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Published by OK Magazine Rosie O’Donnell reflected on her famous talk show The Rosie O’Donnell Show! A news outlet recently spoke to the comedian about the work environment of her former talk show amid controversy about toxic employment at other daytime sets in promotion of her new Paramount+ documentary, Rosie’s Theater Kids. mega “We had a really wonderful working environment,” O’Donnell said about her series that ran from 1996 to 2002. “But, you know, we were the first of that kind of show… [and] because we were the first one, and we had done it, and we had gotten so much acclaim in such a short time, you know everybody was happy.” “I made sure that the staff was off in the summers when we had vacation, and that was unheard of,” she added. “I made sure there was a nursery on staff, we had a very content, happy staff.” “In fact, they keep throwing reunion parties every five years, and everybody comes. But it was a different time, I think, and fame was different,” The View alum continued. The actress then quoted the musical Taboo, saying, “‘Fame is the impending, glittering disaster,’ right? And you never know how people are gonna do under the glare of fame. And for some people, it takes its toll.” mega “I also think it depends on what else you have going on in your life,” she explained. “[What] you have to focus on and to ground you. It’s hard to stay grounded in the showbiz world.” “You got to talk to everybody… You got to treat people with respect and honor their dedication,” she concluded, giving advice for current and upcoming talk show hosts. Rosie O’Donnell Recalls Madonna Cursing Out Haters in the ’90s, Admits She ‘Never Had a Problem Standing Up for Herself’ Rosie O’Donnell Reveals Her & Whoopi Goldberg ‘Clashed’ On ‘The View’ Over Discussion Of Bill Cosby Rosie O’Donnell Reveals If She’s Ready to Spark New Romance After Aimee Hauer Split O’Donnell’s comments came after news recently broke that staffers on Kelly Clarkson’s talk show were unhappy while working on the program. Former employees claimed their employment was “traumatizing to their mental health.” mega One person even shared, “I remember going up on the roof of the stage to cry, being like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what am I doing? Why am I putting myself through this?'” However, the former staffers never blamed the American Idol winner for their negative experience on set. Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! “Kelly is fantastic. She is a person who never treats anyone with anything but dignity and is incredibly appreciative,” an ex-employee said. Although they did hold producer Alex Duda responsible for their treatment. “I think Alex Duda’s a monster,” they declared. “I have a friend who’s an executive producer who warned me about taking this job, because apparently she has done this on every show she’s worked on.” ET reported on O’Donnell’s comments. View the full article

Published by Knewz More people than ever may be doubting their sexuality, based on a new analysis of web searches. The Cultural Currents Institute analyzed Google searches since 2004 for questions about alternative lifestyles. “Am I gay?” searches were counted, along with “Am I lesbian?” “How to come out” and two other terms. The results released last week show searches for those kinds of questions have jumped by 1,300% in almost 20 years. The growth came in a period when homosexual rights expanded sharply across the U.S. One landmark moment was a Supreme Court decision in 2015 legalizing same-sex marriages. “Th… Read More View the full article

Published by The Street By Luc Olinga Apple is a brand in its own right. The largest company in the world in terms of market value embraces discretion. This is its strength. But the Cupertino, Calif.-based giant also knows how to be vocal and how to pick the right time to make a statement. The goal is to ensure that the message will be well received. In recent years, the brand, which is worth $2.8 trillion in market capitalization, has taken a position on various social issues, breaking with the neutrality required of multinationals. Last year, Apple was one of the companies which announced its intention to remedy th… Read More View the full article

Published by Knewz After months of little attention, concern is rising again about a possible spread of mpox across the U.S. A cluster of 24 new mpox cases was confirmed in the Chicago area in the last month. Two other cases are listed as “probable.” Many of the cases developed in men who already had been vaccinated against it. “We don’t know why people in this cluster of cases have gotten mpox after vaccination,” the Centers for Disease Control website admits. It could be that the two-dose vaccine wears off over time. Or the patients’ immunity somehow may have decreased. “The threat of mpox is not over,” Illino… Read More View the full article

