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Published by The Mercury News A former employee for Intuit, the Mountain View, California-based financial software giant and TurboTax owner, claims in a new lawsuit that the company illegally fired him for social media posts linking drag queens to sexual abuse of children. Brian Gilton, described in the lawsuit as “a passionate 37-year-old white male who regularly exercises his rights to participate in political activity, including political speech,” worked as a senior content designer for Intuit for three years, until his termination in August, according to the lawsuit. Intuit sent Gilton packing over two Instagram posts … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John will be a “really important archivist” in the future, Russell Tovey believes. The ‘History Boys’ actor has interviewed a host of famous faces for ‘Talk Art’, the podcast he co-hosts with gallerist Rob Diament and he was impressed to learn the ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer is an avid collector of newsworthy photographs. He told The Times’ Weekend magazine: “It’s all just under the surface with a lot of people. Pierce Brosnan was an artist before he was an actor, and paints to relieve trauma, while Elton is very quietly building up a really important collection of photographs. “If he sees a news photo from Ukraine he’ll contact the photographer and buy it and archive it — he’s going to be a really important [archivist] in the future.” Despite his own love of art, the 41-year-old star admitted his own talents are lacking. He said: “I once got my camera out and took some photos of my underwear lying on a radiator like Wolfgang Tillmans [German photographer noted for his everyday reportage] and they were just s***. So, I’m just an admirer.” The former ‘Quantico’ actor – who is in a relationship with architect Steve Brockman – admitted his passion for buying new works has become an “addiction” and he views his acting jobs as a means of acquiring more art. He confessed: “But it’s still like an addiction. I literally cannot stop collecting — there should be Art Anon, where people can get help. Luckily it’s considered a respectable addiction, though. “I wanted our home to look like the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition — every inch of wall covered. But that’s not really practical, is it? But I do look at [acting] jobs and think: how many pieces can I buy if I do that?” View the full article

Published by AFP SpaceX postponed the first test flight of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, just minutes ahead of the scheduled launch Starbase (United States) (AFP) – A frozen valve forced a postponement on Monday of the first test flight of SpaceX’s Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, designed to send astronauts to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Liftoff of the gigantic rocket was called off less than 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled launch because of a pressurization issue in the first-stage booster, SpaceX said. The private space company continued with the countdown in what it called a “wet dress rehearsal,” stopping the clock with 10 seconds to go, just before the massive engines on the booster were to have been ignited. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said a frozen pressure valve forced a scrub of the launch, which had been planned for 8:20 am Central Time (1320 GMT) from Starbase, the SpaceX spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas. “Learned a lot today, now offloading propellant, retrying in a few day,” Musk tweeted. SpaceX said the inaugural flight would be delayed for at least 48 hours to recycle the liquid methane and liquid oxygen that fuels the rocket. The US space agency NASA has picked the Starship spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the Moon in late 2025 — a mission known as Artemis III — for the first time since the Apollo program ended in 1972. Starship consists of a 164-foot (50-meter) tall spacecraft designed to carry crew and cargo that sits atop a 230-foot tall first-stage Super Heavy booster rocket. SpaceX conducted a successful test-firing of the 33 Raptor engines on the first-stage booster in February but the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket have never flown together. The integrated test flight is intended to assess their performance in combination. Musk had warned ahead of the launch that a delay was likely. “It’s a very risky flight,” he said earlier. “It’s the first launch of a very complicated, gigantic rocket. “There’s a million ways this rocket could fail,” Musk said. “We’re going to be very careful and if we see anything that gives us concern, we’ll postpone.” ‘Multi-planet species’ NASA will take astronauts to lunar orbit itself in November 2024 using its own heavy rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS), which has been in development for more than a decade. Starship is both bigger and more powerful than SLS and capable of lifting a payload of more than 100 metric tonnes into orbit. It generates 17 million pounds of thrust, more than twice that of the Saturn V rockets used to send Apollo astronauts to the Moon. The plan for the integrated test flight is for the Super Heavy booster to separate from Starship about three minutes after launch and splash down in the Gulf of Mexico. Starship, which has six engines of its own, will continue to an altitude of nearly 150 miles, completing a near-circle of the Earth before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean about 