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Published by AFP Donald Trump has faced accusations — including from his own former Pentagon chief Mark Esper — that he sought to use excessive force to push back protesters demonstrating outside the White House in 2020 when he was president Washington (AFP) – Donald Trump vented fury at protesters outside the White House in 2020, saying “Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?” according to then defense secretary Mark Esper. In a new book, excerpts of which were reported Monday, Esper recalled sitting in the Oval Office with “the president red faced and complaining loudly about the protests under way in Washington” over the police killing of a Black man. “Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?” Trump is quoted as saying in a preview of the book seen by the Axios news website. The protests, which were marked by violence as protesters clashed with security forces, were part of a nationwide wave of demonstrations in the wake of the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. US Park Police and National Guard troops deployed tear gas and flash bangs to clear the largely peaceful protesters. Esper’s account appeared to confirm previous reports of Trump arguing that the military should intervene to quell the spiraling civil unrest. An earlier book by journalist Michael Bender quoted sources saying the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, argued with Trump against using the military as the president demanded a stronger response. Bender had quoted Trump as saying “shoot them in the leg — or maybe the foot… but be hard on them!” Esper publicly stated at the time that he opposed invoking the Insurrection Act, a rarely-used 200-year-old law which permits troops to be actively deployed within the United States. His stance reportedly enraged Trump, and he was sacked in November 2020. Axios said Esper’s book had been vetted by the Pentagon and reviewed by generals and cabinet members. View the full article

Published by DPA German police officer Leon Dietrich began his career in law enforcement as a woman but came out to his colleagues and boss as transgender in 2020. Ole Spata/dpa It was decades before German police officer Leon Dietrich felt able to come out. “Fourty-three years ago, no one knew much about being trans. My mother had never heard of it and early on, I was pushed into the binary system,” he says. “Of course I rebelled as I’d known something wasn’t right ever since I was born. My body didn’t fit.” He started his career as a woman, joining the police force in the state of North Rhine Westphalia. Only in 2020 did he find the courage to tell his boss, “I identify as trans, my pronoun is male and my first name is Leon.” His colleagues all stood by him and were really positive, Dietrich says. “That was really touching and it still gives me a lot of strength to this day.” He will never know how life might have been if he had come out right after high school. He probably wouldn’t have had a career in law enforcement, however, as the German police force only started accepting applications from trans or intersex people in 2021. Before then, breast implants or “the loss or atrophy of both testicles” were disqualifying criteria, according to police service regulations. Dietrich had been living as a lesbian, but the feeling that something was not right never went away. “It was overwhelming,” he says. Dietrich was appointed state coordinator of police contact persons for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in the nothern state of Lower Saxony in 2021, a state where the police have been committed to diversity for years. Doctors working for the Lower Saxony police force stopped checking whether applicants have certain gender-specific characteristics in 2012, even through federal service regulations officially required this up through to 2020, according to the state Interior Ministry. Dietrich’s new role is a full-time job, coordinating between 10 people who work in the regular police force. He is also the contact point for queer police officers, leads training sessions on diversity and handles public relations too. “Visibility creates trust and closeness,” he says. He also maintains networks with the queer community, in an attempt to counteract some of the long-held reservations many still have about the police force. After all, less than 30 years ago, homosexuality was still a punishable offence in Germany under some circumstances. Many in Germany still face abuse due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Trans women are often insulted or molested on the subway, for example. The nation was shocked in 2020 when an Islamist attacked a gay couple in Dresden, killing one and seriously injuring the other. However, 80% to 90% of crimes targeting the LGBTI community go unreported, according to estimates. Germany’s new government has vowed to do better. Lawmakers have promised a programme to protect sexual and gender diversity and to transform the 1980 Transsexuals Act. The 40-year-old law stipulates that people may only officially change their first name and gender following a psychological assessment and a court decision, processes often requiring applicants to answer a lot of intimate questions. Much has changed since Dietrich took up the job as LGBTI coordinator at the Lower Saxony police force, partly thanks to the polls held in September 2021. Tessa Ganserer and Nyke Slawik, both members of the Green Party, became Germany’s first elected transgender lawmakers. In future, Dietrich’s main educational priority is to help people learn about sexual and gender diversity, saying many people don’t understand the issues. “I don’t blame them,” he says. What makes him angry is when people incite hatred against trans people for political reasons, he says, referring to far-right lawmaker Beatrix von Storch who attacked Ganserer in the Bundestag on International Women’s Day, sparking outrage across the political spectrum. Meanwhile German feminist Alice Schwarzer said the focus on trans identity could cause tens of thousands of girls to change