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=Link RoundUpA few Editorial notes–NOTE: ASAP Bari pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges 2 years ago. –DON’T SKIP links at bottom of page. Good, important posts about LGBTQ in Afghanistan under Taliban, France ending Conversion therapy, the Pope hitting the low bar of telling parents to love their gay kids, attacks on trans people by an Atlanta restaurant and the Catholics in Milwaukee. –CATHOLIC HEAVY: Nodding to good intention, but superficial absurdity of 125 Germans voluntarily employed– even at senior levels — by an entity that has never hidden it’s hostility to them; in the business of spreading values and ethics that are specifically not able to be changed by humans and are considered not valid if changed. This is a group that hides its glacial-pace evolution over generations; claims a direct line to god; abuses and covers up child rape at the highest levels; uses tax-free status to hoard, influence and control politicians around the world; and is based on a set of stories that should have gone the way of Song of the South… you can make your own… — –Recipe for GERMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (as adapted from the New York Times Recipe): German Catholic Church is an American classic … Milder than devil’s food church, this Catholic Church has layers that are subtle and sweet, Catholic-ey but not excessively so. They create a lovely, velvet-textured vehicle for the heaps of gooey, toasted coconut and pecan custard. For more Catholic appeal, rich ganache can be slathered on the sides. This not only adds another blissful layer of Catholic, but also neatens up the look and makes for a party-worthy presentation. –Editor ASAP Bari Says ‘F$%king Girls and Guys Was Never Cool’ Published by XXL Mag ASAP Bari’s controversial statement he posted on social media has raised plenty of people’s eyebrows. On Monday (Jan. 25), ASAP Bari hopped on his Instagram Story and decided to share his thoughts on Down Low men who put their female partners at risk for HIV infection by having sexual relations with other men. “I love gay ppl by the way I hate low key gay niggas who deal with females but on the low date guys,” he wrote in one panel. “Stay True to urself and others.” In the next panel, Bari reportedly wrote, “Y’all females better watch out from These low key gay niggas[.] Y’all better stop goin… Read More Dear Abby: Web browsing prompts feelings of inadequacy Published by NJ.com DEAR ABBY: I’m a lesbian. My girlfriend and I have been together for a couple of months now. We fell in love quickly and we’re getting ready to move in together. I’m really excited about it, but an “incident” happened recently while we were spending time together. We were watching TV, and I noticed she was on a website looking at women wearing bikinis. At first I thought, “Are you serious? Right in front of me?” So I looked over and asked her about it. She looked back at me and said, “What?” It made me feel incredibly insecure. I know she loves me, but she doesn’t understand how hurt I was see… Read More Read More Trans men lose legal bid to change gender on Hong Kong ID without undergoing full surgery Published by Hong Kong Free Press The Hong Kong Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday that transgender people in the city cannot change the gender on their identity cards without undergoing full sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Chief Judge of the High Court Jeremy Poon, Vice President Susan Kwan, and Justice of Appeal Aarif Barma rejected the appeal filed by Q and Henry Edward Tse, who are transgender. Q and Tse filed a challenge against a High Court judgement handed down in February 2019, which affirmed the government’s policy that a transgender person can only change the sex on their identity card if they undergo full SRS. While… Read More Read More Roundup 125 employees of German Catholic Church come out as queer in joint initiative AP in Catholic Reporter Ex-Hasid Comes Out Trans; France Bans Conversion Therapy; Pope Says Support Gay Kids; GLAAD Reacts To That Nonbinary Sex Scene; Trans Woman Denied Service in Atlanta Restaurant; Scream Queer Coming out to Vote: The Construction of a Lesbian and Gay Electoral Constituency in the United StatesEx-Hasid who advised ‘Unorthodox’ comes out as trans after translating children's sexuality guide into Yiddish – Jewish Telegraphic AgencyLGBT rights: New French law to criminalise 'conversion therapy'LGBT military ban: Ex RAF navigator speaks of traumaTaliban rule poses a severe threat to the LGBT Afghans, a new report warns – Rukhshana MediaMilwaukee Archdiocese takes aim at trans persons in sweeping new policyPope Francis says parents should support gay children, not condemn themScream Has Always Been Queer. The Fifth Entry Makes It OfficialATL Restaurant Denies Trans Woman Service for “Not Dressing His Gender”‘Whatever That Was, It Doesn’t Represent Us’: GLAAD Has Condemned The SATC Reboot For The Scene In Which Carrie’s Nonbinary Boss Fingers Miranda While Miranda Essentially Barks Like A Dog As Carrie Pees In A CupAnd when you click through to the Catholic Reporter check out a few other good reads: Can a snowplow metaphor help white Catholics understand racial privilege? View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Justin Timberlake is rumored to make a surprise appearance in the upcoming Janet Jackson documentary, which, if true, will mark the first time in nearly 18 years that the two performers have worked together on a project. According to Page Six, an inside source revealed to the outlet that the 40-year-old SexyBack singer is set to appear in the Lifetime/A&E upcoming two-night documentary Janet – focusing on the 55-year-old singer and dancer’s life and music career scheduled to premier this Friday. Mega “Justin is in it. I was told he is going to be in the documentary. It’s like this big secret. He’s the surprise, just like the Super Bowl,” the inside source recently spilled to the outlet. The last time the two worked together was for the 38th Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2004 that ended in uproar and controversy. During the Escapade singer’s halftime show set, she brought out Timberlake as her surprise guest. Then, while performing his hit song Rock Your Body together to close out the show, Timberlake tore part of Jackson’s top off and accidentally exposed one of her breasts to more than 140 million people watching. Mega As Radar previously reported, the rumors of Timberlake making an appearance in the upcoming documentary come as a complete surprise, especially considering he was forced to apologize to the That’s The Way Love Goes singer on social media last year. “I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments and concerns and I want to respond. I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” the 40-year-old singer wrote last February after facing backlash for comments he made during another documentary focusing on Britney Spears. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.” “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed,” he added, apologizing directly to the two women in particular. Now, with the possibility of Timberlake showing up in the documentary to presumably talk about that fateful wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl 18 years ago, things are bound to get interesting. Especially because a clip of the documentary released ahead of this Friday’s premiere shows the impact it left on the youngest Jackson sibling. “Justin and his team have been trying to contact us about you doing the Super Bowl,” someone says in the clip, just before cutting to an introspective Jackson. Mega View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) -Gun owners in San Jose, California, will be required to have insurance coverage for their weapons after city lawmakers passed an ordinance believed to be the first of its kind in the United States. City Council members on Tuesday night passed a measure requiring San Jose gun owners to have a homeowner’s, renter’s or gun liability insurance policy that covers losses or damages resulting from negligent or accidental use of their firearm. Gun owners will also be required to pay a small annual gun harm reduction fee that will go to evidence-based initiatives to reduce gun violence and gun harm, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement. “Thank you to my council colleagues who continue to show their commitment to reducing gun violence and its devastation in our community,” Liccardo said. He said his city is the first in the United States to have such an ordinance. Guns are a politically sensitive issue in the United States, which has the highest rate of gun ownership of any country as well as a higher incidence of gun violence than other wealthy nations. The California Rifle & Pistol Association said on Twitter that it is preparing to challenge the law, saying it is unconstitutional and will not affect criminals with guns. A Twitter user who goes by the name of John Phillips said that as a San Jose business owner and lifelong resident, he opposes the legislation, calling