90 minutes after launch. “If it gets to orbit, that’s a massive success,” Musk said. “If we get far enough away from the launchpad before something goes wrong then I think I would consider that to be a success,” he said. “Just don’t blow up the launchpad.” SpaceX foresees eventually putting a Starship into orbit, and then refueling it with another Starship so it can continue on a journey to Mars or beyond. Musk said the goal is to make Starship reusable and bring down the price to a few million dollars per flight. “In the long run — long run meaning, I don’t know, two or three years — we should achieve full and rapid reusability,” he said. The eventual objective is to establish bases on the Moon and Mars and put humans on the “path to being a multi-planet civilization,” Musk said. “We are at this brief moment in civilization where it is possible to become a multi-planet species,” he said. “That’s our goal. I think we’ve got a chance.” View the full article

Published by DPA The lettering Maybach can be seen on a car in the entrance area of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. German carmaker Mercedes has presented an all-electric version of its luxury brand Maybach for the first time. Jens Kalaene/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa German carmaker Mercedes has presented an all-electric version of its luxury brand Maybach for the first time. Group CEO Ola Källenius unveiled the vehicle at the world premiere in Shanghai on Monday. “The Mercedes Maybach EQS SUV unites our ambition to lead in digital and electric with our focus on the luxury segment,” Källenius said. The international auto show in Shanghai begins on Tuesday. China is the largest car market in the world and therefore of great importance for Mercedes and the other German manufacturers. In the first quarter of 2023 the Stuttgart-based company said it had sold 191,000 vehicles in the People’s Republic, an increase in sales of 3% compared to the previous year. View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune The fourth and final season of HBO’s “Barry” returns with its title character, the ex-Marine turned hitman (turned actor, turned abusive boyfriend), behind bars and about to go down for at least one of his crimes. Everything’s come to a head. Or has it? The show’s co-creators Alec Berg and Bill Hader (Hader also stars) keep us guessing while exploring a larger, tantalizing theme: Can you ever really start over — whether that means mending a toxic relationship, or going legit, or simply running away from your past? Maybe it’s an impossibility in the end. We are who we are. You can never right t… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tony Hadley will never reveal “exactly why” he quit Spandau Ballet. The 62-year-old ‘Gold’ singer sensationally walked away from the New Romantic group in 2017, saying after a royalties bust-up in a brief Twitter statement he was no longer a member, and has now revealed the group’s behaviour wasn’t “that of friends”. But insisting he will never go into detail about the full reasons behind the bitter split, he told The Observer: “Walking away from Spandau in 2017 was tough, but I had no choice. “The band’s behaviour wasn’t that of friends – I couldn’t do it any longer. “I’ll never say exactly why. It’s on to them to be honourable and step forward to set out what they did. To take responsibility for their actions.” Spandau Ballet decided to take a break in 1990 so the bandmates could pursue solo projects but it turned into a full split when Tony, drummer John Keeble, 63, and saxophonist Steve Norman, 63, unsuccessfully sued guitarist Gary Kemp, also 63 – the brother of 61-year-old bassist Martin Kemp – in a royalties row. Despite his bitterness over the break-up Tony also has fond memories of his time with the band. He reminisced: “Our first appearance on ‘Top of the Pops’ still feels like a dream. “My God, it was so exciting. I’d worked day jobs right up until signing our record deal.” He went on about how he got the music bug: “At Pontins, aged 14, I discovered music. I got on stage and sang ‘Lady Madonna’. I decided it would be my future. “I met Frank Sinatra at the Royal Albert Hall when I was 17. I’d snuck backstage and was being pushed aside by security when he asked my story. “He shook my hand and wished me luck. Six years later, Spandau Ballet headlined the same venue.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lionel Richie admits it was a “surprise” that Britain’s King Charles chose him to perform at his Coronation Concert. The 73-year-old singer – who became the first global ambassador of The Prince’s Trust in 2019 – is among the star-studded line-up along with the likes of Katy Perry and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, 64, who will duet with 57-year-old Welsh opera icon Sir Bryn Terfel. And the ‘Hello’ hitmaker couldn’t believe it when he found out the monarch wanted him to perform for him, of all the “names” he could have chosen. He told People: “I mean, you don’t get in the business and say, ‘You know what? I’ll be at the King’s coronation.’ You know, that just never comes up. “[It’s] A, a surprise. B, what an honour. And C, the fact of all the names that are out there that he could have had for this, he called my name.” He continued: “I really do celebrate his now stepping into the king role.” The ‘All Night Long’ hitmaker expects there to be more “pomp and circumstance” than a concert by The King of Pop, the late Michael Jackson, or The Queen of Pop, Madonna. Lionel added: “I want to see the pomp and circumstance because I don’t care what you thought Michael Jackson did. I don’t care what you thought Prince did. I don’t care what you thought Madonna did. Nothing’s going to be like this. This is the grandiose of grandiose right here.” The concert will be held in the grounds of Windsor Castle a day after Charles, 74, is crowned along with his wife Queen Consort Camilla, 75, at Westminster Abbey on May 6. Charles’ concert will also include soul pianist Alexis Ffrench, 53, and 28-year-old singer-songwriter Freya Ridings. The headliners were revealed after it emerged Lionel had signed up, along with Take That’s Gary Barlow, 52, Howard Donald, 54, and 51-year-old Mark Owen. They will be backed by musicians including a 70-piece orchestra, and the Massed Bands of the Household Division and Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra – with a 300-strong Coronation Choir also lined up to feature in the show. It comes less than a year after the concert to mark the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which included music by Queen, Duran Duran and Diana Ross. View the full article

Published by AFP Researchers say misinformation has exploded on Twitter since the platform was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk Washington (AFP) – When the iconic US diaper company Huggies was swamped with false pedophilia allegations last month, the conspiracy was traced to a once-banned influencer reinstated to Twitter by Elon Musk. The Tesla tycoon bitterly denies that misinformation has surged since his turbulent $44 billion acquisition of the messaging platform, but experts say content moderation has been gutted after mass layoffs, while a paid verification system has served to boost conspiracy theorists. Adding to the turmoil, the self-proclaimed free speech absolutist has restored what one researcher estimates are over 67,000 accounts that were once suspended for a myriad of violations, including the incitement of violence, harassment and misinformation. Among those reinstated is Vincent Kennedy, a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy movement who was banned from Twitter after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Kennedy, according to the advocacy group Media Matters, launched a conspiracy theory in late March that left the Huggies diaper brand fighting off extraordinary pedophilia accusations. He posted a picture of a Disney-themed diaper featuring Simba, a character from “The Lion King,” and circled triangles and spiral swirls that were part of the design. This was to illustrate a widely debunked conspiracy theory that the shapes are recognized by the FBI as coded signals used by pedophiles. “Once you truly awake you ain’t going back to sleep,” Kennedy wrote in the tweet that garnered millions of views. The conspiracy theory spread like wildfire to other platforms like TikTok. Huggies, which is owned by Kleenex-owner Kimberly-Clark, then faced an avalanche of hate messages and calls for a boycott. Huggies sought to douse the flames, writing in a direct response to Kennedy’s tweet that its designs were nothing more than “fun and playful” and that it takes “the safety and well-being of children seriously.” But conspiracy theorists jumped on the response to further amplify the false claim. ‘Real-world harm’ “Anecdotally, there’s no doubt that the flood of toxic content from repeat offenders Elon has re-platformed is driving real-world harm,” Jesse Lehrich, cofounder of the advocacy group Accountable Tech, told AFP. “When you reinstate the architects of the Jan. 6 insurrection as democracy teeters on the brink, when you give a massive platform to notorious neo-Nazis amidst a surge in anti-Semitism, when you re-platform influential purveyors of medical disinformation in the middle of a pandemic, there are going to be real-world consequences.” Travis Brown, a software developer based in Berlin, has compiled an online list of more than 67,000 restored Twitter accounts since Musk’s takeover in late October. Brown told AFP that the list was incomplete and the actual number of restored accounts could be higher. In a recent BBC interview, Musk pushed back at allegations that misinformation and hateful content were seeing a resurgence since his takeover. He accused the interviewer of lying. “You said you see more hateful content, but you can’t even name a single one,” Musk said. Experts AFP spoke to named dozens of examples –- including posts by anti-vaccine propagandists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists. After his account was restored, election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell called on his followers to “melt down electronic voting machines” and use them as prison bars. Anti-LGBTQ+ narratives –- including the false claim that the community “grooms” children –- have spiked on the platform, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). One key driver of the “grooming” narrative, the group said, is conspiracy theorist James Lindsay, whose account was recently restored after previously being banned permanently. ‘Hateful rhetoric’ “The reinstatements increase hateful rhetoric across the platform, creating a culture of tolerance on Twitter — tolerance to misogyny, racism, anti-LGBTQ tendencies,” Nora Benavidez, from the nonpartisan group Free Press, told AFP. Imran Ahmed, chief executive at CCDH, said “Twitter is monetizing hate at an unprecedented rate.” Just five Twitter accounts peddling the “grooming” narrative generate up to $6.4 million in annual advertising revenue, according to CCDH’s research. But experts say the strategy is counterproductive as that can hardly offset lost