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Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax and Jason Lange (Reuters) – Republican and Democratic lawmakers across the United States are drawing political maps that will likely deepen polarization and encourage more extreme candidates by eliminating competitive congressional seats, a new Reuters analysis shows. Thirty-one states have finalized new congressional maps as part of the once-a-decade redistricting mandated by law. Along with six states that each have only one district, 308 of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives now have boundaries in place for November’s midterm elections. In 2020, there were 62 districts in those states where the margin in the presidential election was within 10 percentage points, according to the analysis. Under the new maps, that figure drops by one-third to 41. The erasure of competitive districts is damaging to democracy in multiple ways, electoral experts say. Congress is already deeply divided, with major legislation frequently drawing support or opposition strictly along party lines. If the fear of losing in the general election is gone, candidates are more likely to move toward the ideological extremes to secure their party’s nomination. With so many elections predetermined before a ballot is cast, voters – particularly in the minority party – can feel effectively disenfranchised. “When politicians draw lines that lock in the winners for the rest of the decade, it creates a disillusionment among voters that elections may not matter, because our voices won’t be heard,” said Kathay Feng, the national redistricting director for the good government group Common Cause. And without the political middle represented in Congress, “you end up with a dysfunctional body,” she said. Political gerrymandering – the manipulation of district lines to entrench one party in power – has become increasingly weaponized by both parties in recent years, helped along by advances in data and mapping technology. Republicans have used the practice more effectively, however, after making major gains in statehouses in 2010. Even before this redistricting cycle, close to half of U.S. House races were determined by margins of more than 30 percentage points. The elimination of swing districts is especially marked when looking only at states where one party held unfettered power over redistricting. In Texas, there were 14 congressional districts in 2020 where Joe Biden and Donald Trump were separated by fewer than 10 percentage points. The state’s new Republican-drawn map includes only three such districts, leaving 35 seats where the outcome is all but assured before November’s election ever takes place. New York Democrats last week approved an aggressive map that eliminates three of the state’s five competitive seats in order to give Democrats the edge in a whopping 22 of 26 districts. Thus far, neither party has emerged from redistricting with a significant edge. Republican-controlled Florida, which has 28 seats, has not completed new lines, and lawsuits in several states could force changes to their maps. The Reuters analysis relied on PlanScore, a mapping tool developed by the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center, as well as voting totals calculated by the Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. The calculations exclude Kentucky because full precinct-level voting data could not be obtained. CENTRISTS UNDER FIRE A lack of competitive races may decrease voter turnout and lessen investment in voter outreach by the national parties in many parts of the country, electoral experts said. Voters who turn out in primary elections tend to be further left or right than the general electorate. As a result, candidates in heavily partisan districts are incentivized to cater to their base. “Probably the biggest effect is you really pull the rug out from under centrists in both parties,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston. “All the candidates have to worry about is winning the primary.” In Texas’ 3rd district, for instance, which Trump barely carried over Biden in 2020, two-term Republican congressman Van Taylor won by a double-digit margin in part by touting his bipartisan credentials. Now, however, his vote last year in support of creating an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters has prompted a right-wing challenge from a former county judge, Keith Self. Republican legislators redrew the district to make it safer, transforming it from one that Trump won by a single percentage point to one he would have carried by 14. But it may also provide more of an opportunity for Self, who has argued that Taylor is not sufficiently loyal to Trump. Texas on March 1 holds the country’s first primary of the 2022 midterm election cycle. In Illinois, Democratic lawmakers pushed through an aggressively gerrymandered map that aimed to secure 14 of the state’s 17 seats. The plan merged two northern Republican districts into one heavily conservative area, prompting incumbent Adam Kinzinger, a moderate who drew Trump’s ire for voting to impeach him, to retire. In southern Illinois, the map also placed moderate incumbent Rodney Davis in a much more Republican district. Republican Congress member, Mary Miller, a far-right Trump supporter with a penchant for controversy, has announced she will take on Davis in the primary after her own district was merged with another. Trump has already endorsed Miller, in part because Davis – who had represented a swing district – voted to certify the 2020 election results. (Reporting by Joseph Ax and Jason Lange; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell) View the full article

[This post contains video, click to play] A Tuesday snack, by Towleroad contributor Leo Herrera. Follow him for the regular hilarity in his stories. Follow @herreraimages Follow @tlrd View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Former Duck Dynastystar Phil Robertson is speaking out about the new age of cancel culture — and he has plenty of experience considering he may have been the first celebrity to experience it nearly 10 years ago. While promoting his new book, which addresses his view on being suspended from the show over homophobic comments he made in 2013, Robertson says he has “no regrets” over what happened. According to The Post, the 75-year-old reality TV star-turned-author touched upon his experience over controversial comments during an interview for Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation on Tuesday. Mega Robertson claimed that he not only has “no regrets” over the comments that led to his suspension, but he also argued that Christianity could be the “perfect antidote” to cancel culture. “We’re all guilty of sin. We all make mistakes,” the Bible-thumper said. “Therefore, you have no excuse to pass judgment on someone