Published by Knewz California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed department store chain Target for removing LGBTQ+ merchandise after backlash from some customers. Target has been removing or moving such merchandise planned for a Pride Month (June) display after some customers gave it backlash. And Target appears to be making changes in order to avoid suffering big sales declines like Bud Light did when Anheuser-Busch’s company partnered up with transgender champion Dylan Mulvaney in a marketing campaign. The fact Target is either removing LGBTQ+ items or moving them to the back of the store drew ire from progressive Demo… Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) US retailer Target – known for its accessibly-priced clothing and home goods – has announced it will remove some items with LGBTQ+ themes from its in-store Pride collection, following intense backlash from conservative customers. “We’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement on Tuesday. “Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the centre of the most significant confrontational behavior.” The retailer, which has nearly 2,000 stores acr… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Poet Amanda Gorman speaks during the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021 — her poem has been moved out of one library section for young children Miami (AFP) – A celebrated poem by a Black writer who read it at President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been banned for young students at a school in Miami, a group fighting such restrictions said Wednesday. The school called the Bob Graham Education Center acted after the mother of two students complained about Amanda Gorman’s poem entitled “The Hill We Climb.” Under Governor Ron DeSantis, an arch conservative set to run for president in the 2024 election, Florida has been a battleground for clashes over cultural and social issues in the United States. Scores of books have been removed from the state’s school library shelves in recent months, deemed inappropriate for children by conservative parents and school boards. In this new case, a woman asked in late March that five works in the Bob Graham library be removed on grounds they served to indoctrinate children, according to documents obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, and shared with AFP. One of those works is “The Hill We Climb” which Gorman, then 22, read at Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. The poem was a call for unity and hope in politically polarized America, and Gorman became an overnight star after reading it on the steps of the US Capitol. It has now been removed from the Bob Graham library used by first graders and placed in a section reserved for kids over age 11. A school material review committee did not explain the reasons for its action. Gorman, the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate, said she was devastated. “I wrote ‘The Hill We Climb’ so that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment,” she wrote on Twitter. “Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.” The school review committee said the poem did have “educational value because of its historical significance.” Gorman was the youngest poet ever to perform at a US presidential inauguration. News of the library restrictions came a week after publisher Penguin Random House and writers’ group PEN America filed a lawsuit against a Florida school district over the removal of books from public school libraries that address race and LGBTQ issues. View the full article

Published by AlterNet Despite a jury’s decision that ordered him to pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million, despite her having a separate defamation lawsuit pending, Donald Trump once again on Wednesday is publicly going after the 79-year old journalist whose case, should she win, could add another $10 million or more to her coffers. Wednesday morning Trump resurfaced what appears to be an 11-year old Facebook post from Carroll, which has been making its way around far-right wing blogs, and ordinarily would have served to stoke his ego. He posted a screenshot of it to his Truth Social account. The first part of Carroll’s p… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose impassioned battles over pandemic lockdowns and divisive cultural issues have endeared him to conservatives, will announce on Wednesday he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, placing him on a collision course with former President Donald Trump. DeSantis will make the announcement on Twitter during a discussion with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, DeSantis’ political team confirmed. His campaign on Wednesday filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission declaring his candidacy. Musk confirmed his appearance on a webcast during a conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal, saying he was not endorsing DeSantis. “I’m not at this time planning to endorse any particular candidate, but I am interested in Twitter being somewhat of a town square,” Musk said. DeSantis was re-elected handily to a second term in November. His rising profile among Republicans and fundraising prowess likely make him the biggest threat to Trump’s hopes of becoming the Republican nominee for the White House again. The two men were close allies during Trump’s four years in the White House – Trump endorsed him during his first campaign for governor – but DeSantis has since forged his own political identity. At 44 he may represent the future of the party more than does the 76-year-old Trump. “Announcing on Twitter is perfect for Ron DeSantis. This way he doesn’t have to interact with people and the media can’t ask him any questions,” said a Trump adviser who asked not to be identified. DeSantis will convene a meeting in Miami of his top donors, who will immediately launch his presidential fundraising efforts. During the coronavirus pandemic, DeSantis became the national face of resistance to mask and vaccine mandates and has been a virulent critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who headed the government’s COVID-19 response in both the Trump and Biden administrations. In stump speeches, he has argued his policies made possible Florida’s economic recovery from the pandemic, turning the state into a magnet