advertising revenue. The chaotic shake-up under Musk has scared off several major advertisers. Twitter’s ad income will drop by 28 percent this year, according to analysts at Insider Intelligence, who said “advertisers don’t trust Musk.” As an alternative, Musk has sought to boost income from a verification checkmark, now available for $8 in a program called Twitter Blue. But dozens of “misinformation super-spreaders” have purchased the blue tick and are inundating the platform with falsehoods, according to the watchdog NewsGuard. “Musk reinstated accounts to make money and to adopt what he believes, misguidedly, is some ‘equal free speech’ mindset — ignoring that the (policy) makes Twitter a platform which rewards violent language with visibility,” Benavidez said. “This chills speech and engagement rather than furthers it.” burs-ac/arp/tjj View the full article

Published by Miami Herald Mailen Mejuto isn’t sure whether she wants kids in the future. But one thing is for certain: the 28-year-old knows she wouldn’t want to raise them in Florida. Mejuto on Sunday joined thousands of people — some decked out in rainbow flags and others in beach wear — gathered along Ocean Drive in South Beach’s scorching heat to watch the annual pride parade. The South Beach resident didn’t have to go far to join the festivities but said she’s concerned by what’s happening around the country. In Florida, lawmakers want to expand the Parental Rights in Education Act, commonly known as the “Don’t Sa… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA A general view of Rainbow flags. Same-sex relationships are no longer punishable by law on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. The parliament of the South Sea nation, which has about 17,000 inhabitants, approved a corresponding law on Monday. Jens Kalaene/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB Same-sex relationships are no longer punishable by law on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. The parliament of the South Sea nation, which has about 17,000 inhabitants, approved a corresponding law on Monday. Previously, homosexual acts could be punished with prison sentences of up to five years. Prime Minister Mark Brown spoke in a Facebook post of a “historic day” in parliament. He said his government had fulfilled its promise to “end discrimination against the LGBT community in our society.” Members of the LGBTQI community celebrated the move. Other island states in Oceania, however, still maintain laws against homosexuals that were enacted under colonial rule, including Samoa, Tonga and the Solomon Islands. The Cook Islands archipelago is located between New Zealand and Hawaii and consists of 15 islands. The largest of these is Rarotonga where the capital Avarua is situated. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John is being included in a new exhibition to celebrate the “fluid” concept of being a “diva”. The 76-year-old ‘Rocket Man’ singer’s famous Louis XIV-inspired look designed by Sandy Powell that included a gigantic wig, worn by Elton for his 50th birthday in 1997, is among the photos, art and costumes going on display at the V and A Museum in south Kensington, London. It’s ‘DIVA’ show, opens on June 24, will also feature Prince and drag queen RuPaul, along with dresses worn by “iconic” women from Maria Callas and Marylin Monroe to Tina Turner. The V and A said: “DIVA will celebrate the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining the role of ‘diva’ and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film.” It has added the exhibition will also chart the history of the diva term – which means goddess in Italian – from its use for female opera singers to its “fluid” modern-day usage, including for contemporary male stars. Show curator Kate Bailey added: “Today the word diva holds a myriad of meanings. At the heart of this exhibition is a story of iconic performers who with creativity, courage and ambition have challenged the status quo and used their voice and their art to redefine and reclaim the diva. “DIVA will be the first major exhibition to tackle the subject and to re-examine our perception of the diva in history and in popular culture. “The exhibition will feature trail-blazing divas who have disrupted the status quo and pushed boundaries through their art and voice – including bohemian performer Sarah Bernhardt – worshipped by fans as ‘The Divine Sarah’ – whose performances in male and female roles were celebrated for their expressiveness, intensity and flamboyance.” Dame Shirley Bassey, 86, said: “It is wonderful to see the diva celebrated in this exhibition, and to see the V and A reclaiming the title. “To me, ‘diva’ is all about the power of the voice and the ability to entertain, to succeed against odds, to fight, and break through barrier after barrier: to have your voice heard.” The exhibition also spotlights Rihanna, Dolly Parton and Barbra Streisand, and focuses on how stars have branched into business and branding as well as showing how artists such as Aretha Franklin shook the status quo. Debbie Harry is also highlighted in the show as a “pioneer for women in punk whose unique, rebellious style and image reveals how the diva can occupy new and changing musical genres”. DIVA will showcase more than 250 objects spanning fashion, photography, design, costumes, music and live performance. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Just days afterStephen Smith was mysteriously found dead on a desolate South Carolina roadway, his boyfriend received a series of terrifying death threats possibly linked to the murder, RadarOnline.com has learned. Marc Bickhardt was the last person to communicate with Smith on the night of July 2015 when his lifeless body was found near the Hampton County home of Alex Murdaugh – the son of a prominent lawyer who was recently convicted of murdering his wife and son. Bickhardt told investigators the 19-year-old called to tell him that he ran out of gas and felt he was being followed before hearing “big mud tires” approaching his friend. sandy smith “They’re like coming toward him or going past because they sounded loud — and they were getting louder. And that, I believe, was the last time I talked to him,” Bickhardt told investigators. Five days later, Bickhardt called the Hampton Police Department to report a series of harassing phone calls originating from the Cayman Islands. “The calls informed the victim that he would die the same way Smith did, and the victim believes that (Smith’s) death was a homicide,” states the police incident report obtained by RadarOnline.com. “The victim stated that the calls began last week after his friend’s funeral,” the report said. The police reports do not indicate if officers followed up on the complaint or if the information was passed along to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) which recently labeled Smith’s death a homicide and has re-opened the investigation. Smith’s death was bizarrely ruled a hit-and-run by the county medical examiner even though investigators from the South Carolina Highway Patrol didn’t see any skid marks or car debris on the roadway. They also couldn’t figure out how Smith suffered a severe head injury. Ranch Where Alex Murdaugh Murdered His Wife & Son Sells For $2.6 Million EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Stephen Smith’s Body Dug Up To Perform A Second Autopsy After New Information Surfaces In Alex Murdaugh Murder Case Reexamine Stephen Smith’s Crime Scene Photos Taken Near The Murdaugh Property As Case Is Relabeled A Homicide mega Investigators began re-examining Smith’s death shortly after Maggie Murdaugh, 52 and her 22-year-old son Paul were found brutally murdered on their family owned 1770-acre hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. Investigators claimed evidence uncovered during the double murder probe led to their decision. Alex Murdaugh, 54, was sentenced to two consecutivelife sentences for murders in a sensational trial in March. Smith, who is openly gay, was found a short distance from the hunting lodge and investigators were told by various witnesses that his former classmate and rumored lover,Buster Murdaugh was allegedly involved. Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free. mega Despite being mentioned on investigator’s notes dozens of times, Buster, 26, has vehemently denied any involvement in Smith’s death. Even the lawyer for Smith’s mother, Eric Bland, dismissed Buster as a suspect and hinted the death could be a hate crime. “We have no direct knowledge that any Murdaugh was involved in any shape or form in Stephen’s murder,” Bland told Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, Smith’s remains were exhumed for a second autopsy and investigators have named two persons of interest in his death. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tan France is expecting his second child via surrogate. The ‘Queer Eye’ star and his husband Rob – whose first child, son Ismail, was born prematurely via surrogate in August 2021 – have announced they are set to become dads again. Tan, 39, gushed on ‘Milk Drunk: The Podcast’: “We are over the moon. “We’ve wanted this for a long time.” On the stigma surrounding surrogacy, he said: “These are career women, who have children, who just want to find a way to help people who desperately want children.” Sharing a clip from the interview on Instagram, he said: “Hard to believe it was two years ago today we announced Ismail was on his way! And today – we couldn’t be prouder to share that he’s going to be a big brother! “Becoming dads has been our greatest joy, and we are so excited to grow our family with the help of our wonderful surrogate.” Tan previously admitted he is “much more emotional” since becoming a father. He told PEOPLE magazine last year: “I have only cried a couple of times on [‘Queer Eye’]. But ever since I had my baby, it’s made me much more emotional. Much more emotional.” The 39-year-old fashion designer is currently in the UK filming ‘Say Yes To The Dress’, and he admitted being away from his son is “the hardest part, without a doubt, of being a working parent”. He added: “I’m working a lot of hours. And so sometimes I only get to just see him as we’re putting him to bed. “And that makes me really emotional because I really hate not having a lot of time with him. I just really miss him all the time.