else.” “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there,” Robertson continued, now focusing on what he himself considers sinful. “Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.” “Don’t be deceived,” he went on, quoting directly from the Bible. “Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.” Mega Following the Duck Dynasty star’s comments in 2013, he was “indefinitely suspended” from the show due to the backlash from not only LGBTQ organizations, but also from the public's substantial outcry. He was later reinstated to the show after Robertson’s defenders caused even more uproar, accusing A&E of censoring the star. “After nine days they reinstated me, but we had all kinds of sponsors that just took off. They had made a mockery of what I said,” he said regarding the incident. “All I did was quote a Bible verse. And as a result, they tried to cancel me. But it didn’t cancel me at all.” Mega Robertson, who founded the multimillion-dollar duck hunting company Duck Commander that inspired Duck Dynasty, then went on to argue that he believes cancel culture has ultimately “gone too far.” He also said we shouldn’t pass judgment on other people because “we all make mistakes.” View the full article

Published by AFP The Oscars will be handed out in Hollywood on March 27, 2022 Los Angeles (AFP) – Nominations for the 94th Oscars were unveiled Tuesday, and “The Power of the Dog” led the pack with a dozen nods. Here are five key takeaways from the announcement, ahead of the Academy Awards gala on March 27: Couple of couples Getting an Oscar nomination is always an honor for any actor, but being nominated in the same year as your life partner must be extra special. This year’s nominations feature two couples: Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz scored nods in the best actor and actress categories, respectively, for “Being the Ricardos” and “Parallel Mothers.” It is the fourth nomination for each, and both have won once. “I am very happy for my nomination, but mine would not have made sense without hers, because it would not have been a celebration, and the fact that both happened at the same time seems magical,” Bardem told reporters in Madrid. Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons earned supporting nods, playing a couple in moody Western “The Power of the Dog.” It is the first nomination for both actors. Other famous couples earning Academy Award nominations in the same year include Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt in 1932, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner in 1954, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in 1967, and Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach in 2020. Directing history Hollywood titan Steven Spielberg made Oscars history again Tuesday, with a best picture nod for “West Side Story” making him the first producer to earn a staggering 11 such nominations. He also bagged an eighth best director nod, placing him alongside the great Billy Wilder, and behind only William Wyler (12) and Martin Scorsese (nine). Jane Campion became the first woman to receive two best director nominations, 28 years after “The Piano.” And multi-hyphenate Kenneth Branagh is the first person to be nominated in seven different categories, earning his first original screenplay and best picture nods. The “Belfast” director has never won an Oscar. EGOT for Lin-Manuel? – The nominees for best original song are a who’s who of music, and each storyline is compelling. With his second Oscar nomination for the Spanish-language song “Dos Oruguitas” from Disney’s “Encanto,” Lin-Manuel Miranda has another shot at the coveted EGOT status — completing the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony cycle. But he faces stiff competition. Pop megastars Beyonce (“King Richard”) and Billie Eilish (“No Time to Die”) are also in the running with their first nominations, as is veteran rocker Van Morrison (“Belfast”). And rounding out the category is hitmaker Diane Warren with the song “Somehow You Do” from the film “Four Good Days” — it is Warren’s 13th nomination, but she has never won. Three for ‘Flee’ – Denmark’s “Flee,” an award-winning film about a gay Afghan refugee undertaking the perilous journey to Europe, made Oscars history with an unprecedented trilogy of nominations. In addition to best international feature, the hybrid film was recognized in the animation and documentary categories. The movie uses simple cartoons and sketches, veering from the sinister to the playful, to tell the real-life story of Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s childhood friend — who wished to remain anonymous for fear of risking his asylum status or being seen as a victim. “This way he can share his story, and still meet people on a clean slate — people wouldn’t know his innermost secrets, know his traumas,” Rasmussen told AFP. Gaga ‘snub’ A major leading actress was always going to miss out on an Oscar nomination on Tuesday — but few omissions could have provoked the social media fury and wrath of Lady Gaga’s fans. The pop star-turned-actress famously immersed herself in the “House of Gucci” role, in which she plays the wife of an heir to the Italian fashion house… who eventually hires a hitman to kill him. “Gaga really wrote an 80 page biography about Patrizia, got haunted by a possessed swarm of flies, studied animals, hired a psychiatric nurse and spoke with an Italian accent for 9 months only to get snubbed by the Oscars,” complained one fan. Others took a more sanguine view. “Can’t believe gaga went through months of… deep psychological trauma of doing a vaguely European accent just to be snubbed,” joked another Twitter user. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Queen Elizabeth has been using Prince Philip’s walking stick. The 95-year-old monarch gave a subtle tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh – who died last April aged 99 – when she was invited to cut a cake marking her Platinum Jubilee at a reception for local community and volunteer groups at Sandringham House on Saturday (05.02.22). Pictures showed the queen pressing a knife part of the way into the cake while clutching the mobility aid – which is taller than a usual walking stick and features a distinctive ornate curved handle carved from horn – in her other hand. As she stood with the cake, the queen joked: “I think I might just put a knife in it, see if it works. Somebody else can do the rest of it.” Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth was among those to spot the significance of the walking stick, which Philip used regularly when staying at Sandringham. He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I recognised the stick instantly as it was always kept in a pot by the front door. It was the Duke’s stick, and it is very touching that the Queen has started using it.” Philip was last photographed using the stick when he visited the muddy nearby nature reserve Dersingham Bog shortly after undergoing abdominal surgery in 2013. Last October, the queen used a walking stick in public for the first time since she needed a mobility aid to help her after knee surgery in 2004. In November, the monarch suffered a back sprain and is believed to still be recovering from the injury. She has been on light duties since then but it was recently revealed her diary is slowly “filling up”. However, “lessons have been learned” since the queen undertook 19 engagements in as many days last October and her schedule will be more lower paced than before. A source said: “There are no plans for her to withdraw from public life. “The Queen’s diary is filling up again but it will be paced to what is appropriate. “They don’t want to put extra strain on her and other royals will help her out where necessary.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Steven Spielberg must feel pretty. The “West Side Story” director scored his eighth Oscar nomination for best director Tuesday, making him just the fourth person to cross that threshold. Billy Wilder was also nominated for eight, Martin Scorsese has racked up nine and William Wyler earned 11. Spielberg was previously nominated for best director for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Munich” and “Lincoln.” Tuesday’s nomination also means he has received such honors in six different decades. I… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Hollywood (United States) (AFP) – Here are the nominees in key categories for the 94th Academy Awards, to be handed out in Los Angeles on March 27. Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” an eerie psychological Western about a repressed 1920s cattle rancher in Montana, leads with 12, followed by sci-fi epic “Dune” at 10, and “Belfast” and “West Side Story” tied at seven. Best picture “Belfast” “CODA” “Don’t Look Up” “Drive My Car” “Dune” “King Richard” “Licorice Pizza” “Nightmare Alley” “The Power of the Dog” “West Side Story” Best director – Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast” Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car” Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza” Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story” Best actor – Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos” Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog” Andrew Garfield, “tick, tick…BOOM!” Will Smith, “King Richard” Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” Best actress Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter” Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers” Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos” Kristen Stewart, “Spencer” Best supporting actor – Ciaran Hinds, “Belfast” Troy Kotsur, “CODA” Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog” JK Simmons, “Being the Ricardos” Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog” Best supporting actress Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter” Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story” Judi Dench, “Belfast” Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog” Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard” Best international feature film – “Drive My Car” (Japan) “Flee” (Denmark) “The Hand of God” (Italy) “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” (Bhutan) “The Worst Person in the World” (Norway) Best animated feature – “Encanto” “Flee” “Luca” “The Mitchells vs the Machines” “Raya and the Last Dragon” Best documentary feature “Ascension” “Attica” “Flee” “Summer of Soul” “Writing with Fire” Best original screenplay – “Belfast” – Kenneth Branagh “Don’t Look Up” – Adam McKay and David Sirota “King Richard” – Zach Baylin “Licorice Pizza” – Paul Thomas Anderson “The Worst Person in the World” – Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier Best adapted screenplay – “CODA” – Sian Heder “Drive My Car” – Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe “Dune” – Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth “The Lost Daughter” – Maggie Gyllenhaal “The Power of the Dog” – Jane Campion Films with six or more nominations – “The Power of the Dog”: 12 “Dune”: 10 “Belfast”: 7 “West Side Story”: 7 “King Richard”: 6 View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Zendaya has insisted ‘Euphoria’ isn’t a “moral tale”. The 25-year-old actress has spoken out to defend her show after anti-drug education group D.A.R.E. slammed the programme for “glorifying” substance abuse and “misguidedly and erroneously” depicting high school drug use. Zendaya insisted the show has set out to reassure viewers they are not “alone” in their struggles, but it’s never encouraged the audience to live their lives in a particular way. She told Entertainment Weekly: “Our show is in no way a moral tale to teach people how to live their life or what they should be doing. If anything, the feeling behind ‘Euphoria,’ or whatever we have always been trying to do with it, is to hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience and their pain. “And maybe feel like they’re not the only one going through or dealing with what they’re dealing with.” Season 2 of the HBO series culminates in an intervention for Zendaya’s character Rue, which the actress called the “light at the end of the tunnel” and she hopes her alter ego’s experiences allow viewers to gain “a little bit more understanding and [be] empathetic over the experience of addiction.” She added: “My biggest hope is that people are able to connect to it and those who need to heal and grow with Rue hopefully, by the end of this season, feel that hope and feel that change in her.” While working on the show, Zendaya has heard from a lot of viewers who see “parallels” from their own lives and she admitted their messages mean a lot to her. She said: “I’ve had a lot of people reach out and find so many parallels from all ages, all walks of life. So many parallels with Rue and her story and Rue means a lot to them in a way that I can understand, but also maybe in a way that I could never understand, and that means the most to all of us.” D.A.R.E. have accused the programme of normalising teen drug abuse. They said in a statement last month: “Rather than further each parent’s desire to keep their children safe from the potentially horrific consequences of drug abuse and other high-risk behaviour, HBO’s television drama, ‘Euphoria,’ chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today’s world “It is unfortunate that HBO, social media, television programme reviewers, and paid advertising have chosen to refer to the show as ‘groundbreaking,’ rather than recognising the potential negative consequences on school-age children who today face unparalleled risks and mental health challenges.