RadioRob

Published by Global Voices Paramee “Juang” Waichongcharoen. Photo from Prachatai This edited article by Patpon Sabpaitoon was originally published by Prachatai, an independent news site in Thailand, and an edited version is republished by Global Voices under a content-sharing agreement. While women have long been considered “ornamental” in Thailand, with the media and public often obsessively focusing on their looks or how they dress and act, LGBTQ+ representation is nearly non-existent. Many in the LGBTQ+ community are subject to the same fate or even worse. A watershed moment for the community came in the last electio… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Three guests at the White House’s Pride party on Saturday have been banned from future events after going topless on the South Lawn, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “The behavior was simply unacceptable. We’ve been very clear about that. It was unfair to the hundreds of attendees who were there to celebrate their families,” Jean-Pierre said. Rose Montoya, a transgender activist, posted video to her Instagram and TikTok accounts showing her with her dress pulled down, covering her naked breasts on the White House lawn during the party, standing next to trans men with their shirts off. “Individuals in the video certainly will not be invited to future events,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that the event was intended to celebrate the LGBTQ community and families. Thousands of people were invited to the event. “Going topless in Washington DC is legal,” Montoya said in a followup video on TikTok, addressive conservative critics. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Heather Timmons; editing by Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Bella Ramsey was scared people would think they were “just trying to be trendy” when they came out as nonbinary. ‘The Last of Us’ actress, 19, who uses they/them to describe themselves, added that they had “a lot of anxiety around pronouns” as they told how they believe their sexuality is always changing. They told Vogue’s Pride issue about being nonbinary: “I’ve fought that word for so long. “I didn’t want people to think I was just trying to be trendy. But it’s a very succinct way to describe to people who I am.” Bella added: “I had a lot of anxiety around pronouns. When ‘The Last of Us’ first came out, I was like, ‘Everyone just call me “she” because I look like a “she” to you, so it’s fine.’ “But now I’m able to vocalise it more, being called ‘they’ is the most truthful thing for me. That’s who I am the most. “You never fully know who you are, it’s ever evolving. But I certainly think that people have gathered that I’m not 100 per cent straight. I’m a little bit wavy, you know? That’s what I like to say.” They added the crew on ‘The Last of Us’ have been extremely supportive of their choice, saying: “The costume supervisor would put several different undergarments in my room: a regular bra, a binder, a sports bra. “She’d say, ‘You just pick whatever is most comfortable for you today,’ and in the end it was just a binder. “There was never anyone pressuring me.” Bella added about the prospect of dating being complex: “I’m 19, so figuring that out’s gonna be a part of my life. “Relationships are so complex anyway, and if you’re in the public eye, everyone having an opinion about them adds an extra layer of difficulty. “The fact that the LGBTQ+ community – my community – is supporting me and uplifting me and making me feel cool is such a privilege,” they say. “I feel very protected, and I couldn’t be more grateful.” Bella also told how they are a workaholic. They said: “I’m not very good at relaxing, so I’ll print off a stupid worksheet and do long multiplication for an hour because I miss maths.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dan Aykroyd has promised a “heartfelt” new ‘Ghostbusters’ movie. The 70-year-old actor is set to reprise his role as Dr. Raymond Stantz in the untitled follow-up to the 2021 film ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and is convinced that the project will be a hit with fans of the franchise when it is released in December. Speaking to the Metro newspaper, Dan – who created the supernatural franchise with the late Harold Ramis – said: “We’re three-quarters through filming which means it’s got to be edited and mixed and the CGI has to be put into it. “I’m excited about this one. It’s got a beautiful, heartfelt story, a great threat, some scary moments and it brings back Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray and myself and we’ve handed the torch to new people, Finn Wolfhard and Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon.” The ‘Blues Brothers’ star also waded into the debate about gay roles only being played by gay performers by reflecting on the quality of Michael Douglas and Matt Damon’s performances in the movie ‘Behind the Candelabra’. Dan said: “That was (director) Steven Soderbergh. The true-life story of (gay pianist) Liberace. “Weren’t Michael Douglas and Matt Damon perfect? If I were offered the part of a gay man, I would want to take it but what’s the view in the gay community? “Neither Matt or Michael are gay but they did a wonderful job. I think (only gay actors playing gay roles) is an invalid argument.” Dan previously urged comedians not to turn to “divisive” jokes in order to get laughs. Discussing cancel culture, he said: “There is enough range in humour where you don’t have to go scatological and you don’t have to go pulling any divisive cards to get a laugh. “There is so much in the world to comment on that is outside the realm of offensiveness.