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Published by BANG Showbiz English Ghislaine Maxwell was reportedly introduced to VIP guests at Buckingham Palace as “Prince Andrew’s ex-girlfriend”. The 61-year-old prince appears in a newly-published photograph from 2002, which shows him at his mother Queen Elizabeth’s official residence with Maxwell – who is facing 40 years in jail after being convicted of sex offences – as well as former US president Bill Clinton. The former US leader was being given a tour of the palace with disgraced ‘House of Cards’ actor Kevin Spacey, and another member of the group claimed Maxwell seemed to know the royal residence well. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph newspaper – who have published the photograph – the unnamed person said: “Ghislaine Maxwell was the one who led us into Buckingham Palace. We walked in the main gates and Ghislaine showed us where we needed to be. She knew her way around this area of the palace. Ghislaine was described to me [as] an ex-girlfriend of Prince Andrew’s. “The tour was for Clinton and Spacey – they were Prince Andrew’s guests. But Ghislaine seemed to be leading the charge. The impression we all had was that there was some relationship there between Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell. “They clearly knew each other very well. She was very friendly and cheery.” Sources have previously insisted Andrew – who is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who has alleged she was forced into having sex with him when she was just 17 years old – had “no recollection” of being present for the tour, which took place on 30 September, 2002. The photograph was taken in the ballroom and shows Andrew pointing into the distance while Maxwell, to his left, looks over at Mr. Clinton while he examined two thrones. Giuffre – who was formerly known as Virginia Roberts – has accused convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – who committed suicide in August 2019 – and his one-time girlfriend Maxwell of arranging and forcing her into having sex with Andrew in 2001. The prince has denied all of the allegations and in legal documents insisted he and Maxwell were not “close friends”. Andrew – who is not facing any legal action in the UK – previously requested a trial by jury and is due to sit for a deposition in London next month. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON (Reuters) -The platform which sold an NFT of Jack Dorsey’s first tweet for $2.9 million has halted most transactions because people were selling tokens of content that did not belong to them, its founder said, calling this a “fundamental problem” in the fast-growing digital assets market. Sales of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, soared to around $25 billion in 2021 https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/nft-sales-hit-25-billion-2021-growth-shows-signs-slowing-2022-01-10, leaving many baffled as to why so much money is being spent on items that do not physically exist and which anyone can view online for free. NFTs are crypto assets that record the ownership of a digital file such as an image, video or text. Anyone can create, or “mint”, an NFT, and ownership of the token does not usually confer ownership of the underlying item. Reports of scams, counterfeits https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-tech-art-idUKL8N2TM0VV and “wash trading” https://www.reuters.com/technology/unreal-demand-irregular-sales-worth-billions-fire-up-wild-nft-market-2022-02-07 have become commonplace. The U.S.-based Cent executed one of the first known million-dollar NFT sales when it sold the former Twitter CEO’s tweet as an NFT https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/twitter-boss-jack-dorseys-first-tweet-sold-29-million-an-nft-2021-03-22 last March. But as of Feb. 6, it has stopped allowing buying and selling, CEO and co-founder Cameron Hejazi told Reuters. “There’s a spectrum of activity that is happening that basically shouldn’t be happening – like, legally” Hejazi said. While the Cent marketplace “beta.cent.co” has paused NFT sales, the part specifically for selling NFTs of tweets, which is called “Valuables”, is still active. Hejazi highlighted three main problems: people selling unauthorised copies of other NFTs, people making NFTs of content which does not belong to them, and people selling sets of NFTs which resemble a security. He said these issues were “rampant”, with users “minting and minting and minting counterfeit digital assets”. “It kept happening. We would ban offending accounts but it was like we’re playing a game of whack-a-mole… Every time we would ban one, another one would come up, or three more would come up.” “MONEY CHASING MONEY” Such problems may come into greater focus as major brands join the rush towards the so-called “metaverse”, or Web3 https://www.reuters.com/article/tech-yearender-buzzwords-idCAKBN2IZ11H. Coca-Cola and luxury brand Gucci are among companies to have sold NFTs, while YouTube https://www.reuters.com/technology/youtube-will-explore-nft-features-creators-2022-01-25 said it will explore NFT features. While Cent, with 150,000 users and revenue “in the millions”, is a relatively small NFT platform, Hejazi said the issue of fake and illegal content exists across the industry. “I think this is a pretty fundamental problem with Web3,” he said. The biggest NFT marketplace, OpenSea, valued at $13.3 billion after its latest round of venture funding, said last month https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1486843201352716289? more than 80% of the NFTs minted for free on its platform were “plagiarized works, fake collections and spam”. OpenSea tried limiting the number of NFTs a user could mint for free, but then reversed this decision following a backlash from users, the company said in a Twitter thread, adding that it was “working through a number of solutions” to deter “bad actors” while supporting creators. “It is against our policy to sell NFTs using plagiarized content,” an OpenSea spokesperson said. “We are working around the clock to ship products, add features, and refine our processes to meet the moment.” To many NFT-enthusiasts, the decentralised nature of blockchain technology https://www.reuters.com/technology/what-is-metaverse-2021-10-18 is appealing, allowing users to create and trade digital assets without a central authority controlling the activity. But Hejazi said his company was keen on protecting content-creators, and may introduce centralised controls as a short-term measure in order to re-open the marketplace, before exploring decentralised solutions. It was after the Dorsey NFT sale that Cent started to get a sense of what was going on in NFT markets. “We realized that a lot of it is just money chasing money.” (Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft, Editing by Louise Heavens and Andrew Heavens) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Raphael Satter (Reuters) – A reported trucker protest planned to coincide with the Super Bowl appears to be going nowhere, a social media monitoring firm that has been tracking the issue said on Saturday. After media reported on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo warning of potential disruption around Sunday’s Super Bowl, there was a notable increase in social media mentions about a convoy of anti-vaccine truckers purportedly planning to descend on Los Angeles. The memo drew attention amid signs that the Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” protests, started in the national capital Ottawa by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, is inspiring copycat demonstrations elsewhere. But while protests and traffic blockades inspired by the Ottawa protests have gained steamed in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, similar rallies in the United States have been slower to take off despite plenty of chatter in extremist circles and favorable coverage by right-wing outlets such as Fox News. On Friday, U.S. organizers, including Penny Faye of an organization dubbed “Convoy to Save America,” told Reuters they were planning convoys for this weekend or early next month. “I think they ran out of time,” Welton Chang, whose Washington-based firm, Pyrra, has been following online talk about the plan to protest the Super Bowl, said Saturday. He also cited the lack of consensus around whether the marquee sporting event was an appropriate target. A Reuters review of social media has also found little support for a Super Bowl plan. There was scant mention of a Super Bowl protest on TruckersForFreedom, a popular Telegram channel devoted to sharing news from the protests in Canada and abroad, for example. A partner channel purportedly devoted to the Super Bowl rally just had a single poll surveying participants on whether they planned to participate in a Super Bowl protest; the overwhelming majority of the 8,000 users who voted said they couldn’t come. (Reporting by Raphael Satter; Editing by Aurora Ellis) View the full article