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Aram Roston WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing a meeting in a downtown DC garage the day before the January 6 Capitol Hill riot between the then-leader of the Proud Boys extremist group, the now-indicted leader of the Oath Keepers militia and other far-right figures, according to two witnesses interviewed by FBI agents. Among the half dozen people gathered at a garage near the Phoenix Park Hotel was Oath Keepers head Stewart Rhodes, who was indicted this year on charges of “seditious conspiracy” in the insurrection. Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio, who was not present at the riot, was also at the garage meeting but left Washington afterward. The meeting put the heads of the nation’s two best-known violent far-right pro-Trump groups in immediate proximity to each other 24 hours before the breach of the Capitol. Three attendees or their representatives contacted by Reuters say they did not discuss matters related to January 6. Bianca Gracia, who heads a pro-Trump coalition called Latinos for Trump and an affiliated Political Action Committee named Latinos For America First, was at the garage meeting as well, according to witnesses and video taken by a documentary film crew. Also present was Kellye SoRelle, a lawyer for the Oath Keepers and Latinos for Trump. SoRelle told Reuters she was invited by Gracia to meet Tarrio and share information about criminal defense attorneys. She said her role in the meeting was brief, and did not concern plans for the next day. A U.S. House of Representatives committee is investigating the January 6 riot, in which supporters of then-President Donald Trump sought to block Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s election as president. The committee has subpoenaed the phone records of a photographer who accompanied Tarrio to parts of the garage meeting. Tarrio told Reuters last June that his meeting at the garage with Rhodes was unplanned and not significant. “By coincidence,” Tarrio said, “he was inside … that parking garage.” He said he shook hands with Rhodes solely to be polite. “He’s here, I’m not going to not shake somebody’s hand.” He has denied any Proud Boys planning ahead of January 6. Reached again in January, Tarrio said he would not answer further questions. “I usually speak to all reporters,” he texted back after one question, “but when they become conspiracy theorists … that’s usually when I sever ties.” Tarrio has said he stepped down as Proud Boys chairman earlier this year. An attorney for Rhodes, who is being held pending trial, emailed Reuters that “there was no coordination” between Rhodes and Tarrio. The FBI’s investigation of the meeting has not previously been reported, nor have the circumstances of the gathering. A short clip of the gathering appeared in a British Channel 4 documentary last year about the Proud Boys, spurring some chatter on Twitter. Michael Simmons, who was present during part of January 6 with Rhodes, said Rhodes had not mentioned meeting Tarrio. When Reuters told him of the meeting, Simmons said he was shocked because, he said, Rhodes had been critical of Tarrio and the Proud Boys. “Why would you meet Enrique in a fucking parking garage?” said Simmons, who has not been charged. “It just blows my mind. That’s crazy!” Federal prosecutors have charged multiple leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers with playing leading roles in the mayhem of January 6. Tarrio has not been indicted in the case. The Proud Boys is an all-male group that encourages street brawling against leftist protesters and calls itself “Western chauvinist.” Oath Keepers wear military-style uniforms, train in military tactics and often carry firearms in operations. Last March, prosecutors cited the social media messages of one Oath Keeper leader indicted in the January 6 case. “This week I organized an alliance between Oath Keepers, Florida 3%ers, and Proud Boys,” he allegedly wrote in a Facebook message before the riot, citing a different gathering, prosecutors said in a court filing. The Three Percenters is a loosely organized far right militia, some of whose members have been charged in the Capitol attack. So far, however, the Justice Department has not disclosed clear evidence that the far-right groups plotted to come together on January 6. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment. ‘OUT OF SIGHT’ On the afternoon of January 5, 2021, Washington teemed with Trump supporters preparing for January 6, when Congress was scheduled to ratify Biden’s presidential victory at the Capitol. Tarrio had just been released after a night in a Washington jail, where he was held on charges of burning a Black Lives Matter flag in December 2020. A judge ordered him to leave town until his court appearances. Tarrio later served nearly six months for burning the banner and carrying illegal rifle magazines into the city that December. After he was released on January 5, the documentary film crew working on the Proud Boys report drove Tarrio to the Phoenix Park Hotel, not far from the Capitol building, said a source familiar with the matter. Oath Keepers leader Rhodes had left Texas on January 3, spending over $10,000 on firearms equipment on his journey to the DC area, prosecutors say in an indictment unsealed January 4. The indictment said he conspired “to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power.” He stayed at a hotel in Vienna, Virginia. Just as Tarrio arrived from jail January 5, Rhodes was outside the Phoenix Park Hotel in DC, said a source at the scene. Gracia, the president of Latinos for Trump, was inside the hotel. SoRelle, the lawyer for Latinos for Trump, says Gracia invited her to meet Tarrio. While Tarrio is best known as the Proud Boys chairman, he was also previously involved in Latinos for Trump and had been its Florida state director. Sorelle said her recollection was that Tarrio and a couple of others were in the garage when she walked in with Rhodes and Gracia. She said Rhodes shook Tarrio’s hand and the two exchanged pleasantries. Then she briefly discussed Tarrio’s need for a lawyer in the DC criminal case, for which he’d been arrested the previous day. She said about six people were there. Latinos for Trump has not been accused in the January 6 violence. Contacted this January, Gracia declined to discuss the garage meeting. Previously, she told Reuters her group had a morning rally on January 6 near the U.S. Senate, and that she left by 12:15 PM, went to her hotel and slept through the insurrection. “We’re a very spiritual group and we’re grounded in God and we stayed where we were supposed to stay and we prayed,” she said. SoRelle says she too went to the morning January 6 rally by Latinos for Trump, where she spoke, as did Rhodes, SoRelle and Simmons said. The photographer, Amy Harris, was also with Tarrio at the garage meeting January 5, two sources said. Harris, who originally specialized in photography of music concerts and festivals, had shifted to protests in 2020, and had