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Published by Reuters By Tyler Clifford (Reuters) – The family of an African refugee killed by a Michigan police officer during a traffic stop demanded on Thursday that authorities dismiss the officer from the force and file criminal charges against him, a day after a video of the fatal shooting was released. Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese refugee who is Black, was killed in a Grand Rapids neighborhood during a routine traffic stop after he struggled with the officer over a stun gun. The officer has not been publicly identified. Speaking through a translator at a press conference on Thursday, Lyoya’s parents mourned the loss of their first-born son, saying they did not believe that this could happen in the United States. “My heart is broken to see an officer being on top of my son and to shoot him in the back of his head, my heart is really broken,” said Peter Lyoya, his father. “I’m asking for justice for Patrick.” The family fled violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the United States in 2014, according a statement from the governor’s office. Ben Crump, a prominent U.S. civil rights attorney who is representing the family, said the officer did not follow basic training protocols and that the use of fatal force was unnecessary and unjustifiable. “Another senseless killing of a Black person in America by the very people who are supposed to protect them,” he said referring to the video footage. “You see a police officer escalate a minor traffic stop into a deadly execution.” Crump again called for federal police reform, noting that Lyoya’s death is one in a growing list of police killings of racial minorities, including that of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, in situations that could have been de-escalated. Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, was present at the news conference in Grand Rapids. After the release of the videos, hundreds of demonstrators gathered to protest the shooting, call for accountability and demand police reform, the Detroit Free Press reported. Lyoya, who was driving with a front seat passenger on April 4, was pulled over after the officer ran the car’s license plate and discovered it did not match the vehicle. He exited the vehicle and the officer sought to detain him. A short foot chase followed and ended on the lawn of a home where Lyoya attempted to block the officer from using his Taser, video footage shows. The two had fell to the ground when the officer drew his firearm and fired one shot in the back of his head, video footage shows. The officer, who has not been charged, is on paid leave and under investigation by the Michigan State Police. Kent County prosecutors told CNN on Wednesday that a decision about criminal charges would be made after the investigation has concluded. (Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Frank McGurty and Aurora Ellis) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA Turning the tables! Chris Nothis fuming over the lack of support he’s received in the wake of his recent sex scandal, spills a source, who says he’s itching to get even with a revenge tell-all. MEGA The Sex and the City alum had his scenes cut from the season finale of the recent reboot, And Just Like That, after multiple women accused him of sexual assault last December. CHRIS NOTH MAKES RARE APPEARANCE TO TAKE SON KEATS OUT FOR ICE CREAM FOLLOWING SEXUAL ASSAULT SCANDAL And according to the source, Noth is especially peeved at ex-castmates Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixonand Kristin Davis“because they spent years acting like his friends and then appeared to dump him with no questions asked.” Now, adds the source, “he’s thinking about getting even by revealing all sorts of dirty laundry about his days on the show.” The embittered actor, 67, who was also fired from The Equalizer, “still maintains he will be proven innocent, and he’s furious that no one stood by him,” continues the source. “He’s not going to hold back in this book — so everyone may have good reason to panic!” MEGA As OK! previously reported, after multiple women came forward with accusations about Noth, the ladies of the hit HBO series put out a joint statement in support of the alleged victims. “We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth. We support the women who have come forward and shared their personal experiences,” the December 20 statement read. “We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.” CHRIS NOTH SPOTTED WITH RINGLESS WIFE TARA WILSON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS The actor made a statement of his own claiming, “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross.” “The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women,” he concluded. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Darren Criss has welcomed his first child with wife Mia Swier. The 35-year-old actor – who was been married to film producer and tribute band singer Mia,36, since 2019 – took to Instagram to reveal to his 3 million followers that the pair welcomed a daughter named Bluesy Belle earlier this week. He captioned a photo of the three of them: ” M D made some sweet music. ⁣ ⁣Bluesy Belle Criss⁣⁣⁣ , 4/11/22⁣⁣ Out now.” and emblazoned the post with heart and music emojis. The Emmy Award-winning actor – who shot to fame playing rival choir leader on musical comedy series ‘Glee’ – first announced Mia’s pregnancy back in October, where he joked that the “ultimate spring collab” was on its way. He wrote: “We’ve been making music for years.⁣…But this time we made a BEAT. The ultimate collab droppin Spring 2022!”(sic) During the pregnancy, Darren – who is currently starring on Broadway alongside Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell in classic play ‘American Buffalo’ – joked that the new arrival would become a “Broadway baby.” He told ETOnline: “I’m running out of words to say how excited I am. It’s like the Scrabble board has run out of words. There will be a few opening nights! More than one opening night! Life abounds. I’m very grateful to be giving life to many things, including this play. The circumstances around it are very fortuitus and the poetry of it is not lost on me. I’m very pleased to be brining life into the world given the circumstances. A true Broadway baby!” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA Though Niecy Nash hasn’t been married that long — she and Jessica Betts tied the knot in August 2020 — she knows that she and her partner were meant to be. “The best part is I never been in a relationship with anyone who I was friends with first. I show up at the good parts. I mainly approach my relationships, like, ‘No, I don’t need you to be my friend, I need you to be my lover, I have got friends.’ And so it was just like, ‘Oh, wait a minute, both of these things are the same thing? I love it here!'” the 52-year-old exclusively tells OK! while talking about IHOP’s first-ever loyalty program called Bank of Pancakes. Since the two were pals, the actress wasn’t sure if there was something more between them — but one day, she couldn’t stop thinking about Betts. Shortly after, they got engaged and married six weeks later during the middle of a global pandemic. Now, the Claws alum — who has been married twice before — has never been happier. “She is the most beautiful soul I have ever met in my life. You could have never told me that I would have been in a same-sex marriage. I already had two marriages under my belt, and I would have done it the same way again. For me, I feel like it’s not about gender, it’s about the fact that her soul was so bright and so beautiful and such a light. I never even thought about the fact that ‘Oh, hey, wait, one of these things is not like the other in terms of the people I have dated before.’ It just was like, ‘I want to be with you.’ The gender is second to all of that.” MEGA CANDACE CAMERON BURE’S SON LEV IS ENGAGED AT 20 YEARS OLD: ‘I CANNOT WAIT TO BE YOUR HUSBAND’ Compared to her other relationships, she and Betts are on the same page, but Nash admits there’s always room for improvement. MEGA “The best part about being married is the way we express love for one another – there is a love of reciprocity in that. If you’ve ever been with somebody and you feel like you are doing all of the heavy lifting, you’re doing all of the texting, you’re doing all of the things that make the relationship full and rich, you get tired, so the fact that there is a lot of reciprocity in it and I enjoy that,” she explains. “But the biggest gift we’ve given to each other is therapy. We go separate and we go together — just to help us unpack things, manage things, communicate better, and there’s nothing wrong with getting help.” Clearly, Nash and Betts’ bond is unbreakable, as they are now working together on the former’s new game show Don’t Forget the Lyrics. “For the most part, it’s been easy because we get along and we have a lot of fun,” she says. 10 CONFESSIONS FROM MARIAH CAREY’S MEMOIR: LOVE, CHILDHOOD ABUSE & HER ‘LAMBS’ IHOP The Emmy-nominated star is very excited about her partnership with IHOP, as she goes to the restaurant frequently since her daughter is a huge fan. “I love pancakes and I love introducing people to things that are a benefit, so I was so happy to learn about their new loyalty program,” she says. “You download the app, you go have food, you get PanCoins deposited into your account and you use that to then go back and get free food. Easy, breezy!” IHOP is opening the vault for guests to enroll in the program and start earning PanCoins at www.ihop.com/rewards. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Karamo Brown is bringing his “Queer Eye” to daytime. The star of Netflix’s nine-time Emmy Award-winning reality series will host a new daytime talk show launching nationwide this fall. NBCUniversal announced Wednesday that “Karamo” has been sold in 90% of the U.S. and will air in markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Orlando and Cleveland. The daily, one-hour talk show will feature the trailblazing TV personality tackling topics including race, parenting, infidelity and complicated family dynamics. According to producers of the series, a studio a… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News A group of employees at Fox Corp. has condemned the Fox News Channel over its “hateful” anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, calling it a “step backward in the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.” Last week, Fox Pride posted a message on the group’s company-wide Slack channel addressing recent comments made by Fox News hosts and guests on some LGBTQ issues. Fox Pride — a resource group for Fox LGBTQ+ employees and their allies across all of its brands, including Fox News and Fox Weather — “denounces statements made regarding sexual orientation and gender identity on Fox News in the past week,” the message rea… Read More View the full article

Three-time Emmy Nominated American Comedian Randy Rainbow was on CBS This MorningRandy Rainbow Interview CBS Sunday Morning AND ALL the Videos In It [This post contains video, click to play] Actor Singer Writer and Satirist Randy Rainbow Welcomes New Book into The World; Gives CBS Sunday Morning A Look Behind the Curtain Randy Rainbow is his real name. Reserve your copy of Randy Rainbow’s book ‘Playing With Myself’ Coming Out April 19. And any of these Rainbow products and accessories Pink Glasses Lapel Pin Official Say Gay T-shirt View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA The restraining order against Ezra Miller has been dropped, a new report reveals. Just two weeks after a Hawaiian couple filed a temporary restraining order against the Fantastic Beasts actor, the entire case has now been dismissed by a judge, per their request. MEGA According to a report from People, attorney William Dean — who is representing the two Hawaii residents — confirmed that his clients decided to drop the case, which was officially dismissed on Monday, April 11. INSIDE ‘THE FLASH’ STAR EZRA MILLER’S SCANDALS AFTER LATEST ARREST AT HAWAII BAR The couple first filed court documents just two weeks prior, claiming that Miller threatened and harassed them at their home in the early morning hours on Monday, March 28. According to their filing, [Miller] burst into the bedroom of the Petitioners and threatened [husband] saying ‘I will bury you and your s**t wife. [Ezra] stole the passport of [wife] and the wallet which included SS card, driver license, bank cards, among other things of [husband.]” MEGA The petition also noted: “[Ezra] is famous and wealthy; this makes access to weapons much easier, as well as sending associates to harass [the couple].” The couple — who have not been named — asked that the actor be barred from contacting them in any way and prohibited from showing up at their home and place of employment. The outburst described by the Hawaii residents occurred just hours after Miller — who uses they/them pronouns — was released from jail following a disorderly conduct arrest. MAN FILES RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST ‘THE FLASH’ STAR EZRA MILLER OVER APPARENT MELTDOWN AFTER DISORDERLY CONDUCT ARREST As OK! reported, The Perks of Being a Wallflower actor was staying with the couple while in Hawaii, after meeting one of them at a farmer’s