for hundreds of thousands of new residents. Florida has consistently outpaced the country in job growth over the last two years. “His pandemic response effectively made him the governor of Red State America,” said Justin Sayfie, a Florida lobbyist and a former aide to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. In the months leading up to his presidential bid, DeSantis has toured the country, visiting states like Iowa and New Hampshire that will hold early presidential nominating contests next year and talking up his accomplishments in Florida. But his decision to wait until now to join the fray has allowed Trump to batter DeSantis with a fusillade of attacks, costing him standing in national polls. AGGRESSIVE AGENDA DeSantis has rebuffed critics, pushed his priorities through the legislature and punished his enemies. His Democratic opponent in his 2022 re-election campaign, Charlie Crist, called DeSantis a “wannabe dictator.” When Walt Disney Co, one of Florida’s biggest employers, opposed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law that limited discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools, DeSantis moved to strip the company of its self-governing status. Disney has since filed a federal lawsuit against the governor, accusing him of weaponizing state government to retaliate against the company. When an elected Democratic state attorney said he would not prosecute anyone for defying DeSantis-backed limits on abortion, DeSantis removed him from his position. He has made crusading against what Republicans call “woke” education policies a centerpiece of his politics while supporting conservative candidates for local school boards. He backed a legislative measure that prohibits the teaching of “Critical Race Theory” – an academic doctrine that views U.S. history through the lens of oppression – in state public schools despite little evidence it was being taught. Republican lawmakers in Florida handed DeSantis a bevy of conservative victories in its recent session: They expanded the state’s school voucher program, prohibited the use of public money in sustainable investing, scrapped diversity programs at public universities, allowed for permitless carry of concealed weapons and, perhaps most notably, banned almost all abortions in the state. The widespread abortion ban may help DeSantis appeal to the party’s evangelicals, but may damage him significantly in the November 2024 general election should he make it that far. Pro-business Republicans have also been critical of his feud with Disney, arguing that it is at odds with the party’s traditional hands-off approach to regulation. Republicans nationwide have taken notice of his aggressive approach to governing. DeSantis and his affiliated political action committee raised more than $200 million in support of his gubernatorial re-election bid. Also watching has been Trump, who has taken to deriding his one-time protégé at rallies, nicknaming him “DeSanctimonious” and claiming credit for making DeSantis the political rising star he is today. On the stump, DeSantis has a wholly different style than the bombastic Trump: low-key, buttoned-down and prone to favoring policy over personal attacks. His campaign speeches can sometimes feel like PowerPoint presentations. A key question going forward will be how DeSantis responds to what will certainly be a nearly endless stream of insults and insinuations from Trump. So far, he has attempted to dismiss them as “noise” and said he is focused on “delivering results.” It may not be in DeSantis’ interest to fire back. He needs to win over some portion of Trump’s supporters. Instead, he likely will try to walk a careful line between not denigrating Trump while making clear he favors many of the same policies with perhaps a steadier hand on the tiller. Prior to his election as governor in 2018, DeSantis served as a U.S congressman for three terms. His wife, Casey DeSantis, is considered his closest political adviser. The couple has three children. (Reporting by James Oliphant, additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer, Jasper Ward and Ben Klayman; Editing by Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Mike Davidson (Reuters) – Tina Turner, the American-born singer who left a hardscrabble farming community and abusive relationship to become one of the top recording artists of all time, died on Wednesday at the age of 83. She died peacefully after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, her representative said. Turner began her career in the 1950s during the early years of rock and roll and evolved into an MTV phenomenon. In the video for her chart-topping song “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” in which she called love a “second-hand emotion,” Turner epitomized 1980s style as she strutted through New York City streets with her spiky blond hair, wearing a cropped jean jacket, mini skirt, and stiletto heels. With her taste for musical experimentation and bluntly-worded ballads, Turner gelled perfectly with a 1980s pop landscape in which music fans valued electronically-produced sounds and scorned hippie-era idealism. Sometimes nicknamed the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Turner won six of her eight Grammy Awards in the 1980s. The decade saw her land a dozen songs on the Top 40, including “Typical Male,” “The Best,” “Private Dancer” and “Better Be Good to Me.” Her 1988 show in Rio de Janeiro drew 180,000 people, which remains one of the largest concert audiences for any single performer. By then, Turner had been free from her marriage to guitarist Ike Turner for a decade. The superstar was