RuPaul’s Drag Race Pit Crew delivering big packages.RuPaul’s Drag Race got a rush delivery of DRAMA this week, and the queens are starting to CRACK. We’ve got a dramatic unconventional materials challenge. We’ve got the Joker origin story of Daya Betty. We’ve even got an Untucked so hot they had to cut into the main ep. It’s a lot to unpack. Let’s get into it. After Jorgeous’s definitive lip sync victory last week, there’s not much left to resolve. (The girls couldn’t even be bothered to read Orion’s overly long mirror message.) There’s also no time to spare. Ru introduces this week’s challenge to create a runway using random junk Michelle Visage allegedly bought late night on Amazon like Miranda Hobbes, and we’re off to the races. RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 queens just before the fur begins to fly.It’s a whirlwind in the Werk Room as the ladies start tearing open the boxes and divvying up the trash from the slightly-more-useful trash. Willow is at immediate disadvantage given her troubles with her fingers, but she manages to scrounge around the leftover wreckage for pieces to create a nightmarish children’s toy. As soon as Willow reveals her idea, Daya Betty swoops in to tell her in no uncertain terms that SHE is doing a babydoll something and she will NOT change it. It’s the earliest sign of Daya’s full heel turn. She’s already maniacally focused on landing in the top this week, spending the majority of the episode muttering to herself about how THIS IS WHAT SHE DOES. SHE’S NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS. SHE SHOPS AT THRIFT STORES. It’s exhausting, but it’s just the tip of the rapidly crumbling iceberg. What really pushes her into full mental meltdown is a visit from Ru and Carson. It starts with a familiar impulse. You know, a queen is safe for weeks on end and starts to resent even the bottom-ranking girls for their one-on-one time with Ru. It’s resolved for most queens by either using it as motivation to snag a top win, or it proves to be a curse as their long-awaited time with the judges is a bottom placement (if not a lip sync). For what it’s worth, Daya at least disrupts the usual narrative. Instead of sweating it until she hits the runway, Daya seizes the opportunity to cut to the chase and ask Ru directly for some feedback. It’s perfectly reasonable, but it’s a reality show no-no. These visits are about laying the foundations for the episode’s subplots; save the drama for the runway! Unfortunately, Daya gets exactly what she asks for. Carson and Ru read her for being too close to her drag inspo, Crystal Methyd. It’s the same criticism they had when she first faced elimination earlier this season. As much as she tries to shrug off the comparison, she struggles to define the differences between them both in her confessional interviews and in her live Lady Macbeth breakdown. Crystal’s a clown … but Daya is also funny! Crystal is playful, Daya is “also still a good party fun time.” Ok, gurl! I’m just saying, if it walks like a Crystal and it talks like a Crystal … Lady Camden gets promising early reviews from Ru, but she gets an important note, too: She needs a bigger lip. As inexplicable as some of Ru’s feedback/behavior can be at times, she’s absolutely right on this one. Camden is also hungry for a win after weeks of strong performances. She’s got a great vision, combining strips of an inflatable kiddie pool to create a pastel bodypiece adorned with coordinating netting flowing behind. It’s great. Maddy on the hunt for fashion on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The judges have some concerns over Maddy’s non-descript character costume and Angeria’s fabric choice. However, it’s Jorgeous that once again seems to be in the most danger. She can’t quite get a furry piece of fleece to work, and she finds herself scrapping the whole thing and scrounging in Angeria’s leftovers at the last minute. She quickly throws together a printed shower curtain with some cookie-cutter accents instead. It’s rough enough for the other queens to really worry about a bottom two finish, because they’re sure they’d be up against the newly minted lip sync assassin, Jorgeous. On the runway, Jorgeous sells the hell out of the garment. Here is all that sexy confidence the judges have been waiting for, just wrapped in a Wet Seal knockoff of Kerri’s Versace dress from two weeks ago. Her shining personality is definitely enough to keep her safe, in my opinion. But it’s not up to me. Ru thinks the whole thing is worthy of this week’s win, despite it being literally thrown together at the last minute into a body suit in Michelle’s least favorite color. Look, I love Jorgeous too, but this is insanity. I can’t imagine there will be much of gay twitter left standing after this, possibly one of the most off-key judges’ calls in herstory. Lady Camden knows big hair, full lips, can’t lose on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The win would’ve made much more sense on Lady Camden, whose pastel angel outfit turned out downright heavenly (and she smartly applied a larger lip to address Ru’s criticism). Or even Angeria, who walked a flawless, elegant LBD down the runway that looked just as good as any poly-cotton blend would. They both get top marks, but fall short on the win, thanks to Ru’s obsession with Jorgeous. The judges get it closer with this week’s bottoms. Maddy absolutely whiffed the challenge, cobbling together a lopsided mess that she tries to pass off as the next “Coat of Many of Colors.” The judges can barely muster pithy comments as they rip it to shreds. It’s just plain bad. DeJa gets slightly dinged for crafting cheap accessories from gold doilies, but the judges are gaga for her Grecian-inspired dress. Filling out the bottom is surprisingly Jasmine, a queen whose always looked stunning on the runway. The problem here stems from over-embellishing — a problem we’re seeing the judges harp on time and time again this season. (Because, you know, drag is about RESTRAINT … ) In truth, it doesn’t seem nearly as egregious as, say, Maddy, but that’s where we’ve got to duck into this week’s Untucked. Usually, I don’t cover the Untucked in these recaps, but USUALLY they don’t edit it into the main episode, so I’m making an exception. Backstage, Daya is already seething assuming it’s Jasmine in the top, and, in her mind, she only wrapped some fabric around her waist. (It makes her face crack after JORGEOUS is announced the winner even sweeter.) But the real meat of Untucked is between the week’s presumed bottoms, Maddy and Jasmine. It all starts because Maddy attempts to make a bold, brave proclamation that she’s staying, she is staying, and you, and you, you’re gonna love her, or whatever. I get that it’s supposed to be about self-empowerment and not a direct threat to Jasmine, but it’s kind of hard not to take it that way. Jasmine then proceeds to completely destroy Maddy in truly epic fashion. Maddy is trying to cover her insecurity with bravado, but Jasmine is dismissing her so thoroughly, it’s borderline cruel. Jasmine flat-out tells Maddy she is not worried at all about this lip sync. She is not pressed, in the slightest. She doesn’t miss a beat, and Maddy is left obviously shook. Am I on Jasmine’s side here? Am I becoming a villain? All I know is I couldn’t help but yell GET HER in support throughout the whole exchange. By the time the queens return to the runway, Jasmine is practically salivating, hungry to rip Maddy limb from limb. The lip sync is to Beyoncé’s “Sugar Mama,” an absolutely killer track for this. Maddy is fine. Better than expected, even. But it’s just no contest. Jasmine acts like that cavernous studio is the friggin Super Bowl halftime show, murdering the choreo and slamming her body on the floor. It’s like using a mastercrafted samurai sword to slice deli salami. It’s gorgeous, but a tad overkill. And thus ends Maddy’s run, and we’re already down to less than 10 queens. Let’s see where they stand in our rankings. Angeria‘s excellent Drag Race run continues this week as she created one of the most stylish and ready-for-the-runway garments. She also is gunning for Miss Congeniality by saving Jorgeous with some last-minute fabric options and giving us a goofy moment when she needed