market. They even bailed Miller out of jail on $500 bond before the alleged incident took place. MEGA Miller, 29, was initially taken into police custody after partying at a karaoke bar in Hilo, where they reportedly got “agitated” by people singing and began “yelling obscenities” at the patrons. “At one point [Miller] grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke and later lunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts,” the police report stated. “The bar owner asked Miller to calm down several times to no avail.” A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 26. View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden intends to sign an executive order on U.S. policing practices, the White House said on Wednesday. (Reporting by Alexandra Alper and Trevor Hunnicutt; editing by Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega 50 Cent recently took to Instagram to not only hurl insults at Young Buck but also to question the younger rapper’s sexuality. Of course, this all comes just hours after Young Buck blamed 50 for allegedly forcing him into bankruptcy. He claimed the In The Club rapper attempted “to stop all of” his music from being published and played so he couldn’t make money. Mega On Wednesday, after Young Buck appeared on the It’s Tricky with Raquel Harper podcast the day before, 50 Cent called out the 41-year-old rapper on Instagram and raised doubt about his sexuality. “Young Buck, Benzino just embrace who you are but don’t pat nobody butt when they score a basket fool,” 50 wrote along with an audio clip from a portion of another podcast in which Love & Hip Hop star Benzino speaks about his own sexuality and sexual preferences. “LOL. Hahaha, Nah. FOR REAL! PUNK.” Mega While Young Buck doesn’t directly factor into the audio clip 50 posted, he’s seemingly taking a dig at Buck’s sexuality after the Shorty Wanna Ride rapper claimed the 46-year-old hip-hop legend “stopped [him] from being able to make money.” “We at a standstill, I’m definitely not looking to go down a whole long drawn-out court situation, things like that, when it could all get handled and be done on a business level if we had that conversation to get that clarity,” Young Buck said regarding his ongoing legal battle with 50 Cent. “He could get whatever he’s looking for from me, I can get what I’m needing from him. I can move on with my life, and continue feeding my kids. He could do the same.” “Like I said, my biggest situation was the fact that he sent cease-and-desists out to try to stop all of my music, and get everything pulled down based on saying I’m still an artist on G-Unit,” Buck continued. “Once he stopped me from being able to make money, I filed another bankruptcy.” “They stopped him from being able to cease-and-desist in regards to me being able to, you know…I included what he claimed that I owed him in the bankruptcy to be able to say, ‘Well hey, if you’re owed this and present whatever receipts or whatever… You will be paid type of situation.’ But that was the only way I was able to go forward with working, so.” Mega As Radar reported, 50 first filed a lawsuit against Young Buck in August 2021 after claiming Buck still owed him upwards of $250,000 for money he loaned him prior to signing a recording contract in 2014. In the past, Young Buck has repeatedly denied owing 50 any money – something that 50 Cent has not taken kindly to. “I gave this fool the money man, he spent it. I paid his taxes all his legal fees. then he got caught with a tranny, and said f— you 50,” 50 responded in 2020 after Buck denied owing him money. “NO F— YOU, PUNK A—N—- Man, I gave the n—– the money. I gave the n—- millions.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Mark Wahlberg’s kids feel “mortified” about his Marky Mark past. The 50-year-old actor starred in the 90s hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, and he admits that his kids – Grace, 12, Brendan, 13, Michael, 16, and Ella, 18 – feel embarrassed about his music background. During an appearance on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, the host asked: “Have your kids ever seen you perform?” And in response, Mark replied: “They’ve seen videos of me performing and they are mortified.” A photo of the Hollywood star during his Marky Mark days then appeared on screen, and the actor admitted his kids would feel embarrassed by the throwback image. He said: “Like, if they see a photo of me in the underwear, oh my God, they would be so embarrassed. My son has just recently turned 16. Let’s just say that and he gets embarrassed by everything that I do, even the stuff that people think is cool in 2022.” Asked if he’d ever perform as Marky Mark again, he said: “Yes, under the right circumstances … for the right circumstances and yes for the right cause. Absolutely, I would do it.” Earlier this month, meanwhile, Mark revealed he plans to quit Hollywood “sooner rather than later”. The actor is one of the most bankable stars in the movie industry, but he doesn’t plan to stay in the business forever. Asked when he plans to leave Hollywood behind, Mark replied: “Sooner rather than later, probably.” Mark – who has been married to Rhea Durham since 2009 – is keen to spend more time at home with his family in the coming years. Speaking about his approach to future projects, Mark explained: “It’s gotta be something special to really bring me, you know, to leave home, to leave those guys behind, because it’s the biggest sacrifice in the making for sure.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega The View is down a host… again! Whoopi Goldberg is on hiatus just months after her February suspension. This time, though, the 66-year-old isn’t in trouble over something she said live on air. Contrary to Internet speculation, the talk show host isn’t leaving the daily debate for good. Whoopi will rejoin her cast at the table next month. Concern grew after Whoopi was a sudden no-show this week onThe View, with her co-host Joy Behar teasing that she would be gone for a while. Addressing her absence, Behar claimed Whoopi got a better offer, and she’d be back after she’s done. “If you’re wondering where Whoopi is, the girl’s got a movie she’s making and she will be back when she finishes whatever she’s doing,” Behar told the audience on Monday. “So she’s gone for a while.” She did not reveal how long Whoopi would be MIA. Mega Fast-forward to Wednesday, and View fans have finally gotten answers! Not only do we know what movie Whoopi is filming, but we also know when she’ll make her return to the hot seat. Whoopi is all the way in Scotland filming her new movie, Anansi Boys, in which she’ll play the God of all birds, villain Bird Woman. She’ll