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Paul O’Grady’s funeral will reportedly be held at the safari park he loved to visit near his home. The animal-loving comedian, whose cause of death was revealed on Saturday (15.04.23) as cardiac arrhythmia after he passed away aged 67 on 28 March, is set to be honoured at a celebration of life-type ceremony at Port Lympne Safari Park in Hythe, Kent. A source told the Mail on Sunday about the plan: “Paul loved Port Lympne. He got to know some of its residents very well and it was thought by his nearest and dearest that it would be a beautiful idea to hold his funeral there so they are in attendance, too. Staff hope they can do him proud.” Port Lympne paid tribute to Paul – who gave a home to five abandoned dogs and spent years working with the Battersea animal charity – following his death, with a post on its Instagram page that said: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Paul O’Grady – a local supporter of Port Lympne and the work we do. We were incredibly grateful to have had him visit us.” Port Lympne’s 600 acres host more than 900 rare and endangered animals, including monkeys, lions and tigers. The resort also has Port Lympne Mansion Hotel, where guests have included Sir Winston Churchill and Prince Edward. Animal-lover Paul, famed for his acid-tongued Lily Savage drag queen character, is said to have judged contests at the park, which is three miles from the home he shared with his husband Andre Portasio in the village of Adlington. The Mail on Sunday reported as well as the ceremony on its grounds, it is thought there will be a service at a nearby church. In 2020, Paul – whose parents were killed by heart conditions – opened up about having endured three cardiac arrests, kidney failure and Covid. He suffered his previous heart attacks in 2002, 2006 and 2014. His husband Andre said last month in a statement about Paul’s passing: “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening. “We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss. “He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion.” View the full article

Published by Raw Story Smithsonian Institution officials scrambled to respond to numerous media requests — and alert Donald Trump’s political action committee — when news broke last year that the Trump PAC was funding a portrait of the 45th president destined for the National Portrait Gallery, according to government records obtained by Raw Story through a Freedom of Information Act request. The brouhaha followed news — first reported by Insider and matched by numerous other news organizations — that Trump’s Save America PAC made a “charitable contribution” worth $650,000 to fund official portraits for Trump and for… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Evan Garcia and Brad Brooks LLANO, Texas (Reuters) – A rural Texas county’s public libraries will remain open while a court battle continues over whether local officials can remove books deemed inappropriate, commissioners decided on Thursday. The Llano County commissioners in central Texas held a special meeting to consider closing the three public library branches after a federal judge’s ruling to return banned books to shelves and not censor any more. Llano County – with a population of about 22,000 located about 60 miles northwest of Austin – is the latest flashpoint in a battle over books in libraries across the U.S. The four commissioners and judge of the Llano County commissioners court, as the governing body is known, heard from 15 members of the public during a tense meeting before going into executive session. Most who spoke wanted the libraries to remain open. “Does Llano, Texas, want to be known as the town that closed the public library?” resident Lee Nelms asked. “That would be the death knell for a vibrant community.” But others said they wanted the libraries shut until books they labeled “pornographic” were out. They read aloud explicit sex scenes from books. County Judge Ron Cunningham, the top elected official in the county, announced after the executive session that the libraries would remain open and said “we will try this in the courts, not through social media or through news media”. He said the books had been returned to the shelves, but did not say when. Among the books removed, according to the lawsuit, were “Caste: The Origins of our Discontent” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson and “They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Over 1,600 titles, mostly addressing racism and LGBTQ issues, have been removed from libraries in 32 states in the past year, according to the writers’ organization PEN America. No state bans more books than Texas, according to PEN America. “Public libraries are not meant to serve particular ideological factions,” said Kasey Meehan, who directs the “Freedom to Read” project of PEN America. “They are meant to serve the community.” Some Llano County citizens in 2021 began requesting the removal of books that were included on a Texas Republican lawmaker’s list of titles that should be banned. The library board resisted and in 2022 it was dissolved by county commissioners. Commissioners then “packed the new library board with political appointees,” according to the lawsuit. Judge Robert Pitman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on March 30 issued a preliminary injunction ordering Llano County to return to library shelves “all print books that were removed because of their viewpoint or content.” He also ordered no more books be removed. (Reporting by Evan Garcia in Llano, Texas, and Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; editing by Donna Bryson and Sonali Paul) View the full article