Kerri to explain what a step-and-repeat is. As Michelle said, I keep waiting for this bitch to fall, and she’s just not falling.The edit had me worried for Willow this week, but she brought her freaky vision to life. She tends to have the clearest concepts each week, and it makes me really excited to see what her twisted brain comes up with next.There wasn’t much Bosco this week, but what we saw was solid. If anything, she was a more worthy top choice than the eventual winner, Jorgeous.Huge week for Lady Camden. Ru was so right about the bigger lip. She looked gorgeous on the runway. The upgraded mug and fantastic fashion on the runway bumps Camden up to a solid top four, even if her angelic outfit was robbed of this week’s win.No hate for Jorgeous, a beautiful queen with a lovable personality and serious dance skills, but this was not her week to win.Well, we’ve got our season villain in Daya Betty. She came in hot already popping off on DeJa at the top of the episode, and she slipped further and further into her spiral from there. It’s clear that she really doesn’t know how to differentiate herself from Crystal Methyd. Her weird puppet outfit and makeup were solid, but … could’ve been worn on Crystal in season 12.Kerri is thankfully stepping up and taking Kornbread’s spot as talking head queen. She added some levity to the proceedings with little jokes and extended metaphor. She got a few opportunities to share more of her background this week, both with Ru and with the other girls in the Werk Room. I just wish her outfit came together as beautifully as her narrative did. Instead, she must’ve just barely missed the bottom.I didn’t have as much of a problem with Jasmine‘s lewk as the judges did, but, then again, “too much” tends to be my whole aesthetic. Jasmine still packs plenty of talent, but the judges tend to run hot and cold with her. She made a fan out of me on Untucked keeping it truly 100 and letting Maddy know she’s no match in a lip sync.DeJa‘s Grecian gown was gorgeous, but not pretty enough. DeJa is a seamstress, so this was her challenge to blow out of the water. After surprising in acting/comedy challenges, it was a big letdown to see her slip backward. She needs to give us something to get excited, especially up against queens like Angeria, Willow and Jorgeous that push all of Ru’s right buttons.In some ways, it’s a shame to see Maddy go. We barely scratched the surface on what it means to be a cishet drag queen, and she’s already gone. At the end of the day, was Maddy qualified for this contest? Or was she cast primarily for being straight? Jasmine was right. She shouldn’t have worried about Maddy, because Maddy frankly was just not on the same level as the other girls. I’m not convinced she was unqualified because she’s straight (though I’m not convinced that’s not part of it), but, regardless, even the judges couldn’t pretend to take it seriously. I can’t shake the feeling we’ll finish this story with Maddy on an upcoming All Stars season.How would you rank the queens? Catch up on our RuPaul’s Drag Race coverage. View the full article

TikTokMisgendering, Deadnaming Banned Social media mega TikTok banned multiple forms of anti-LGBTQ hate speech and content from the platform this week in an effort to make it “a safe, secure and welcoming environment.” Cormac Keenan, Tikok’s head of trust and safety, made the announcement in a blog post Tuesday, stating that misgendering and deadnaming users are “prohibited on our platform.” Keenan also stated that content promoting conversion therapy and misogyny is also banned as the video platform provided more clarity on its content moderation policies. “When anti-transgender actions like misgendering or deadnaming, or the promotion of so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ occur on platforms like TikTok, they create an unsafe environment for LGBTQ people online and too often lead to real world harm,” Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO, said. “TikTok’s move to expressly prohibit this harmful content in its community guidelines and to adopt recommendations made in GLAAD’s 2021 Social Media Safety Index raises the standard for LGBTQ safety online and sends a message that other platforms which claim to prioritize LGBTQ safety should follow suit with substantive actions like these.” TikTok’s revised policy falls in line with its pattern or being more progressive and inclusive than similar guidelines for other social media hubs. But, as Input’s Matt Wille points out, enforcing bans on misgendering and deadnaming may prove more difficult than other violations. “Deadnaming and misgendering are far more complex concepts,” Wille writes. “Both require knowledge of a person’s gender identity — deadnaming requires knowledge of a person’s deadname. These aren’t exactly quick and fast variables that can be plugged into an algorithm.” “Human moderation tends to be the only somewhat successful method of removing these instances from TikTok,” Wille continues. “In many cases, that will require users to report those instances themselves, which puts a significant burden on the user who is being deadnamed or misgendered.” TikTok Ban: Previously on Towleroad Trump Lies Introducing His New Social Platform ‘TRUTH’: Says He’s Your Favorite President; Will Compete With Amazon; And More Towleroad October 21, 2021 No Comments Truth? Trump lies. Does anything come even close to confirming your dystopian current reality than Donald Trump’s Truth network launched to balance the ills of … Read More Britney Spears Topless Photos Are Being Posted By the Singer Herself. She Says It’s Strong, Not Sleazy and Reveals Rationale Michael Goff August 18, 2021 No Comments Britney Spears topless photos have been coming fast and furiously lately and from a kind of surprising source, the singer herself. Joking that they are … Read More Want More Thirst Traps On Your Instagram Feed? The New ‘Sensitive’ Content Tool Lets You ‘Loosen’ Restrictions. (Or ‘Tighten’) Towleroad July 22, 2021 No Comments Published by AFP Facebook-owned Instagram is adding user tools for filtering inappropriate content on the social network San Francisco (AFP) – Instagram on Tuesday added a way … Read More Parler Investor Dan Bongino Rages on FOX News After Conservative Platform Gets Zapped: ‘What Are We Gonna Talk By? Carrier Pigeon?’ — WATCH Andy Towle January 11, 2021 No Comments Former Secret Service agent, former Republican congressional candidate, and Parler investor Dan Bongino exploded on FOX & Friends Monday morning about the conservative extremist social … Read More Conservative Social Network ‘Parler’ Goes Dark After Amazon, Apple, Google Bans in Wake of Capitol Insurrection Andy Towle January 11, 2021 No Comments Parler, the social network favored by conservative extremists, has gone dark after Amazon, Apple, and Google banned the app from its platforms and app stores. … Read More TikTok Admits Secretly Restricting ‘Gay’ and ‘LGBTQ’ Hashtags in Certain Countries Andy Towle September 10, 2020 No Comments Reacting to a new report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the social video-sharing platform TikTok admitted that it restricted LGBTQ-related hashtags in certain countries. The … Read More Image courtesy of TikTok/ByteDance View the full article

Published by Reuters By Moira Warburton and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would ban companies from forcing employees who allege sexual assault or harassment to settle their claims with an arbiter without the option of filing a lawsuit. The bill, which the House of Representatives passed earlier this week, was sent to President Joe Biden to sign into law. The Senate approved it in a voice vote, indicating broad bipartisan support in the narrowly divided chamber. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act was first sponsored by Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in 2017. It would provide federal protection for employees’ right to sue their employers over allegations of sexual harassment or assault, nullifying clauses in employment contracts that force employees to enter arbitration with their employer instead. An estimated 60 million Americans are subject to forced arbitration clauses that are “especially common in female-dominated industries,” Gillibrand said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. The legislation, she said, would address “a broken system that protects perpetrators and corporations and end the days of silencing survivors.” The forced arbitration clauses are often are accompanied by a non-disclosure agreement, Gillibrand said. “Instead of being allowed their day in court these survivors are pushed into a system designed by the same corporations they are challenging,” she said. Republican Senator Joni Ernst, in a speech on the Senate floor said the bill will ensure that “survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment … voices will not be silenced.” She noted that the bill is narrowly written. “This bill should not be the catalyst for destroying pre-dispute arbitration agreements in all employment matters.” The bill is one of the few pieces of legislation passed in a narrowly divided Senate this year, including Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill and a debt limit increase. (Reporting by Moira Warburton and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and David Gregorio) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nathan Layne (Reuters) – When Idaho nurse Joan West received a fundraising mailer from U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, she saw a way to address her regret for having voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and her worry about the future of U.S. democracy: She wrote a $500 check. Cheney, of Wyoming, is the most high-profile of the nine congressional Republicans that former President Trump is trying to drive from office after they rejected his false claims that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread fraud. That high profile has attracted thousands of donors ranging from celebrities to average Americans like West, all hoping to help her fend off primary challengers, including a candidate endorsed by Trump and the Republican Party, which last week broke precedent and agreed to campaign against one of its own. “We are hopeful that sanity will prevail, that there are people in Wyoming who will wake up and realize that following Donald Trump’s insanity is the wrong move,” said West, 60, an independent voter who leans Republican. “We wanted to help her.” The $7.2 million raised to date by Cheney is already a record for Wyoming’s sole House district, and has given her a big financial edge over her main challenger, land-use lawyer Harriet Hageman, who has pulled in $745,000. But Hageman has raised a majority of funds from Wyoming residents, who unlike out-of-state donors can vote in the Aug. 16 primary, a distinction being stressed by her campaign. In contrast, Cheney’s campaign has raised 96% of its dollars from outside Wyoming, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Open Secrets of itemized donations by individuals. “Liz Cheney cannot buy this race with out-of-state money,” said Tim Murtaugh, a Hageman campaign advisor. Cheney, who voted with Trump 93% of the time, believes support for her policies will attract voters. Cheney had more individual donors from inside Wyoming than Hageman as of the end of September, according to campaign filings. “Liz is an unwavering conservative who is committed to fighting for the people of Wyoming and defending the Constitution,” said spokesman Jeremy Adler. The flood of money into Cheney’s campaign shows no sign of slowing. Reuters spoke with a dozen people who had donated in the last three months of 2021, and all said they were considering donating again. Gerry Dee, a carpenter from Rochester, New York, said he gave $200 because he was worried about the country moving towards authoritarianism, and saw Cheney as one of the few Republicans standing up for democratic principles. “I’m a registered Democrat. I believe she is doing the right thing,” said Dee, 59. “I’m just a working Joe, but I’m concerned about the country.” The Republican National Committee censured Cheney and Representative Adam Kinzinger last week for participating in the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, saying they were focused on destroying Trump rather than supporting Republicans in 2022. The RNC also granted a request by Wyoming party officials for a rule exception allowing the national party to provide financial and practical support to Hageman, should it choose to take the unprecedented step of using funds against an incumbent. Robert Boatright, a professor at Clark University and an expert on congressional primaries, said that while the two major parties have in the past stopped short of supporting incumbents, the RNC helping finance Hageman’s campaign would be a first. “Nothing like that has happened before,” Boatright said. Money may not prove to be the decisive factor. Trump won Wyoming with 70% of the vote in 2020, and his endorsement should solidify support for Hageman even if Cheney keeps fundraising at her current pace. The winner of the primary is almost certain to sail to victory in the general election in the deeply red state. Last month the non-partisan Cook Political Report said Cheney faced a “far-fetched path to renomination” that would depend on Democrats switching parties to vote for her — which they can do in the state’s primaries — and Hageman splitting votes with state Senator Anthony Bouchard, who along with retired military officer Denton Knapp has stayed in the race. Cheney’s supporters are not deterred. Bobbie Kilberg, a well-connected Virginia Republican, said more than 200 people have indicated they will attend the March 14 fundraiser she is hosting with Senator Mitt Romney as featured guest, prompting her to change the venue from her home to a hotel that could accommodate more guests. “In the end she’s going to surprise people,” Kilberg said. “A lot of people who have been quiet will stand up and vote for Liz.” (Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA Beating around the bush? Adeleseemingly dodged questions about a possible engagement to Rich Paul during a new interview. The “Easy on Me” songstress recently sparked engagement rumors after flashing a giant diamond ring while on the red carpet for the 2022 Brit Awards in London on Tuesday, February 8, as OK! reported. MEGA According to Daily Mail, Adele, 33, was wearing the sparkling ring in question during an appearance on BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, where she was directly asked about the engagement rumors that have been floating around. ADELE IGNITES CONTROVERSY AFTER DECLARING SHE ‘LOVES BEING A WOMAN’ WHILE ACCEPTING GENDER-NEUTRAL BRIT AWARD When asked whether she was engaged, the “Rolling in the Deep” vocalist reportedly responded: “If I was would I ever tell anyone if I was or wasn’t?” While she avoided answering the question about a possible proposal from Paul, she did reveal the flames are hoping to have a baby together sometime soon. According to the outlet, she explained her plans to have a baby with the sports agent sometime next year. During the interview, Adele also touched on the recent controversy surrounding her Las Vegas residency, which she apparently canceled because the show wasn’t quite ready yet. While sharing her “regret” of telling fans about the cancellation at the very last minute, she insisted the show wouldn’t have been up to par had she gone forward with it. MEGA As the publication reported, Adele said her highly-anticipated performance would have been a “half a**ed show,” if she took the stage before she was fully ready. As OK! reported, Adele revealed that her “Weekends with Adele” shows in Las Vegas would be canceled and rescheduled only 24 hours before she was set to take the stage last month. MEGA While Adele explained the cancellation was a result of COVID delays, sources later pointed out the singer’s struggle with anxiety and perfectionism caused her to make “endless changes” to the show. INSIDE ADELE’S BLOWOUT SQUABBLE WITH RUMORED FIANCÉ RICH PAUL AHEAD OF VEGAS RESIDENCY CANCELLATION: ‘THINGS GOT LOUD AND CONFRONTATIONAL’ “In spite of the set costing millions to put together, Adele was unhappy with the result and she made her feelings very clear,” an insider dished at the time. “She was already nervous and the falling out sent her spiraling into a panic because she was desperate that everything should be perfect.” “It seemed that while she has always preferred a stripped-back performance, she was under some pressure to come up with a huge extravaganza,” the source added. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Adam Lambert has dealt with his “share of anxiety”. The ‘For Your Entertainment’ singer – who first shot to fame as a runner-up on ‘American Idol’ in 2009 – has opened up about his battle with mental health, which was exacerbated amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and admitted anxiety is “a beast”. Speaking to the digital edition of Hunger Magazine – of which he is the cover star – Adam shared: “I think something that I haven’t gone into a lot of detail about, that I’ve definitely been experiencing over the past five years, is that my journey with mental health has been really interesting. I think that’s something that’s becoming less taboo for people, but it’s not something that’s at the forefront of the line of questioning. I’ve definitely dealt with my share of anxiety. What’s great is that the more we all talk about it, the more we realise it’s pretty common, especially in this day and age. Especially after the year and a half we’ve had. Anxiety’s real. It’s a beast.” The 40-year-old star – who is Queen’s touring frontman – admitted it’s important that people who are suffering have an “open dialogue” with others. The ‘Starstruck’ judge added: “I think it’s really important not to feel like there’s something wrong with you. I think it’s more common than we all realise. It’s now becoming more of a conversation, but I think for people that are older it’s been a taboo thing. This is all cliché, but it is okay to ask for help. I feel some people think that if they don’t ask for help then it’s not real. So, people avoid admitting themselves and getting the help they need because they’re in denial. You’ve got to be real with yourself and honest with yourself. If people in your inner circle aren’t volunteering that, you need to be like, ‘Hey, do I seem okay today?’ It needs to be an open dialogue that people care about.” Read the full interview here: www.hungertv.com/editorial/from-american-idol-to-queen-adam-lambert-is-going-all-the-way. View the full article

Bipartisan Support A bipartisan-backed bill that would extend anti-discrimination protections to Arizona LGBTQ citizens at the state level for the first time is garnering support from notable religious groups, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. According to the Associated Press, the bill’s co-sponsors, Arizona Republican House speaker Rusty Bowers and Democrat Rep. Amish Shah, introduced the legislation during a press conference Monday outside the Arizona State Capitol. The bill would ad sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes and provide housing, employment and public accommodation protections to those populations. The bill also includes provisions banning licensed health care professionals from practicing conversion therapy. A lawsuit filed by LGBTQ BYU students against the university alleging discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was dismissed by the Department of Education on Thursday. The DOE’s Office of Civil Rights stated the case was dismissed “because the university is exempt from the regulatory provisions of Title IX” because of its religious affiliation rather than proof that refuted the students’ complaint. The bill’s fate remains unknown currently. Despite having the support of a top conservative official in the state legislature and segmenting protections for religious organizations, there is doubt that the heavily Republican governing body will support pro-LGBTQ protections. Bowers was non-committal on if he would hold a vote on the bill if it doesn’t receive support from a majority of House Republicans. Arizona LGBTQ: Previously on Towleroad Florida’s Peekaboo Republicans Used Toddler Logic To Craft Their ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Legislation — In Effect A Gag-Order-Plus-Eye-Cover Mandate To Make Gays Disappear. Good Luck. Brian Bell January 27, 2022 Read More Jim Obergefell, Plaintiff In The Supreme Court Case That Won National Marriage Equality, is Running For Ohio State House Brian Bell January 19, 2022 Read More BYU Bans Protests In Response to Rainbow School Logo; Clay Aiken Running For Congress Again; France Ends Gay Blood Ban: NEWS ROUNDUP Brian Bell January 15, 2022 Read More Andrea Jenkins Wins Unanimous Support To Lead Minneapolis City Council As President; At Divided Tense Time, Becomes First Trans Woman To Lead Council Brian Bell January 14, 2022 Read More Canada Conversion Therapy Ban Goes Into Effect; European Court Declines Gay Marriage Cake Case; New Study on Blood Donations By Gay Men Underway: NEWS Brian Bell January 10, 2022 Read More Man Still Has To Register As A Sex Offender For Consensual Gay Sex in 2001. ACLU Sues South Carolina. Brian Bell January 5, 2022 Read More Photo courtesy of InSapphoWeTrust/Creative Commons View the full article

Published by AFP Protesters against New York City's Covid-19 vaccine mandate march in October 2021 New York (AFP) – New York City was poised to sack roughly 3,000 municipal workers on Friday for failing to meet a deadline to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The expected dismissals come amid growing discontent in North America against coronavirus restrictions and as states unilaterally lift mask mandates. New York requires all city employees, including police, firefighters and teachers, to receive at least one dose of a vaccine under orders passed by former mayor Bill de Blasio last year. “We’re not firing them. People are quitting,” his successor, Eric Adams, said on Thursday. “The responsibility is clear. We said it: if you’re hired, if you get this job, you have to be vaccinated. If you are not following the rules, you are making that decision,” he added. Like mandatory mask-wearing, mandatory vaccinations have been a controversial political issue in America, with Republican-led Texas going as far as banning them. Hundreds of workers who oppose New York’s vaccine requirement were due to march on City Hall in Manhattan on Friday. Approximately 95 percent of the city’s municipal workforce has received at least one dose of a vaccine. The 3,000 number represents less than one percent of the Big Apple’s 370,000 municipal workers. Several thousand others remain unvaccinated but have applied for either medical or religious exemptions to avoid losing their jobs. Friday’s deadline comes after New York state let an indoor mask mandate expire on Thursday. Several other states, including California, New Jersey and Massachusetts announced this week the lifting of mask mandates for either businesses or schools. The moves come as the US government grows increasingly concerned about copycat trucker-led protests against coronavirus restrictions that have shut down the Canadian capital Ottawa and three US border crossings. Supporters of the movement in the United States have called on a convoy of truckers to gather in California in early March for a two-day rally before possibly heading towards the capital Washington. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA Yet another source has come forward with some not-so-pleasant things to say about Prince Andrew. The 61-year-old royal is currently facing a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre — who claims she was forced to have sex with him when she was a minor. Since the allegations came to light, several people have come forward to reveal more of Andrew’s allegedly despicable behavior. Now, a massage therapist by the name of Emma Gruenbaum is detailing the inappropriate behavior she witnessed while Andrew was her client. MEGA According to a report from The Sun, Emma, 50, wanted to speak out in the midst of Andrew’s ongoing lawsuit to help give credibility to Virginia’s claims, despite the Duke of York’s insistence on his innocence. PRINCE ANDREW ‘SHOUTED AND YELLED’ AT GARDENER AFTER BEING SERVED COURT PAPERS: REPORT “I don’t want to sit by and not speak about the way he was towards me when as he calls Virginia delusional,” Emma told the outlet before detailing the horrific behavior she witnessed. “I had a lot of high-profile clients and often visited their homes. But Andrew was very different,” she explained. “He was a constant sex pestright from the start.” She recalled a specific event back in 2005, when she was asked to come to Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park to provide a session for Andrew. MEGA “I took my own table which I always use because it is set at the right height for me to do the massage properly. But when I got there I got told: No, he will only use his own table,” she remembered. She was then guided up the stairs by a staff member and led into the royal’s private bedroom, as she told the outlet. FORMER PALACE SECURITY OFFICER CALLS PRINCE ANDREW A ‘BULLY,’ CLAIMS ROYAL ‘HAD THIS NASTY SIDE TO HIM’ AS HE FACES SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE “I said ‘Oh I’m not really comfortable doing this in his bedroom.’ I looked at the massage table and I said, ‘And that is much too high.’ It was up to my hips so I’d be kind of there massaging at boob level, which is something I obviously didn’t want. So I said, ‘Can we move it out of the bedroom? I am not comfortable,'” she explained. “But I was told it wasn’t an option, this was the way the Duke liked it.” MEGA Emma pointed out that Andrew would often ask her inappropriate questions about her sex life, and even tried to hug her after his sessions. “His advances weren’t working and I think that his patience ran out,” she spilled. “He always tried to turn the conversation to sex or jokes about sex. I’d tell him it wasn’t appropriate or it just wasn’t funny.” “He was a pest. But it was always in a ‘matron and schoolboy’ way,” she continued. “He seemed to want me to tell him to shut up. He was just a creep. I always used to tell my girlfriends what a total creep he was.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Adele shocked onlookers by pole dancing at G-A-Y’s Porn Idol event at Heaven nightclub in London on Thursday night (11.02.22). The ‘Easy On Me’ hitmaker had been enjoying a night out with friends at the club, which was hosting the famous strip contest with a cash prize, and was seen singing along to disco hit ‘It’s Raining Men’ by the Weather Girls. Adele then stepped on stage with ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ star Cheryl Hole to give the audience something else to cheer. The 33-year-old singer – who won a trio of BRIT Awards earlier this week – wrapped her leg around the stripper pole on the stage and spun around in her all-white Fendi suit sending the audience wild. An onlooker told the Daily Star Online: “Adele was absolutely loving the event. She was having a great time with friends and loved watching the show. “After the contest was over she stormed the stage and the crowd went wild. No one was expecting a music icon to be there.” A video shared by a fan also shows Adele asking to have “the final say so” in the stripping contest as Cheryl tells her “you can have the final say, you’re f***ing adele and I’m little old Cheryl!” Adele then picked a topless woman as the winner, referring her BRITs controversy by saying: “I’m going to go with my girl! I know I’ve had a lot of s**t the last couple of days.” A delighted Cheryl shared a photo with Adele on Instagram, confirming the music megastar came to meet her backstage. The 28-year-old drag queen wrote: “Confirmed: @Adele was devastated when I was eliminated on Drag Race too. Love you divalina.” In her acceptance speech at the BRIT Awards for the Artist of the Year prize Adele enthused about being “a female artist” despite the switch to gender neutral categories at the ceremony in 2022. She told the crowd: “I understand why the name of this award has changed but I really love being a woman and a female artist. I’m really proud of us.” View the full article

Published by TDPel Media French virologist, Luc Montagnier, the man credited as a co-discoverer of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has died aged 89. Luc Montagnier died on Tuesday, February 8 in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, northwest of Paris, the town’s mayor told reporters. Local news site FranceSoir reported he died on Tuesday in Neuilly-sur-Seine “surrounded by his children”. Montagnier was jointly awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize for his work in isolating the virus that causes Aids but was later dismissed by the scientific community for his increasingly unsubstantiated theories, especially on C… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Anderson Cooper has announced the birth of his second child, Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. The 54-year-old presenter introduced his son Wyatt’s new baby brother, who was also born via surrogate, to the world during Thursday’s (10.02.22) episode of ‘Anderson Cooper 360’. He told viewers: “This is Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. He was 6.8 lbs. at birth and he was healthy and happy and even his occasional hiccups, are to me, adorable.” Anderson quipped: “He mostly just sleeps and eats and certainly poops, but he already seems like a wise and thoughtful little chap.” The ’60 Minutes’ correspondent also revealed that his ex-partner Benjamin Maisani will co-parent both boys and that he is in the process of adopting 21-month-old Wyatt, who will have the double-barrelled surname Maisani-Cooper. He said: “Wyatt and Sebastian are being raised by my best friend and former partner, Benjamin Maisani. We’re co-parents.” He continued: “Wyatt calls me ‘daddy’ and Benjamin ‘papa.’ We’re a family. Benjamin is also in the process of adopting Wyatt, whose last name will be changed to Maisani-Cooper as well.” Anderson also admitted he can “already feel” his late mom Gloria, dad Wyatt and brother Carter’s “love for Sebastian”. He added: “When I announced Wyatt’s birth, I said I liked to imagine my mom and dad and brother, all who are no longer alive, their arms around each other, smiling and joyful at his birth,” Cooper said. “These past 22 months, I felt them watching over us very strongly and I already feel their love for Sebastian. The family I was born into may be gone, but I feel them alive in the family we’ve created, new love, and new life.” Despite their split in 2018, Anderson previously revealed he and Benjamin still live together to co-parent. He said last year: “We get along really well. It’s weird, but it works. He wasn’t really sure he wanted to have a kid, which was one of the reasons we broke up. But then he came around the idea, and now he is just such a great parent.” Anderson Cooper Sebastian Benjamin Maisani on Towleroad Macron refused Russian COVID test in Putin trip over DNA theft fears -sources More US court reinstates gray wolf endangered species protections More Olympics-Teen skater’s doping test draws global wrath against Russia More New York Times defamation case about power, not politics, Palin’s lawyer says More US woman held hostage saved after failing to share Wordle score (This is Not The Onion, Seriously) More DaBaby Under Investigation For Assault With Deadly Weapon Over Bloody Bowling Alley Brawl With DaniLeigh’s Brother Brandon More 300-Plus Collegiate, Elite Swimmers Sign Letter to NCAA Supporting Lia Thomas More How Israeli Immigrant Gene Simmons & Son Of Holocaust Survivors Paul Stanley Transformed Into KISS Frontmen More Britney Spears teases new music: WATCH More Biden clings to Covid caution as US seeks to leave pandemic behind More Billie Eilish and Finneas meet President Joe Biden at the White House More Trudeau slams trucker protests as copycat convoys spread More Prince Harry Says ‘Get Tested’, Continues Princess Diana’s HIV Activism; “She did not distinguish between ‘us’ and ‘them” Elton John Says of Her Legacy More Load More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian COVID-19 test when he arrived to see President Vladimir Putin this week, to prevent Russia getting hold of Macron’s DNA, two sources in Macron’s entourage told Reuters. As a result, the visiting French head of state was kept at a distance from the Russian leader during lengthy talks on the Ukraine crisis in Moscow. They were photographed at opposite ends of a table so long that it provoked satirical comment on social media and speculation, including by diplomats, that Putin might be using it to send a message. But two sources who have knowledge of the French president’s health protocol told Reuters Macron had been given a choice: either accept a PCR test done by the Russian authorities and be allowed to get close to Putin, or refuse and have to abide by more stringent social distancing. “We knew very well that meant no handshake and that long table. But we could not accept that they get their hands on the president’s DNA,” one of the sources told Reuters, referring to security concerns if the French leader was tested by Russian doctors. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Macron had declined the test and said Russia had no problem with this, but it meant that a 6-metre (20 feet) distance from Putin was required in order to protect the Kremlin leader’s health. “There is no politics in this, it does not interfere with negotiations in any way,” he said. A second source in Macron’s entourage said he instead took a French PCR test before departure and an antigen test done by his own doctor once in Russia. “The Russians told us Putin needed to be kept in a strict health bubble,” the second source said. Macron’s office said the Russian health protocol “did not seem to us to be either acceptable or compatible with our diary constraints”, referring to the length of time that would have been required to wait for the results. When asked specifically about DNA theft, Macron’s office said: “The president has doctors who define with him the rules that are acceptable or not in terms of his own health protocol.” On Thursday, three days after Macron and Putin had their socially-distanced meeting, the Russian leader received Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The two men shook hands, and sat close to each other, divided only by a small coffee table. (Additional reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Editing by Catherine Evans) View the full article