their gender. Dietrich attributes this partly to ignorance about trans identity and intersexuality. Young people need to learn about sexual and gender diversity, education that has long been lacking in Germany. “If I had realized sooner, I wouldn’t have had such a difficult time,” says Dietrich, adding that it can be hard to comprehend for anyone without similar experience. Most of Germany’s 16 states have a contact person in the police for the LGBTI community, aside from Bavaria, Thuringia and North Rhine Westphalia, says VelsPol, an association of gay and lesbian police officers. However, many queer police officers are too afraid to come out at their workplace, particularly gay men, studies say. Joschua Thuir, who is also trans, campaigns for the rights of queer police officers on VelsPol’s board. “We are seeing greater openness,” he says. However, when it comes to the national authorities, there’s still a long way to go, he adds. Leon Dietrich, state coordinator of police contact persons for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in the nothern German state of Lower Saxony, during an interview with dpa. Ole Spata/dpa View the full article

Published by Reuters LONDON (Reuters) – Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre has upset opera and ballet fans by abruptly cancelling a series of shows this week by directors who have spoken out against the war in Ukraine. The theatre gave no reason for dropping Timofey Kuliabin’s production of the opera “Don Pasquale” and Kirill Serebrennikov’s ballet “Nureyev”. Kuliabin has used his Instagram account to express solidarity with Ukraine and ridicule Russia’s description of its actions there. In one post, he showed a mocked-up version of the cover of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”, replacing the first word of the title with “Special Operation” – the term used by the Kremlin to describe the invasion. Serebrennikov told France 24 in an interview last month that “it’s quite obvious that Russia started the war”, and that it was breaking his heart. “It’s war, it’s killing people, it’s the worst thing (that) ever might happen with civilisation, with mankind… It’s a humanitarian catastrophe, it’s rivers of blood,” he said. Both directors are currently outside Russia. The replacement of the two shows with “The Barber of Seville” and “Spartacus”, two longstanding staples of the Bolshoi’s repertoire, drew hundreds of mostly critical online comments from ticketholders. Many demanded in vain to know the reason. “What disrespect to the spectators and artists!” one woman, Valeria, wrote on the Bolshoi’s Telegram channel. There was particular outrage at the cancellation of Serebrennikov’s “Nureyev”, a controversial production that premiered at the Bolshoi in 2017. The story of dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who defected to the West in 1961, included a tender scene with his gay lover that tested the Kremlin’s tolerance for what it calls “homosexual propaganda”. (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Peter Graff) View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Sarah K. Burris John Oliver addressed three candidates running for reelection in 2022 that have adopted a campaign of how not to help the most people, but instead, how much can you hurt the people that your supporters hate the most. He began with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who has waged war with Disney World because they dared to come out against the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The GOP legislature then voted to strip Disney of all of its benefits given by Florida. The problem that the state is now facing is that the deal that was made with Disney is that if Florida ever withdrew from the… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Eduardo Simões and Lisandra Paraguassu SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro and his main rival, former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, staged competing rallies on Sunday that were expected to become previews of their campaigns for presidential elections in October. Supporters of Bolsonaro had called during the week protests against the Supreme Court, after he pardoned a congressman sentenced to eight years in prison for threatening judges. The pardoned congressman, Daniel Silveira, said in a rally in Niteroi, in Rio de Janeiro state, that his arrest last year was “unconstitutional.” Silveira thanked fellow congressmen that helped him during his months in prison last year. He was freed in November, but the Supreme Court last month sentenced him to more than eight years of jail. Bolsonaro decided to pardon him. Bolsonaro went to a rally protesting against the Supreme Court in Brasilia on Sunday. In a video stream from one of his social media accounts, Bolsonaro said the demonstrations were “pacific, to defend the constitution, democracy and freedom.” In Sao Paulo, there were simultaneous demonstrations to support the president and Lula. In a 15-minute speech, Lula promised to supporters, including many union leaders, that he would “resume negotiations to get workers rights respected again” if elected. Lula said he was speaking before becoming an official candidate, with the announcement expected for May 7. The former president cited the recent U.N. human rights committee finding that Brazil graft investigators violated due process in bringing a case against Lula that led to his imprisonment and barred him from running for office in 2018. (Reporting by Eduardo Simoes and Lisandra Paraguassu, additional reporting by Sergio Queiroz and Rodrigo Viga Gaier, writing by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Marguerita Choy) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Prince Charles once fled from a ghost at Sandringham. The 73-year-old royal – who is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and is married to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall – is said to have run away from the spooky presence at the monarch’s lavish estate in Norfolk, according to a new book. According to The Sun newspaper, ‘Britain’s Ghostly