: “The actions of this handsome, talented, successful, and fiercely committed actor have become a reprieve from the constant disappointment we have for those who get put on a pedestal.” Moss also called Reeves’ fame “unique” and said he is renowned for “his kindness and generosity”. The pair first worked together on 1999’s ‘The Matrix’ before reprising their roles three times in follow-ups, with the most recent outing in December. Moss said about their first meeting: “Keanu was just as he always is: kind, generous, and thoughtful… (he is) still the man who checks in on me during an intense training day just as he did then.” Keanu, worth an estimated £320 million, has given away chunks of his fortune over the years as part of good deeds. He runs a private foundation that benefits cancer research and children’s hospitals, gifted the stunt crew on ‘The Matrix’ a motorcycle each, and bought his mum a house. Among the other famous faces listed in the 100 most influential people issue are Kris Jenner, 66, actress Mila Kunis, 38, and comedian Pete Davidson, 28, who has been dating Kris’ daughter Kim, 41, since November 2021. Each of those listed has a tribute written about them by a peer or colleague. Zendaya, 25, was one of five celebrities to get her own cover for this issue. The others went to singer Mary J Blige, 51, actor Simu Liu, 33, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, 56, and chief executive officer of Apple Tim Cook, 61. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Mega Is Rosie O’Donnell off the market? It sure seems like it after the former cohost of The View, 60, shared a sweet snap to Instagram on Sunday, May 22, of her hand lovingly resting on another person’s leg as the two held hands. @rosie/Instagram “how’s ur weekend? #spokane,” O’Donnell wrote alongside the picture of the intimate embrace between herself and the mystery person. ROSIE O’DONNELL SYMPATHIZES WITH ELLEN DEGENERES FOLLOWING TOXIC WORKPLACE CLAIMS, SAYS THE SPOTLIGHT CAN BE ‘TOUGH’ Fans were quick to congratulate the former The Rosie O’Donnell Show host on the new flame in her life via her comment section. “Not nearly as well as yours appears to be going.,” one follower quipped in reference to O’Donnell’s caption about her weekend. “Omg I’m happy for you ,” another supportive fan penned. “Bliss. [hope] you’ve had a great weekend with you know who,” one of the star’s pals Wendy Perkins teased below the photo. @rosie/Instagram The Broadway producer was previously engaged to Boston police officer Elizabeth Rooney, but the couple split in 2019 after two years together. O’Donnell was previously married to Kelli Carpenter for one year in 2004. The former couple shares children Parker, 26, Chelsea, 24, Blake, 22, and Vivienne, 19. TAKE THAT, TRUMP! ROSIE O’DONNELL MAY GET KENNEDY CENTER HONOR UNDER BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY The outspoken star was also engaged to Michelle Rounds, with whom she shares daughter Dakota, 9, from 2012 to 2015. Sadly, Rounds committed suicide in 2017. Although O’Donnell has been laying low as of late, the media mogul opened up last year about how she felt about working with Whoopi Goldberg on the hit ABC panel show. “Whoopi really didn’t like me,” the actress told Howard Stern of the on-air tension between herself and the actress. @rosie/Instagram “I didn’t know that she saw the countdown…I saw that, and there was a pause, and I said ‘well, we’ll be right back after this.’ And that was the first day, and it was trouble from then on,” she explained about being the one to cut to a commercial when the producers were signaling Goldberg to call the break. “She was mean to me on live TV,” O’Donnell additionally told the shock jock. “When people say, ‘Well, what happened,’ I say, ‘Go back and watch [the episodes].’ It’s not like a mystery, watch the way it went down. So I was like, ‘I gotta get out of here, I can’t do this.'” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Bad Bunny refuses to give clothes a gender. The 28-year-old rap star – whose real name is Benito Ocasio – is unsure what defines “masculine” or “feminine” and cannot discriminate clothing choices based on gender. He said: “Everybody has to feel comfortable with what they are, and how they feel. Like, what defines a man, what defines being masculine, what defines being feminine? I really can’t give clothes gender. To me, a dress is a dress. If I wear a dress, would it stop being a woman’s dress? Or vice versa? Like, no. It’s a dress, and that’s it. It’s not a man’s, it’s not a woman’s. It’s a dress.” The Latino singer – who had a job packing groceries at a supermarket in Puerto Rico before shooting to fame and becoming Spotify’s most streamed artist of 2021 with a reported 9.1 billion plays worldwide – went on to claim that becoming a celebrity was never his intention and explained that his native audience would typically “undervalue” Latino musicians who sang in their own language. In a new cover story for GQ’s June issue, he said:”I was never on a mission to be like, Oh, this is what I’m going to do. It happened organically. Like, I’ve never made a song saying, ‘This is going to go worldwide.’ I never made a song thinking, ‘Man, this is for the world. This is to capture the gringo audience’. Never. On the contrary, I make songs as if only Puerto Ricans were going to listen to them. I still think I’m there making music, and it’s for Puerto Ricans. I forget the entire world listens to me. “The Latino audience would always undervalue their artist. Sometimes, Latinos would want to record with an American, and because they’re American, they’d think, I have to do it. No, man. He’s not at the level I am, you know? Just because they’re American. But that perspective has changed. You can see it now. People have become aware. They suddenly see, Wow, Bad Bunny has been the most listened to on Spotify for 70 days. It wasn’t the American. It’s this guy, who’s Latino.” Read the full cover story, ‘Bad Bunny’s Giant Leap’ n GQ’s June issue and on GQ.com View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Congressionally mandated commission announced on Tuesday its recommendations for changes to the names of nine U.S. Army bases that currently honor the Confederacy and Confederate leaders. The recommended changes, if implemented, would name bases in honor of Black, Hispanic and female American heroes, including Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to win the Medal of Honor for her service as a surgeon during the Civil War. They are: * Fort Benning, Georgia – rename Fort Moore after Lieutenant General Hal and Julia Moore. * Fort Bragg, North Carolina – rename Fort Liberty after the value of liberty. * Fort Gordon, Georgia – rename Fort Eisenhower after General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower. * Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia – rename Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker * Fort Hood, Texas – rename Fort Cavazos after General Richard Cavazos * Fort Lee, Virginia – rename Fort Gregg-Adams after Lieutenant General Arthur Gregg and Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams * Fort Pickett, Virginia – rename Fort Barfoot after Technical Sergeant Van T. Barfoot * Fort Polk, Louisiana – rename Fort Johnson after Sergeant William Henry Johnson * Fort Rucker, Alabama – rename Fort Novosel after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel, Sr. The commission, which has no power to change the names on its own, said it will complete a written report for Congress by Oct. 1. Under previous legislation passed by Congress, the Pentagon will be required to implement changes by 2024, it said. The United States has been re-examining its history and removing segregationist symbols across the country following the May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis. That re-examination has extended to the U.S. military, which quickly issued a de facto ban on displaying the Confederate flag at U.S. military installations. Congress then passed legislation requiring changes to base names, despite fierce opposition from then-President Donald Trump. Confederate flags and base names can be offensive to many Americans, who see them as reminders of the enslavement of Black Americans and a symbol of white supremacy. