News Round-Up: December 9, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• You could say things are going "swimmingly" down here in Puerto Vallarta. The views are very nice :)

• Speaking to OUT from the set of his new movie, Limited Partners, Billy Porter described the news of his Golden globe nomination for "Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama" for Pose as "unbelievable, it’s out of body, it’s surreal, it’s crazy. I’ve been in this business for 30 years, I’m speechless, and I’m a man of many words, so to make me speechless is a big deal."

• GOP Sen. Marco Rubio warns a presidential pardon for former campaign chair Paul Manafort would be a "terrible mistake" and could “trigger a debate about whether the pardon powers should be amended."

GOP Sen. Marco Rubio says repeatedly that President Trump pardoning former campaign chairman Paul Manafort would be a “terrible mistake,” and that doing so could possibly “trigger a debate about whether the pardon powers should be amended." https://t.co/H32i3GVklw #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/Mvfwueb0XH

— ABC News (@ABC) December 9, 2018

• Focus Features has acquired Michael Ausiello’s critically-acclaimed memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies with Dan Savage and David Marshall Grant to co-write the screenplay. The memoir is an emotional, often funny, account of Ausiello's 14-year relationship that ends with the heart-wrenching death of his husband Kit, who succumbed to a rare form of neuroendocrine cancer in 2015. Jim Parsons is set to star.

• Vanity Fair: Donald Trump wonders if he should dump Vice President Mike Pence in 2020?

• Robyn has released the official music video for her hit, "Honey," featuring dancers cast from a call sent out on her Twitter account.

The chosen dancers were flown to London for the shoot from all around the world.

According to press materials, “Robyn wanted the process of making the video to also embody her mantra of bringing people together and communicating in person…It is a testament to love, sensuality and the loose feeling during the after-hours of a great party."

Quote Of The Day: Sen. Marco Rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio

In a recent interview with The Economist, Sen. Marco Rubio admitted the much-ballyhooed 2017 GOP tax cuts haven't helped lower and middle class Americans:

"There is still a lot of thinking on the right that if big corporations are happy, they’re going to take the money they’re saving and reinvest it in American workers. In fact they bought back shares, a few gave out bonuses; there’s no evidence whatsoever that the money’s been massively poured back into the American worker.”

Highlights: Students, Parents & Teachers Face Off With Marco Rubio And NRA At Gun Violence Town Hall

Fred Guttenberg faces off with Sen. Marco Rubio

Last night's Town Hall hosted by CNN was a rough ride for Sen. Marco Rubio and NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch as they took questions from parents and students regarding the tragic gun massacre that took place last week in Parkland, Florida.

You can listen to and read a full transcript of the Town Hall moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper here.

Just a few highlights:

• Fred Guttenberg, father of Jaime Guttenberg who was killed in the shooting, told Rubio “your comments this week and those of our president have been pathetically weak.”

“Look at me and tell me. Guns were the factor in the hunting of our kids in this school this week,” Guttenberg said. “And look at me and tell me you accept it and you will work with us to do something about guns.”

Rubio later tweeted, "Banning all semi-auto weapons may have been popular with the audience at #CNNTownHall, but it is a position well outside the mainstream."

Father of Florida school shooting victim confronts Sen. Marco Rubio: "Your comments this week and those of our President have been pathetically weak" https://t.co/puYEwpdgTl #StudentsStandUp https://t.co/AC5Zh1NuJa

— CNN (@CNN) February 22, 2018

• Student Cameron Kasky asked Rubio to say he wouldn’t take more money from the NRA. Rubio has received over $3.3 million from the NRA over the course of his political career.

“Can you tell me you won’t take a single donation from the NRA?” Kasky said. “In the name of the 17 people who died, you can’t ask the NRA to keep their money?” Rubio did not answer, saying only “people buy into my agenda.”

Florida school shooting survivor Cameron Kasky challenges Sen. Marco Rubio: "Can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA?" https://t.co/LiU42QFBEv #StudentsStandUp https://t.co/p6jlUGFxOs

— CNN (@CNN) February 22, 2018

• Student Ryan Deitsch asked Rubio why it's fallen to students and young people to take up the cause of gun violence after our lawmakers have dodged the issue for so long.