Heritage’ author John West claims: “Christmas cards move on mantlepieces, doors open on their own, lights turn on and off, and eerie footsteps have been reported at the Queen’s Norfolk retreat.” The outlet went on to claim that a young Charles and a footman once “fled in terror” from the library after they felt a cold presence and were convinced that a ghostly figure was behind them. The same book also alleges that Princess Margaret – the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II – had seen the ghost of Tudor monarch Elizabeth I in a corridor at Windsor Castle and that 18th century monarch King George III had been seen “looking longingly” out of the windows whilst confined in Buckingham Palace. Royal biographer Kenneth Rose claimed that back in 2000, the Queen had a “little service” for the supposed ghouls of Sandringham after learning from servants that one of the rooms was supposedly haunted. The service was said to have been attended by the Queen Mother and the Queen Mother’s lady-in-waiting Prue Penn, according to diary entries made by Rose and printed in the Daily Mail back in 2019. The diaries read: “Prue Penn [the Queen Mother’s lady-in-waiting] tells me that at Sandringham in the summer, the Queen invited her to attend a little service in one of its rooms conducted by the local parson. The only other person present was the Queen Mother. Some of the servants had complained that the room was haunted and did not want to work in it. The parson walked from room to room and did indeed feel some sort of restlessness in one of them.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega GOP Representative Madison Cawthorn found himself in hot water once again after a video of the young politician surfaced in which one of his male staffers appeared to place his hand on Cawthorn’s crotch while the two were riding together in a car, Radar has learned. That is the sensational development captured by recent footage obtained by Daily Mail, which is leaving his fellow congressmen and congresswomen questioning the 26-year-old politician’s potentially unethical behavior. Mega “I feel the passion and desire and would like to see a naked body beneath my hands,” Cawthorn said in the video while driving in a car alongside his 23-year-old aide Stephen Smith. “Me too,” Smith responded before intimately and provocatively placing his hand over the North Carolina Republican Congressman’s crotch and genitals. The video has since been used as one of many examples of evidence in a newly drafted ethics complaint against Cawthorn created by the political group Fire Madison Cawthorn. The complaint called for an investigation into the young politician and argued that Cawthorn’s repeated unethical behavior is in direct violation of House Rules. Mega But Cawthorn, who took to social media shortly after the explicit clip surfaced, argued that the incident was nothing but a joke between him and his young staffer before suggesting his fellow House of Representative colleagues are just as guilty of such questionable behavior. “Many of my colleagues would be nowhere near politics if they had grown up with a cell phone in their hands,” Cawthorn tweeted on Thursday after the scandal broke. As RadarOnline.com reported, the video of Cawthorn’s aide’s hand on his crotch surfaced just days after the North Carolina Rep came under fire after it was revealed he allegedly misappropriated taxpayer money during a retreat to a posh North Carolina resort in August. Earlier this month, a report by the Washington Examiner revealed that Cawthorn spent nearly $5,000 for “legislative planning food and beverage” that included not only food from Chick-fil-A, Bojangles chicken, and Joey’s NY Bagels, but also several non-detailed payments on the politician’s government credit card. Mega The report also suggested Cawthorn utilized North Carolina taxpayer money to pay for his stay at the luxurious Hendersonville getaway resort, although a spokesperson for the young politician insisted the money used during the August retreat was taken directly from Cawthorn’s authorized House Members’ Representational Allowance. “Our district retreat occurred on those dates; those expenses were for the district and D.C. staff on the retreat,” Luke Ball, Cawthorn’s spokesperson, said after the damning report was published. “Nearly every office on Capitol Hill has a district retreat and a budget specifically designated for one.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega Country star Naomi Judd has died at 76-years-old. The Kentucky native was known for being a member of the beloved, Grammy Award winning country duo The Judds. mega Naomi’s daughters, Ashley and Wynonna Judd, confirmed the singer’s tragic passing in a statement shared to the Associated Press on Saturday, April 30. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the statement read. “We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.” Naomi Judd Reveals Daughter Wynonna’s Shocking BETRAYAL During Depression Battle Although it has not been confirmed Naomi took her own life, only that she died due to “mental illness”, Radar previously reported she had opened up on her years-long struggles with depression in her 2016 memoir, River of Time. In an excerpt of the shocking tell-all, the singer detailed a period in her life when she contemplated death by suicide. Naomi explained she had made the decision to throw herself off of the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge in Nashville, Tennessee in 2013. “I knew exactly how I was going to carry out my suicide. I would drive my car to the very center, the highest point, and in one swift motion open the car door and climb over the railing,” she penned the heartbreaking confessional. “I’d keep my focus on the beauty of the surrounding countryside, spread my arms out, and step off.” mega The Judds — a mother/daughter duo featuring Naomi and Wynonna — first shot to fame in 1983, and despite a period of estrangement, their careers seemed to be back on track. The country group not only announced a brand new tour scheduled for this Fall, but the duo was also scheduled