politics
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With anti-LGBTQ bills continuing to sweep across the U.S. at a high speed, some of the most prominent drag performers in the world got together on Sunday (May 7) to say that enough is enough.
The Drag Isn’t Dangerous livestream telethon, hosted by Justin Martindale, Alaska 5000, Peppermint and Adam Shankman and created by Producer Entertainment Group, raised more than $500,000 for LGBTQ charities. The event saw performers including RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7 winner Jinkx Monsoon, Jake Wesley Rogers, Bob the Drag Queen and more take to the stage in both live and pre-taped performances to help raise money for organizations benefiting the queer community.
Along with performances, the event also featured a number of testimonials from LGBTQ entertainers and noted allies such as Margaret Cho, Adam Lambert, Charlize Theron, Sarah Silverman and Melissa McCarthy, who spoke out against the rampant discrimination being faced by LGBTQ people everywhere. In one of the most blistering statements of the evening, RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage blasted state legislatures aiming to restrict drag performances.
“I wish I could say that I am glad to be here, but I am appalled I have to be at something called Drag Isn’t Dangerous,” she said during the event. “Imagine a world where dancers are told they can’t dance; imagine a world where artists are told they cannot take paint to canvas … because it is ‘bad for children.’ That is what is happening to drag right now.”
All proceeds from the event are being split among a pool of charities, including GLAAD, GLSEN, Headcount, Black Queer Town Hall, The ACLU Drag Defense Fund, Trans Justice Funding Project and the Victory Fund to support and defend drag performers against anti-drag legislation in states such as Tennessee and Florida.
In addition, the telethon featured the debut of the new groove-fueled charity single “Drag Isn’t Dangerous,” performed by Jayelle and Ocean Kelly. Now available on all streaming services, the new single is similarly donating all proceeds to the charities mentioned above.
For those who missed the live telethon, fear not — you can purchase a ticket to watch the full stream here. Additional donations can be made on Drag Isn’t Dangerous’ official GoFundMe page, and more information surrounding the charities and performers involved can be found at the group’s official website.
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Herschel Walker and his failed bid for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat was disastrous from the onset and now, incriminating emails show that Walker solicited thousands of dollars for his campaign for his own use. The former football star actually obtained over $500,000 from one donor that he placed into an LLC and never reported the donation per campaign finance rules.
The Daily Beast published exclusive details regarding Herschel Walker and the funds in which he swindled wads of cash from donor Dennis Washington, who was led to believe the money was going to the campaign.
From The Daily Beast:
Emails obtained by The Daily Beast—and verified as authentic by a person with knowledge of the exchanges—show that Walker asked Washington to wire $535,200 directly to that undisclosed company, HR Talent, LLC.
And the emails reveal that not only did Washington complete Walker’s wire requests, he was under the impression that these were, in fact, political contributions.
In the best possible circumstances, legal experts told The Daily Beast, the emails suggest violations of federal fundraising rules; in the worst case, they could be an indication of more serious crimes, such as wire fraud.
The publication notes that Walker was well aware of the campaign donation rules so it is possible he returned the money or directed it to a Super PAC in support of the campaign. However, Walker never contributed any of his own funds to the campaign nor was the money from Washington directed back to the Super Pac.
The entire piece on Herschel Walker is fascinating and completely depicts how brazen his actions were. Given the fact that Georgia became something of a political hot spot in the wake of the 2020 elections that Donald Trump lost, Walker seemingly didn’t figure in that scrutiny into his political dealings would be stringent at the least.
Read the entire piece here.
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Photo: Getty
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Donald Trump will not go away quietly in the night, especially if major news networks continue to give him a platform to tout his MAGA philosophies at will. The former Swindler-In-Chief will appear in a town hall hosted by CNN, and the timing looks just a little curious.
As pointed out by the homies Crooks and Liars, CNN announced that the network will open its channels to host the town hall that puts Donald Trump back into the national spotlight. Despite the fact that the business mogul is embroiled in several legal tie-ups, Trump still holds sway over the Republican Party and the rabid MAGA base who want to see him returned to power.
More from CNN:
“CNN This Morning” anchor Kaitlan Collins will moderate the event at St. Anselm College, which will air at 9 p.m. ET on May 10 and will feature the former president taking questions from New Hampshire Republicans and undeclared voters who plan to vote in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.
This will be Trump’s first appearance on CNN since the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump is positioning himself to become the Republican Party nominee for the 2024 presidential race and seems to be the frontrunner according to some analysts. If successful, the race could be a repeat of 2020 as President Joe Biden announced plans to run for reelection.
The timing of this town hall might ring curious to some as CNN just fired anchor Don Lemon, a known critic of Donald Trump. Looks a little funny in the light if you ask us.