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Miriam Margolyes says living apart is the key to her successful 54-year relationship. The 82-year-old ‘Harry Potter’ star has been with her partner Heather Sutherland, 80, since they met while working on a BBC radio drama together in the late 1960s and the romance is still going strong all more than five decades later – and Miriam says the secret to their success is maintaining independent lives. In an interview with British Vogue magazine, she explained: “We were able to lead our lives without diminishing them. I didn’t want her to have to give up anything. And I didn’t want to give up anything. I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. And so far, it’s worked.” She revealed the couple has never lived together, but they have entered into a civil partnership, adding it is “mostly for legal protection”. However, Miriam insists they have no plans to officially marry because she doesn’t like the idea of calling Heather her “wife”. She went on to add: “Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want. It’s much more flexible for us. I think we have more freedom than [straight people] do. Particularly gay boys, they’re always f****** everything. It’s amazing. I don’t know how they get away with it. “I think gay people are very lucky, because we are not conventional, we are a group slightly apart. It gives us an edge. We’re good artists, we’re good musicians.” Miriam stripped off for the magazine’s annual Pride issue – posing naked using a selection of iced buns to cover her privates. She also talked about her body image issues, confessing: “I like my face. I think my face is kind and warm and open and smiley. But I hate my body. I hate big t*** (and) a drooping belly, little twisted legs. I’m not thrilled with that. But you just make the best of it. You have to. You do the best you can.” View the full article

Published by Al-Araby While LGBTQ+ Israeliscelebrate Pride Month this June, Palestinians across the occupied territories continue to suffer the injustice and violence of the occupation. In 2023 alone, Israel has already killed more than 160 Palestinians. In Israel, LGBTQ+ Pride Month has long been a strategy – dubbed “pinkwashing” – to mask the horrors of the occupation. The state’s celebration of LGBTQ+ identities and the excess of publicity that comes with it serve to create a false image of Israel as a democratic and liberal nation. This year, the Israeli government is contradicting this LGBTQ+-friendly image mo… Read More View the full article

Published by The Sacramento Bee Chino Valley Unified School District staff would be required to out transgender children to their parents or guardians, under a proposal being considered by the school board Thursday. If approved, that policy would put the school district at direct odds with the California Department of Education, which has issued guidance to school districts to protect the privacy of transgender students who may not be out at home. A spokeswoman for the CDE said that the department stands by its guidance, “which promotes the goals of reducing the stigmatization of and improving the educational integration of … Read More View the full article

Published by Grazia USA Every issue, GRAZIA USA highlights Game Changers who inspire, educate, and celebrate individuality, beauty and style. Meet Éva Goicochea, the entrepreneur who is revolutionizing the sexual wellness industry with her brand, maude. For too long, sexual health has been marginalized in mainstream discussions wellness. However, maude, an innovative brand dedicated to inclusivity, accessibility and education, has emerged as a catalyst for change in an industry long overdue for transformation. Maude’s founder and CEO, Éva Goicochea, envisions sexual wellness as an essential part of overall well-bei… Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) First woman French football player to sign a professional contract, record-breaking scorer of the French national team with 81 goals in 112 matches, LGBTQ+ icon… Marinette Pichon is nothing short of a sports legend. Her life is now the subject of Virginie Verrier’s biopic, Marinette, which came out in theatres in France on 7 June and recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in the US. The release was set at a timely moment, about a month before the start of the Women’s World Cup in July. Garance Marillier (Raw, Titane) plays the football star, who has dedicated much of her life to pro… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Melissa Etheridge is set to make her Broadway debut this fall. The Grammy and Academy Award winning rock musician, known for hits such as “Come To My Window” and “I’m The Only One,” will star in a solo autobiographical show, “Melissa Etheridge: My Window.” Directed by Amy Tinkham, the production, written by Etheridge and her wife, Linda Wallem-Etheridge, is scheduled for a limited nine-week residency at the Circle in the Square Theatre beginning Sept. 14. Tickets are now on sale. Etheridge, 62, joined pop music legend Barry Manilow onstage at Sunday’s star-studded 74th Annual Tony A… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Gender-affirming treatments like reassignment surgery and hormone therapy will now be protected under an executive order Mayor Adams signed Monday. The order prohibits city resources to be used to detain people who provide lawful gender-affirming care and forbids the city from cooperating with out-of-state investigations premised on gender-affirming treatments that are legal in New York State, but unlawful in other jurisdictions. “This executive order reaffirms the fact that hate has no place in our city and that all people deserve the right to gender-affirming care and protection a… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Three people destroyed gay pride rainbow flags flying in a park outside the Stonewall Inn, the Greenwich Village bar where an NYPD raid in 1969 sparked the gay rights movement. The vandalism happened at 3:10 a.m. on Sunday as the three men were walking past the Stonewall National Monument in Christopher Park on Christopher St. They broke a number of flags displayed on a fence, then took off, heading east on Waverly Place. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident, which comes as the city celebrates Pride Month. The Stonewall is considered the birthplace of the ga… Read More View the full article

Published by Fort Worth Star-Telegram FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Monday that prohibits “sexually explicit material” in public school libraries, but said more work is needed from lawmakers on education-related legislation. In the past couple years, debates have played out in Texas districts over whether certain books are appropriate for school libraries and the role parents should play in monitoring reading material. The new Texas law requires the Texas State Library and Archives Commissionto create mandatory standards for school libraries, that includes a ban on material that is “sexually explicit.” “… Read More View the full article

Published by Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — Silence swept the Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando on Monday night as attendees bowed their heads to remember the 49 lives lost on June 12, 2016 — a date ingrained in history as one of the nation’s worst mass shootings. In observance of the passage of seven years since the Pulse killings, hundreds gathered to pay their respects. At the start of the ceremony, the Orlando Gay Chorus and Adrian Toca performed the song “Rise Up” in honor of the victims and all who survived, as well as the first responders, community organizers an… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA Nikola Eterovic, Apostolic Nuncio in Germany, comes to the annual reception of the Federation of Expellees (BdV) in the Catholic Academy. Queer Catholics have criticized the Vatican's ambassador to Germany for remarks he made during a pilgrimage to the western city of Aachen. Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa Queer Catholics have criticized the Vatican’s ambassador to Germany for remarks he made during a pilgrimage to the western city of Aachen. “The Catholic LGBT+ Committee is appalled that the Catholic Church is once again getting dangerously close to right-wing populist forces that construct gender diversity as an attack on the family instead of recognizing different ways of life and relationships,” Markus Gutfleisch, co-spokesman of the Catholic LGBT+ Committee, said on Tuesday. LGBT+ is an abbreviation for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and wider queer community. Apostolic Nuncio Nikola Eterović, the diplomatic representative of the Holy See in Berlin, quoted Pope Francis in a sermon at the Aachen pilgrimage last Sunday as saying that human beings have a nature “that they cannot manipulate at will.” He went on to quote the pope as saying, “Precisely for this reason, the attitude of one who claims to erase the difference between the sexes is not healthy.” Eterović himself stressed that “the Catholic Church has always proclaimed this doctrine in fidelity to the Lord and has withstood old and new attacks on the family, which is the original cell of Church and society.” Gutfleisch said that Pope Francis had also made very different, appreciative statements. Eterović, however, deliberately singled out heterosexual marriage as the only permissible form of relationship, he said. Moreover, he said, the nuncio had made no recognizable reference to the pilgrimage. View the full article