to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 30 — the day of Naomi’s shocking passing. Naomi Judd Reveals Secrets About Her Estranged Relationship With Daughters Ashley & Wynona: They’re All In Therapy Together View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have made their red carpet debut as a couple. The couple – who have been together since October – were in attendance for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington D.C. on Saturday (30.04.22) night, and although they arrived more than 90 minutes after the event began, they still found the time to stop and pose for photos, though they didn’t speak to reporters before heading into the ballroom. Kim, 41, was invited on behalf of ABC following the debut of her new Hulu series ‘The Kardashians’, while the ‘Saturday Night Live’ star, who joined her at the show’s premiere a few weeks ago, came along as her guest. The brunette beauty wore a form-fitting silver gown, while 28-year-old Pete donned a black suit, skinny tie and Vans, and kept his sunglasses on throughout. Trevor Noah hosted the event, while joining President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden were guests including lifestyle guru Martha Stewart and ‘Succession’ actress J. Smith-Cameron. In March, Kim and Pete made their romance “Instagram official” when the law student shared a series of pictures of them together on her account. In the caption of the photo dump, the reality television personality wrote: “Whose car are we gonna take?!” In one of the images, Pete – who met the SKIMS founder when she hosted SNL, the weekly NBC sketch show he stars on – is gazing into Kim’s eyes as she puckers up. The second photo posted by Kim – who shares North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two, with her ex-husband Kanye West – is a black-and-white selfie of the pair, who have been linked since October. Kim recently gave her first public insight into their relationship as she admitted to not filming with her new boyfriend. She said: “I have not filmed with him, and I’m not opposed to it. It’s just not what he does. But if there was an event happening and he was there, he wouldn’t tell the cameras to get away. I think I might film something really exciting coming, but it wouldn’t be for this season. It wouldn’t reach until next season.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English A dancer from Singapore will portray the young Princess Elizabeth in the Diamond Jubilee pageant. Organisers of the celebratory carnival were keen to cast a woman of colour in the role to represent modern Britain and Queen Elizabeth’s status as a role model around the world so have selected 22-year-old Janice Ho to open the ‘Let’s Celebrate’ section of the carnival, which will take place in front of Buckingham Palace on 5 June. Janice will interact with a huge dragon puppet as she depicts the monarch in her younger years coming to terms with her power and responsibility when she takes over as queen. The London Contemporary Dance School Student told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I’m really excited to be able to perform to such a big crowd in countries across the Commonwealth. “London is such a diverse place and being able to represent that is such a great opportunity.” Janet plans to play the princess by capturing her “sense of light-heartedness”, before she had to “face the reality” of her future life as head of state. Angie Bual, the artistic director of Trigger, which have created the ‘Princess and the Dragon’ segment, said of the casting: “She is a woman of colour and that is something we really strongly stand by. “The Queen is such a role model, obviously in this country and internationally, and I think we need to role model all types of diversity. It is a reflection of the make-up of Britain and London today. “I didn’t want to cast somebody that looks exactly like Queen Elizabeth. I’m really interested in bringing new, unexpected talent in.” While Janice will be the only performer directly portraying the “real” queen, a diverse cast will portray other carnival queens that have been directly inspired by the monarch. The eldest will be 90 and part of a ‘Gangsta Grannies’ troupe, while the parade will also feature a giant puppet Queen walking her corgis, a huge wire frame bust surrounded by dancers in the shape of the coronation robe, the royal wedding reimagined with a Bollywood slant, and a drag queen named Cheddar Gorgeous. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’s costume designer found it “glorious” to put Laura Carmichael in trousers for the first time. The period drama’s second movie is set in the late 1920s and Anna Robbins enjoyed embracing the changing trends of the time period, taking particular delight in sourcing costumers for Laura’s character Lady Edith. She said: “I found a beautiful pyjama set for Edith and we had her in trousers for the first time, which was glorious. “It was the perfect moment. “As a forward-thinking working woman, Edith would have absolutely embraced wearing trousers at the earliest opportunity.” And Anna and Michelle Dockery were keen to use clothes to show a “softer” side to the actress’ alter ego, Lady Mary Talbot. Anna said: “Michelle and I talked about how we would show a softer, more vulnerable side of Lady Mary through silhouette, fabric and colour. “I looked at reintroducing a waistline to her outfits. During the 1920s, dresses became more linear, then it became a dropped waistline, then as we get to the end of the 20s, we find form in the waist again.” The wedding of Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) provided Anna with one of her favourite moments working on the film, admitting finding the right bridal gown was a “labour of love”. She told Britain’s HELLO! magazine: “That goes down as a favourite, but it’s hard for a wedding dress not to come into your top costumes.” The “quintessential 1920s bride” look included a layered asymmetric skirt, low back and vintage veil. Anna said: “It felt cutting-edge for the time. I wanted to get a contrast between the wedding dresses we’ve seen previously in the series and to give the sense Lucy would be able to lift up her skirt and have a dance.