forthcoming about the abuse she suffered from her former husband during their marital and musical partnership in the 1960s and 1970s. She described bruised eyes, busted lips, a broken jaw and other injuries that repeatedly sent her to the emergency room. “Tina’s story is not one of victimhood but one of incredible triumph,” singer Janet Jackson wrote about Turner, in a Rolling Stone issue that placed Turner at No. 63 on a list of the top 100 artists of all time. “She’s transformed herself into an international sensation – an elegant powerhouse,” Jackson said. In 1985, Turner gave a fictional turn to her reputation as a survivor. She played the ruthless leader of an outpost in a nuclear wasteland, acting opposite Mel Gibson in the third instalment in the Mad Max franchise, “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” Most of Turner’s hit songs were written by others, but she enlivened them with a voice that New York Times music critic Jon Pareles called “one of the more peculiar instruments in pop.” “It’s three-tiered, with a nasal low register, a yowling, cutting middle range and a high register so startlingly clear it sounds like a falsetto,” Pareles wrote in a 1987 concert review. ‘ONE-HORSE TOWN’ She was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in the rural Tennessee community of Nutbush, which she described in her 1973 song “Nutbush City Limits” as a “quiet little old community, a one-horse town.” Her father worked as an overseer on a farm and her mother left the family when the singer was 11 years old, according to the singer’s 2018 memoir “My Love Story.” As a teenager, she moved to St. Louis to rejoin her mom. Ike Turner, whose 1951 song “Rocket 88” has often been called the first rock and roll record, discovered her at age 17 when she grabbed the mic to sing at his club show in St. Louis in 1957. The band leader later recorded a hit song, “A Fool In Love,” with his protégé and gave her the stage name Tina Turner, before the two married in Tijuana, Mexico. Tina employed her strong voice and strenuously rehearsed dance routines as lead vocalist in an ensemble called the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. She collaborated with members of rock royalty, including The Who and Phil Spector, in the 1960s and 1970s and appeared on the cover of issue two of Rolling Stone magazine in 1967. Ike and Tina Turner bounced between record labels, owing much of their commercial success to a relentless touring schedule. Their biggest hit was a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary.” Turner left her husband one night in 1976 on a tour stop in Dallas, after he pummelled her during a car ride and she struck back, according to her memoir. Their divorce was finalized in 1978. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted Ike and Tina Turner in 1991, calling them “one of the most formidable live acts in history.” Ike Turner died in 2007. EUROPE BOUND After leaving her husband, Turner spent years struggling to regain the limelight, releasing solo albums and singles that flopped and gigging at corporate conferences. In 1980, she met new manager Roger Davies, an Australian music executive who went on to manage her for three decades. That led to a solo no.1 – “What’s Love Got to Do With It” – and then in 1984 her album “Private Dancer” landed her at the top of the charts. “Private Dancer” went on to become Turner’s biggest album, the capstone of a career that saw her sell more than 200 million records in total. In 1985 Turner met German music executive Erwin Bach who became her long-term partner and in 1988 she moved to London, beginning a decades-long residency in Europe. She released two studio albums in the 1990s that sold well, especially in Europe, recorded the theme song for 1995 Bond movie “GoldenEye,” and staged a successful world tour in 2008 and 2009. After that, she retired from show business. She married Bach, relinquishing her U.S. citizenship and becoming a citizen of Switzerland. She battled a number of health problems after retiring and in 2018 she faced a family tragedy, when her oldest son, Craig, took his life at age 59 in Los Angeles. Her younger son Ronnie died in December 2022. Her name continues to draw audiences years after her retirement. Musical stage show “TINA: The Tina Turner Musical,” with Adrienne Warren initially acting and singing the star’s life story, was a hit first in London’s West End in 2018, and later on Broadway, and is still running. And in 2021 HBO released a documentary about her life, “Tina.” She is survived by Bach and two sons of Ike’s that she adopted. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis and Mike Davidson; editing by Diane Craft, Andrew Heavens and Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune Since 2020, actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes have co-hosted a podcast together called “SmartLess.” Last year they took the show out on a short national tour, and that adventure is documented in the six-part Max docuseries “SmartLess: On the Road,” which follows the celebrity friends and co-workers to stops on the East Coast, Midwest and then back to Los Angeles. Perhaps the decision to shoot in black-and-white was meant to undercut some of the pampered Hollywood trappings of the trip. But director Sam Jones (whose credits include the Wilco film “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”… Read More View the full article