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Leslie Adler) View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden is set to issue an executive order on Wednesday directing federal agencies to revise use-of-force policies as the United States marks the two-year anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd, the Washington Post and other U.S. media reported. The order, which the Washington Post said Biden would sign on Wednesday, will create a national registry of officers fired for misconduct and use grants to encourage state and local police to tighten restrictions on chokeholds and no-knock warrants, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Floyd, a Black man suspected of passing a counterfeit bill, was killed when Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, kneeled on his neck as three other officers looked on. The incident triggered a wave of protests over racial injustice. Chauvin was sentenced to 22-1/2 years in prison last year after his conviction on murder charges. One of the three officers pleaded guilty last week to aiding and abetting manslaughter in the May 25, 2020, incident. The White House has scheduled a signing ceremony at 4 p.m. on Wednesday (2000 GMT) at which Biden will be joined by members of Floyd’s family, civil rights advocates and law enforcement officials, the Washington Post reported, citing two people briefed on the announcement. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Rami Ayyub in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Brendan O’Brien (Reuters) -A man suspected in the fatal weekend shooting of a New York City subway rider, less than two months after a mass shooting on the transit system, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said. Andrew Abdullah, 25, was arrested at his lawyer’s offices for the slaying of Brooklyn resident Daniel Enriquez, 48, who was fatally shot in his chest while he rode in a subway car on Sunday morning, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference. Abdullah was described as a gang member and repeat offender with a criminal history dating back to 2016, including arrests for felony assault, robbery, attempted murder and a gun charge that remains open. He was given a 30-month sentence in May 2017 for the attempted murder charge, and was out of prison in June 2019 and released from parole in June 2021, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. New York Mayor Eric Adams called Abdullah the “poster child” for perpetrators of violence in the city and suggested that the state’s criminal justice system played a role in the killing. “We got a killer off our streets, but far too many killers are back on our streets through the revolving door of the criminal justice system,” Adams said. Abdullah was photographed by Reuters walking into the NYPD’s 5th Precinct station in handcuffs with a police detective escort. Law enforcement was able to locate the suspect with the help of police canvassing, community engagement and social media outreach, Sewell said. A 9-millimeter shell casing discharged from a Ruger firearm was recovered at the scene, Essig said. The gun, which was stolen in Hampton, Virginia in 2019, was later handed at random to a homeless male, who authorities brought in for questioning, he said. Enriquez, who worked for investment bank Goldman Sachs, was riding a train crossing a bridge from Brooklyn into lower Manhattan when he was shot without provocation, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. Adams said his heart is with the family of Enriquez, an innocent person who should be alive today. Sunday’s attack adds further pressure on Adams, a former police captain and Brooklyn borough president who made crime and public safety a focus of his campaign for mayor last year. In February, Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul promised to increase police patrols and mental health outreach in response to a spate of attacks in the subway system, which is run by the state-controlled Metropolitan Transportation Authority. On April 12, the subway system saw one of the most violent attacks in its history, when a man set off a smoke bomb and opened fire in a subway car, leaving 23 people injured in the chaos, including 10 hit by gunfire. Frank James, 62, was arrested a day later. He was indicted earlier this month on terrorism and other federal charges. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ellen DeGeneres’ “career pause” will begin with a luxury African vacation. The final episode of ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ will air later this week, and Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi are now planning to head overseas with some of their close friends, as she embarks on the next chapter of her career. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Right after the show finale airs she, Portia and her closest friends, including her brother, Vance DeGeneres and his wife, are heading to Rwanda for the opening of her gorilla campus.” Ellen – who began hosting the talk show in 2003 – is set to open the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund. Gorilla conservation is passion project for the TV star, and for the time being, she doesn’t have any “definite” career plans in place. The insider added: “She’s going to take some much-needed time off and just take a pause.” In April, Ellen took to Twitter to confirm she’d already filmed her last-ever episode of her long-running talk show. The host – who married Portia in 2008 – wrote on the micro-blogging platform at the time: “Today we taped the final episode of The Ellen Show which airs on May 26th. “When we started this show in 2003, the iPhone didn’t exist. Social Media didn’t exist. Gay marriage wasn’t legal. We watched the world change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. “But whatever was happening, my goal was always for the show to be a place where we could all come together and laugh for an hour. Being invited into your lives has been the greatest privilege of my life and has brought me incredible joy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. (sic)” View the full article