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Tim Cocks JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Two new sublineages of the Omicron coronavirus variant can dodge antibodies from earlier infection well enough to trigger a new wave, but are far less able to thrive in the blood of people vaccinated against COVID-19, South African scientists have found. The scientists from multiple institutions were examining Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages – which the World Health Organization last month added to its monitoring list. They took blood samples from 39 participants previously infected by Omicron when it first showed up at the end of last year. Fifteen were vaccinated – eight with Pfizer’s shot; seven with J&J’s — while the other 24 were not. “The vaccinated group showed about a 5-fold higher neutralisation capacity … and should be better protected,” said the study, a pre-print of which was released over the weekend. In the unvaccinated samples, there was an almost eightfold decrease in antibody production when exposed to BA.4 and BA.5, compared with the original BA.1 Omicron lineage. Blood from the vaccinated people showed a threefold decrease. South Africa may be entering a fifth COVID wave earlier than expected, officials and scientists said on Friday, blaming a sustained rise in infections that seems to be driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants. Only about 30% of South Africa’s population of 60 million is fully vaccinated. “Based on neutralisation escape, BA.4 and BA.5 have potential to result in a new infection wave,” the study said. (Editing by Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by Reuters LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie visited the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday, going to the station to meet people displaced by the war with Russia before later leaving after air-raid sirens sounded. Jolie, 46, is a special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency, which says more than 12.7 million people have fled their homes in the past two months, which represents around 30% of Ukraine’s pre-war population. During the visit to the station, Jolie met volunteers working with the displaced, who told her that each of the psychiatrists on duty spoke to about 15 people a day. Many of those in the station are children aged from two to 10, according to volunteers. “They must be in shock … I know how trauma affects children, I know just having somebody show how much they matter, how much their voices matter, I know how healing that is for them,” she said in reply. At one point during her visit to the station, she tickled a small girl dressed in red, who laughed out in delight. She also posed for photos with the volunteers and some of the children. Later on, air-raid sirens started to sound, and Jolie together with her aides walked quickly out of the station and got into a waiting car. Last month, in her role as special envoy, Jolie visited Yemen, where millions of people have been displaced by war. (Reporting by Reuters, writing by David LjunggrenEditing by Nick Zieminski) View the full article

Published by uInterview.com Warner Bros. Pictures announced the release date for the long-anticipated Greta Gerwig Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and included a picture of Robbie in character as the iconic doll in a pink convertible. The movie will be hitting theaters next summer on July 21, 2023. Some fans of Gerwig, who is known for penning indie comedy-dramas films such as Frances Ha and her acclaimed directorial debut Lady Bird, were shocked to hear that her next project as director after 2019’s Little Women would be a Barbie adaptation. Surely, however, Gerwig and her co-writer, partner, and frequent collaborat… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Alexandra Ulmer and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) – The month of May brings Donald Trump the biggest test of his political clout since the end of his presidency, as candidates he has endorsed contest Republican primaries that will set the stage for November’s midterm congressional elections. Trump-backed candidates in Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina face active and well-funded challengers seeking the Republican nomination to run for U.S. Senate. The former president has also backed a challenger to Georgia’s sitting Republican governor, who angered Trump by rejecting his false claims that his 2020 election defeat was the result of fraud. They are among the highest-profile — and in the case of the Senate, most critical for the party — of the more than 150 candidates for federal, state and local races Trump has endorsed this year. Their races will be closely scrutinized for any sign that Trump’s iron-clad grip on his party could be waning as he flirts with a possible 2024 White House run. “It’s important for him to maintain that perception, and perhaps a reality, that he is a king-maker in the Republican Party,” said Mike DuHaime, a Republican strategist, cautioning: “The Trump endorsement is still powerful, but it’s not undefeatable.” Victories in May by some of Trump’s more controversial Senate picks, including former football star Herschel Walker in Georgia and television doctor Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, would not guarantee success in the Nov. 8 general elections and missteps could allow Democrats to hold onto their razor-thin Senate majority. Polls show that at least one of Trump’s May picks, Senate candidate J.D. Vance in Ohio, is leading going into his Tuesday primary. But Oz trails rival David McCormick ahead of the May 17 Pennsylvania primary and former Senator David Perdue lags Georgia Governor Brian Kemp heading into their May 24 matchup. Poor performances by Trump-backed candidates may not diminish his support with his core supporters. Reuters/Ipsos polling last week showed 83% of Republicans view the former president favorably and 40% said he is the leader who best represents their party, well ahead of