Published by Raw Story Two Canadian moms say their 9-year-old daughter was competing in a shot-put final at a track and field event when the grandfather of one of the other participants started yelling at her, Castanet reported. “She went to step up to compete for the grade four shot-put final, and right before she went to throw, a grandfather of a student said, ‘Hey, this is supposed to be a girls’ event, and why are you letting boys compete.’ My daughter is cisgender, born female, uses she/her pronouns. She has a pixie haircut,” said mom Heidi Star. “He stopped the entire event. He also pointed at another girl who… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Idina Menzel “wouldn’t be where she is” had it not been for her gay fans. The 52-year-old actress won a Tony Award for originating the role of misunderstood green girl Elphaba in the smash-hit Broadway musical ‘Wicked’ in 2003 and achieved even wider fame when she voiced the role of Elsa in 2013 Disney movie ‘Frozen’ and explained that she can resonate with her gay fans upon the release of her disco-inspired track ‘Move’. She told Billboard: “I think it might be something people didn’t expect of me but once they hear it I think they’ll think that it’s a pretty organic transition. Big voices, great disco grooves. My life is synonymous with all queer-inspired stories. “It’s about having to find my self-esteem and empower myself to get up every day and believe in who I am and live my life authentically, that’s honestly what I learned from all my friends in the gay community and I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t learned to conduct myself in this world if it wasn’t for them. “ The ‘Enchanted’ star went on to add that she is “flattered” when drag queens take on her famous songs such as ‘Let It Go’ # and finds herself “sad and angry” at the prejudice surrounding certain communities as she noted that her fanbase is like “one big family”. She added: “I’m always so flattered, especially when someone is doing one of my characters. I’m just so inspired by the creativity, the artistry. I’m really sad and angry about everything that’s going on and all the legislation. “I don’t mean to pat myself on the back but I’ve had one really cool job every decade; I’ve grown up with my fans and their kids now watch ‘Frozen’ or Wicked’ and there’s something about that that just feels like we’re all one big family. It’s important for me to originate roles in the theatre so I always feel that a lot of people in the theatre should feel that way to. What makes them special is that unique thing and you can’t always emulate or copy other people, you just have to wait and keep being yourself and trust in that, then the right job will find you. Meanwhile, Idina even teased that a return to The Great White Way could be on the cards. She said: “Of course, I’d go back to Broadway, it’s where I got my start! I’m working on some things!” View the full article

Published by Relaxnews By MICHELE SPATARI / AFP Deep in South Africa’s semi-desert Karoo region, a glittery drag show in an old hilltop hotel brings a burst of weekly excitement to a sleepy conservative town. Deep in South Africa’s semi-desert Karoo region, a glittery drag show in an old hilltop hotel brings a burst of weekly excitement to a sleepy conservative town. Every Saturday night, Mark Hinds and Jacques Rabie, the owners of the Karoo Theatrical Hotel, amaze their guests with a night-long cabaret and drag show in the small town of Steytlerville in the Eastern Cape. The show, called “The Steytlerville Follies”… Read More View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — After spending six hours handing out merch at the new Malibu Barbie Cafe pop-up in the West Loop, 18-year-old Keni Adekeye stood among the sea of hot-pink clad fans, wrapping up her first shift. A decade ago, Adekeye burned through Barbie movies at a rapid pace as a Nigerian daughter of a DVD seller. As a kid, she had no idea how far the character’s reach extended — only that she loved her adventures and can-do attitude. Now, on a warm June evening, she stood in the midst of a Barbie Dream House come to life. “This place does not feel real,” Adekeye said. “I’m coming off the Red Line… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA Elliot Page, the Hollywood star who came out as transgender in 2020 after becoming world-famous in films like "Juno" and "Inception", is sharing his emotional journey in his first book. Kevin Sullivan/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa On the cover of his