be back on The View in a few weeks. Her return date is May 2. Despite all the controversy Whoopi brought onto the show earlier this year, her TV team seem to be rallying around her. “ICYMI: Our EGOT winner is away doing EGOT things! See you soon, @WhoopiGoldberg,” the show tweeted on its official Twitter page Wednesday. Many viewers are beyond happy that she’s not gone for good. “I love and miss you @WhoopiGoldberg CONGRATULATIONS on your new film role! I can’t hardly wait to see it and see you back on @TheView!” one fan wrote. “I will return to watching when she returns to the table. Thank you,” shared another. Others expressed their disappointment that she’s not leaving The View forever. ABC “Hope she stays gone forever,” a hater replied. “Isn’t she the moderator of the show? I guess she has her cake and she’s eating it too,” added a second. “I hope she’s replaced. She brings nothing to the table. ZERO!!” added another. As Radar reported, Whoopi was suspended without pay for two weeks in February after claiming the Holocaust wasn’t about race. She outraged viewers with her comments, which, in turn, upset the network. Whoopi later apologized for her comments. View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Shepardson (Reuters) – U.S. health officials on Wednesday extended by 15 days a U.S. mandate requiring travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and in transit hubs, saying they needed time to assess the impact of a recent rise in COVID-19 cases. Industry groups and Republican lawmakers want the administration to immediately end the 14-month-old mask mandate. The latest extension would keep the requirements, which had been set to expire April 18, in place through May 3 amid an increase in COVID cases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first issued a public health order requiring masks in interstate transportation and at transit hubs, including airplanes, mass transit, taxis, ride-share vehicles and trains effective in February 2021. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a security directive to enforce the CDC order. The CDC said Wednesday the extension was prompted by a rise in cases and to “give it time to assess the potential impact of the rise of cases on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and healthcare system capacity.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki cited the case increase in explaining the extension. “So what they’re trying to do is give a little bit more time to assess its potential impact the rise of the cases had on severe disease, including hospitalization and deaths and healthcare system capacity.” She added “at the end of that two weeks they can determine what’s next after that.” The TSA said on Wednesday it would extend the order through May 3 after the CDC “continues to monitor the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, especially the BA.2 subvariant that now makes up more than 85% of U.S. cases.” Both the CDC and TSA mask requirements have been repeatedly extended. Airlines for America, a trade group, on Wednesday in a letter continued to urge Biden’s administration “to lean into science and research, which clearly support lifting the mask mandate. It makes no sense to require masks on a plane when masks are not recommended in places like restaurants, bars or crowded sports facilities.” The group said airplane air is among the safest indoor environments “due to the superior ventilation and hospital grade filters.” Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian told CNBC earlier Wednesday it was time to end the mask mandate and that people need to “make their own decisions and take personal accountability for their health onboard our planes.” The group cited the CDC’s guidance that nearly all Americans live in counties where they can avoid wearing masks indoors. The CDC in February eased its guidance for face coverings. The U.S. Senate voted 57-40 last month to overturn the public health order requiring masks on airplanes and other forms of public transportation, drawing a veto threat from Biden. Republican Senator Roger Wicker said Wednesday the administration “continues to force unnecessary and contradictory mask mandates on the public,” while Democratic Senator Ed Markey applauded the extension “given the recent rise in COVID-19 cases.” The mask requirements have resulted in friction sometimes on U.S. airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration said that since January 2021, there have been a record 7,060 unruly passenger incidents reported – and 70% involved masking rules. Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen, which represents 65,000 airline workers, said the union respects the CDC mask decision “but we cannot ignore that the mask mandate has driven an unprecedented rise in assaults by unruly passengers against airline workers.” Separately, the Biden administration on Wednesday renewed the government’s COVID-19 public health emergency, allowing millions of Americans to keep getting free tests, vaccines and treatments for at least three more months. The administration is also considering lifting requirements that international visitors get a negative COVID-19 test within a day of travel, as many countries have dropped testing requirements, but is not taking any immediate steps. The United States requires foreign air travelers to be vaccinated. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Berkeley, California; Editing by Will Dunham, Chizu Nomiyama and Bernard Orr) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jan Wolfe and Ismail Shakil (Reuters) – U.S. law enforcement agencies have agreed to change some of their policies for responding to demonstrations on federal property, part of a partial settlement agreement reached with Black Lives Matter protesters who were violently cleared from a park near the White House in June 2020. The Justice Department has settled claims in four civil lawsuits brought by racial justice demonstrators who said their rights were violated in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., according to a Justice Department press release https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-settlement-lafayette-square-cases issued on Wednesday. As part of the settlement, U.S. Park Police officers will face new limits on the use of non-lethal force and procedures to facilitate safe crowd dispersal, the Justice Department said. The partial settlement agreement calls for Black Lives Matter D.C., a plaintiff in the litigation, to dismiss claims for non-monetary relief against the U.S. government. The plaintiffs are continuing to seek financial compensation from some defendants. The U.S. government