Published by AFP A quarter million gray wolves — long a symbol of the free spirit of the American wilderness — once roamed from coast to coast before European settlers embarked on campaigns of eradication that endured into the 20th Century Washington (AFP) – A US court has struck down a Trump-era decision to remove federal protections for gray wolves across much of the country, in a move hailed by conservationists who said the listing was vital for the species’ recovery. A 26-page ruling issued Thursday by Judge Jeffrey White in a case brought by wildlife groups found the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had erred in its October 2020 decision to remove the apex predators from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), where they were first listed in the 1970s. Though the decision to delist gray wolves across most of the lower-48 states was taken by the administration of former president Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s government had continued to defend the move in court. “It really is a win for wolves across the country,” Collette Adkins of the Center for Biological Diversity, told AFP. “And I hope it finally convinces the Fish and Wildlife Service to really focus on recovering wolves instead of prematurely removing their protections.” A quarter million gray wolves — long a symbol of the free spirit of the American wilderness — once roamed from coast to coast before the arrival of European settlers and eradication campaigns that endured into the 20th Century. At the time of the decision to de-list them, the wolves had recovered from a low of 1,000 to around 6,000 — but hundreds were subsequently legally killed, either through hunting or conflicts with livestock operators. In one egregious example, hunters in Wisconsin killed over 218 wolves in less than three days in February 2021, using packs of dogs, snares and leg-hold traps — well beyond the state’s own limit of killing 119 wolves. The 2020 decision to remove the species’ protections had been opposed by 1.8 million Americans in public comments, as well as hundreds of scientists, veterinary professionals, and the iconic conservationist Jane Goodall. Even the researchers commissioned by the FWS to carry out a review of the science found it did not support de-listing. “Both under Democratic and Republican administrations, there has been this year-to-year desire to just be done recovering wolves,” said Adkins. “It’s been frustrating because the Endangered Species Act envisions a recovery of these animals so that they can fulfill their ecosystem role,” she added. Research has confirmed the wolf’s importance in thinning over-browsing herds of elk, which in turn prevents destruction of habitat, for example. And a recent study from Wisconsin found that wolves kept deer away from roads, reducing collisions between deer and cars. Adkins said she was hopeful of a change in policy after interior secretary Deb Haaland this week penned an op-ed in USA Today criticizing some western States in the northern Rocky mountain range, which have stepped up hunting campaigns in recent months. The gray wolves of the northern Rockies haven’t been covered by the Endangered Species Act since a 2011 Congressional act, but Halaand wrote she could reinstate federal protections specifically for them if necessary. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julien Pretot, Karolos Grohmann and Iain Axon BEIJING (Reuters) – Russian skating prodigy Kamila Valieva’s failed drug test prior to her dazzling Winter Games team gold threw the 15-year-old’s Olympic future into doubt and reawakened global anger over Moscow’s doping history on Friday. But the Kremlin – already facing Western diplomatic wrath over a troop buildup near Ukraine – was also defiant in the sporting terrain, calling Valieva’s case a “misunderstanding”. “Hold your head up, you’re a Russian,” government spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged her. “Go proudly and beat everyone.” The teenager became the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the Olympics on Monday, winning a team figure skating gold with the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). However, the International Testing Agency (ITA) said she had tested positive for banned heart drug Trimetazidine in a urine sample collected by Russian authorities back on Dec. 25 – though confirmation of that only came this week. Valieva is due to compete again on Tuesday in the women’s individual event. By then, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) should have ruled on her case from a closed boardroom on the second floor of a Beijing hotel. She is one of the youngest Olympians ever to test positive. Many fans and fellow athletes were furious at how Valieva came to have a prohibited drug in her system, blaming coaches, medics and authorities rather than her. “It is a shame, and the responsible adults should be banned from the sport forever!!!” said German figure-skating great Katarina Witt. “What they knowingly did to her, if true, cannot be surpassed in inhumanity and makes my athlete’s heart cry infinitely.” One Twitter user under the name “Fran” said despite widespread sympathy towards Valieva, she had to be banned. “Kamila Valieva is absolutely a victim in this scenario. However now that we know she really did test positive to TMZ, they absolutely can NOT let her compete,” the post said. ‘HONEST’ MEDAL? Russian athletes are already competing in Beijing as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) – without their national flag and anthem – due to past sanctions for state-sponsored doping. The latest controversy blew up after a testing lab in Sweden reported on Tuesday that Valieva’s sample had been positive – the day after she wowed the world at the Capital Indoor Stadium. Questions hang over why there was such a delay between her test and the result, which allowed her to travel to Beijing. Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov said Valieva’s test may have been deliberately held back to coincide with the end of the team competition. The ROC said it was taking comprehensive measures to protect its athletes and to keep an “honestly” won gold. It said Valieva’s tests were negative before and after Dec. 25. In an Instagram post featuring Valieva as an angel, the ROC urged fans to show their support to “a very young, fragile, charming girl” as she “faced the hardest test” of her life. Russia’s own anti-doping agency RUSADA imposed a provisional suspension on Valieva after Tuesday’s result then lifted it a day after on appeal. On Friday, RUSADA said it was investigating her support team and attributed the delay in results to COVID-19 cases at the Swedish laboratory, TASS news agency reported. With their reputations for fairness on the line, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Skating Union (ISU) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have said they will ask CAS to reinstate the suspension. “We have a 100% policy against doping,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. STILL SKATING Valieva, wearing a navy hoodie and black tights under padded shorts, skated again in practice on Friday afternoon. The controversy over her has delayed the medal ceremony for the team event, with the United States and Japan waiting in the wings after taking silver and bronze positions. Canada finished fourth. Travis Tygart, head of the U.S. Anti Doping Agency (USADA), expressed sympathy for Valieva, but said the U.S. could use new laws to prosecute those around her. “Clean athletes deserve better, and this poor young woman deserves better,” he told Reuters. “She’s getting chewed up (for doping) on top of being abused by the Russian state system.” The United States could prosecute the Russians involved in Valieva’s case under the American Rodchenkov Act (RADA). It was signed into law in 2020 and empowers American prosecutors to seek fines of up to $1 million and jail terms of up to 10 years, even for non-Americans, if actions have affected American athletes’ results. Former WADA deputy head Rob Koehler said the global bodies in charge of eradicating doping were to blame for being too lenient on Russia in the past. “By not banning Russia for four years, there was no need or desire