begun focusing on Tarrio and the Proud Boys. The House committee has subpoenaed Harris’s phone records; she is suing the January 6 committee to block the subpoena. “Harris’s work documenting Tarrio throughout the remainder of 2020 earned her Tarrio’s trust as a journalist and, accordingly, the trust of the members of his group,” her suit said. Harris and her lawyers declined to comment. SoRelle said the garage meeting left her puzzled and she says she is unclear why it was held. She said the meeting was not necessary, as she had already shared information about possible lawyers with Tarrio and others. “There was no reason for him to show up and there was no reason for me to be there,” she said. The documentary film crew was from a company called “Saboteur Media.” It gathered a snippet showing Tarrio, Rhodes and Gracia standing in the garage but does not have audio, according to a source familiar with it. Reuters has seen a photo of the participants standing together at the garage. The FBI has obtained a copy of the footage, a source told Reuters. (Reporting by Aram Roston. Editing by Ronnie Greene) View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell’s goal to project an image of moderation for his party as it seeks to regain control of Congress this year has taken a hit with its fresh infighting over last year’s Capitol attack and censure of two lawmakers. McConnell at an afternoon news conference is expected to address the Republican National Committee’s censure last week of Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the only two Republicans serving on the House of Representatives select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, rampage, according to a person familiar with the matter. The RNC took its action on Friday and called the Democratic-led committee’s inquiry an attack on “legitimate political discourse.” Supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Republicans are hoping to regain majorities in the House and Senate in the Nov. 8 midterm elections. McConnell, the Senate minority leader and one of his party’s most wily political tacticians, has been trying to paint Biden as a former moderate radicalized by the Democratic Party’s left wing. McConnell’s hopes of projecting an image of moderation for his own party could help Senate Republican candidates in key states. Lawmakers close to McConnell found themselves on the defensive about the RNC censure resolution. “They said, in the resolution, they wanted Republicans to be unified. That was not a unifying action,” said Senator John Cornyn of Texas. Other Senate Republican leaders were quick to acknowledge the trouble that party divisions might pose for Republican Senate candidates. “If we want to win the elections in November, there are better things for us to be focused on,” said Senator John Thune, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican after McConnell. “The focus right now needs to be forward, not backward. If we want to get majorities in the fall, then it’s better to turn our fire on Democrats and not on each other,” Thune added. Democrats may be vulnerable, particularly considering Biden’s falling public approval numbers in opinion polls. The party of sitting presidents typically loses congressional seats in the first midterm elections after winning the White House. McConnell has sought to cast Biden and his pricy “Build Back Better” social spending plan that is stalled in the Senate as creatures of the Democratic Party’s left wing. McConnell has accused Biden of ignoring troubles facing American families such as inflation including higher energy costs. “If the president starts acting like a moderate, like he campaigned, we can do business,” McConnell told Fox News last month. While McConnell is calling for bipartisanship, he often has been a partisan warrior himself. As majority leader, he refused to consider Democratic President Barack Obama’s nominee to fill a Supreme Court vacancy and last year said he might block Biden’s nominees to the high court if Republicans gain Senate control. He also has used the Senate’s filibuster rule to thwart parts of Biden’s legislative agenda including voting rights. McConnell did delivered critical Republican votes last year for two bipartisan priorities – a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and a deal to avert a default on the federal government’s debt. Both prompted enraged statements from Trump, who has called for McConnell’s ouster from his Senate leadership post. McConnell has also said he is open to a bipartisan effort to revamp an 1887 law that Trump tried to use to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory. The push to reform the law called the Electoral Count Act could succeed, after Democrats failed to pass their voting rights legislation amid unified Republican opposition. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Will Dunham and Scott Malone) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sarah N. Lynch and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Dozens of U.S. Democratic lawmakers with the Congressional Black Caucus have urged the Justice Department to step up legal efforts to protect voting rights across the country, condemning what they say are “anti-democratic” Republican efforts to restrict ballot access for voters of color. “These unabashedly racist and partisan attacks on our nation’s democratic principles must be forcefully condemned and expeditiously reversed,” the 44 members of the House of Representatives wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday. Among the lawmakers who signed the letter were Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty and Representatives Ilhan Omar, Barbara Lee, James Clyburn and Ayanna Pressley. “It is critical that you enforce every applicable law to ensure all citizens can vote”, they wrote in the letter. “No lawsuit is too trivial when it comes to the voting rights of citizens.” President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats suffered twin legislative defeats last month in their push to toughen voting rights protections in the run-up to this November’s mid-term elections that will determine control of Congress in 2023. Senate Republicans had blocked the Democrats’ move to advance the voting rights legislation toward passage. They had employed the decades old “filibuster” rule to stop the legislation, which requires the cooperation of at least 60 of the Senate’s 100 members to keep bills alive. The Senate currently is split 50-50. Democrats have accused Republicans in various states of exploiting their majorities in state legislatures to craft electoral maps that diminish the clout of Black and other racial minority voters while maximizing the power of white voters. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed in states around the country challenging congressional lines drawn as part of a once-a-decade cycle. (This story corrects number of lawmakers who signed the letter to 44 from 41 in second paragraph) (Reporting by Sarah Lynch in Washington, writing by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Aurora Ellis) View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s aides are looking for more White House records after the National Archives said it retrieved 15 boxes of official materials from the former president’s Florida resort, according to the agency. “Former President Trump’s representatives have informed NARA that they are continuing to search for additional Presidential records that belong to the National Archives,” the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) said in a statement on Monday. The hunt for additional documents and items raises questions about Trump’s compliance with federal law requiring the preservation of all communications regarding official presidential duties. The archives confirmed officials retrieved the boxes from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property – one year after they should have been transferred to the agency when Democratic President Joe Biden took office. “The Presidential Records Act is critical to our democracy, in which the government is held accountable by the people,” U.S. Archivist David Ferriero said. The statement followed reports by the Washington Post on the boxes found in Florida and the Trump administration’s haphazard recordkeeping, including Trump’s habit of tearing up official documents. Representatives for Trump, a Republican, could not be immediately reached for comment. Former aides to Trump told the Post and the New York Times the materials handed over to the archives were packed up hastily during the former president’s exit. Several presidential historians said the violations under Trump were unprecedented. “It’s a pretty shocking disregard for the Presidential Records Act,” historian Lindsay Chervinsky told CNN on Tuesday. “Presidential documents belong to all of us Americans, not some ex-President,” historian Michael Beschloss tweeted on Monday. “Crucial now for all Americans to know exactly how many and what Presidential documents were illegally taken, hidden or destroyed.” Among the items retrieved in January were letters to Trump from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump’s predecessor, former Democratic president Barack Obama, according to the reports. The U.S. House of Representatives is investigating Trump supporters’ Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump sought to block congressional investigators from obtaining his records but the U.S. Supreme Court last month rejected his request. Experts said it was unclear what, if any, repercussions could follow regarding the materials’ improper handling. “There has never been a prosecution under the Presidential Records Act because no president has ever flouted it to this extent,” Chervinsky said. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey; Editing by Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Don Lemon could barely contain his hate towards his former friend Chris Cuomo during a heated CNN meeting on Monday. On Monday, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar made a video appearance with the staff at the New York offices following Jeff Zucker’s resignation. The employees who feel Zucker was wrongfully pushed out of his job decided to grill Kilar during the meeting. MEGA As Radar first reported, Zucker carried out a “consensual relationship” with CNN exec VP and Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust. Sources tell Radar the affair led to both of their marriages ending. MEGA As part of the Chris Cuomo investigation, Zucker was questioned about his relationship with Gollust. He declined to provide the date in which it started and then was forced to resign due to him violating company policy on office romances. Zucker’s supporters accuse Cuomo of going full scorned earth on CNN after Zucker refused to pay him severance after his contract was terminated. During his stop, Kilar declined to offer additional details about the decision to get rid of Zucker. “I do consider Jeff’s resignation closed and I’m not going to be speaking about the details of it as a matter of policy.” MEGA Lemon — who is facing his own sexual assault lawsuit at the moment — had a meltdown during the Kilar meeting. Insider obtained audio from the meeting that was conducted by video. The first anchor to speak out was Alisyn Camerota who told Kilar her and other colleagues were experiencing psychological stress from Zucker’s departure. Lemon had one thing on his mind during the meeting — his ex-friend Chris Cuomo. The anchor asked if Cuomo would be paid his severance. Cuomo is fighting for the $18 million left on his contract. Kilar refused to comment on the matter. Lemon then asked, “Did you think about what message it sends to the journalists in this company and to the larger public, that someone can be found to break these journalistic standards and then get paid handsomely for it?” MEGA “And what is to stop the next person from possibly getting compensated for it, to spread rumors or what have you to the press?” Brian Stelter — whose own job is likely in jeopardy for his role in the Zucker scandal — also made an appearance at the meeting to moan about Kilar not having a global town hall. View the full article

Published by AFP Neil Young continued his battle with Spotify, urging employees to quit the company New York (AFP) – Neil Young is urging Spotify employees to quit their jobs at the company he’s accused of spreading disinformation, urging them to leave before “it eats up your soul.” Young has been leading a boycott of the streaming giant for weeks after he demanded it choose between him and controversial podcaster Joe Rogan, who has faced criticism including for discouraging Covid-19 vaccination in young people. In his latest missive published late Wednesday, Young, 76, told Spotify employees that the Swedish company’s CEO, Daniel Ek, “is your big problem — not Joe Rogan. Ek pulls the strings.” “Get out of that place before it eats up your soul. The only goals stated by EK are about numbers — not art, not creativity,” wrote the “Heart of Gold” artist on his website. Young also told musicians and creators to “find a better place than SPOTIFY to be the home of your art.” So far, Joni Mitchell along with Young’s former bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash have followed Young’s suit and left Spotify. Singer India.Arie also pulled her music from the platform, citing Rogan’s “language around race.” For its part, Spotify’s Ek has condemned Rogan’s use of a racial slur but insisted that “I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.” The company has a $100-million multi-year exclusive contract with the podcaster. Spotify has also said it will add advisories to any podcast episodes that discuss Covid-19. In his message this week, Young — a longtime environmental advocate — also asked his fellow baby boomers to remove their money from the major US banks Chase, Citi, Bank of America and Wells Fargo for their “continued fossil fuel damage even as the global temperature keeps climbing.” View the full article