“We would like to know why do we have to be the ones to do this?” Deitsch asked. “Why do we have to speak out to the [state] Capitol? Why do we have to march on Washington, just to save innocent lives?"

Marjory Stoneman Douglas senior Ryan Deitsch asked Florida Sen. Marco Rubio why he and other students "have to march on Washington just to save innocent lives" https://t.co/rXpL971Ypr #StudentsStandUp pic.twitter.com/s8l35SEql1

— CNN (@CNN) February 22, 2018

• And the insanely calm and confident Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Emma González asked NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch if the NRA supports making it harder to obtain semiautomatic and fully automatic weapons.

“Dana Loesch, I want you to know that we will support your two children in a way that you will not,” said Gonzalez. “The shooter at our school obtained weapons that he used on us legally. Do you think that it should be harder to obtain these semiautomatic and the modifications for these weapons that make them fully automatic like bump stocks?”

NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch: "This individual was nuts. ... None of us support people who are crazy, who are dangerous to themselves, who are a danger to others, getting their hands on a firearm." https://t.co/V50uSV8IiG #StudentsStandUp https://t.co/P5SiokWN3S

— CNN (@CNN) February 22, 2018

News Round-Up: April 25, 2017

Instastud Tyler James

Some news items you might have missed:

• Well, hello Mr. Tyler James (above). Nice sheet you have there...

• Madonna is not very happy about a possible biopic about her early days in NYC that just got picked up by Universal. See her post from Instagram:

Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen. Only I can tell my story. 📚Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool. 🤡. Looking for instant gratification without doing the work. This is a disease in our society. ✍️🙃

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:26am PDT

• 51 Republicans have written to the President asking him to sign an executive order that would legalize LGBT discrimination based on "protecting religious liberty."

• Sen. Marco Rubio spoke out against the torture and murders of gay men in Chechnya from the floor of the U.S. Senate. #HellHasOfficiallyFrozenOver

• That pastor who declared that the victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre "got what they deserved?" He just got 35 years in prison for child molestation. #GotWhatHeDeserved

• Xavier Jugele, the 37-year-old police officer who was gunned down in Paris last week, was eulogized by his partner today in a moving memorial ceremony.

Watch below with subtitles.

The husband of the policeman who was murdered last week in Paris delivers an emotional eulogy at his memorial service pic.twitter.com/yGfVNQ1IXZ

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) April 25, 2017

News Round-Up: October 25, 2016

Pita Taufatofua

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Tonagan Olympian Pita Taufatofua is still dancing in our dreams.

• Sen. Marco Rubio booed off the stage by Hispanic crowd at a campaign stop in Orlando, Florida.

• Professional d*ck Sean Hannity promises to fly Obama and family to Kenya on the condition they "can't come back."

• The Cook Political Report predicts Democrats will regain control of the U.S. Senate by picking up 5-7 seats this election cycle.

• In a blow to the RNC, the Trump campaign says it's done with high-dollar fundraising events. "We've kind of wound down."

• The Real O'Neals "Kenny" gets ready to celebrate his first Halloween as an openly gay teen - "The Gay Super Bowl!"

Orlando: Marco Rubio Softens Anti-LGBT Rhetoric At Conservative Conference

Sen. Marco Rubio

In an eyebrow raising speech to the Liberty Counsel in Orlando today, virulently anti-LGBT Sen. Marco Rubio appeared to soften his rhetoric against gays and lesbians. His appearance had been criticized for the timing coinciding with the two month anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting that left 49 LGBTs dead.

As many know, Rubio has been a devout opponent of LGBT rights including marriage equality.

Today, he told Christian conservatives that they should take note of the consequences of intolerance.

From the New York Times:

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who has faced widespread condemnation for agreeing to speak at a conference alongside Christian conservatives who have denounced homosexuality and gay rights, used his speech to the group on Friday to warn of the costs of intolerance.

His remarks in Orlando, Fla., not far from the site of the massacre at a gay nightclub in June, were his most extensive yet in public on the subject of prejudice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. And he struck a notably softer tone than during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, during which he repeatedly reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage.