autobiography “Pageboy,” Elliot Page is shown wearing a fine-ribbed undershirt, jeans and a necklace. His hair is short; he looks self-confidently straight into the camera. The Canadian actor’s first book went on sale in early June. In 29 chapters and more than 300 pages, Page movingly tells his life story, a story of shame, trauma and self-discovery. Page, now 36, first achieved fame with the dramatic comedy “Juno” in 2007, playing a pregnant teenage schoolgirl. The film gained him an Oscar nomination for best actress in a leading role. Afterwards, his career took off in Hollywood, with roles in “Inception,” “To Rome with Love,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” and “The Umbrella Academy.” But increasingly in the Hollywood spotlight, Page had to conceal his sexuality and his rejection of his own body – that of a woman – with feelings accompanied by depression, panic attacks and eating disorders. At the age of four, he knew he was not a girl Page writes that he often had had the idea of writing a book, but it is only now, after his top surgery – the procedure to remove breast tissue to achieve a more masculine shape – does he feel right in his own body and able to manage the task. His story is one that is all the more urgent, given how transgender persons are increasingly victims of physical violence and hostility. By telling it, Page hopes to contribute towards “clearing up persistent misinformation about queer and trans life.” It was already at the age of four that he instinctively knew that he was not a girl. One of his earliest childhood memories as Ellen is that of trying to urinate standing up, like a boy. “I would press on my vagina, holding it, pinching and squeezing it, hoping I could aim,” he wrote. “Can I be a boy?” he would ask his mother. He fought to keep his hair short. He felt terrible wearing a dress. The battle against his own body Page describes growing up in the port city of Halifax. At an early age, his parents divorced. He got crushes on girls in school, where classmates bullied him, calling him a lesbian. Following the success of “Juno” when he had just turned 20, newspapers began to speculate about his sexual orientation. Then there was the pressure from Hollywood to conceal his queer side for the sake of his career. In emotional terms Page describes the trauma of battling against his own body, scarcely eating and cutting himself with knives. Then, in 2014, Page outed himself at a youth conference of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest organisation representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the United States. He said he no longer wished to hide and lie about himself. In “Pageboy” the actor said his move was one of the “most important and healing moments” of his life. He was “not quite at the end of my road yet, but quite a few steps further.” Page is unsparing in lurid and painful details of his experiences along that road. In a chapter titled “Famous Asshole at Party,” he tells of an incident in 2014 shortly after coming out as lesbian, when a famous A-list actor told him: “You aren’t gay. That doesn’t exist. You are just afraid of men.” And then the threat: “I’m going to fuck you to make you realize you aren’t gay.” Page did not identify the actor, but the incident was witnessed by others at the party. A few days later, he ran into the actor, who claimed he didn’t “have a problem” with gays. To which Page replied: “I think you might.” For Page, such incidents show the battles that transgender people have to face. “The world tells us that we aren’t trans but mentally ill,” he writes. “That I’m too ashamed to be a lesbian, that I mutilated my body, that I will always be a woman, comparing my body to Nazi experiments. It is not trans people who suffer from a sickness, but the society that fosters such hate.” The result of a “damn long journey” Page writes about love and his marriage to the dancer Emma Portner, and the end of the marriage three years later, shortly after his coming out as the transgender man Elliot. That was in December 2020 when he told social media that he wanted to be addressed in the masculine pronouns “he” and the gender-neutral “they.” Embracing his trans-identity had been the result of a “damn long journey” in which “I made the decision to love myself.” Page doesn’t leave out any details in the book: from the gender reassignment breast surgery, the tubes in his body afterwards, testosterone injections, the joy he felt seeing the first photo of himself only in red swimming trunks. “You can’t grin wider,” he writes, while describing the snapshot with the scars still visible on his upper body. Posting the photo in May 2021 on Instagram he wrote: “Trans bb’s first swim trunks” – adding the hashtags #transjoy and #transisbeautiful. Summing up his own account of embracing his transgender identity, Page wrote: “This is the story of someone who finds himself – amidst obstacles, shame, hopelessness, and pain. Who emerges from it and blossoms in ways he never thought possible.