Published by DPA Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI arrives at the airport for his return flight to the Vatican. Pope Benedict on Tuesday asked victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church for forgiveness but rejected allegations that he was involved in any cover-up. Sven Hoppe/dpa-Pool/dpa Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Tuesday asked victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church for forgiveness but rejected allegations that he was involved in any cover-up. The retired pontiff was responding to an independent report, released on January 20, which chronicles decades of alleged abuse and misconduct in the archdiocese of Munich, which he led as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger from 1977 and 1982. “I have borne great responsibility in the Catholic Church. My pain is all the greater for the misdemeanours and errors that occurred during my terms of office and in the places concerned,” he said in a statement released by the Vatican. In the letter, Benedict expressed his “deep shame” and “great pain,” as well as his “sincere request for apology to all victims of sexual abuse.” Benedict has faced severe criticism after the report detailed accusations of misconduct against him in four cases. Experts from the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl (WSW) believe that Ratzinger reassigned priests who had abused children to other areas during his time as archbishop of Munich and Freising. These accusations were categorically denied by Ratzinger’s lawyers and advisers in a “fact check” also published on Tuesday. “The expert report contains no evidence to support an allegation of misconduct or assistance in a cover-up,” it says. “As archbishop, Cardinal Ratzinger was not involved in any cover-up of acts of abuse.” Benedict also commented himself on accusations that he had lied about his participation in a meeting concerning the transfer of a priest from Essen in North Rhine Westphalia to Bavaria. This priest is alleged to have abused several other children in two Upper Bavarian parishes. The false statement – that he had not been present at the meeting in question – was based on a misunderstanding, Benedict said. This occurred while his statement on the expert report was being written up with the help of “a small group of friends.” “In the enormous work of those days – the drafting of the statement – an oversight occurred concerning the question of my participation in the ordinariate meeting of January 15, 1980,” he wrote, adding that the mistake was “not intentional” – and “I hope, also excusable.” “The fact that the oversight was exploited to cast doubt on my truthfulness, indeed to portray me as a liar, has affected me deeply,” the 94-year-old said. Participation in the meeting does not prove that Benedict knew about earlier acts of abuse committed by the Essen priest, his lawyers stressed. The files show “that it was not discussed at the meeting in question that the priest had committed sexual abuse,” they noted. According to the WSW law firm’s report, at least 497 children and young people were sexually abused by priests, deacons or other church employees in the archdiocese of Munich and Freising between 1945 and 2019. The experts counted at least 235 alleged perpetrators – including 173 priests and 9 deacons – while noting that a large number of cases would likely have gone unreported. In his letter, Ratzinger asks the faithful to pray for him. “More and more I understand the revulsion and fear that overtook Christ on the Mount of Olives when he saw all the terrible things that he was now to overcome from within,” he wrote. “That at the same time the disciples were able to sleep is, unfortunately, the situation that exists anew today and in which I too feel addressed.” In a short statement, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the current archbishop of Munich, welcomed Benedict’s letter while stressing how seriously his diocese was taking the independent experts’ findings. “I emphasize once again that the archdiocese and I as archbishop take very seriously the report, which particularly in terms of the management levels deals with personal and institutional responsibility,” Marx said, vowing to “take up the recommendations together with the victims’ advisory council and the Independent Reappraisal Commission.” View the full article

Published by AFP A person wearing a face mask leaves a store on January 26, 2022 in New York City; mask-wearing became a political battleground in the United States in the early days of the pandemic New York (AFP) – Several Democratic-run US states have announced plans to lift mask mandates in indoor places and schools as coronavirus infections decline in America. The announcements signal a move towards a policy of accepting Covid-19 as part of everyday life. Mask-wearing became a political battleground in the United States in the early days of the pandemic. Many Democratic governors enforced strict mandates, while Republican-led states such as Texas and Florida banned the enforcement of face coverings. California governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday evening that the state’s indoor mask mandate would end for vaccinated residents on February 15. “CA’s case rate has decreased by 65 percent since our Omicron peak. Our hospitalizations have stabilized across the state,” tweeted Newsom. “Unvaccinated people will still need to wear masks indoors. Get vaccinated. Get boosted,” he added. Newsom’s announcement came after New Jersey governor Phil Murphy announced that children and staff would not need to wear masks in schools from March 7. “This is not a declaration of victory as much as an acknowledgment that we can responsibly live with this thing,” he said, referring to the coronavirus. In Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont said he was recommending that school boards drop mandatory mask-wearing in schools after February 28. Delaware governor John Carney announced that his state’s indoor mask mandate would expire on Friday, and that masks in schools will end by March 31. “We’re in a much better place than we were several weeks ago,” he wrote on Twitter. In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown tweeted that she “will lift mask requirements no later than March 31.” New York, the early epicenter of America’s outbreak in spring 2020, has not yet announced any plans to lift its mask requirements, but Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to address the issue on Wednesday. CDC recommendations The varying measures highlight the disparate