Published by The Street By Danni Button Target Corp. (TGT) – Get Free Report is the most recent company to be dragged into the supposed “woke war,” currently rampaging across social media. Against the backdrop of a trans-friendly Bud Light promotion and Disney’s ongoing battle with right-wing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the recent rally against Target’s selection of LGBTQ+ merchandise could have the company worried. But the CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, isn’t concerned. In a recent appearance on Fortune’s “LeadershipNext” podcast, Cornell essentially said that the company’s attitude toward diversity and inclusion is … Read More View the full article

Published by Miami Herald Two top South Florida tourism leaders — David Whitaker, CEO of Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Stacy Ritter, CEO of Visit Lauderdale — shared thoughts on the potential effects of the NAACP recently advising people of color to expect hostile treatment if they travel to Florida. The NAACP issued a travel advisory Saturday in response to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempts to ban books about race and LGBTQ+ identities, reject a new Advanced Placement African American Studies course and bar diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida colleges. The advisory was proposed to … Read More View the full article

Published by AFP HIV/AIDS awareness bracelets and buttons sit in a basket to be given away at a Whitman-Walker Health mobile testing vehicle in Washington Washington (AFP) – New HIV infections in the United States fell by 12 percent in 2021 compared to 2017, continuing a decline driven by fewer cases in younger people, especially gay and bisexual men, official estimates showed Tuesday. Infections fell from some 36,500 to 32,100, with the starkest decrease — 34 percent — among 13-to-24-year-olds, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Men who have sex with men account for an estimated 80 percent of infections in this age group. “Our nation’s HIV prevention efforts continue to move in the right direction,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Nevertheless, these gains were unequal among different racial groups, with new infections among young white people dropping most, followed by Hispanic and then Black Americans. One of the greatest indicators of improvement was the rise in access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), pills or shots taken to prevent HIV infection from sex or injection drug use. In 2021, 30 percent of the estimated 1.2 million people who could benefit from PrEP were prescribed it, compared to just 13 percent in 2017. But the disparities in access were stark when broken down by race. Just 11 percent of the Black population who could benefit from PrEP were prescribed it, compared to 78 percent of the white population. “Efforts must be accelerated and strengthened for progress to reach all groups faster and equitably,” said Walensky. Annual HIV incidence in the US increased from 20,000 infections in 1981, when the virus was first discovered, to a peak of 130,400 in 1984 and 1985. The rate stabilized between 1991 to 2007, with approximately 50,000–58,000 infections annually, and then decreased in recent years to 34,800 infections in 2019. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega;@claudiamconway/instagram Within mere months of becoming an adult, Claudia Conway has already entered an adult-only industry. The daughter of former Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway and her ex-husband, George Conway, officially made her debut as a Playboy Bunny, the lifestyle and entertainment magazine revealed on Tuesday, May 23. @claudiamconway/instagram “Introducing your newest Bunny: @claudiamconway,” Playboy’s Instagram account stated alongside a seductive photo of Claudia. “See her exclusive content, only on @PlayboyCenterfold,” the message noted regarding how to find Claudia’s footage, which currently features 11 racy photos of the blonde beauty — all of which can currently be accessed for free. Even more alluring images of Claudia can be purchased for as little as $5, while the most expensive option is available for $99. Playboy, founded by Hugh Hefner, additionally released a statement about their surprising addition to their family, stating: “Claudia Conway is one of many women who have found freedom, autonomy, and major financial success on our creator platform.” @claudiamconway/instagram Kellyanne Conway’s 17-Year-Old Daughter Comes Out As Gay, Introduces Girlfriend In TikTok Video Troll Attacks Kellyanne Conway’s Daughter Following Her Critical Donald Trump Comments: She Needs ‘Help’ Claudia Conway Offers Rare Update On Where She & Kellyanne Stand After Enduring ‘Emotional Abuse’ From Mom “We welcome her and support her choices,” the announcement concluded. Social media users were thrown off by the teenager’s career path, as it drastically differs from her mother’s prominent status in politics. Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for! “This is so gross… she’s BARELY 18,” one critic commented, as another hater added, “Lmao this is f****** nonsense.” Others were excited for Claudia’s newest endeavor, as one admirer expressed, “Brb cancelling my impact membership so i can subscribe @claudiamconway.” mega Claudia’s role at Playboy comes just two months after her parents’ shockingly ended their 22-year marriage. Claudia recently expressed her anger with people interested in her mom and dad’s divorce via a Twitter statement on Monday, May 1. “What is with you guys and your obscure fascination with other people’s marriages?” she asked. “My parents’ business is not a political talking point fyi.” “I love both of my parents equally fyi and think that their business should be handled offline and in the privacy of their own homes. There is no need for people to spin stories and twist words for exploitation and attention. That’s all. Peace and love always!! Sending everyone healing energy today,” Claudia concluded at the time. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News New HIV infections in the U.S. fell more than 10% in five years with a 34% decrease in new cases among young gay and bisexual men, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., according to the report. While the overall number of new cases per year dropped from 36,500 in 2017 to about 32,100 in 2021 — or 12% — the number of new diagnoses among gay and bisexual men between 13 and 24 dropped around 34% from an estimated 7,400 infections to about 4,900 during that timeframe. Hea… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, pictured with his wife Casey in Tampa, in November 2022 Washington (AFP) – Ron DeSantis is to announce his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in a livestreamed Twitter chat with the platform’s billionaire owner Elon Musk on Wednesday, touting his ultra-conservative record as governor of Florida as a blueprint for the nation. DeSantis will be banking on borrowing some of the tech mogul’s star power to outshine clear frontrunner Donald Trump, who has swept all before him in the early stages of the contest and is polling in greater numbers than all the other contenders combined. “I will be interviewing Ron DeSantis and he has quite an announcement to make,” Musk confirmed on Tuesday, promising the 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) event would be unscripted, with “real time questions and answers.” “It’s going to be live. Let it rip,” Musk told the Wall Street Journal CEO Council conference. The announcement will come with a campaign launch video and the start of a three-day retreat in Miami for some of DeSantis’s wealthiest donors, who will be briefed on the campaign before the governor makes a swing through several early voting states next week. Long viewed as the most viable challenger to twice-impeached former president Trump, DeSantis is better known than most of the hopefuls in the chasing pack for the Republican nomination — but still lacks the frontrunner’s national profile. The format offers him a dual advantage — giving him precious access to Musk’s 140 million followers, many of whom are in Trump’s base, and, if he wins the nomination, the attention of a chunk of younger, less conservative voters that he will likely need for a shot at the White House. Ratings in decline DeSantis has used his platform as Florida’s chief executive to burnish his conservative credentials, signing off on some 80 new state laws this spring, many targeting “woke indoctrination” in schools and other public institutions. They include a ban on the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, a block on funding for efforts to promote diversity at public universities and one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. But the 44-year-old’s official launch comes with his ratings in decline despite a slate of right-wing legislative wins in his state. A number of policy missteps have prompted disquiet about his readiness to take on Trump, with donors worried he may have peaked too soon. He faces the daunting task of closing an enormous polling gap, with Trump posting leads close to 40 percentage points, despite being indicted on felony financial charges and being found liable for sexual abuse in a New York civil trial. But DeSantis goes into the campaign with a large cash advantage over his rivals in the pack chasing Trump — a war chest of potentially more than $100 million — and buoyed by strong turnout at a series of recent campaign events. Never Back Down, a super PAC that has acted as the governor’s de facto campaign arm before he announced, has a ground operation in most of the early nominating states and is making plans to expand. Behind the scenes, the Trump and DeSantis camps have been jostling to secure political endorsements from state lawmakers while, at the national level, Florida’s congressional delegation has broken heavily for Trump. Personal touch Musk is a well-known DeSantis admirer, although he was clear that Twitter would remain neutral on the nomination and that his hosting of the campaign launch should not be taken as an endorsement. “I’ve said publicly that my preference, and I think the preference of most Americans, is… to have someone fairly normal in office,” he said, without making any explicit criticism of Trump. The former president was banned from Twitter after the 2021 assault on the US Capitol by his supporters, and has not returned since being reinstated in November. He has been attacking DeSantis almost daily on his record, character and fitness for office but responded to Wednesday’s announcement with relative restraint — simply posting favorable polling on his own online platform, Truth Social. “Announcing on Twitter is perfect for Ron DeSantis. This way he doesn’t have to interact with people and the media can’t ask him any questions,” a Trump aide said. The governor has also been criticized for lacking the personal touch that Trump’s supporters say is one of the former president’s biggest assets. But the former naval officer and congressman has been redoubling his efforts more recently to stay behind after speaking engagements to press flesh, sign autographs and have his picture taken with supporters. “If we make 2024 a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures and we provide a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win across the board,” DeSantis said during a visit this month to Sioux Center, Iowa. View the full article