did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. “We are pleased that the Biden Administration is taking an important step to protect protesters’ rights so that what happened on June 1, 2020 doesn’t happen again,” said Scott Michelman, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties of the District of Columbia involved in the litigation. The lawsuits alleged that federal agencies used unreasonable force to enable a “photo op” of former President Donald Trump holding a Bible outside of St. John’s Church, a historic building near the White House. A federal judge narrowed the litigation last year, ruling that federal defendants such as then-Attorney General William Barr were immune from any potential liability. A U.S. government watchdog has rejected the claim that police cleared protesters so Trump could pose for a photograph. In a June 2021 report, the U.S. Interior Department’s inspector general said police dispersed protesters as part of a plan made earlier in the day for a contractor to install fencing. The violent clearing of protesters sparked divisions and frustration among some White House staff, and a top military official later apologized for walking with Trump before television cameras that day. “I should not have been there,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a videotaped statement. “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.” (Reporting by Jan Wolfe in Washington and Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Aurora Ellis) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega The Walking Dead star Ross Marquand has spent the last seven seasons of AMC’s hit zombie drama fighting the undead as Aaron, but his character has a far deeper meaning to some of his fans. In an exclusive interview with OK! while at the Fandemic Tour after party, Marquand reveals that his character being a part of LGBTQ+ representation on television and the effect it’s had on fans will be one of the “best things” he will ever do in his career as an actor. mega The Avengers: Endgame star first joined the hit series in season 5 when his character ran into Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group outside of the Alexandria Safe-Zone. ‘THE WALKING DEAD’ STAR MICHAEL JAMES SHAW WISHES COSTAR NORMAN REEDUS A SPEEDY RECOVERY AFTER ACTOR MISSES CONVENTION APPEARANCE FOLLOWING ON-SET HEAD INJURY Shortly after Aaron’s introduction into the show, it was revealed that the character was in a loving and open relationship with his boyfriend, Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson). ‘The Walking Dead’ stars Ross Marquand and Chad L. ColemanFandemic Tour/Sexton Whiskey “When you get an acting job, you never think your work might have any sort of greater social significance or meaning in a person’s life,” Marquand candidly tells OK!, admitting he initially just thought of it as a job, but it quickly became so much more to him. ‘THE WALKING DEAD’ ACTOR MOSES J. MOSELEY’S ALLEGED SUICIDE MAY HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF FOUL PLAY BASED ON NEW EVIDENCE FOUND BY LAW ENFORCEMENT “I have had so many people come up to me … and say ‘you helped me have those hard conversations with my family,'” he continues, explaining how fans would tell him that they didn’t know how to come out to their parents as gay or lesbian, and through bonding over loving The Walking Dead and appreciating this openly gay character together, they were able to find the words to come out themselves. mega “The fact that these characters are represented so well, they were like ‘[Aaron], Tara, Jesus, of course, Yumiko, Magna, helped me come out,'” he adds, happy to share the spotlight with many of the show’s other LGBTQ+ characters. “For the rest of my life, no matter what I do … that will be 100% the best thing I ever do with my life.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kristen Stewart is to star in ‘Love Lies Bleeding’. The ‘Spencer’ actress has boarded the cast of the romantic thriller that is being directed by Rose Glass, the filmmaker behind the acclaimed horror flick ‘Saint Maud’. Insiders say that the story is centred on the extreme qualities it takes to succeed in the competitive world of bodybuilding. Kristen will play the co-lead in the movie – the protective lover of a female bodybuilder. Sources are, at this stage, describing the project as a romance fuelled by ego, desire and the American dream. A24 is backing the movie along with Film4, the features division of the British TV network Channel 4. Glass has written the script with Weronika Tofilska and film bosses are hoping to cast the lead as authentically as possible with the search currently underway. Kristen was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the late Princess Diana in the movie ‘Spencer’ and she confessed that she was “astounded” to be recognised by the Academy. The 32-year-old star said: “I am truly astounded and unbelievably moved and touched and just stunned. I love this movie. “I just saw the director of ‘Spencer’ [Pablo Larraín] for the first time since we found out about the nomination, and just seeing the look on his face, seeing all the work we’ve put into this just evident in his smile, it made me so happy.” Regardless of the Oscar nod, Kristen still had a “really stunning” experience during awards season as the movie received a lot of plaudits. The ‘Twilight’ actress said: “I’ve never even gotten kinda close. So this experience alone, even without the nomination, would have been really stunning.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s takeover bid for Twitter has prompted speculation that he would restore Donald Trump’s account if he succeeds in purchasing the social-media platform. But the former U.S. president says he “probably” would not go back. In an interview with Sirius XM’s Americano Media on Wednesday, before Musk’s announcement, Trump said he “probably wouldn’t have any interest” in returning to the platform, where he had almost 90 million followers. “You know, Twitter has become very boring. They’ve gotten rid of a lot of their good voices … a lot of their conservative voices,” Trump said. Musk, the Tesla CEO and billionaire entrepreneur, said he hopes to take Twitter private with the intent of making it a platform for free speech. Trump was permanently suspended by Twitter following the assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. The platform cited the risk of “further incitement of violence.” The attack on Congress followed a speech by Trump in which he reiterated false claims that his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden was because of widespread fraud, an assertion rejected by multiple courts and state election