nature of mask rules, which can differ between local authorities in the heavily defederalized country. The lifting of the mandates still allows individual school boards to require masks if they want to. But the mandates’ revoking appears to be out of sync with guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which Joe Biden’s administration follows. The CDC recommends that vaccinated people wear masks indoors if they are “in an area of substantial or high transmission.” Wearing a mask that covers the nose and mouth is required on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within or out of the United States. The CDC also requires masks inside US transportation hubs such as airports and train stations. The United States is currently recording about 73,000 new cases a day, down from a peak of about 800,000 a day in early January, according to the CDC. More than 900,000 people have been killed by Covid-19 in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker. Despite falling numbers of new cases linked to the Omicron variant, daily deaths are still averaging 2,300, according to government figures. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Boy George has announced plans for an NFT project called ‘CryptoQueenz’. The protect – which has been created alongside Pixel Potent – aims to be the first LGBTQ+ NFT and will include 9,999 “totally unique” Non-Fungible Tokens featuring original artworks created by the Culture Club legend. In a statement, he said: “As a creator and artist I’ve long been interested in the different mediums which can act as a canvas for self-expression. “NFTs and digital art are a great example of this and help to democratise the stuffy artworld for everyone. “I hope this project will help to bring a little colour and joy into everyone’s lives whilst helping to support the LGBTQ+ community which I’m very proud to be a part of.” The ‘Karma Chameleon’ hitmaker will launch the NFTs from March 1, with the collection set to give collectors and fans the opportunity to own a very piece of artwork. The pieces will feature the face of ‘Scarman’ – one of the singer’s most celebrated works – which have been combined with his hat collection to create 9,999 “totally unique algorithmically generated” NFTs. Meanwhile, 2% of the proceeds from each sale will go to support the Elton John Aids Foundation and Shelter, while royalties will be given in perpetuity from the sale of each NFT “long into the future”. Meanwhile, the star – whose real name is George O’Dowd – peviously hit out at contemporary pop stars for lacking “edge” and becoming too predictable. He said: “Things that have got a bit of an edge to them. That’s what we’re looking for. “We don’t want pop stars to just kind of dial it in and give us what we expect. I’m very objective about it. I’m a songwriter, that’s what I do.” The NFTs will be available from www.cryptoqueenznft.com and on the secondary market at OpenSea. View the full article

Leslie Jones is tired of fighting without support. NBC Olympics coverage concerns tell you just how big a deal she’s become. “I’m Tired Of Fighting Them” The Leslie Jones Olympics connection has become a welcomed addition to Olympics coverage in recent years. The Emmy-nominated comedian and former “Saturday Night Live” star is beloved for her candid and humorous coverage of the Olympics through her social media accounts since 2016. But she may be hanging it up after the Beijing Games because she doesn’t feel “welcomed” anymore by Olympics broadcaster NBC. “I love the athletes and they love me doing it … But now it’s just gotten too hard. And no one is fighting for or with me. So I guess I’ll leave it to the professionals,” Jones added. “Leslie Jones does not stay anywhere I’m not welcomed.” Jones is right when she says that Olympians enjoy her videos. U.S. Women’s hockey team member Hilary Kinght and freestyle skier Caroline Claire replied to her Instagram post with messages of support for Jones. “[Please] keep doing it. I’m trying to have you live-tweet my run in ski slopestyle next week,” wrote Claire. Fan Reactions The possibility that Jones walks away from live-tweeting the Olympics riled up a swathe of fans, some of whom said they only engage with the Olympics through her social media accounts. Jones has upward of 4 million followers across her Twitter, Instagram and TikTok accounts, and they all let her know how much her posts are appreciated while calling out NBC for throwing up roadblocks. “If the folks at NBC were smart they’d realize that you are drawing an audience to watch the Olympics that otherwise may have tuned out,” wrote an Instagram user. “I had not started watching until I saw your commentary and then went to check out the live coverage.” “You are the best commentator and the only reason I tune in. NBC should really pay attention to what the people want,” said another. “Hey NBC fuck off with that trash and give Leslie the props she deserves. Y’all would have never had as brilliant an idea as having a comedian live-tweet the Olympics if she hadn’t done it first! You’ll never be as good at it either,” a Twitter user wrote. NBC has not responded to any request for comment regarding Jones’ comments or claims that the network is attempting to block Jones’ content on social media platforms. Leslie Jones Olympics: Previously on Towleroad Leslie Jones’ Live Olympic Tweets Are Hilarious, Convert Viewers, Are Driven by Passion, and May Soon Be Done. Why’s NBC Sports Not More Welcoming? Brian Bell February 7, 2022 Read More Michael Phelps’ Trans Ex-Girlfriend Taylor Lianne Chandler Believes Gold Medalist Is To Blame For Influencing UPenn Swimmers To Demand Lia Thomas Be Banned From Competing Towleroad February 5, 2022 Read More Winter Olympics 2022 Start With LGBTQ Athletes Primed For The Medal Podium; Preview This Weekend’s Action In Figure Skating, Curling and Gayest Team Ever Brian Bell February 4, 2022 Read More 2022 Winter Olympics Features More Than 30 Out LGBTQ Olympians, Including First Out Nonbinary Athlete Brian Bell January 30, 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 Tom Daley Diving into Career as Children’s Author After Gold Medal Win in Tokyo 2020 Towleroad August 23, 2021 Read More Screenshot via YouTube View the full article

Published by InsideHook By Kayla Kibbe Mark Wahlberg would like to make one thing very clear: he did not give his Uncharted co-star/noted short king Tom Holland a sex toy. It was a massage gun, one that is strictly “for muscle recovery, nothing else,” Wahlberg clarified in a recent Instagram video showing off the massage tool in question, the Power Plate Pulse. Wahlberg apparently felt compelled to clear up any confusion surrounding the workout recovery tool he gifted his costar after Holland admitted he initially thought the massager was for “self-pleasure” during an interview with Access Hollywood last week. “Mark … Read More View the full article