While he repeated his belief that marriage should not be redefined to include same-sex couples, his speech touched on the history of discrimination against gays, which he asked his audience to consider.

“When it comes to our brothers and our sisters, our fellow Americans, our neighbors in the L.G.B.T. community, we should recognize,” he said, that American history “has been marred by discrimination against and rejection of gays and lesbians.”

He then walked through a list of examples that included discriminatory hiring practices by the federal government, raids of gay establishments by the police and the proliferation of anti-gay slurs.

I can't imagine that this kind of speech is what the folks at the “Rediscovering God in America” conference were expecting from Rubio.

DNC Denounces Donald Trump, Marco Rubio Attending Anti-LGBT Hate Fest

A joint statement from Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile and DNC LGBT Caucus Chair Earl Fowlkes publicly denounces GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio for participating in today's anti-LGBT hate fest in Orlando.

“Instead of honoring the memory of those we lost at Pulse two months ago, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio have come to Orlando to headline a gathering of some of the nation’s most incendiary anti-gay bigots.

"We at the DNC join all people of good conscience in expressing our solidarity with the Orlando LGBT community as they continue to grieve the deadliest shooting in American history.

"We suggest Trump and Rubio disavow these anti-gay extremists who have likened gay people to Nazis and characterized HIV/AIDS as divine ‘penalties’ for being gay. Failing to do so will be yet another example of the utter lack of judgment that makes Trump unfit to serve.”

The “Rediscovering God in America Renewal Project”, a gathering of anti-LGBT pastors, is taking place exactly two months after the attack on LGBT Americans at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando which left 49 dead and dozens injured.

Twitter folks are not amused:

@marcorubio & @realDonaldTrump shamefully show <3 for guns & homophobes in Orlando today. #ForThe49 pic.twitter.com/kHwdb3nGbR

— Organize Now! (@OrgNow) August 11, 2016

Marco Rubio Apologized To Trump For Making Fun Of The Size Of His "Hands"

CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday morning’s State of the Union asked Sen. Marco Rubio about the moment Rubio's presidential campaign seemed to "jump the shark" - when Rubio raised the issue of Donald Trump’s penis on the campaign trail, and thereby causing it to be read into the historical record at a subsequent debate.

Rubio revealed that he apologized to Trump for the incident, because “that’s not who I am”: I apologized to him for that. I said “I’m sorry I said that, it’s not who I am, and I shouldn’t have done it.”

(h/t JMG)

Marco Rubio: "I Want To Be Helpful" To Donald Trump

After spending months attacking - sometimes to the point of belittling Donald Trump - Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has finally turned the corner, reworked the thoughts in his head, and is fully behind the Trumpster for president.

In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Rubio said, “I want to be helpful. I don’t want to be harmful, ’cause I don’t want Hillary Clinton to be president.”

Once considered the great, young hope of the GOP, I think he looks a bit defeated still.

In related news, although Rubio has announced he will not seek reelection for his U.S. Senate seat in Florida, folks in the Sunshine State are worried the seat could flip.

And so, Republicans - including one-time foe Donald Trump - are urging Rubio to reconsider.

Poll data shows that @marcorubio does by far the best in holding onto his Senate seat in Florida. Important to keep the MAJORITY. Run Marco!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2016

Marco Rubio Gets Applause For Returning To His Job

A few minutes ago, @marcorubio U.S. Senate staff welcomed him back to the office: pic.twitter.com/neRSJ1ANMD

— Alex Burgos (@BurgosGOP) March 17, 2016

After ending his presidential campaign Tuesday night, Sen. Marco Rubio returned to the U.S. Senate today.

His staff greeted him with applause as he made his way to his office.

Having missed 34 of 37 roll call votes in the Senate this year, you have to wonder if he remembered how to find his own office.

Marco Rubio Wins Big In Puerto Rico's Republican Primary

CNN projects @marcorubio will win the GOP Puerto Rico primary https://t.co/DkPyle0Wrv #CNNElection https://t.co/tkIAaLIS9D

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 6, 2016

As I understand it, Puerto Rico's rules allow anyone getting over 50% of the vote takes all 23 delegates.