the 25% for his nearest potential rival for the 2024 nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “His power base is tens of millions of disaffected voters around the country,” said Justin Sayfie of Ballard Partners, a Florida-based lobbying firm with ties to Trump. “No matter what happens to his endorsed candidates, I don’t think it will change the conventional wisdom that he would still be the frontrunner for the GOP nomination for 2024.” Trump is expected to finalize a midterms spending plan for his massive war chest following the contests in Ohio and Pennsylvania, sources told Reuters last month. A spokesman for Trump did not respond to a request for comment. TRUMP’S CANDIDATES Trump stunned Ohio Republicans on April 15 by endorsing Vance, a venture capitalist and author who has been bitterly critical of the former president. More than 40 Republican officials had written to Trump urging him to not endorse Vance, arguing that his history of criticizing Trump would be fodder for his Democratic opponent. Following Trump’s endorsement, a Fox News poll showed Vance leaping 12 percentage points from a previous poll to notch the support of 23% of primary voters, whereas opponent Josh Mandel lost 2 points to poll at 18%. Still, 25% of voters said they were undecided. In Pennsylvania, Trump’s April 9 endorsement of Oz has done little to move the polls, with the latest survey showing a tight race with former hedge fund CEO McCormick. In a Monmouth University poll released last week, 61% of Pennsylvania Republicans say they were “very likely” to vote for McCormick compared to 51% for Oz. In North Carolina, polls show Trump-backed Senate candidate Representative Ted Budd leading rival former Governor Pat McCrory, though a crowded field in that race could force a July run-off. In Georgia, Trump defied the Republican establishment by encouraging Perdue to challenge popular incumbent Kemp, who infuriated Trump by certifying the 2020 election results that showed President Joe Biden defeated him in the state. Perdue lagged Kemp by some 20 points in a recent poll published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Georgia is going to be the proving ground for what the rest of the country is going to see: It’s time to turn the page,” said Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, an anti-Trump Republican. Even Trump’s faith in Perdue appears to be wavering. At a Georgia rally in March, Trump turned to Perdue and said: “I hope, David, you’re going to be the governor. Or I just wasted a helluva lot a time tonight.” (The story refiles to fix second paragraph to ‘rejecting’, from ‘rejected’.) (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco and Jarrett Renshaw in Philadelphia; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by Reuters KYIV/BEZIMENNE, Ukraine (Reuters) -Around 50 Ukrainian civilians reached the relative safety of a temporary camp in Russian-held territory on Sunday after being evacuated from a ruined steelworks in Mariupol, where the United Nations said a “safe passage operation” was in progress. With fighting stretching along a broad front in southern and eastern Ukraine, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged continued U.S. support for Ukraine when she met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in an unannounced visit to Kyiv. Russia said it had destroyed a stock of Western-supplied weapons at an airfield near Odesa, in southern Ukraine. Mariupol, a strategic port city on the Azov Sea, has endured the most destructive siege of the war, with Pope Francis, in an implicit criticism of Russia, telling thousands of people in St Peter’s Square on Sunday it had been “barbarously bombarded”. Moscow has turned its focus to Ukraine’s south and east after failing to capture Kyiv in the early weeks of a war that has flattened cities, killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 5 million to flee the country. In Mariupol, Russia declared victory on April 21 even as hundreds of holdout Ukrainian troops and civilians took shelter in the city’s Azovstal steel works, a vast Soviet-era complex with a network of bunkers and tunnels, where they have been trapped with little food, water or medicine. Negotiations to evacuate the civilians had repeatedly broken down in recent weeks, with Russia and Ukraine blaming each other. But on Sunday, more than 50 civilians arrived at a temporary accommodation centre after escaping from Mariupol, a Reuters photographer said. The civilians arrived on buses at the village of Bezimenne, around 30 km (18 miles) east of Mariupol, where a row of light blue tents had been set up, in a convoy with U.N. and Russian military vehicles. A spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said a “safe passage operation” had started on Saturday and was being coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Russia and Ukraine. He said no further details could be released so as not to jeopardise the safety of evacuees and the convoy. U.S. ‘STANDS WITH UKRAINE’ Footage posted by Zelenskiy on Twitter on Sunday showed him, flanked by an armed escort and dressed in military fatigues, greeting a U.S. Congressional delegation led by Pelosi outside his presidential office the previous day. “Our delegation travelled to Kyiv to send an unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine,” Pelosi, the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, said in a statement. Moscow calls its actions a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine and rid it of anti-Russian nationalism fomented by the West. Ukraine and the West say Russia launched an unprovoked war of aggression. Western nations have imposed broad economic sanctions on Russia and have been shipping increasing quantities of weapons to help Ukraine defend itself. Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday it had carried out a missile strike on a military airfield near the port city of Odesa, destroying a runway and a hangar containing weapons and ammunition supplied to Ukraine by the United States and European countries. On Saturday, Ukraine said Russian missiles had knocked out a newly constructed runway at Odesa’s main airport. It was unclear if they were referring to the same incident and Reuters could not immediately verify the reports. EASTERN PUSH In the east, Moscow is pushing for complete control of the Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists already controlled parts of Luhansk and Donetsk provinces before the invasion. On Sunday, Kharkiv region governor Oleh Synehubov warned residents in the north and east of the city of Kharkiv to remain in their shelters due to heavy Russian shelling. Reuters could not immediately verify reports of shelling in the area. Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of the Luhansk region, in a post on social media, urged people to evacuate while it was still possible. Zelenskiy said in a video address on Saturday night that Russia was “gathering additional forces for new attacks against our military in the east of the country”. Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukraine’s forces of shelling a school, kindergarten and cemetery in villages in the occupied southern Kherson region, the Russian RIA news agency said on Sunday. The ministry said civilians had been killed and wounded but gave no further details. There was no immediate response from Ukraine and Reuters could not independently verify the report. Russian forces captured the town of Kherson, 100 km (60 miles) north of Russian-annexed Crimea, in March. Ukraine’s military said in a bulletin on Sunday that Russian forces were fighting to push north from Kherson to the cities of Mykolayiv and Kryvyi Rih. (Reporting by Hamuda Hassan and Jorge Silva in Dobropillia, Ukraine, and Natalia Zinets in Kyiv; Additional reporting by Reuters journalistsWriting by Rami Ayyub, Clarence Fernandez, Frances Kerry and Alex Richardson; Editing by David Goodman and Alexandra Hudson and Angus MacSwan) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Sunday paid tribute to journalists who have died or been jailed in the line of duty, defending a free press and praising those in the media who courageously report on “humanity’s wounds”. Speaking to thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly address and blessing, Francis noted that May 3 will be the United Nations World Press Freedom Day. “I render homage to journalists who pay in person for this right,” he said, citing statistics that 47 journalists were killed and more than 350 jailed last year. He did give the source of the statistics. UNESCO, the U.N. organisation that sponsors World Press Freedom Day, said earlier this year that 55 journalists and media workers were killed in 2021. “A special thanks to those who, with courage, keep us informed about humanity’s wounds,” the pope said. Last month Francis honoured journalists killed covering the Russia-Ukraine war, saying he hoped God would reward them for serving the common good. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says it has confirmed that at least seven journalists have died while covering the war in Ukraine and is investigating whether others were killed because of their work. Reporters Without Borders, which is based in Paris, says it has documented a number of attacks directly targeting journalists wearing “Press” arm bands in Ukraine. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Angus MacSwan) View the full article

Published by New York Daily News The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging a recently enacted Alabama law that criminalizes certain forms of medically necessary gender-affirming care for transgender youth.The department is also asking the court to issue an immediate order to prevent the law from going into effect on May 8. The complaint, issued Friday, alleges that Alabama’s Senate Bill 184, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey earlier this month, violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause by discriminating on the basis of sex and transgender status. SB 184 not only punishes parents or legal gu… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Paul Mescal is thought to be engaged to his girlfriend Phoebe Bridgers. A partygoer claims that the singer introduced the ‘Normal People’ star as her fiancé as she attended a bash at the Coachella festival in California recently. Phoebe performed at the event while Paul was also seen mingling with his ‘Normal People’ co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones at the festival. The pair were first romantically linked in 2020 when the American singer referred to Paul as “the cute boy” during an interview and revealed she “got a little pitter-patter” in her heart when she noticed the actor was following her on Instagram. Mescal then landed a role in her music video for the track ‘Saviour Complex’ before the pair went Instagram official at the end of last year. The 26-year-old actor hasn’t publicly confirmed the relationship but has spoken about the positive aspects of having a girlfriend. Paul said: “To have someone too lean on through such a mad, mad time has been invaluable. Really, I don’t know where I’d be without her.” Phoebe, 27, came out as bisexual when she was in high school and previously suggested that she “doesn’t believe in” straight people. The singer said: “I don’t know — I actually don’t believe that anyone is, like, entirely straight. “I just don’t believe in straight people! It’s like, how? It’s 2021!” Phoebe explained that she found coming out “was kind of the opposite of an issue” as she was attracted to both “innocent indie boys” and “bombshell” movie characters. She said: “I feel like I love little innocent indie boys, and then my most seminal female crushes were always the bombshells in ‘Transformer’ movies, or Jessica Rabbit, or whatever.