it “tyrannical, virtue signaling to infringe on our 2nd amendment constitutional rights. It is messy and wrong.” The decision still needs to be approved next month at its final reading to take effect in August, local media reported. California became the first state to ban assault weapons in 1989 after a school shooting in which five children were killed. Six other states and the District of Columbia have an assault weapons ban in place, according to the gun safety group Giffords. (Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; editing by Timothy Heritage and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Chris Cuomo and his older brother Andrew are barely speaking anymore “Chris is pissed with Andrew. If Andrew hadn’t acted so recklessly, Chris would still be hosting a primetime show at CNN. Of course he blames Andrew,” sources tell Radar. MEGA Calls For CNN To FIRE Don Lemon For ‘Obstructing Justice’ & Giving Advice To Jussie Smollett In Wake Of Chris Cuomo Scandal “To say there is tension between the brothers is the understatement of the year. Andrew has always the rock of the family. As the Alpha male he was the one who took charge since father passed. He was the one who always had all the answers. Now Andrew is the problem.” MEGA Insiders add that Chris will never forgive Andrew for what he has done. “It is not just the money – (Chris made $2 million a year from CNN) – it is the fact that he will most likely never work on TV again. Chris is 51-years-old and basically has no career because he tried to help his brother,” our insider dished. CNN Fires Chris Cuomo’s Producer John Griffin Following Arrest On ‘Deeply Disturbing’ Charges Of Sex Crimes Against Children MEGA The last time we’ve seen Chris out in public was back in December. The former news anchor was seen running around the Hamptons trying to keep a low profile while rocking a gray beanie and a workout outfit. Both Chris and Andrew have kept their mouth shut in the past couple of months but have not been seen together. They also have not offered any public words of support to the other. MEGA Earlier this week, the New York attorney general released a video of Chris’s testimony as part of their investigation into Chris. He admits to seeking information about the women who accused his brother of misconduct. “When asked, I would reach out to sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anybody else coming out,” Cuomo said during the interview. The statement was different than what he told his audience months prior. “I never made calls to the press about my brother’s situation,” he originally said. View the full article

Published by DPA Classic Minis produced between 1959 and 2000 are being given a second life as modern electrics with a 0-100 km/h sprint of around 9 seconds. Bernhard Filser/BMW Group/dpa If Alec Issigonis was designing the classic Mini today, he would have given it an electric motor – and that’s why experts at the BMW-owned Mini plant in Oxford have begun doing exactly that. Engineers take a classic Mini with its four-pot petrol engine and install an electric motor, giving the combustion versions a new green lease of life. Mini recharged is the name given to the project which transforms a classic Mini produced between 1959 and 2000. The modern electric motor generates a continuous output of up to 90 kW and accelerates the classic from zero to 100 km/h in around nine seconds. The energy comes from a high-voltage battery, which can be charged with an output of up to 6.6 kW and enables a predicted range of around 160 kilometres. Added to that, every electrified classic Mini from Mini Recharged receives the characteristic central instrument cluster, which now displays the drive temperature, the selected gear, range and speed. The changes are even reversible and the car can be switched back to the original drivetrain after the conversion. Mini takes care of the original running gear for each customer, allowing them to revert to standard spec if they change their mind. The electric Minis are created from much-loved, existing cars, ranging from humble entry-level versions to Countrymen estates and the hot Mini Cooper models with go-faster stripes and alloy wheels. Mini Recharged customers can also enter the electric or low-emission driving zones of many large cities, without having to pay a hefty congestion charge. Oxford Street or Piccadilly Circus in London are two examples. The cost of the EV conversion has not been revealed, but expect to pay upwards of 25,000 pounds for the privilege – far more than an original Mini ever cost to buy. Classic Minis produced between 1959 and 2000 are being given a second life as modern electrics with a 0-100 km/h sprint of around 9 seconds. Bernhard Filser/BMW Group/dpa View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Crystal Hefner has confirmed she destroyed “thousands” of naked pictures of women following Hugh Hefner’s death, after Holly Madison claimed he kept a “mountain of revenge porn”. The 35-year-old star – who was married to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner for five years until his death in September 2017 – has reassured Holly, who was one of Hugh’s girlfriends from 2001 to 2008, that the pictures have “gone” after the ‘Girls Next Door’ star claimed she was “afraid to leave” the Playboy Mansion over fears photos of her might be circulated. Crystal wrote on Twitter: “I found thousands of those disposable camera photos you are talking about @hollymadison. I immediately ripped them up and destroyed every single one of them for you and the countless other women in them. They’re gone.” Holly replied: “Thank you @crystalhefner” It comes after Holly opened up about Hefner this week. Speaking in A&E series ‘Secrets of Playboy’, she said: “His friends were always so supportive and speaking so highly of him. But that’s the only side of him they ever saw. They had no idea what was going on behind closed doors and how the women were treated. “When I lived at the mansion, I was afraid to leave. Something that was always lingering in the back of my mind, I think since the very beginning, was that if I left there was just this mountain of revenge porn just waiting to come out. “When you would go out with Hef, he’s taking all kinds of naked pictures of these women when we’re wasted out of our minds. And he would print out like eight copies for him and all the women, you pass them around. It was just gross.” Last week, Holly claimed the Playboy Mansion was like a “cult”. She said: “The reason I think the mansion was very cult-like, looking back on it, is because we were all kind of gaslit and expected to think of Hef as, like, this really good guy. “You started to feel like, ‘Oh, he’s not what they say in the media — he’s just a nice man.’ “ View the full article

Published by Reuters By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The world is “not on a good track” to meet a global goal to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and must intensify efforts to move away from fossil fuels this decade, John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate change, said on Monday. “We’re in trouble. I hope everyone understands that,” Kerry told an event called Building Momentum to UN COP27 hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and officials from Egypt, the host of the next UN climate summit. Kerry told the event he is concerned about the recent uptick in the use of coal globally and about plans to build new coal plants without carbon capture technology. In November, Egypt will host the next UN climate summit, known as COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh where the government will look to showcase its own work to phase out coal https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/innovative-financing-can-help-unlock-promises-egypts-cop27-minister-2021-12-02 in power generation, improve management of waste water, and launch construction of public transportation projects. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry said as the host of the UN climate summit, Egypt aims to be a voice for mobilizing climate finance to support developing nations and transferring clean energy technology to African nations who are among those hurt most by climate change. “We will be listening to the needs and priorities of Africa and other developing countries who have suffered greatly from the negative effects of climate change,” said Shoukry, who will be the president of COP27. Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said Egypt’s goal is to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable energy sources. Kerry said actions countries have taken do not meet the severity of the problem, even though “a huge amount of good” came out of the COP26 summit in Glasgow last November, including concluding the “rule book” for executing the Paris Climate Agreement. The UK COP26 president, Alok Sharma, also raised concern about the road ahead from Glasgow https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/britain-urges-nations-deliver-climate-pledges-this-year-2022-01-24 in a separate speech on Monday, saying that countries are struggling to find ways to deliver on the promises they made in Scotland. He cited the struggles facing the United States, where President Joe Biden has struggled to get through a multi-billion dollar spending bill that is needed to carry out his administration’s climate pledges. Kerry did not address the uncertain fate of the congressional bill and focused on other countries. He said the recent uptick in coal use over the last year and plans by countries to continue building coal plants will worsen global warming and urged countries to change course. “Most countries have the ability to deploy very significant additional amounts of renewables and they’re not choosing to do that,” he said, adding that sticking with coal or planning to build out natural gas infrastructure would lock in decades of additional greenhouse gas emissions. Many Chamber of Commerce members support building more natural gas-fired power plants while the country transitions to renewables, and Kerry told the group he “is for gas” but only if it includes carbon capture technology. “If it’s abated – terrific. If you can capture 100% (of the carbon and methane emissions} and it makes it affordable – that’s wonderful. But we’re not doing that,” he said. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer were “lucky” they were able to stage their engagement party amid the pandemic. The 31-year-old actress feels fortunate that they were able to have a party during the ongoing health crisis. The ‘Twilight’ star said: “We met years ago and then sort of re-met before the pandemic. And we got engaged – I guess it’s still the pandemic, so yes, I guess it’s a pandemic engagement. But it wasn’t at the height, it wasn’t full lockdown.” Kristen explained that their engagement party took place before the current Omicron wave hit the US. And the Hollywood star is “thankful” that they were able to enjoy their big moment. She said during an appearance on ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’: “We were kind of moving about the world a little more freely at the time. We did have an engagement party, which was nice and lucky and obviously not something we could have done now so I’m thankful for that.” Kristen confirmed she was engaged during an interview on ‘The Howard Stern Show’ in November. The actress revealed that Dylan’s proposal was “very cute” and that she can’t wait to tie the knot. Kristen – who previously dated her ‘Twilight’ co-star Robert Pattinson – said: “We’re marrying, we’re totally gonna do it. “I wanted to be proposed to, so I think I very distinctly carved out what I wanted and she nailed it. It was really cute, she did very well. We’re marrying, it’s happening.” Kristen also admitted that prior to the proposal, she wasn’t sure who would pop the question. She explained: “With two girls, you never know like who’s going to fulfil what weird f****** gender role thing. We don’t do that or think about it in those terms. She just grabbed that bowl and made it happen. It was f****** so cute.” View the full article

=Zack Efron Buck SlipThere is not a thing I can add to this…–Editor Published by BANG Showbiz English Zac Efron thinks his positive attitude has helped him to remain “grounded”. The 34-year-old actor – who starred in the ‘High School Musical’ franchise during his younger years – believes “staying positive no matter what” has allowed him to avoid the pitfalls of fame and success. Zac explained that his secret to staying balanced is to “stop, slow down and take time to get grounded”. He added: “It does take some time for the stress to wear off.” The Hollywood star revealed that he loves “spending time with friends and family, travel and the exploration of new places and cultures, anything that gets me outdoors”. Zac is also a huge fan of video games, admitting it’s one of the things he does in order to relax and escape his everyday stresses. He told People: “The first game I remember really loving was ‘Zelda’ on N64 and the ‘Super Smash Brothers’ on Nintendo 64. “I have been gaming with friends and family since the Super Nintendo days so it’s been a long time. I’ve never played ‘World of Warcraft’ because it looks so hard to wrap my head around!” Meanwhile, Zac previously revealed that Leonardo DiCaprio helped him to adjust to fame. The actor first met the ‘Titanic’ star in 2008, when they sat next to each other at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game, and he appreciates that Leonardo made a concerted effort to offer him some much-needed advice. He said: “I really appreciate that he took that time. He made me feel good about it, helped me a little bit. That’s the biggest hand you can extend if you’re in Hollywood, looking out for somebody younger. “So rock on, Leo. Thank you, buddy.” Zac Efron Grounded on Towleroad Biden threatens Putin with sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine More Dua Lipa Dishes On Keeping Her Relationships Private Following Apparent Split From Anwar Hadid, Insists Public Doesn’t Know What Goes On ‘Behind Closed Doors’ More Neil Young to Spotify: Either remove my music or Joe Rogan podcast More U.S. COVID peak may be over but not the pain as deaths rise More FBI warning: Think twice before scanning a QR code More Elton John positive for Covid-19, postpones Dallas shows More Janet Jackson Recalls Brother Michael Calling Her ‘Pig,’ ‘Cow’ & ‘Slut,’ Details Their Fallout And Family’s Intervention On Late Star More Kanye West Ditches Girlfriend Julia Fox, Rapper Goes Incognito In Bizarre Mask After Confirming Kim Kardashian’s 2nd Sex Tape Exists More MCU Gay Romance for Valkyrie, in ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’; Tessa Thompson Again as MCU’s First LGBTQ Character with Hemsworth, Portman More Lawmakers Say Trans Athlete Bans Are About Protecting Women’s Sports … More Analysis-‘Aggressively conservative’ Supreme Court plunges into U.S. culture wars More US LGBT community draws on AIDS experience to fight Covid More Adele Flees Las Vegas, Spotted In Slippers At Boyfriend Rich Paul’s Beverly Hills Mansion Hours After Tearfully Canceling Shows More Load More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Holland and Dmitry Antonov WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) -Western leaders stepped up preparations for any Russian military action in Ukraine on Tuesday, with talks taking place on protecting energy supplies and President Joe Biden saying he would consider imposing direct sanctions on President Vladimir Putin. Tensions remained high after NATO said https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-sends-ships-jets-eastern-europe-ukraine-crisis-2022-01-24 on Monday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets in response to Russia’s troop build-up near its border with Ukraine. Russia, which denies planning an attack, said it was watching with “great concern”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow’s line that the crisis was being driven by U.S. and NATO actions, not the Russian troop build-up. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a televised video address on Tuesday evening, urged his compatriots to stay calm and said work was underway to bring about a meeting between him and the leaders of Russia, Germany and France. “There are no rose-coloured glasses, no childish illusions, everything is not simple…. But there is hope,” he said. Biden repeated that there were no plans to send U.S. troops to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, but said he would consider imposing direct sanctions on Putin and that there would be “enormous consequences” if Russia invaded. Reporters asked Biden if he would see himself personally sanctioning Putin if he invaded Ukraine. “Yes,” he said. “I would see that.” A U.S. plane carrying military equipment and munitions landed in Kyiv on Tuesday, the third shipment of a $200-million security package to shore up Ukraine. The U.S. Defense Department has said about 8,500 U.S. troops have been put on heightened alert and are awaiting orders to deploy to NATO’s eastern flank. Biden said on Tuesday he may move the troops in the nearer term. Western leaders say unity is paramount, though differences have emerged among European nations over how best to respond. “It is absolutely vital that… the West is united now,because it is our unity now that will be much more effective indeterring any Russian aggression,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-urges-european-allies-ready-russia-sanctions-over-ukraine-2022-01-25 told parliament, urging “our European friends” to be ready to deploy sanctions as soon as there was any incursion. He said Britain was discussing with the United States the possibility of banning Russia from the SWIFT global payments system. In Washington, senior Biden administration officials said the United States was in talks with major energy-producing countries and companies around the world over a potential diversion of supplies to Europe https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-talks-with-energy-producers-supply-europe-if-russia-invades-ukraine-2022-01-25 if Russia invades Ukraine. Speaking to reporters on a call, the officials did not name the countries or companies involved in discussions to protect supplies to Europe but said they included a broad range of suppliers, including sellers of liquefied natural gas (LNG). “We’ve been working to identify additional volumes of non- Russian natural gas from various areas of the world; from North Africa and the Middle East to Asia and the United States,” a senior administration official said, on condition of anonymity. The EU depends on Russia for around a third of its gas supplies. Any interruptions to its Russian imports would exacerbate an existing energy crisis caused by shortages. MILITARY MOVES Russia has tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine and is demanding security guarantees from the West, including a promise by NATO never to admit Ukraine. Moscow sees the former Soviet republic as a buffer between Russia and NATO countries. French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Berlin on Tuesday, said he would seek clarification over Russia’s intentions towards Ukraine in a phone call with Putin set for Friday. Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated that Moscow would pay a high price if it attacked Ukraine. Political advisers from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France are due to meet in Paris on Wednesday under the so-called ‘Normandy format’ to seek ways of ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv’s forces and pro-Russian separatists. Scholz defended Germany’s refusal to follow other Western countries in sending Kyiv lethal weapons to defend itself against a possible Russian invasion, citing historical reasons for Berlin’s caution. The tensions over Ukraine have been felt on financial markets and the price of oil in recent days. An escalated conflict between Russia and Ukraine would likely further increase energy costs for many countries, keeping headline inflation rates elevated for longer, said Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. The United States has committed more than $650 million of security assistance to Ukraine in the past year and more than $2.7 billion in total since 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. So far, NATO has about 4,000 troops in multinational battalions in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, backed by tanks, air defences and intelligence and surveillance units. (Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Timothy Heritage and Gareth JonesEditing by Rosalba O’Brien and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA Dua Lipais keeping her relationships low-key from now on. Following her rumored public split from boyfriend Anwar Hadid, the “Levitating” songstress opened up about her approach to her relationships — which includes maintaining her privacy. In a new interview for WSJ. Magazine, the 26-year-old pop star sat down to talk about a myriad of topics, including her upcoming music, a new podcast, and of course, her relationships. MEGA After choosing not to comment specifically on her former relationship with Hadid, the Future Nostalgia artist expressed her gratitude for the part of her life and relationships that remain out of the public eye. NEWLY SINGLE ANWAR HADID APPEARS RELAXED WHILE SPENDING TIME IN LOS ANGELES WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS AFTER RUMORED DUA LIPA SPLIT: PHOTOS “Something that I’ve realized over time is how little people actually know,” she told the outlet. “I’ve made peace with the fact that people can think what they want to think, but no one really, truly knows what’s happening behind closed doors.” MEGA As OK! previously reported, Lipa is believed to have called things off with Hadid, 22, back in December 2021 after long distance seemingly became too much for the pair to balance. A source spilled at the time that the former couple — who were first linked in 2019 — had been known to be on-and-off in the past. Despite the former flames’ multiple public appearances, Lipa insisted parts of her personal life have always been kept private — and she intends to keep it that way. MEGA “My circle’s really tight, my family and my friends keep me so grounded, and it gives me some kind of comfort that not everything is out there and what would take away from your life and privacy,” she continued in the interview. ANWAR HADID CLEARS UP COVID VACCINE STANCE AFTER BACKLASH: ‘I’M NOT ANTI VAX’ Prior to news of their alleged breakup, another source claimed Lipa’s relationship with Hadid was “on the rocks” after they were both traveling so much and spending a lot of time apart. (The singer was reportedly working in London while her former beau was still in New York.) “Their relationship is going through a crisis,” the insider added at the time. Meanwhile, another source claimed the pair’s spark hasn’t completely gone out yet, as their “insane chemistry” is bound to make a comeback. “They don’t believe they’re done for good,” the source maintained. “They’re young, so things like this happen but they don’t believe that the love will go away.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Tyler Clifford NEW YORK (Reuters) – Neil Young has threatened to pull his music from the Spotify streaming service in protest of its relationship with podcaster Joe Rogan, who the prolific singer-songwriter accuses of spreading misinformation about COVID-19, according to media reports on Tuesday. Young, who survived polio as a child, briefly posted a letter on his website addressed to his manager and his record label, Warner Music Group, demanding that Spotify no longer carry his music. The letter was later deleted. “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform. … They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young wrote in the letter, according to the Wall Street Journal. “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” the newspaper quoted Young, 76, as writing. Rogan, 54, is the host of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the top-rated podcast on Spotify, which has exclusive rights to the program. As of Tuesday, Young’s music, including such songs as “Heart Of Gold,” “Rocking In The Free World” and “Old Man,” was still available on the service, as was Rogan’s podcast. Spotify, Warner Music Group and “The Joe Rogan Experience” did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for Young could not be reached. Rogan, who began his career as a stand-up comedian, has long stirred controversy with his views on the pandemic, government mandates and vaccines to control the spread of the coronavirus. He has questioned the need for COVID-19 vaccines on his show and said he used ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug that has no proven benefit against COVID. In the letter, Young singled out one episode in which a Rogan guest was pushing debunked anti vaccination theories, the Journal reported. Young’s letter noted that Rogan’s podcast draws 11 million listeners each episode and highlighted that Spotify lacks a misinformation policy, the newspaper said. Spotify began carrying Rogan’s podcast in September as part of its efforts to transform itself into the Netflix of audio. Rogan maintains full creative control over the show. Earlier this month, 270 scientists and medical professionals signed an open letter to Spotify to take action against Rogan, accusing him of spreading falsehoods on the podcast. (Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by AFP Ukrainian forces are deployed against pro-Russian separatist fighters along a frontline in the country's east Washington (AFP) – The United States warned Moscow on Tuesday of damaging sanctions, including measures personally targeting Vladimir Putin, as Russian combat troops massing around Ukraine launched new exercises. Tension appeared to be only increasing, with the White House saying the risk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine “remains imminent.” Warning that would prompt “enormous consequences” and even “change the world,” President Joe Biden said he would consider adding direct sanctions on Putin to a raft of measures being drawn up. “Yes. I would see that,” Biden said when asked by reporters in Washington about targeting Putin, whom opponents have long accused of holding gigantic, secret wealth. A senior US official laid out economic sanctions “with massive consequences” that go far beyond previous measures implemented in 2014 after Russia invaded Ukraine’s Crimea region, warning that “the gradualism of the past is out.” New measures would include restrictions on exports of high-tech US equipment in the artificial intelligence, quantum computing and aerospace sectors, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. “What we’re talking about are sophisticated technologies that we design and produce,” and cutting them off would hit Putin’s “strategic ambitions to industrialize his economy quite hard,” the official said. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson echoed the threat, saying sanctions would be “heavier than anything we’ve ever done.” In a bid to break the growing tension, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would talk by telephone with Putin on Friday, seeking “clarification” on Moscow’s intentions. New Russian military exercises A day after Washington said it was putting 8,500 US troops on alert for possible deployment to bolster NATO forces in Europe, the Russian military announced it was conducting new drills involving 6,000 troops near Ukraine and within the Crimea region. The drills included firing exercises with fighter jets, bombers, anti-aircraft systems and ships from the Black Sea and Caspian fleets, the defense ministry said. According to Western officials, the Kremlin has already deployed more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, with reinforcements arriving from all over Russia. “We continue to watch the accumulation of significant combat power,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. Canada announced it was following Britain and the United States in pulling families of its diplomats out of Ukraine. The United States and its EU allies accuse Russia of seeking to upend European stability by threatening invasion of Ukraine, a former Soviet republic striving to join NATO and other Western institutions. Moscow denies plans to invade the country, where in addition to seizing Crimea it backs separatist forces in the east. Russia instead blames the West for the tension and has put forward a list of demands, including a guarantee that Ukraine never join NATO and that NATO forces already in the former Soviet bloc pull back. Energy threats The senior US official said “contingency” plans were being drawn up to get Europe through the winter in case of Russia squeezing or even cutting off energy supplies. Washington and its European allies are scouring global markets for alternative energy sources, even as Europe already struggles with soaring mid-winter energy prices. The US official said that if Russia uses energy supplies to retaliate against sanctions, this would backfire. “If Russia decides to weaponize its supply of natural gas or crude oil, it wouldn’t be without consequences to the Russian economy,” a senior US official told reporters. Although the European Union sources about 40 percent of its supply from Russia, Moscow also relies heavily on sales of energy, meaning “it’s an interdependency,” the official said. Negotiating attempts Negotiations this month have failed to ease tensions, though the US and Russia have agreed to keep talking. In addition to the Macron-Putin talks later, the French government said Russian and Ukrainian officials would meet, along with French and German counterparts, in Paris on Wednesday. Washington has promised to provide written answers to Moscow’s demands this week, while already making clear that it rejects giving Russia a veto on Ukraine joining NATO. But the crisis has laid bare divisions in the West. The new government in Germany in particular has faced criticism from Kyiv over its refusal to send defensive weapons to Ukraine, as well as hesitating over one of the harshest economic sanctions under discussion — cutting Moscow from the global SWIFT payments system. Weapons arrive Ukraine’s military is heavily outgunned by Russia and Biden repeated that he has “no intention of putting American forces or NATO forces in Ukraine.” However, the United States has stepped up deliveries of weapons. A shipment arrived on Saturday and another batch was due Tuesday. At a ceremony for the latest shipment arriving in Kyiv, US charge d’affaires Kristina Kvien said “our preference is diplomacy.” But in case of attack by Russia, “the Kremlin will face fierce resistance, the losses to Russia will be heavy.” “If President Putin decides to make this reckless choice, we will provide additional defensive material to the Ukrainians above and beyond what we’ve already sent,” she said. burs-sms/st View the full article

Published by Reuters By Maria Caspani and Lisa Shumaker NEW YORK (Reuters) – Even as COVID-19 cases drop and hospitalizations show signs of plateauing in hard-hit pockets of the United States, the still-rising death toll from the Omicron variant highlights the trail of loss that follows every virus surge. Coronavirus deaths hit an 11-month high on Sunday, climbing 11% in the past week when compared to the prior week, according to a Reuters analysis. COVID-19 fatalities are a lagging indicator, meaning their numbers usually rise a few weeks after new cases and hospitalizations. The Omicron death toll has now surpassed the height of deaths caused by the more severe Delta variant when the seven-day average peaked at 2,078 on Sept. 23 last year. An average of 2,200 people a day, mostly unvaccinated, are now dying due to Omicron. That is still below the peak of 3,300 lives lost a day during the surge in January 2021 as vaccines were just being rolled out. “It will be a while until we see (a) decrease in death as very sick people with COVID remain hospitalized for a long time,” said Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University in New York City. As Omicron surged in December and earlier this month, hospital systems from New Jersey to New Mexico buckled under the sheer number of patients brought in by the apparently less severe but highly infectious variant, prompting the federal government to send military medical aid to six states. “More infectious variants tend to run through a population very rapidly,” said El-Sadr in an email. “Even if such new variants cause less severe disease (particularly among those vaccinated and boosted), we will likely still see increase in hospitalizations and deaths due to vulnerability of unvaccinated and unboosted.” COVID-19 hospitalizations are still setting records in some states including Arkansas and North Carolina. Nationally they are now under 147,000, compared with a peak of 152,746 on Jan. 20, the Reuters tally shows. Cases nationally are down by 12% in the last seven days compared with the prior seven, the analysis found, prompting some health officials to strike a cautiously optimist tone on the trajectory of the pandemic. “It’s certainly reached its peak in certain regions of the country,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease official, said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday. “I believe that in the next few weeks we will see – as a country – that it is all turning around.” U.S. COVID-19 data often lag a few days behind the actual state of affairs and paints an imperfect picture. Positive findings from the now ubiquitous at-home tests are not included in the official case count, while hospitalization counts often do not differentiate between patients who are receiving treatment for COVID-19 and others who test positive while in the hospital with other issues. On Monday, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that it was dangerous to assume Omicron would herald the end of COVID-19’s most acute phase, and exhorted nations to stay focused to beat the pandemic. The Omicron wave scrambled the hopes of Americans for a gradual transition into a post-pandemic reality and re-ignited tensions around masking and vaccines in schools and workplaces, exposing once again the deep political fault lines cracked open by the health crisis. On Sunday, large crowds rallied in Washington, D.C., in opposition of COVID-19 mandates, some holding signs that read “people call the shot, not the government.” Virginia’s new Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is facing a lawsuit from seven school boards seeking to stop his order that would make masks optional in school as of Monday. A spokesperson for Youngkin, vowing to fight the lawsuit, said on Monday, “We are disappointed that these school boards are ignoring parent’s rights.” (Reporting by Maria Caspani in New York and Lisa Shumaker in Chicago; additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington, Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru and Christine Kiernan in New York; editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by DPA When scanning a QR code, users should check carefully whether the expected website actually opens. Patrick Pleul/dpa Checking in at a test centre, downloading a restaurant menu onto your phone, looking up a website advertised on a poster: QR codes have become part of everyday life. Criminals are also taking advantage of the popularity of these black and white square codes, designed for reading with your smartphone camera. The scam works like this: A legitimate-looking QR code guides an unsuspecting person to a fake website. There, the user is asked to log into a sensitive account, such as a payment service. The scammers then gain access to your financial information, allowing them to make payments or steal cryptocurrency. That’s why US law enforcement agency FBI is calling on users to limit their trust in public QR codes, even in official settings, as they are easy to manipulate or cover with codes linking to fake websites. It is also possible that a QR code brings you to a site that downloads and installs malware on your phone, allowing cybercriminals to gain access to your device and the data on it and potentially hold it ransom for a payment. To avoid falling for a QR code scam, the FBI offers the following tips: – When scanning a code, check that the website you were expected actually opens and that it is authentic: The web address must be completely correct (no misplaced letters or errors). – If a website is asking you to log in to a service where your personal information or financial data is stored, alarm bells should be ringing if the page was accessed via a QR code. – If possible, do not make any payments on websites accessed via a QR code. Instead, it is better to manually enter the website of the platform you’re looking for. – In the case of printed QR codes, you should always make sure that nobody has pasted a different code over the original code. – If possible, don’t start app downloads and installations via QR codes, but download apps from the official stores. – Don’t install a QR code scanner app: The camera on your smartphone should already work as a scanner. If not, you can find a scanner function in your browser. View the full article