This marks the second win for Rubio in this presidential primary season.

Marco Rubio: "Donald Trump Is A Con Artist"

Donald Trump is a con artist — and he cannot be our nominee. #NeverTrump https://t.co/3ZYQZraCfNhttps://t.co/8wm9ToY7El

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 27, 2016

I personally agree with Sen. Marco Rubio.

But, given how these things play out, how does Rubio u-turn and support Trump in a general election after this? Because that is what will be expected of him.

Share your thoughts in the comments. I'm curious what folks think...

It's time to take the mask off of Donald Trump. #NeverTrump https://t.co/PYazfEzPfy

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 27, 2016

.@marcorubio slams @realDonaldTrump: "He's flying around on Hair Force One and tweeting" https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim https://t.co/dDo3Q0EA5B

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 27, 2016

Marco Rubio Goes Full-On Against Donald Trump On Campaign Trail

In the aftermath of last night's Republican debate where Sen. Marco Rubio attacked front-runner Donald Trump over and over again, Rubio continued the assault on the campaign trail touching on every possible insult he could find from the Donald touching up his makeup at the debate to several misspelled tweets today.

“He had this little makeup thing applying, like makeup around his mustache, because he had one of those sweat mustaches. He wanted a full-length mirror. Maybe to make sure his pants weren't wet. I don't know.”

“‘Wow every poll said I won the debate last night.' Now this is him about himself, okay — ‘Great honer.’ I think he meant to say honor. I don’t know how he got that wrong because the e and the o are nowhere near each other on the keyboard.”

“How does this guy in not one tweet but three tweets misspell words so badly? I only reach two conclusions. Number one, that's how they spell those words at the Wharton School of Business where he went. Or number two, just like Trump Tower, he must have hired a foreign worker to do his own tweets.”

“You all have friends thinking about voting for Donald Trump. Friends do not let friends vote for con artists.”

It was practically a Don Rickles routine.

Clearly the GOP establishment leaned on Rubio to do SOMETHING to slow Trump's assent to nominee. But is it too late?

Watch Rubio campaigning today below. It's practically a stand-up comedy act.

Riddle Me This

New Poll: Marco Rubio Trails Donald Trump By Double-Digits In His Homestate Of Florida

In the first new poll since former Gov. Jeb Bush dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump has a big lead over Sen. Marco Rubio in the state of Florida.

It goes without saying that Rubio represents Florida in the U.S. Senate.

This is very bad news for Rubio.

The survey, by Quinnipiac University, shows Trump leading Rubio 44-28 percent less than three weeks before Florida’s March 15 primary. And voters — tens of thousands of them — are already casting ballots by mail, which leaves Rubio very little time to make up the deficit against the Republican front-runner.

“If Sen. Rubio can’t win in his own home state, it is difficult to see how he can win elsewhere,” said a statement from Peter A. Brown, the poll’s assistant director.

It's worth noting that the Florida Republican primary is "winner take all." So Rubio's current trend of coming in second will do him no good in this scenario.

Contrast this news with the RealClearPolitics Texas GOP poll averages showing Sen. Ted Cruz leading in HIS home state of Texas over Donald Trump and Rubio by about 7%.

Click to enlarge

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley To Endore Marco Rubio

South Carolina Governor @nikkihaley is endorsing @marcorubio https://t.co/Nfr6moFVlq pic.twitter.com/hX67r335H0

— CNN (@CNN) February 17, 2016

I wonder if this will be enough for Rubio to inch past Ted Cruz into the number two spot in South Carolina?

Donald Trump supporter and all-around nutcase Ann Coulter was not happy.

Hey South Carolina! The woman who ripped down your Confederate symbols & demands no pause in Muslim immigration just endorsed Mario Rubio.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) February 17, 2016

Marco Rubio: Obama Shouldn't Appoint New SCOTUS Justice With Just "A Few Months" Left In His Presidency

Sen. Marco Rubio took to just about every Sunday morning show he could find to say President Obama should not appoint a replacement for the late Antonin Scalia because Obama has only a "few months" left in his presidency.