Published by AlterNet If justices can be bought by billionaires, lifetime terms only enable corruption rather than protect the U.S. Supreme Court from undue influence. A pair of new investigative reports from ProPublica about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas are a testament to not only the importance of good journalism in a democracy, but also Thomas’s unfitness on the court, and the need for better guard rails against moneyed influence. The first bombshell story, “Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire,” highlighted how a wealthy man named Harlan Crow befriended Thomas after he became a Supreme Court justice and… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An evangelical Christian former mail carrier’s fight with the U.S. Postal Service over his refusal to work on Sundays gives the Supreme Court another chance to widen religious rights but also has led to a debate over whether religious people are more legally deserving than others to weekend days off from work. The justices are set to hear arguments on Tuesday in an appeal by Gerald Groff, a former mail carrier in Pennsylvania, of a lower court’s ruling rejecting his claim of religious discrimination against the Postal Service for refusing to exempt him from working on Sundays, when he observes the Christian Sabbath. Groff sued after being disciplined for repeatedly failing to show up when assigned a Sunday work shift. The court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, has a track record of expanding religious rights in recent years, often siding with Christian plaintiffs. A ruling favoring Groff could make it harder for businesses to deny a variety of religious accommodations to employees. “The whole point of religious accommodation is you have to make special or favored arrangements in order to have an inclusive workforce,” said Alan Reinach, one of Groff’s attorneys. Boston University School of Law employment law expert Michael Harper said that a ruling favoring Groff could “give a preference to the religious because they get to stay home on their Sabbath or their day of rest” that would be denied to nonreligious people. Harper added, “Whenever you depart from neutral standards it creates the potential for greater friction in the workplace.” Unions representing postal workers urged the Supreme Court to carefully consider the issue of hardship that religious accommodations for some employees could have on co-workers. “A day off is not the special privilege of the religious. Days off, especially on the weekend, are when parents can spend the day with children who are otherwise in school, when people can spend time on the other necessities of life, when the community enjoys a common day of rest for churchgoers and the nonreligious alike,” the American Postal Workers Union said in a brief. Groff’s case centers on a federal anti-discrimination law called Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on religion and other factors including race, sex and national origin. Under Title VII, employers must make allowances for a worker’s religious observance or practices unless that would cause the business “undue hardship” – which the Supreme Court in a 1977 case called Trans World Airlines v. Hardison determined to be anything imposing more than a minor, or “de minimis,” cost. Groff’s attorneys have asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Hardison precedent and require companies to show a “significant difficulty or expense” before denying an accommodation. Groups representing some religions that are in the minority in the United States including Islam, Judaism and Hinduism told the Supreme Court that the Hardison standard has disproportionately impacted them and should be revised. “By allowing employers to refuse to accommodate employees’ beliefs for almost any reason, Hardison forces devout employees to an impossible daily choice between religious duty and livelihood,” the Muslim Public Affairs Council wrote in a brief. Representing the Postal Service, President Joe Biden’s administration told the justices there is no need to reverse Hardison because the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency that enforces Title VII, and many lower courts already have interpreted that ruling to provide substantial protection for religious employees. James Phillips, a law professor at Chapman University in California, said a “strong majority” or even all the justices could side with Groff. “This may be one of those religious liberty cases where the right and the left are actually aligned,” Phillips said. SUNDAY DELIVERIES Groff worked as a “rural carrier associate” in the towns of Quarryville and Holtwood in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, a job that required him to fill in as needed for absent career carriers, including on weekends. The Postal Service in 2013, in a bid to remain profitable, contracted with Amazon.com to deliver packages, including on Sundays. Groff failed to report for assigned Sunday shifts. Postal officials sought to accommodate Groff by attempting to facilitate shift swaps, but were not always successful. His absences caused tension among other carriers who had to cover his shifts, the Postal Service said. Groff received several disciplinary letters and resigned in 2019. “I hope the Supreme Court reaffirms our nation’s commitment to providing equal opportunity and fair treatment in the workplace,” Groff said in a statement provided by his lawyers. University of Miami School of Law professor Caroline Mala Corbin, who specializes in law and religion, said that while the case could help minorities fully participate in the workforce, it also could tee up clashes between religious and secular values or LGBT rights. For instance, Corbin said, a conservative Christian employee might have a better chance seeking a religious accommodation to refuse to use a transgender co-worker’s preferred pronoun. “My worry is that the Supreme Court will use this case as an opportunity to cement its privileging of religion over equally important, competing interests – especially to the detriment of vulnerable groups,” Corbin said. A ruling is due by the end of June. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

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