officials. Twitter’s decision was criticized by Trump’s Republican Party and others as an attempt to stifle conservative voices and an attack on free speech. Trump has since launched his own social media platform, Truth Social, which has been plagued by technical issues and long waiting times to sign up. In the interview, Trump said he would wait until after the U.S congressional elections in November to announce whether he will run for another presidential term. But, he said, “I think a lot of people are going to be very happy,” about his decision. (Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Penelope Cruz thinks there is “a lot of work to do” to achieve equality in Hollywood. The 47-year-old actress claimed that while there had been some “changes” for women in Hollywood since the #MeToo movement, it i now “about time” to make further change together. She said: “There is still a lot of work to do in terms of finding a real equality. There are some changes that have happened in the last few years [since #MeToo] and I feel that this is the beginning of our change. But it’s a change that we have to do together. And it’s about time!” The ‘Wasp Network’ star – who has been married to fellow Oscar winner Javier Bardem for over a decade and has son Leo, 11, and daughter Luna, eight, with him – also explained that she learns a “really big lesson every day” from being a mother Speaking in the US edition of OK! magazine, she said: “[I learn] something every day. A really, really big lesson every day. Every conversation is mind-blowing, like ‘How can they be so very little and say something like that?'” Penelope went on to explain that she has “admired” the way children in general have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and praised the way they have “taken care” of others throughout. She said: “All children are very wise, very present. For example, the way that children have viewed the pandemic is admirable and is an example of responsibility and taken care of themselves and other people. I think all the children in the world have given adults an incredible lesson for this time.” View the full article

Published by AFP The Tesla and SpaceX chief is a frequent Twitter user, regularly mixing in inflammatory and controversial statements about issues or other public figures with remarks that are whimsical or business-focused San Francisco (AFP) – Tesla chief Elon Musk has launched a hostile takeover bid for Twitter, insisting it was a “best and final offer” and that he was the only person capable of unlocking the full potential of the platform. The move throws another curve into a roller-coaster ride for Musk’s volatile relationship with the global social media service, and raises many questions about what comes next. “Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it,” Musk wrote in a filing to US regulators made public Thursday, adding the site has the possibility to be “the platform for free speech around the globe.” “The company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company,” he added. The world’s richest person offered $54.20 a share, which values the social media firm at some $43 billion, in a filing dated Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Twitter’s board said it would carefully review what it termed Musk’s “unsolicited, non-binding” offer and decide on a course of action that was “in the best interest of the company and all Twitter stockholders.” Musk last week disclosed a purchase of 73.5 million shares — or 9.2 percent — of Twitter’s common stock, an announcement that sent Twitter shares soaring more than 25 percent. He was offered a seat on the board but turned it down over the weekend. Musk went on to use Twitter as a stage to ask whether the social media network was “dying” and to call out users such as singer Justin Bieber, who are highly followed but rarely post. “Most of these ‘top’ accounts tweet rarely and post very little content,” the Tesla boss wrote, captioning a list of the 10 profiles with the most followers — which includes himself at number eight, with over 81 million followers. In other weekend tweets, Musk joked about dropping the “w” from Twitter’s name and about converting its San Francisco headquarters to a homeless shelter “since no one shows up anyway.” He also suggested removing ads, Twitter’s main source of revenue. “He is such an entitled, privileged man I am not sure the Twitter he has in mind is a platform that will ultimately serve a majority on the people on it today,” said Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. Musk has mused on Twitter about giving verified account checkmarks to everyone paying for premium subscription accounts, which cost $3 monthly. “I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy,” Musk said in his filing. Musk argued in the filing that Twitter needs to be transformed, and that he was offering a price that was 38 percent above its April 1 closing price, the last trading day before his growing stake was revealed. ‘Not playing’ Musk breaks the mold as a business figure, even in the Silicon Valley world known for disrupting markets and changing lifestyles. The serial entrepreneur’s endeavors include driving a shift to electric vehicles with Tesla, private space exploration, and linking computers with brains. His behavior, however, has raised eyebrows, prompted laughs, and sometimes drawn condemnation or even litigation. Jewish groups blasted his tweet comparing Canadian leader Justin Trudeau to Adolf Hitler over Covid-19 vaccine mandates and Musk later deleted the tweet without apologizing. Musk used Twitter to insult a British caver who was part of a dramatic effort to rescue boys trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand and to challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin to “single combat” over the invasion of the Ukraine. “It’s get out the popcorn time as we expect many twists and turns in the weeks ahead as Twitter and Musk walk down this marriage path,” Wedbush analysts said in a note to investors. Twitter could be pressured to accept the offer by shareholders eager for the premium promised by Musk, or Twitter could seek a better offer elsewhere. A host of questions likely to swirl around issues of financing, regulatory aspects and balancing Musk’s time between his many companies. Musk has also sparred repeatedly with federal securities regulators, who cracked down on his social media use after a purported effort to take Tesla private in 2018 fell apart. “I am not playing the back-and-forth game,” Musk wrote in his filing on the buyout offer. “I have moved straight to the end.” View the full article