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Photo: Getty
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The Restoring Artistic Protection Act, largely known as the RAP Act, was previously introduced by Congressmen Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Jamaal Bowman (NY-16). If signed into law, the RAP Act would offer artists some protections regarding their lyrics being used to try a criminal case in court.
On April 28, Congressmen Johnson and Bowman issued a press release announcing their attention to bring the RAP Act bill back to the House floor for debate. The bill was introduced in the 117th Congress and is the first of its kind to reach the federal level.
From the press release:
“This legislation is long overdue,” said Congressman Johnson. “For too long, artists – particularly young Black artists – have been unfairly targeted by prosecutors who use their lyrics as evidence of guilt, even though there is no evidence that the lyrics are anything more than creative expression. When you allow music and creativity to be silenced, you’re opening the door for other realms of free speech to be curtailed as well. The government should not be able to silence artists simply because they write, draw, sing, or rap about controversial or taboo subjects. The Restoring Artistic Protection Act (RAP Act) would protect artists’ First Amendment rights by limiting the admissibility of their lyrics as evidence in criminal and civil proceedings.”
“Rap, hip-hop and every lyrical musical piece is a beautiful form of art and expression that must be protected,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16). “I am proud to introduce the RAP Act alongside Rep. Hank Johnson. Our judicial system disparately criminalizes Black and brown people, including Black and brown creativity. For example, Tommy Munsdwell Canady is a young 17-year-old kid serving a life sentence whose conviction heavily relied upon lyrics he wrote. I was deeply moved to hear that Mr. Canady continues to pursue his art in the face of our carceral systems that would otherwise stifle Black art. He is not an outlier. Evidence shows when juries believe lyrics to be rap lyrics, there’s a tendency to presume it’s a confession, whereas lyrics for other genres of music are understood to be art, not factual reporting. This act would ensure that our evidentiary standards protect the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. We cannot imprison our talented artists for expressing their experiences nor will we let their creativity be suppressed.”
The press release added that over 500 criminal cases have used rap lyrics in court against defendants.
A bevy of music industry figures, such as Kevin Liles and groups like the Black Music Action Coalition have placed their support behind the RAP Act bill.
The press release can be viewed here, along with the bill.
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As the “culture wars” around basic human rights for trans people continues, Kiss singer-guitarist Paul Stanley is sharing his thoughts on best-practice medical care for minors.
In a tweet on Sunday (April 30) titled “My Thoughts On What I’m Seeing,” Stanley wrote that he is concerned about children being given access to gender-affirming care. “There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participation in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification,” he wrote.
He added that adults “may decide reassignment is their needed choice,” but said that children should not be eligible for gender-affirming surgeries and procedures. “Turning this into a game or parents normalizing it as some sort of natural alternative or believing that because a little boy likes to play dress up in his sister’s clothes or a girl in her brother’s, we should lead them steps further down a path that’s far from the innocence of what they are doing,” he wrote.
Both the Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health do not recommend gender-affirming surgical intervention before 18 years of age, unless the patient, their doctor and a mental health professional all agree that intervention is necessary.
Closing his statement, Stanley claimed that too many parents were confusing “teaching acceptance with normalizing and encouraging a situation that has been a struggle for those truly affected and have turned it into a sad and dangerous trend.”
Billboard has reached out to Stanley’s representatives for further comment from the guitarist and other members of Kiss.
The guitarist’s claims are part of an ongoing misinformation campaign regarding gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Multiple states have banned gender-affirming care for minors, claiming that “irreversible” healthcare affecting one’s gender shouldn’t be an option for those under the age of 18 — though some legislatures in Texas, Kansas and elsewhere have begun quietly attempting to raise that minimum age to 26.
While these claims about “irreversible” procedures are common, the facts show that they are largely false. In an interview with Billboard last year, Dr. Joshua D. Safer, MD, explained that the kind of surgeries many of these right-wing lawmakers and Stanley are concerned about are already “typically reserved for adults,” with only extraordinary cases requiring more immediate intervention. “Prior to any gender-affirming medical or surgical intervention, all minors must have an intake with a knowledgeable mental health provider internal to our system. Once deemed ready for a medical/surgical intervention, the processes we have for adults are then brought into play,” he said.
Stanley’s statement is also directly refuted by every major medical organization in the U.S., including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association, all of whom agree that gender-affirming care is not only not dangerous for trans youth, but in most cases, highly beneficial and life-saving.
Read Stanley’s full statement below:
Old Crow Medicine Show has earned a reputation for top-shelf musicianship and hits including the now-classic “Wagon Wheel,” but the two-time Grammy-winning group is also advocating for gun reforms.
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The group has released the protest song “Louder Than Guns” to all streaming platforms, in partnership with 97Percent, a bipartisan gun-safety organization that is working to create research-backed policies supported by both gun owners and non-gun owners.