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story Former President Donald Trump’s immediate challenge is to find a legal team willing to represent him on federal charges involving his stashing highly classified military documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, conservative attorney George Conway told Molly Jong-Fast on the latest edition of the “Fast Politics” podcast. “So, I want to ask you, as we are now in this sort of — the indictment is out, people have read it, it’s 47 pages,” said Jong-Fast. “Tuesday, he will go into the courthouse in Miami.” “Arraigned,” said Conway. “He’ll plead not guilty.” “Arraigned,” echoed Jong-Fast. “He’ll go in wit… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lil Nas X loves a ‘Euphoria’ beauty look. The ‘Montero’ hitmaker admitted he isn’t a “big makeup girl” but enjoys taking inspiration from the HBO teen drama – which stars Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie and Maude Apatow when it comes – to get a “glossy finish”. The 24-year-old rapper told Allure magazine: “I’m not a super huge makeup girl, but I like to put some shine or glitter around my eyes. I can’t think of a specific product right now, but that’s my go-to. It’s more of a smear with the finger, like a ‘Euphoria’ vibe. [I like] a glossy finish over the face, accentuating the lips.” Lil Nas – whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill -revealed that his “favourite feature” is his pout so loves to sport the YSL Beauty Candy Glaze Gloss. He said: “My favorite feature of my face is probably definitely my lips. They were the parts of my face that I hated the most growing up. And as I grew up into my teen years, I learned more and more to love them and how great it is to have them. I like to keep a shine on my lips. I like to keep them moisturized. Lately, I’ve been trying out the [YSL Beauty] Candy Glaze Lip Gloss.” The Grammy Award winner spilled about he felt “at the absolute peak” of his confidence at the moment. He said: “Absolutely. For one, I feel like I am at the absolute peak of my self love right now, in terms of loving how I am, accepting how I look, and also just seeing the beauty in myself. Growing up, I didn’t see many people like me being considered beautiful or handsome and whatnot, and able to be in certain spaces and places that I am now. I feel like being here has changed that for me. And hopefully, it’s changing it for a lot of young people that are watching me.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jane Fonda is taking an 18-month acting break due to the 2024 presidential election. The 85-year-old actress is known for her political activism and she plans to make that her focus for the foreseeable future, concentrating specifically on trying to get people who support taking action against climate change into office. Jane made the admission during a 30-minute on-stage interview with Robin Roberts at the Tribeca Film Festival after being honoured with the Harry Belafonte Voices For Social Justice Award. She said: “Let’s get rid of the Joe Manchin’s. We need to try to light a fire under Biden and look, we have to vote for him, ok? We have got to get really mad at him and we have to try to demand that he earn our votes. But I mean, let’s be real because the alternative is the end of everything.” But the ‘Grace and Frankie’ star insisted she had never been interested in running for office herself. She said: “One thing about getting old is that you start to get a little smart about what your strong suits are. And that’s not one of them. I’m a cheerleader.” She jokingly added: “I don’t have any original ideas. I’m the one who takes your ideas and then I get credit for it.” The Oscar-winning star insisted it is “up to us” to make changes to tackle the climate crisis because it will be “too late” for the next generation. She said: “We are animals, let us not forget. We depend on the ocean and the forests for oxygen, for food. I mean, even dogs don’t s*** in their own kennel. And we’re in our kennel and taking a lot down with us in the process. We have to stop it. It’s all connected. “Those of us who are alive right now in this decade, it’s up to us (to make a change) because when we go it’ll be too late. We’re the ones who can make the difference. Let’s not, when history is written, be the ones that were staying at home and rearranging the china.