Published by AFP Elton John has postponed two concerts after contracting Covid-19 New York (AFP) – Pop megastar Elton John on Tuesday postponed two concerts in Dallas — part of what is expected to be a lengthy farewell tour — after testing positive for Covid-19. “It’s always a massive disappointment to move shows and I’m so sorry to anyone who’s been inconvenienced by this but I want to keep myself and my team safe,” said the British musician, 74, in a statement on social media. “Fortunately, I’m fully vaccinated and boosted and my symptoms are mild.” The concerts, part of John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, were scheduled for January 25 and January 26. Both John and the American Airlines Center, where the shows were to take place, said they will be rescheduled and fans should keep their tickets. John said he expected to be healthy enough to play his show on January 29 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The tour, which is anticipated to be Sir Elton’s last, has run into pandemic-era cancellations and postponements, like many other performing arts events. The pop legend also recently had a hip operation that forced him to push back several dates. Last year, John released an album entitled “The Lockdown Sessions,” which was recorded entirely under Covid-19 restrictions. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Janet Jackson does not have the fondest memories of her late brother, Michael. “There were times when Mike used to tease me and call me names – pig, horse, slut, or hog, cow,” recalls the 55-year-old kid actress-turned-pop icon in her highly-anticipated documentary, Janet, which premieres Friday on A&E and Lifetime. “He would laugh about it, and I’d laugh too,” she admits. “But then there was some­where down inside that it would hurt. When you have somebody say you’re too heavy, it affects you.” Neither Janet nor Michael – who died in 2009 at the age of 50 – had a particularly peachy childhood, but being a female child star who developed at an early age certainly had its effects on Janet. And Michael’s comments didn’t help. Mega Years after her brothers had made it big as the singing group, The Jackson 5, an 11-year-old Janet landed the role of Penny” on the 1970s sitcom, Good Times, “and that’s the beginning of having weight issues and the way I looked at myself.” “I’m an emotional eater, so when I get stressed or something is really bothering me, it comforts me,” says Jackson, who had the added factor of adolescence. “I was developing at a very young age, and I started getting a chest, and they would bind it so I would look more flat-chested.” Despite her brother’s remarks, Janet believes her weight and body issues stem from fame. Without fame, she says she “probably would have wound up not having a problem.” Having the Jackson name has been both a blessing and a curse for Janet. On the one hand, it’s helped open doors, but on the other, it’s come with “a great deal of scrutiny.” “It was frustrating for me,” she recalls of Michael’s various controversies and court battles. “We have our own separate lives, and even though he’s my brother, that has nothing to do with me. But I wanted to be there for him to support him as much as I possibly could.” Michael’s long list of legal woes began in 1993 when a 13-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler accused the star of having touched him inappropriately. The following year, the two settled out of court for $23 million. “Michael wound up giving money to the family. He just wanted it to go away, but that looks like you’re guilty,” laments Janet, who says her own career took a hit as a result. “When that came out, Coca-Cola said, ‘No, thank you,’ Guilty by association. That’s what they call it, right?” Mega In 1995, Michael and Janet joined forces on the former’s song, Scream. The collaboration, says Janet, was far from one. “It was his song, and I was there to support him,” she explains, but “Michael shot nights, I shot days. His record company would block off his set so I couldn’t see what was going on. They didn’t want me on set. I felt like they were trying to make it very competitive between the two of us.” “That really hurt me because I felt I was there fighting the fight with him, not to battle him,” she adds. “I wanted it to feel like old times between he and I, and it didn’t. Old times had long passed.” In fact, Janet believes her relationship with Michael had taken a turn more than a decade prior and believes the pair was never able to fully recover. It was in 1982 that “it all started to change.” “I remember really loving the Thriller album, but for the first time in my life, I felt it was different between us. A shift was happening,” she recalls. “That’s the time Mike and I started going our separate ways. He just wasn’t as fun as he used to be.” Despite the family tension, Janet says she was there for Michael when the addiction started to take over his life. Her efforts, she says, were not well-received. “My family chartered a private jet, and they came for an intervention. It was a way of us getting close again, and he wasn’t having it,” she claims, adding that she even tried to goat Michael with the idea of a Jackson 5 reunion. “I said, ‘We wanted to talk about you guys going on tour again and if you guys would do that as brothers. I would be honored to open for you.'” But unfortunately, “he didn’t have much to say” and was “standoffish,” which “really upset” Janet. Mega View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Kanye West left Julia Fox behind to trailblaze through Paris alone just hours after confirming that Kim Kardashian has a second sex tape with Ray J. The 44-year-old rapper donned the most bizarre face mask yet. Slipping a thick, black cover over his entire face, Ye barely left enough room for his eyes, let alone his nose or mouth for breathing. Kim's estranged husband looked like he was struggling for air when he made his way out of the couple's hotel room sans his girlfriend of three weeks. Kanye West Compares Kim Kardashian To Jesus Christ, Confirms 2nd Sex Tape With Ray J Exists Mega Kanye's mask looked more like a cartoon character with an outline of evil-shaped eyebrows, a round nose, a scrunched mouth, and what seem to be forehead wrinkles. The paparazzi caught up with the Grammy winner during his failed attempt to slip out of the Ritz-Carlton undetected. Pairing the attention-grabbing look with a hooded heather gray sweatshirt, the Yeezy fashion designer, who takes pride in dressing Julia up like a doll, made sure none of his skin showed. Wearing faded jeans and fisherman-inspired black boots, Kanye slipped his hands into a pair of leather gloves for good measure. Holding a backpack in one hand, the rapper hurried passed the paparazzi on Tuesday. Ye whisked Julia away for her first Paris Fashion Week and has been showing her off at events over the past several days. However, this time he dodged the bullet and headed out solo. Wearing face masks is kind of Kanye's thing, which is weird in this instance since he's currently in the same city where his estranged wife was robbed at gunpoint. Mega For those that don't remember, Kim was robbed inside her apartment in 2016 during Paris Fashion Week. They stole nearly $10 million worth of jewelry, including her massive wedding ring from Kanye. 