Old Crow bandleader and Nashville resident Ketch Secor wrote the song in the aftermath of the March 27 school shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, which took the lives of three children and three school staffers. (The shooter was also killed during the incident.) “This time it was people I know, gunned down in a minute or so/ Only God knows when it’ll stop/ But thoughts and prayers ain’t enough,” Secor sings in the song.
“When the lives of six teachers and students were snuffed out in a couple minutes at Covenant School in Nashville, I knew I had to speak out, and so I sought every opportunity to do so,” Secor said via a statement. “I wrote the song ‘Louder Than Guns’ and recorded it just a week after the funerals for the slain. Before we recorded the track, I carved their names in my fiddle — Hallie, Evelyn, William, the three 9-year-olds, and Mike, Cynthia and Katherine, the three educators. I dedicate this song to them because I swore when the shooting came to Nashville, I was going to work my hardest to make it the last stop on this runaway train of murders, gun violence and terror. I stand up not knowing the answers as to how this will be done. I am a musician, not a politician. But I will use my voice from now on to demand the change our communities deserve. Won’t you join us in Old Crow Medicine Show and take a stand in your community, too?”
Secor, a father of two children and a co-founder of The Episcopal School of Nashville, has been a leading voice for change following the shooting at The Covenant School. He performed at a benefit concert at Belmont University’s The Fisher Center to support those impacted by the Nashville school shooting, as well as at a vigil held in downtown Nashville. He is also joining the board of the 97Percent.
On Wednesday (April 26), 97Percent and Wunderman Thompson launched the Aim For Change campaign, a petition featuring four gun reform laws that 97Percent’s research shows are supported by gun owners.
Of the band’s partnership with 97Percent, Secor said, “We’re proud to partner with 97Percent, an organization focused on pragmatic, impactful solutions that both non-gun owners and gun owners want, because we recognize the huge importance of getting through the gridlock on the issue of gun violence. Parents across America must set the example for politicians; the time is now for the Left and Right to come together at the bargaining table. As 97Percent believes, we’re never going to make progress without engaging gun owners. Old Crow hopes our partnership will be a calling to gun owners and sportsmen. The time to act is now and both sides simply must come together before the next innocent lives are lost.”
Listen to “Louder Than Guns” below:
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Tucker Carlson, he of slanted opinions and owner of one of the most punchable faces in America, is now out of a job. According to rapidly developing reports, the longtime Fox News host has agreed to part ways amicably with the network, or that is what allegedly happened.
Tucker Carlson, 53, has been a Fox News media team member since 2009 after a three-year stint with MSNBC. Carlson has hosted the Tucker Carlson Tonight show on Fox News since 2016.
Via a statement that was first reported by the Associated Press, Fox News said that they “agreed to part ways” with Carlson, and this announcement comes just after the network settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems and how the network reported on the 2020 election.
Carlson, whose show was one of the most popular on the network, aired its last episode this past Friday (April 21).
“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” added the press release from Fox News.
Carlson has attracted plenty of attention as one of the leading voices in so-called conservative media, and also for his on-air gaffes and outward support of former president Donald Trump. Carlson’s departure from Fox News likely wasn’t over the $787 million settlement the network has to pay Dominion Voting Systems However, Carlson did question the network’s coverage of the election and privately stated that he was not a true fan of Trump.
On Twitter, the news of Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News is starting to bubble with reactions from most rubbing a bit of salt in the wound. Given the rise of podcasts that lean right of center coming out, Carlson should be working again in no time.
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Photo: Getty
As U.S. state legislatures continue to try and make this Pride season a “Cruel Summer” for drag performers, actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are telling them “You Need to Calm Down” with the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
In an Instagram post on Sunday (April 23), Bacon and Sedgwick are dancing around their living room to Taylor Swift’s Midnights track “Karma,” while wearing T-shirts that read “drag is an art and drag is a right” over an image of a drag performer. Swift’s lyrics helped drive the message home, as she’s heard singing “I keep my side of the street clean/ You wouldn’t know what I mean” while the celebrity couple groove along — by doing the “Karma” dance that the pop star has been performing during her Eras Tour, of course.
Bacon expounded on the topic in the caption, urging his fans to support the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund going after anti-drag bills being passed throughout the U.S. “Drag bans are bad karma. Right now, drag performers and the LGBTQIA+ community need our help,” he wrote. “Tap the link in my bio to shop the @SixDegreesOfKB campaign supporting the @aclu_nationwide Drag Defense Fund in the nationwide effort to protect creative expression or make a gift. #DragIsARight.”