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump has become the most high-profile person to ever face criminal charges under the Espionage Act for the unlawful retention of sensitive national defense records. In all, Trump faces 37 criminal counts, 31 of which relate to secret or top secret classified documents. He is also charged with obstructing justice, conspiracy, concealment and false statements. WHAT IS THE ESPIONAGE ACT? The Espionage Act is an anti-spy law enacted by Congress shortly after the start of World War One. The statute criminalizes a broad array of conduct related to the mishandling of sensitive government records connected to the “national defense,” a term generally referring to military records that if disclosed could damage U.S. national security. Over the years, the law has been used as a legal tool by the Justice Department to prosecute people ranging from suspected Soviet spies to famous whistleblowers like Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, and Edward Snowden, a former intelligence consultant who leaked classified National Security Agency records to reveal the existence of a domestic surveillance program. During the Obama and Trump administrations, some of the Justice Department’s most high-profile Espionage Act prosecutions targeted government employees who leaked classified information to the press or to the website Wikileaks, such as former Army Private First Class intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning and former intelligence contractor Reality Winner. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison, though President Barack Obama later commuted her sentence, while Winner was sentenced to more than five years after she admitted to leaking a top secret report on Russian interference in U.S. elections to the media outlet The Intercept. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has also been charged under the Espionage Act, and is fighting extradition to the United States. HOW DOES THE ESPIONAGE ACT APPLY TO TRUMP? Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office filed charges against Trump after the FBI searched the Florida resort where he lives in August 2022 and located about 13,000 government records, about 100 of which were marked as secret or top secret — the highest classification level, reserved for the government’s most closely-held secrets. Altogether, prosecutors say he improperly retained 337 classified records. Trump has previously denied breaking the law, arguing that he declassified the records in question and that his broad presidential powers gave him the authority to disclose or declassify materials. However, the Espionage Act itself does not explicitly require prosecutors to prove that the records themselves were classified, and neither Trump nor his attorneys have provided any evidence to suggest they were ever declassified. Prosecutors have charged Trump with violating a section in the Espionage Act which applies to someone who has “unauthorized possession” of national defense information — the same crime to which Winner pleaded guilty. This section of the law makes it a crime to willfully retain the information and fail to deliver it back to the proper U.S. government official. WHAT WILL PROSECUTORS HAVE TO PROVE TO A JURY? To obtain a conviction against Trump, the government will need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he willfully retained the material and failed to turn it over to the government. Prosecutors do not need to show that Trump knew it was national defense information, but rather that a reasonable person should have known it was. Part of the government’s evidence will likely entail laying out all the steps it took to get the records returned. This includes a year-long effort by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, which repeatedly reached out to Trump through his attorneys to request that he return missing records. While Trump finally agreed to send the Archives 15 boxes of material a year after leaving the White House, some of those records were marked as classified, and the boxes did not include all of the records in his possession. Even after the Justice Department tried to retrieve the remaining records with a subpoena, Trump only handed over an additional 38 pages marked as classified. It took a court-approved search warrant before the FBI was able to retrieve the bulk of the records that remained. The government will also present evidence from Trump’s own attorney, who was compelled to testify to a grand jury about his communications with Trump. The indictment alleges Trump tried to get his own attorney to lie to the government about the existence of the records, even going so far as to ask the attorney to destroy or hide them. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article

Published by Socialite Life Hello, hello, hello! We are back with your weekly round-up of all things drag. This week, the season eight All Stars showcased their pipes and acting skills in the eagerly awaited Rusical challenge and delivered a fashionable tribute to a musical icon. We also meet the judges of the new Hulu series Drag Me to Dinner, which pits your favorite teams of queens against each other in a culinary and entertaining competition as well as the queens competing on the next season of Drag Race France. In addition, we get a little Pride history lesson from Willam, wig wizardry from Trixie, new music from Ma… Read More View the full article