Published by AFP Two decades after banking his first millions, the South-African born Elon Musk became the world's richest man in 2021 San Francisco (AFP) – Space conquest: check. Disrupt the auto industry: check. Take over Twitter? Why not. From eccentric entrepreneur to the world’s richest man, Elon Musk likes to dream big — and these days, he is everywhere you look. Two decades after banking his first millions, the South-African born Musk last year became the world’s richest person — wresting the title from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — following the meteoric rise of Tesla, his electric automaker founded in 2003. The billionaire’s latest big splash: a bid announced Thursday to take over Twitter, capping a rollercoaster fortnight of announcements and counter-announcements — which Musk punctuated, characteristically, by gleefully firing tweets at the platform. Just a week earlier, the 50-year-old was making headlines as Tesla cut the ribbon on a “gigafactory” the size of 100 soccer fields in Texas, where the firm is now based and Musk himself has relocated from California. At the same time, his space transport firm SpaceX was breaking yet another boundary as a partner in a three-way venture to send the first fully private mission to the International Space Station. Musk also makes news of a less flattering kind: Tesla has faced a series of lawsuits alleging discrimination and harassment against Black workers as well as sexual harassment. In parallel with the whiplash-inducing stream of business news, Musk’s controversy-courting persona — with an unrestrained Twitter style and penchant for living by his own rules in the private sphere too — keeps the gossip press busy. It recently emerged Musk had had a second child with his on-again off-again partner, the musician Grimes: a girl they named Exa Dark Sideræl Musk — although the parents will mostly call her Y. He is even expected to make an appearance — in person or not — at the celebrity defamation trial pitting Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard, who formerly dated Musk. But one way or another, Musk has become one of the most ubiquitous figures of the era. So how did he get where he is today? To Mars… and beyond? Born in Pretoria, on June 28, 1971, the son of an engineer father and a Canadian-born model mother, Musk left South Africa in his late teens to attend Queen’s University in Ontario. He transferred to the University of Pennsylvania after two years and earned bachelor’s degrees in physics and business. After graduating from the prestigious Ivy League school, Musk abandoned plans to pursue further studies at Stanford University. Instead, he dropped out and started Zip2, a company that made online publishing software for the media industry. He banked his first millions before the age of 30 when he sold Zip2 to US computer maker Compaq for more than $300 million in 1999. Musk’s next company, X.com, eventually merged with PayPal, the online payments firm bought by internet auction giant eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002. After leaving PayPal, Musk embarked on a series of ever more ambitious ventures. He founded SpaceX in 2002 — now serving as its chief executive officer and chief technology officer — and became the chairman of electric carmaker Tesla in 2004. After some early crashes and near-misses, SpaceX perfected the art of landing booster engines on solid ground and ocean platforms, rendering them reusable, and late last year sent four tourists into space, on the first ever orbital mission with no professional astronauts on board. Musk’s jokingly-named The Boring Company is touting an ultra-fast “Hyperloop” rail transport system that would transport people at near supersonic speeds. And Musk has said he wants to make humans an “interplanetary species” by establishing a colony of people living on the Mars. To this end, SpaceX is developing a prototype rocket, Starship, which it envisages carrying crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond — with Musk saying he feels “confident” of an orbital test this year. Musk, who holds US, Canadian and South African citizenship, has been married and divorced three times — once to the Canadian author Justine Wilson and twice to actress Talulah Riley. He has seven children. An eighth child died in infancy. Forbes estimates Musk’s current net worth at $265 billion. View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House released an action plan on Thursday aimed at advancing racial and gender equity across the federal government to improve diversity. The strategy is aimed at working to ensure the federal government is a model for diversity and equity and preventing discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, the White House said. Each agency across the government is taking steps to improve equity by implementing new rules, a senior administration official told reporters. The U.S. Treasury Department said it would create a new Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility to develop and drive a cohesive strategy across the department and its bureaus. The office will be led by a senior career leader within Treasury, supporting employees of color, women, people with disabilities, military members and veterans, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, Treasury said. The Defense Department is leveraging federal contracting to narrow wealth gaps, the White House said in a fact sheet. The Environmental Protection Agency is stepping up a focus on environmental justice for disadvantaged communities, and the Health and Human Services Department is working to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage and tackle maternal mortality, it said. “This is unprecedented. We are in the guts of government trying to advance equity using all the tools we have,” the senior administration official said. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alison Williams) View the full article