After publishing their video, the couple received plenty of support from fellow actors such as Alyssa Milano and Rosanna Arquette in their comments section. Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Peter Frampton shared Bacon and Sedgwick’s video on Twitter, simply adding, “Yes #DragIsARight thank you guys!”
The couple’s video comes after multiple states have passed or forwarded legislation that would ban drag artists from performing in public spaces. Tennessee passed its drag ban in early March, before a federal judge temporarily blocked the law from taking effect via a temporary restraining order until May 26, calling the statute “both vague and overly broad.”
This also isn’t the first time that Bacon has spoken out on the state of anti-LGBTQ affairs this year. When the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 performed a “Rusical” based off of Footloose earlier this year, Bacon applauded the queens on his Instagram Stories, saying , “With all the recent anti-drag bills, this came at just the right time.”
Check out Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick’s dance clip below:
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Source: Pacific Press / Getty
Republican congressman George Santos has reportedly introduced a bill named for Nicki Minaj as part of his re-election announcement.
The controversial politician announced his intent to run for re-election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District based in Queens in 2024 on Monday (April 17th). On Tuesday (April 18th), he also introduced seven new bills – one of which has been named “The Minaj Act” after rapper Nicki Minaj. According to political reporter Kadia Goba, the purpose of the “Medical Information Nuanced Accountability Judgement Act” is to create “a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence.”
According to a statement from Santos, the proposed bill also “seeks to prohibit any Federal Government from imposing any mandate requiring an individual to receive a vaccine that has not been authorized for marketing for at least ten years.”
The news of naming the bill after the Pinkprint rapper and Queens native raised some eyebrows. Minaj has been vocal in the past about the COVID-19 vaccine, expressing reluctance to take it through social media. “They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one”, she wrote in 2021.
She would continue in another tweet that her cousin declared that he would never get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying his friend took it and “became impotent,” and experienced “swollen testicles” as a result leading to his fiancée calling off their wedding. According to the Centers for Disease Control, testicular swelling is not a side effect of taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Minaj would then claim she had been invited to The White House to discuss her skepticism about the vaccines, but then-Press Secretary Jen Psaki would clarify that the artist was only offered an early-stage phone call. Representatives for Nicki Minaj didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The introduction of the bill is the latest head-scratching moment from Santos while he has been in office. The congressman, who has been accused of multiple fabrications about his background and career (which include lying about having Jewish roots and his mother dying in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks), is now under investigation for allegedly stealing $3,000 from a GoFundMe set up through his charity meant to benefit a disabled veteran and his dying dog.
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Source: STEFANI REYNOLDS / Getty / Jack Teixeira
A member of the National Guard is in BIG TROUBLE with the US government for trying to look cool to members of his private Discord channel.
NBC News first reported law enforcement officials linked 21-year-old Texas Airman Jack Teixeira to a trove of confidential documents leaked on Discord, a voice, video, and text chat app popular among gamers and Twitch streamers.
Texiera was arrested at his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, for his stupid actions, on Thursday, April 13. He appeared in federal court on Friday and was charged with unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents and materials.
He faces up to 15 years in prison if he is found guilty.
“Today, the Justice Department arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
The Pentagon was aware of the sensitive information on Discord, Twitter, Telegram, and 4chan last week. Most of the leaks pertain to the Russian-Ukraine war and information about the United States spying on Russia and its allies.
What Allegedly Was In The Documents
Some experts believe these leaks could strain the US’ relationships with its allies. One of the documents reportedly revealed that Serbia supplied Ukraine with much-needed lethal aid in its fight against its invader, Russia.
Some of the documents even had alterations. In one example, a document found on a Telegram channel falsely claimed that Ukraine had lost more soldiers in the war than Russia than what is being documented.
Further investigations determined that the documents were posted earlier than previously believed, and third parties shared them to other channels. According to an investigation conducted by Bellingcat, the documents might have been published as far back as January.
He Did It For Clout
Per the Washington Post, Teixeira was known as OG in the private Discord server hilariously called “Thug Shaker Central.” In the group, Teixeira and the other members would discuss video games and their love for guns and share racist memes.
Teixeira reportedly typed up the documents first, but when he noticed members didn’t care, he began sharing actual photos of the confidential docs. According to the New York Times, the FBI connected Teixeira to the leak because of the interior decorations, countertops, and flooring on display in the photos.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Thinks Jack Teixiera Is A Victim
Far-Right Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene did not waste time putting on her treasonous cape for the young traitor. She defended him because he was “white, male, Christian, and antiwar,” claiming that makes him an “enemy to the Biden regime.”
Tucker Carlson also got in on defending the treasonous behavior during a segment of his god-awful Fox News show.
Let this be a lesson to you all, don’t use your Discord channel to peddle confidential government information. It won’t work out for you in the end.
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Photo: STEFANI REYNOLDS / Getty