Published by Reuters UK BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romania has failed to enforce the rights of same-sex couples by refusing to recognise their relationships, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said on Tuesday in a ruling which will force policymakers to expand protections for the LGBT community. Socially conservative Romania decriminalised homosexuality in 2001, decades later than other parts of the European Union, but still bars marriage and civil partnerships for same-sex couples. The ruling, which says the government has breached the European convention on human rights, comes after 21 Romanian same-sex couples f… Read More View the full article

Published by The Spun By Andrew Gould The Los Angeles Dodgers reversed course and re-invited a group to their Pride Night. Last week, the Dodgers removed the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from the event. Catholic leaders and Republican politicians objected to inclusion of the non-profit organization, whose members dress in drag as nuns while serving the LGBTQIA+ community. On Monday, the Dodgers released a statement again changing their minds and apologizing. “After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, and generous discussions wit… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – A Florida restaurant that puts on what it calls family-friendly drag performances sued Governor Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida on Monday to halt enforcement of a new law banning minors from attending such shows. Hamburger Mary’s, an Orlando bar and restaurant that presents drag show performances, comedy sketches and dancing, filed the suit in federal court in response to the law, which the Republican governor signed last week. Senate Bill 1438 allows the state to fine or revoke the liquor license of an establishment that admits minors to a performance that “simulates nudity, sexual conduct or specific sexual activities.” DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “This bill has nothing to do with children, and everything to do with the continued oppression of the LGBTQ+ community,” the owners of Hamburger Mary’s wrote on Facebook. The Facebook post offered a broader critique of DeSantis’ policies to eliminate books and public school courses that refer to LGBTQ themes or the U.S. history of racial oppression, asking, “When does it stop?” DeSantis, who is expected to announce he is seeking the Republican nomination for president this week, has pursued policies in Florida that restrict LGBTQ rights. He signed the “Protection of Children” bill the same day he also signed bills to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and requires transgender people to use bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth. The lawsuit asks the court to block the law, saying it violates the constitutional right to free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. “It prohibits protected speech based on the identity of the speaker,” the lawsuit said. The law erroneously targets drag shows as deviant when they have become “part of mainstream culture,” it said. “It is a form of family entertainment, enjoyed by all.” (Reporting by Daniel Trotta. Editing by Gerry Doyle) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Joaquin Phoenix is set to star in a new NC-17-rated gay romance movie. The ‘Beau is Afraid’ actor will star in ‘Far From Heaven’ director Todd Haynes’ upcoming new project, which the filmmaker has described as a “gay love story” set in Los Angeles in the 1930s. Speaking during Cannes Film Festival, he told IndieWire: “The next film is a feature that’s an original script that I developed with Joaquin Phoenix based on some thoughts and ideas he brought to me. “We basically wrote with him as a story writer. Me and Jon Raymond and Joaquin share the story credit. “And we hope to be shooting it beginning early next year. It’s a gay love story set in 1930s L.A.” Haynes explained how Phoenix has been constantly looking to push the boundaries with the movie, which helped lead to its NC-17 rating in the United States. As defined by the Motion Picture Association’s film rating system, the rating – which goes one beyond the R Restricted level – means: “No one 17 and under admitted. Clearly adult. Children are not admitted.” It’s not known what the rating will be elsewhere in the world, with NC-17 falling somewhere between the UK’s 15 and 18 ratings. Meanwhile, Haynes – who has worked on the likes of ‘Poison’, ‘Velvet Goldmine’, ‘Carol’ and new movie ‘May December’ – reflected on his upcoming schedule as he continues to make romantic period dramas, including those telling queer stories. He said: “All I can do is just keep hunkering down and committing to each project. I have more features planned. “I have also episodic projects coming that are planned, that are really exciting. I’m going back to work with Kate Winslet with something she brought me for HBO.” View the full article

Published by NJ.com Relaxed on a bed before a window overlooking her overgrown Jersey City backyard, Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza shared stories of the community she had found in New York City’s underground ballroom scene and dreams of a glamorous future. It was through those moments captured in the 1990 documentary “Paris is Burning” that the world fell in love with Venus. The transgender woman in her early 20sbecame an inspiration for trans and queer individuals settling into their identities and discovering the ballroom culture, and now, more than 30 years later, is considered a legend in the underground ballr… Read More View the full article