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co’s head of corporate affairs, Geoff Morrell, is leaving the company three months after joining from oil and energy company BP Plc, according to an email on Friday from Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek. Morrell’s brief tenure has been marked by controversy over the company’s response to Florida’s law barring classroom instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity for some younger students. “It has become clear to me that for a number of reasons it is not the right fit,” Morrell wrote in a separate email to his staff. “I have decided to leave the company to pursue other opportunities.” Both emails were seen by Reuters. Kristina Schake will lead the company’s communications efforts, Chapek said in the email. Her 30-plus years of experience include heading up President Joe Biden’s vaccine education program, as well as communications for Instagram and work in the Obama administration. Government relations and global public policy will be led by Disney’s general counsel, Horacio Gutierrez. Disney became the focus of criticism for initially failing to speak out publicly against the Florida legislation, which critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The company said it worked behind the scenes to influence the legislation, an approach Chapek admitted had failed. He later voiced disappointment with the measure and apologized to the company’s LGBTQ employees for failing to be a “stronger ally in the fight for equal rights.” When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill into law on March 28, Disney issued a statement saying it “should never have passed” and said that it should be repealed. Disney’s public condemnation opened a new front in the nation’s culture wars, with DeSantis signing a bill on April 22 that would strip the company of its self-governing authority at its Orlando-area parks in apparent retaliation. The company has yet to issue a statement on the new law, which would take effect on June 1, 2023. (Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Golda Rosheuvel was told not to come out by a lesbian director. The 52-year-old actress – who is best known for her role as Queen Charlotte in Netflix hit ‘Bridgeton’ – was advised against disclosing her sexuality publicly and was left feeling “confused” because she was already out to family and friends. Without naming the director, she said: “I really admired her and I was really confused. This is really bizarre. How come I can be out privately to my family, to my friends every day, but there’s something about being professionally out and publicly out. We were talking about being out and proud and representation and whether I should say I was gay in interviews. And it was an absolute no.” The West End star – who is in a long term relationship with writer Shireen Mula – claimed that the director told her she would “ruin her career” if she revealed her sexuality to the world but insisted that she would “rather not be” in showbusiness if it meant not being true to herself. Speaking on the ‘Just For Variety’ podcast, she added: ” [She said to me] ‘You absolutely shouldn’t do that. It could or it would ruin your career as an actor. “I would rather lose a job than not be true to who I am. I’d rather not work in an industry that doesn’t accept me. It just wasn’t how I was raised. And then her being out as a female director, as a lesbian director, I was like, ‘I don’t understand this advice. I just don’t understand. It just doesn’t track!” Golda explained that “representation” in whatever form is important as she insisted that she is “out and proud” and is just as important as anyone else. She said: “Representation is really important, whether its race whether its sexuality whether its men whether its women — whatever it is. Representation is important. I’m out and proud. My sexuality is really important to me, in terms of existing, in terms of being around the campfire and knowing that I’m important. I’m as important as anyone on the planet.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Prince Charles has backed an initiative to put face masks on cows. The 73-year-old royal – who is a passionate environmentalist – is a supporter of Francisco Norris’ start-up company Zelp (Zero Emissions Livestock Project) which wants to fit methane-catching devices to the creatures in order to reduce emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas as the animals emit around 95% of their methane from their mouth and nostrils. Zelp have been working with ABP, one of the UK’s largest meat producers, to trial the devices to help cut the carbon footprint of British beef and their tests showed a 53% reduction in methane emissions, with the company hoping to reach 60 per cent next year when they launch their commercial rollout. The masks pass the gases released by cows through a catalyst where they are released into the air as carbon dioxide and water vapour and they “comfortably” fit around the animals’ heads without impacting on their movement or habits. Zelp’s invention was one of four to win a £50,000 from the Terra Carta Design Lab, a prize for students and alumni of the Royal College of Art, which forms part of Charles’ Sustainable Markets Initiative. The Prince of Wales was among the panelists selecting the winners, alongside the RCA’s chancellor, Sir Jony Ive, who was also former chief design officer at Apple. On Wednesday (27.04.22), Charles – who is also the Royal Visitor at the RCA – hailed the cow face masks as “fascinating” as he toured an exhibition showcasing the designs. He told the winners: “I can’t tell you how proud I am to be associated with the Royal College of Art, particularly as a result of seeing the remarkable ideas presented by many of them alumni and existing students. “May I say that it is critical because of the urgency we face in terms of the crisis confronting us in all directions and just how important is what their ideas represent in terms of finding solutions rapidly. “I can only hope as a result of this and drawing more attention to what you are doing that we will have a better chance of winning this battle in shorter time. I can only wish you every possible success. Many congratulations, marvellous.” A total of 125 inventions were submitted for the competition, with recyclable textile AMPHITEX, Aerseeds – artificial seed pods made from food waste – and The Tyre Collective, a device which collects particles from tyre wear. View the full article