Published by AFP The pandemic worsened an underlying trend of increasing STDs over the past decade, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Washington (AFP) – Reported cases of many types of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) went up in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the frequency of screenings decreased, an official report said Tuesday. The pandemic worsened an underlying trend of increasing STDs over the past decade, blamed on declining public health funding, said Jonathan Mermin, a doctor and senior official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which authored the report. Reported cases of gonorrhea and primary and secondary syphilis were up 10 percent and seven percent respectively, compared to 2019. Syphilis among newborns, known as congenital syphilis, also increased, with reported cases up nearly 15 percent from 2019, and 235 percent from 2016. Preliminary data indicate primary and secondary syphilis and congenital syphilis cases continued to increase in 2021 as well. Reported cases of chlamydia declined 13 percent from 2019 but experts suspect this is misleading — since the disease is often asymptomatic and detected through screening, such as routine pap smears. Overall, 2.4 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported. Covid-19 “came at a very difficult time for STI control,” Mermin told reporters on a call. “We already had a strained, crumbling public health infrastructure. There are many communities in the United States that do not have STI specialty clinics. What that led to was an exacerbation of the already increasing trends.” “The consequences of congenital syphilis are the most severe,” he added. “They include lifelong physical and mental health problems, miscarriage or stillbirth.” Reported cases of STDs initially decreased during the early months of 2020 when lockdowns enforced social distancing, but they resurged by the end of the year. Factors blamed for the spike include reduced frequency of in-person healthcare services resulting in less screening; diversion of health workers from STD work to respond to the Covid pandemic; STD test and lab supply shortages; and lapses in health insurance due to unemployment. Leandro Mena, another senior CDC official, added that social and economic factors, such as poverty and insurance status, resulted in worse STD outcomes. Over half of reported STDs were among 16 to 24-year-olds. Racial minorities including Black, Hispanic and Native American people were disproportionately impacted, while 42 percent of cases of primary and secondary syphilis were among gay and bisexual males. Public funding for local sex health clinics has been in decline for several years, and the data showed the worst affected states are often also the least economically developed, such as Mississippi. Around half of gonorrhea cases were estimated to be resistant to at least one antibiotic, but the CDC doesn’t believe antibiotic resistance is a driver of rising cases at this time. View the full article

Alabama Sued The state of Alabama is facing a federal lawsuit from two families and two medical professionals challenging the state’s new law that classifies providing gender-affirming treatment to trans minors under 19 as a felony offense. The filing comes just days after Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation into law. The families, identified anonymously in the suit as Roe and Doe, include parents of trans teenagers from multiple Alabama counties that feel like they may be forced to leave the state if state law threatens the ability for their children to access gender-affirming healthcare treatments, including puberty blockers. Instead of solving actual problems and dedicating taxpayer dollars to improving the lives of the people of their state, our opponents chose to demonize transgender young people and criminalize the doctors, parents, and communities that support them CARL CHARLES, senior attorney, lambda Legal“Like all parents we want nothing more than for our child to be healthy and happy. We have seen our daughter change from being reclusive and anxious to being an engaged, happy child once we got her the support and care she needs,” plaintiff and parent Robert Roe said in a statement. “This law threatens all of that and takes away our ability to follow the advice of highly qualified medical professionals.” The medical professionals among the plaintiffs, Dr. Morissa Ladinsky and Dr. Hussein Abdul-Latif, have extensive experience treating trans youth through their work at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama and the UAB Hospital. Under the new law, both could face up to 10 years in prison for providing the same treatments that are widely accepted in the medical community for trans youth. “By signing SB 184 Governor Ivey has told kind, loving, and loyal Alabama families that they cannot stay here without denying their children the basic medical care they need,” said Ladinsky in a statement. “She has undermined the health and well-being of Alabama children and put doctors like me in the horrifying position of choosing between ignoring the medical needs of our patients or risking being sent to prison.” “The only controversy in providing lifesaving gender-affirming care for transgender youth in Alabama is the one fabricated by Governor Ivey and the legislators that made this despicable bill into law,” said Lambda Legal senior attorney Carl Charles in a statement. “Instead of solving actual problems and dedicating taxpayer dollars to improving the lives of the people of their state, our opponents chose to demonize transgender young people and criminalize the doctors, parents, and communities that support them. And because of our lawsuit, Governor Ivey will spend taxpayer dollars to defend this foolish and clearly unconstitutional law.” Pro-Trans Coalition The plaintiffs will be represented by a coalition of LGBTQ and civil rights organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “Sadly, Governor Ivey has sided with a misguided Alabama legislature, who were determined to rush this legislation forward. SB 184 purposefully disregards the well-being of youth who will be directly – and negatively – impacted,” said Scott McCoy, SPLC Interim Deputy Legal Director LGBTQ Rights & Special Litigation. “Allowing this law to diminish and disregard the existence, dignity, and worth of transgender young people in Alabama is not an option.” Alabama: Previously on Towleroad Alabama Sued In Federal Court By Families, Doctors After Anti-Trans Healthcare Bill Signed Into Law Brian Bell April 13, 2022 Read More UK Cancels Global LGBTQ Conference After 80 UK Groups Refuse to Attend With Trans Conversion Therapy Left Out of Proposed Ban Brian Bell April 7, 2022 Read More TikTok Bans Misgendering, Deadnaming And Promoting Conversion Therapy; First Platform to Attempt Difficult Enforcement; GLAAD Takes Credit Brian Bell February 12, 2022 Read More Trans Swimmers Lia Thomas And Iszac Henig Compete, Win At Ivy League Meet Brian Bell January 12, 2022 Read More Judge Rules Denying Inmate Gender Affirming Care is ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment’; Queer Eye Subject Accused Of Homophobia, Racism Brian Bell January 10, 2022 Read More Queen Honors Olympian Tom Daley for His Athletics and Advocacy; Diver, Knitting Entrepreneur Now ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ Brian Bell January 4, 2022 Read More Photo by Aiden Craver on Unsplash View the full article