for cultural change by Russian authorities,” he said. “WADA, IOC and CAS favoured the power and influence of Russian sport over clean sport.” (Reporting by Julien Prétot, Iain Axon, Karolos Grohmann, Gabrielle Tetrault Farber and Parniyan Zemaryalai in Beijing and Maria Kiselyova in Moscow; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Leela de Kretser, Ken Ferris, Christian Radnedge and Pritha Sarkar) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Stempel and Jody Godoy NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sarah Palin fell victim to the New York Times’ power when it published a 2017 editorial linking her to a mass shooting six years earlier, a lawyer for Palin said on Friday at her defamation trial against the newspaper. In his closing argument in federal court in Manhattan, Palin’s lawyer Kenneth Turkel urged jurors to ignore politics and find that the Times and its former editorial page editor, James Bennet, harmed the reputation of Palin, a former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate. Alluding to Palin’s testimony about being a mother and grandmother still living in her Wasilla, Alaska, hometown, Turkel accused the newspaper of being “keen” on “turning a blind eye” to the facts. The crux of the dispute “is power, and lack of power,” Turkel said. “The Times resurrected a horrific, false accusation (that) in its simplest form accused Governor Palin of inciting the murder of six people.” A lawyer for the Times is expected to deliver a closing argument later on Friday. The trial is in its seventh day. Palin has signaled that if she lost, she would use the case to challenge New York Times v. Sullivan, the landmark 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision that established strong legal protection for American news media organizations against defamation claims by public figures. Palin’s lawsuit concerns “America’s Lethal Politics,” a June 14, 2017, editorial addressing gun control and lamenting the increase in incendiary political rhetoric. It incorrectly linked Palin to the January 2011 shooting in a Tucson, Arizona, parking lot where six people were killed and then-Democratic U.S. congresswoman Gabby Giffords was wounded. The editorial was written after a shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia where Republican U.S. congressman Steve Scalise was wounded. Bennet inserted language that drew an incorrect connection between the Giffords shooting and a map from Palin’s political action committee that the editorial said put 20 Democrats, including Giffords, under crosshairs. “The link to political incitement was clear,” the editorial said. It was corrected the next morning. In 3-1/2 hours of testimony over two days, Palin, 58, likened herself to the biblical underdog David to the Times’ Goliath, saying the editorial left her feeling “powerless” and “mortified,” upset her sleep, and caused people to think less of her. But while Palin has for many years had a lower public profile than in 2008, she failed under questioning from Times lawyer David Axelrod to offer specific examples of how the editorial hurt her reputation or caused her harm. Axelrod also focused on various TV appearances that Palin has made. Jurors will decide whether Palin offered clear and convincing evidence that the Times and Bennet acted with “actual malice,” meaning they knew the editorial was false or had reckless disregard for the truth. Palin cannot obtain punitive damages. (Reporting by Jody Godoy and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by AFP US woman Denyse Holt always shared her daily Wordle score, so when she missed a day, her daughter immediately knew something was wrong Washington (AFP) – A woman in the US city of Chicago was rescued from being held hostage for hours, after her failure to share her daily Wordle score alerted her family something was wrong. Denyse Holt, 80, was alone at home on the night of February 5 when a man broke into her house and pointed a pair of scissors at her. The man — identified as James H Davis III, aged 32 — was naked and covered with cuts and blood after he broke a window to gain entrance. Police suspect Davis suffers from a mental illness. Holt said Davis assured her he wouldn’t harm her, but he did force her, fully clothed, to take a bath with him before locking her in the basement. “I didn’t think I was going to live,” she told the local CBS station. Holt’s eldest daughter Meredith Holt-Caldwell, who lives in Seattle, first twigged that something was amiss when her mother did not send her daily Wordle score. The game consists of guessing one five-letter word per day in just six tries. Its popularity has skyrocketed since the start of the year, with millions of people playing it daily. Holt said her missing score was “disconcerting” to Holt-Caldwell, who knew her mother never missed this part of their daily routine. Holt-Caldwell called the Chicago police, who conducted a wellbeing check on her mother on February 6, only to discover she was being held hostage in her own home. An hours long standoff between police and Davis ensued. SWAT officers eventually used a stun gun to incapacitate him and rescue Holt. Police say Davis faces a range of charges including home invasion with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping. Holt was in shock after her rescue but otherwise unharmed. “I never thought in a million years this is what was happening, but it was,” she told CBS. “I’m very lucky.” The New York Times announced at the end of January it had bought Wordle for an “undisclosed price in the low seven figures.” Other versions of the game have sprung up around the globe, in languages ranging from German to Urdu. View the full article

Published by Radar Online @brandonbills_/Instagram; Mega Hope it was worth it! DaBaby is now reportedly under police investigation over that bloody brawl with estranged baby mama DaniLeigh‘s brother, Brandon Bills. As Radar reported, a fight broke out at a California bowling alley involving the rapper, his crew and Brandon, who was alone and claimed he had approached the rapper to talk. Soon enough, he was pummeled to the ground and dragged by his hair. Videos showing different angles of the altercation – which spilled out into the actual lanes – confirm that DaBaby threw the first punch, which was followed by incessant kicks and blows from about five or six of his men. It was difficult for anyone to stay on their feet during the ordeal due to the slippery floors, but Bills was also clearly outnumbered. Because evidence shows that he was kicked in the head after he was already on the ground, law enforcement sources say cops are considering the case a potential assault with a deadly weapon. @brandonbills_/Instagram; Mega Though the fight didn’t last long, Brandon did sustain a bloody face. He reportedly refused medical treatment on the scene. As for the apparent aggressor, he fled before cops arrived. Bills later took to his Instagram Story to call out what he deemed an unfair fight, claiming he was “jumped.” “I spoke to you like a man. I said, ‘Come on, let’s talk, me and you, on the side,'” he said, adding that the rapper got no “brownie points” for the supposed victory. Had the floor not been so slippery, insisted Brandon, things would have ended differently. DaniLeigh expressed disgust with the incident, taking to her own Instagram Story to write, “Lame as hell!!!! Running up on my brother on some slippery ass floors with 5/6 of ya boys while he’s by himself and not even touching him!!! Lame and soooo sad!!! I pray this stops now!!! BC this is my family! and I got a daughter to raise. Sad.” The Story – as well as DaniLeigh’s page – are now gone. Mega Bills has been promising to confront the rapper since November, when DaniLeigh was hit with two simple assault charges. At the time, DaBaby had been trying to kick her and their then-3-month-old baby out of his condo following a fight over Plan B. She refused to leave, saying she had nowhere else to go. During the ordeal, the rapper called the cops, who interviewed DaniLeigh and decided to charge her. After the fact, Brandon took to his IG Story to publicly warn DaBaby. “This n—a wanna call the cops on my sis. This n—a wanna disrespect my sis online for the world to see, disrespect my family. This don’t even got nothing to do with my sister no more, bro. This gotta do with me and you.” “When you come to the West Coast, bro, which I know you be out here, you’re going to catch this one-on-one fade, bro,” said Bills. “One-on-one fade to see what happens between me and you. I wanna see how gangsta you are, to see how much of a real man you are.” View the full article