12 people were later connected and charged for the crime. That's not the only thing Gen Z might not remember about Kim. Back in 2007, she made the map when a sex tape was released of her with Ray J. Kanye confirmed on Monday that a second sex tape starring his estranged wife and the rapper exists. Mega View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tessa Thompson has suggested that the romance in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ will be different from past Marvel movies. The 38-year-old actress is set to play Valkyrie – the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) first LGBTQ character – in the upcoming movie and explained the importance of including the superhero’s sexuality in the new project. Tessa told TheWrap: “It’s totally exciting. We talk so much about representation and obviously, in terms of the LGBTQIA community, there’s still so much work to be done. But if you look at the comics in the canon, there are so many queer characters!” The ‘Creed’ actress continued: “It’s hard because Taika (Waititi) and I would’ve even liked to go further, but in the context of the movies, there’s only so much we can do. “Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of time invested in love stories in Marvel movies in general. I think that will be a little different on the new ‘Thor’, which is exciting. And getting to play a character that historically is not written for somebody that looks like me, all of that felt exciting.” The movie’s director Taika Waititi previously stressed that romance is at the heart of the new blockbuster, which will also star Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. The 46-year-old star said: “I think it’s going to be really good. We’ve been writing the script off and on for a year and I’m just, actually this week, doing another pass on it. “It is so insane and it’s also very romantic. I’m into romances now. I want to make romance. I want to make something that I’ve never done or cared for. I would like to attack something like that.” Thor: Love and Thunder with MCU’s first lgbtq character /n Thor: Love and Thunder MCU’s First LGBTQ Character First LGBTQ Character on Towleroad Lawmakers Say Trans Athlete Bans Are About Protecting Women’s Sports … More Analysis-‘Aggressively conservative’ Supreme Court plunges into U.S. culture wars More US LGBT community draws on AIDS experience to fight Covid More Adele Flees Las Vegas, Spotted In Slippers At Boyfriend Rich Paul’s Beverly Hills Mansion Hours After Tearfully Canceling Shows More Thierry Mugler Taught Me A Man’s Influence is Measured In The Smallest Gestures More First Look Joe vs. Carole; ‘A wild ride’ Into ‘Extreme Lives’ You Only Partly Know. SNL’s Kate McKinnon and Hedwig’s John Cameron Mitchell More On Law & Order: SVU, Noah, 8, Comes Out As Bisexual, And As A Kid Who Protects Victims of Bullying To Mom, Mariska Hartigay’s, Olivia Benson. More Thousands march in Washington against Covid vaccine mandates More JoJo Siwa Celebrates One Year Since Coming Out As Gay: ‘I’ve Felt More Love Than Ever’ More Arabic Version of Perfect Strangers Brings Calls For Netflix Ban: ‘Portraying Taboos’, ‘Promoting Homosexuality’; Egyptian MP Heard ’20 Obscene Words’ More Julia Fox Is Having a Heck of a Run in The Last 2 Weeks, Hits back at Clout Chasing, Attention Claims More Lea Michele unveils son Ever to her fans in sweet birthday Instagram post to husband More U.S. Supreme Court agrees to consider limiting wetlands regulation More Load More View the full article

Published by Sports Illustrated By Julie Kliegman …Especially when the backers of the laws say they are all about protecting women’s sports. Luc Esquivel wants to beat you at golf. “I want to beat everyone,” he adds, laughing but clearly not joking. “I just love it,” he says. “I just want to get better.” Luc has played with his father, Mario, since sixth grade, and in middle school, while he still presented as a girl, he competed on the girls team. But Tennnessee state law does not allow the transgender 14-year-old freshman to try out to play with other boys at his high school in a Knoxville suburb. Now Luc and his parents… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case that could doom university policies considering race as a factor in student admissions is the latest sign of the conservative majority’s eagerness to put its stamp on America’s most divisive issues. The court already was due to issue rulings by the end of June in cases giving the justices a chance to curtail abortion rights and widen gun rights – major goals of U.S. conservatives. The case targeting the student admissions practices of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, taken up https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-hear-challenge-race-conscious-college-admissions-2022-01-24 by the court on Monday, gives the conservative justices a chance to cripple affirmative action policies long despised by the American right, with a ruling expected next year. The court has become increasingly assertive since the addition of former President Donald Trump’s third appointee, Amy Coney Barrett, in 2020 gave the nation’s top judicial body a 6-3 conservative majority. Her appointment changed the court’s dynamics by marginalizing Chief Justice John Roberts, considered an incrementalist conservative. “This particular six-justice majority seems willing to push ahead in an aggressively conservative direction on multiple fronts, without feeling the need to be moderated by concepts of judicial restraint, stare decisis or incrementalism,” said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the liberal Washington-based Constitutional Accountability Center advocacy group. Stare decisis is the legal doctrine of respecting precedents. Based on oral arguments held last year, the court’s conservatives seem poised, in a case from Mississippi, to undermine or even overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide and, in a case from New York, expand the right to carry firearms in public. The court’s increasingly aggressive stance toward taking up new cases signals an emboldened majority accelerating its rightward shift, court watchers said. The court appears “more willing to reconsider precedent and consider broad questions when the opportunity arises,” said Jonathan Adler, a professor at Case Western Reserve School of Law in Ohio. Before conservative Justice Antonin Scalia’s 2016 death and the subsequent addition of Trump’s appointees – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Barrett – the court had been more cautious in deciding on what types of cases to hear. It had a 5-4 conservative majority, but one of the conservatives, Justice Anthony Kennedy, sometimes sided with the liberals on contentious “culture war” issues including abortion, affirmative action and LGBT rights. That led to the court occasionally avoiding contentious cases or taking up disputes with lower stakes. It appears no longer to have such qualms. ‘POLITICAL APPEARANCE’ Four justices are needed in order for the court to take up a case. And it has at least that many who are undeterred by being perceived as political actors, said University of Denver political science professor Joshua Wilson, who specializes in conservative law and politics. “Given the political appearance of the docket that they’re putting together, it’s all the more remarkable given that they have to know how much the public is paying attention,” Wilson said. The role of Roberts, who has sought to defend the court as an institution and has avoided quick and dramatic moves, has been diminished, with the conservative bloc able to prevail in rulings even if he sides with the liberal justices. Roberts served as the court’s swing vote after Kennedy retired in 2018 and before Barrett replaced the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg two years later. “When Roberts was the median (justice), even the four justices to his right were worried about where he would end up,” said John McGinnis, a professor at Northwestern University School of Law in Illinois. The justices now seem keen to dive in – sometimes even before lower courts have fully considered cases – as they did in multiple challenges to Trump administration policies blocked by lower courts. The conservative justices also have exhibited skepticism toward the power of federal agencies, which could hem in President Joe Biden and future administrations. The court, for example, this month blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing mandate for companies with at least 100 employees. In what might be described as part of what some conservative activists label a “war on the administrative state” – curbing federal agency authority – the justices have taken up two cases challenging the scope of landmark environmental laws aimed at reducing air and water pollution. They did so despite Biden’s administration asking them to hold off while agencies write new regulations. Ian Fein, a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council environmental group, said the court was “incredibly aggressive” in taking up the two cases. The court has also made bold moves on religious rights. Before Kennedy retired, it was generally supportive of religious challenges. That stance has deepened since then, including rulings backing religious groups https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-courts-shadow-docket-favored-religion-trump-2021-07-28 challenging COVID-19 restrictions. The court last week heard a case from Maine https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-again-tackles-public-funding-religious-schools-2021-12-08 that gives it an opportunity to further expand public funding of religious entities. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham and Scott Malone) View the full article