From Raw Story:

On Meet the Press, Rubio again insisted that there should be no nominations from a “president nearing the last few months of his administration.”

“Do presidential terms end after three years?” NBC host Chuck Todd shot back at the candidate.

“There comes a point in the last year of the president, especially in their second term, where you stop nominating,” Rubio said. “You basically say, at this point, with a few months left in your term, no accountability from the ballot box on the appointment you’re going to make — on a lifetime appointment.”

“Eleven months!” Todd interrupted.

Republicans keep saying there's an 80 year precedent of not confirming justices in a president's last year, which is false. Justice Anthony Kennedy was confirmed in February of President Reagan's final year in office.

Marco Rubio Blames The Media For His Fifth Place Showing In New Hampshire Primary

After finishing a disappointing fifth place in the New Hampshire Republican primary last night, Sen. Marco Rubio blamed the media for his crushing loss.

Appearing on Fox News today, Rubio said that because the media did it's job and reported on, among other things, his "crash and burn" performance at the GOP debate Saturday night, folks didn't want to vote for him.

Via Politico:

“What happened is obviously Saturday night the debate went the way it went, and then just the media coverage over the last 72 hours was very negative about it and so forth,” Rubio said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends.” “So the last thing voters heard going into the booth yesterday was, you know, something bad happened Saturday night. And so it made it very difficult for us to get any other message across.”

Rubio was excoriated following Saturday’s debate after Chris Christie called the Florida senator out for his “memorized 25-second speech” — a line Rubio used several times in the debate about how President Barack Obama "knows exactly what he’s doing" and vowed to keep using on the trail despite the harsh criticism.

Many have predicted that last night may be the beginning of the end of Rubio's career in elective politics. He has stated he does not plan on running for reelection for the U.S. Senate this fall.

Marco Rubio T2000 Short Circuits Again - Repeats Same Campaign Line

The Marco Rubio T2000's robot programming hit another glitch last night as he repeated the same line about "ramming down our throats" twice.

You can see he pauses at the:26 mark, not sure if he's said the line already or not.

“We are taking our message to families that are struggling to raise their children in the 21st century because, as you saw, Jeanette and I are raising our four children in the 21st century, and we know how hard it’s become to instill our values in our kids instead of the values they try to ram down our throats.”

“In the 21st century, it’s become harder than ever to instill in your children the values they teach in our homes and in our church instead of the values that they try to ram down our throats in movies, in music, in popular culture.”

The Rubio T2000 has come under fire since the last GOP debate this past Saturday when he kept repeating the same memorized talking point "President Obama knows exactly what he's doing..." over and over to much ridicule.

New Hampshire Voter Asks Rubio: "Why Do You Want To Put Me Back In The Closet?"

During a New Hampshire campaign stop at the Puritan Backroom Diner last night, Senator Marco Rubio didn't get the reception he was hoping for when a middle-aged gay man asked, “Why do you want to put me back in the closet?”

Rubio's answer was not convincing: “I don’t, you can live any way you want.”

From the New York Times:

The voter, who identified himself as Timothy Kierstead, was seated at a table with his mother and his husband when Mr. Rubio walked up behind him, according to pool reports of the encounter. During a brief conversation, Mr. Kierstead, 50, told Mr. Rubio that he was married but complained that the senator’s position amounted to him declaring that “we don’t matter.”

Mr. Rubio, who was standing with his youngest son, Dominick, 8, by his side, gently disagreed. “No, I just believe marriage is between one man and one woman.”

“Well,” replied Mr. Kierstead, “that’s your belief.”

Mr. Rubio continued: “I think that’s what the law should be. And if you don’t agree you should have the law changed by a legislature.”

Mr. Kierstead said the law had already been changed, referring either to a Supreme Court ruling that has legalized same-sex marriage across the country or to state legislation in New Hampshire that did the same.

Mr. Rubio decided to conclude their conversation. “I respect your view,” he said, patting Mr. Kierstead on the shoulder and starting to walk away.

Mr. Kierstead was unsatisfied. “Typical politician,” he said loudly. “Walk away.”

New Hampshire was actually the first state to freely legislate marriage equality.