Published by AFP David Perruzza, owner of the Washington gay bar Pitchers, stands behind signs requiring proof of patrons' Covid-19 vaccination Washington (AFP) – From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, as fear and isolation spread, Dave Perruzza had one thought — he had seen it before. “For me, it was thinking about the AIDS epidemic all over again, how nobody took it seriously,” said Perruzza, who owns two LGBT bars in Washington, the US capital. “We were like, ‘Well, we’re going to take this seriously.'” With the Omicron variant fueling fresh restrictions around the world, some older members of the LGBT community say their shared experience of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s put them ahead of the curve throughout the pandemic. Perruzza has for months been requiring customers show Covid vaccination cards to enter his bars — popular gay spot Pitchers and neighboring lesbian venue A League of Her Own, in the Adams Morgan district of the city. He implemented his vaccine rules in July, one of the first in Washington to do so — and months before the local government began this month to do the same. “I think my age bracket is the last bracket that saw people that actually died of AIDS,” Perruzza, 43, who lost his first boyfriend to the disease, told AFP. “I’m not going to let history repeat itself.” The HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States raged for two decades after the first US case was discovered in 1981, and still claims lives today. It primarily affected gay and bisexual men, Black and Latino men and trans women. Then-president Ronald Reagan didn’t declare AIDS research a federal priority until 1985, and the first treatment was developed in 1987. By the end of 2000, at least 450,000 people had died of AIDS in the United States, according to government data. Same ‘hysteria and lies’ The pandemic has also brought back painful memories for Eric Sawyer, a founding member of the AIDS advocacy group ACT UP, who also lost his partner to the disease. “The misinformation, the hysteria, the spread of just absolute lies (and) the attempts by individuals to address it being part of the problem,” said Sawyer, who also worked with the UN’s HIV/AIDS program. “The stigma and discrimination that people who had Covid face… completely parallel the HIV response.” But some lessons may have been learned between the two health crises. “The HIV epidemic taught us that education, testing and access to prevention methodologies” can be effective, said Sawyer. HIV activists have also advocated for better distribution of supplies, as well as vaccine access for poor communities, communities of color and homeless people. Even as these activists worked to combat Covid-19, however, the pandemic took a toll on the ongoing fight against HIV. Studies by the Global Fund and UNAIDS found that the pandemic worldwide caused an 11 percent drop in prevention and treatment and a 22 percent drop in testing in 2020. UNAIDS attributed the decrease to lockdowns that forced people into isolation, shuttered health services and disrupted HIV/AIDS programs. ‘You have to care’ “Because of our community’s now-four decades of experience with HIV, we understand chemical trials, we understand antivirals,” Chris Beyrer, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told AFP. “We’re not afraid of science.” “As a community, we have a lot of solidarity,” he added, pointing out that many of those living with HIV are immunocompromised and need extra support. LGBT activists rallied early in the pandemic to organize financial aid and safe housing for HIV-positive people. They also set up Covid testing at sexual health centers and Pride events. Gay bars across the country began requiring proof of vaccination at the door, months before some US states followed suit. Almost half the states still reject any such requirements. “LGBTQ bars are different… more like community centers,” said Ed Bailey, who co-owns Washington gay bars Trade and Number 9, pointing out that gay bars have distributed HIV literature and condoms for decades. “Our bars are sometimes the only place some of the people that patronize us are able to go and be comfortable enough to be who they are,” said Bailey, 55. “That creates an entirely different level of responsibility.” “You have to care about your community.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Adele left Las Vegas immediately after canceling her Las Vegas shows for what was supposed to be her residency opening weekend. The 33-year-old songbird was photographed arriving at her boyfriend Rich Paul’s Beverly Hills, California, home in the dead of night following her tearful announcement that left several fans stuck in Sin City without a show to go to. Adele Vegas Show: The Real Reason She Canceled Her Residency Debut And Her Diva Demands Mega Adele was caught wearing slippers and an expensive $450 Louis Vuitton shawl over her hoodie, signifying that she left Vegas with her tail between her legs in a hurry. According to Daily Mail, the photos of the Go Easy On Me singer were taken outside of her sports agent beau’s residence just two hours after she pulled the plug on her Caesars Palace residency. Of course, the Grammy winner spared no expense when she high-tailed it to Rich’s. Adele was seen arriving at the Van Nuys airport on a private plane. A black Mercedes sedan was on hand to collect the singer and drive her 25 minutes to her boyfriend’s $14 million home. Upon arrival, Adele jumped out of the car and pushed the callbox, which is located outside Rich’s gate. See the photos here! Mega As Radar reported, Adele cried COVID as the main reason for postponing her shows without any replacement dates. Sobbing at times uncontrollably, the Rolling In The Deep singer told her followers that the majority of her crew came down with the virus, making it impossible to continue forward. However, we’ve since learned that wasn’t the whole story. According to insiders, the singer’s diva-like demands were almost impossible to reach from the get-go. Not only did she make last-minute changes to the show’s lineup, but she reportedly clashed with the set designer. Sources claim Adele and her team were a “total nightmare,” demanding impossible things last minute. “Apparently, Adele and her team refused to use the house equipment in The Colosseum,” Vegas journalist Scott Roeben reported. “The theatre has a massive video screen, very high tech, but Adele’s team insisted upon an entirely new system – a larger screen, essentially built a few inches in front of the existing screen,” he continued. “Such demands not only drive-up production costs but, at a time when supplies are disrupted, it’s a recipe for disaster – in this case last-minute delays or cancellations.” “I also hear from a source that Caesars had to replace the cutting-edge Meyer sound system and replace it with a different system for her.” At the time of this post, Adele has not released new dates for her shows, but as many pissed-off ticket holders point out they will be unable to afford another trip to Las Vegas. Mega View the full article

Thierry Mugler taught me a man’s influence is measured in the smallest gestures. In 2010 I worked with Mugler on a play he was directing for his muse Joey Arias. I was hired to create projections for the show. I’ve never been as nervous and starstruck as our first meeting. For gay men from the 90s, Mugler was a titan. He used lizards, insects, aliens and angels to wrap supermodels in latex and wings. During AIDS, his aesthetic was about survival, sex, and the Queer heavens. His music video for George Michael’s Too Funky was a moment for Queers in small towns: there was a world where glamour was resistance. The elevator opened into a penthouse castle in Chelsea. My life was about to change. I was a hungry twink, greeted by Warhol’s Querelle, a Moiro hanging in a room of light, a fireplace the size of my bedroom. In person Manfred (as he now preferred to be called) was intimidating and frankly, a little scary. Plastic surgery, implants and exercise had transformed his dancer body into a mountain, his face was almost creature-like. His eyes were lasers. Everyone seemed a bit scared of him… With me, he was attentive, even a little goofy. He spoke with a thick accent in strange sentences (“My apologies it smells like tuna in here, for my lunch is tuna.”) He sent late night emails, rambling with ideas and odd commas. He paid close attention to my weird experimental films, when he liked something, he patted me on the back with those enormous hands. I felt anointed. One day, walking around the stage, we brainstormed about the textures of rain, fur and eggs. He was excited, talking with his hands. His bottle of Muscle Milk flew and landed at my feet. I bent to pick it up and he waved at me sternly. “No.” An assistant hurried on stage to pick it up. The smallest of gestures. The play was canceled. I was devastated. Manfred sent a long message explaining why and encouraged me to keep working. He didn’t need to do that. Like the Gods, he returned to Mount Olympus and I never saw him again, but the mere rumor I was working with Mugler jump started my career in NYC. I put so much beauty into the world because of him. So many others did too. Thierry Manfred Mugler was a man who created galaxies, redefined the body and made it effortless, all in the wave of his hand, all in the smallest of gestures. Embed from Getty Images View the full article