In the aftermath of being fired from the Broadway-bound play, Tea At Five, earlier this month, the New York Post'sPage Six reports Faye Dunaway is now being sued for homophobic abuse by her former assistant.
Actress Faye Dunaway relentlessly berated her gay personal assistant on the play “Tea at Five,” calling him “a little homosexual boy” before he was fired for complaining, a new lawsuit alleges.
Michael Rocha says in his Manhattan Supreme Court suit that he began working for the Broadway-bound production — from which Dunaway was eventually fired — on April 5 and was tasked with shopping, helping the actress take her meds, arranging her schedule and getting her to and from rehearsals.
Rocha — who worked at the Oscar-winning star’s East 57th Street apartment and was paid $1,500 per week — alleges that Dunaway “regularly and relentlessly subjected plaintiff to abusive demeaning tirades” and used his sexual orientation as a gay man to “demean and humiliate him at work,” the court papers charge.
The Post reported the Oscar winner was dismissed from the production last month just minutes before a performance after she allegedly slapped a crew member.
One source told the newspaper they were “fearful for their safety."
Kevin Spacey in a Massachusetts courtroom last month
The Blast is reporting the masseur who filed a lawsuit against Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey for alleged sexual battery says two other men have told him they, too, were victims of sexual misconduct by Spacey.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, the man suing the actor, using the pseudonym John Doe, says he has new witnesses.
He claims to know of two other “masseur victims” of Spacey’s “sexual assaults who expressed concern for their safety and/or do not want their names revealed publicly in the media.”
Doe says his lawyers will meet with Spacey’s to figure out the best plan to reveal the names to the actor, without harming the men in the process.
Spacey accuses Doe of refusing to turn over the names or other basic information about his allegations, including the date of the alleged sexual assault.
The actor “believes trial will be necessary” and that a “settlement is highly unlikely."
Criminal charges against Spacey were dropped last month when a Nantucket teen, who had accused the actor of groping him in 2017, refused to waive his 5th Amendment rights.
You may recall the sad tale of the 'smirking teen' who became the center of attention when he stood across from a Native American elder on the National Mall, appearing to block the elder's path.
The teen, Nick Sandmann, eventually filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Washington Post for defamation in regard to the newspaper's coverage of the incident.
Today, that lawsuit has been dismissed by a federal judge.
William Bertelsman, who heard oral arguments in the case earlier this month, issued the ruling on Friday.
Nick and his attorneys, Todd McMurtry and L. Lin Wood, alleged that the gist of The Washington Post's first article conveyed that Nick had assaulted or physically intimidated Nathan Phillips, engaged in racist conduct, and engaged in taunts.
But, Bertelsman wrote, "this is not supported by the plain language in the article, which states none of these things."
Bertelsman accepted Nick's assertion that he was only standing motionless across from Phillips, without ill intent.
"He concluded that he was being blocked and not allowed to retreat," Bertelsman wrote. "He passed these conclusions on to The Post. They may have been erroneous, but, as discussed above, they are opinion protected by the First Amendment."
Phillips and Nick were captured on videos that went viral in January when they stood across from each other on the National Mall. Nick stared at Phillips as Phillips participated in a song with other Native Americans.
This video clip went viral, throwing Covington Catholic into the national spotlight. Longer video has since emerged showing how the incident started.Louisville Courier Journal
Local ABC affiliate WCVB reports the court filing alleging sexual assault by Spacey has been dismissed “with prejudice,” which bars the plaintiff from filing another case on the same claim.
From the court filing: “Plaintiff states that because no adverse party has served an answer or motion for summary judgment in this matter, Plaintiff is voluntarily dismissing this civil action.”
The lawsuit, filed on June 26, had sought a jury trial and damages for medical bills as well as emotional distress.
WCVB notes that the three year statute of limitations runs out this week.
Spacey still faces criminal charges in regard to the alleged sexual assault.
A hearing for the criminal case is scheduled for Monday.
Boston-based lawyer Marc Breakstone says the phrase “with prejudice” in the dismissal is a significant component to the case.
“I would say there is an overwhelming likelihood that there was a settlement and that the terms of the settlement will never be revealed because of a confidentiality provision,” Breakstone told the Boston Globe.
The veteran lawyer also surmises the criminal case could now be in jeopardy as well.
“I would say that the pros of Spacey will also come to a swift end because the [teenager] will not cooperate with the prosecution,” said Breakstone. “That’s the only plausible explanation for the sudden dismissal of the civil lawsuit.”
The allegations were made public in November 2017 by former local news anchor Heather Unruh, who claims Spacey groped her then-18-year-old son at the Club Car Restaurant in July 2016. Her son was employed there at the time as a bus boy.
According to documents filed in court, the teen asked to meet the Oscar winner after his shift ended at the restaurant. The young man admitted to investigators that he told Spacey he was 23-years-old.
Unruh says Spacey bought the teen several drinks, and eventually sexually assaulted her son by groping the teen’s leg. The court filing accused Spacey of unzipping the teen's pants and groping him for approximately three minutes him without consent.
The teen admitted to police investigators that he didn’t say anything, attempt to stop Spacey, or walk away during the alleged assault.
During a December 2018 court hearing, Spacey’s legal team asserted the encounter was consensual.
Spacey’s attorneys point to the fact that the boy did not immediately report the incident to police. In fact, the teen wasn’t interviewed in person until a year later.
After the December court hearing, Spacey released a bizarre video via YouTube where he reprised his House of Cards character, Frank Underwood, urging the viewer to not rush to judgement.
"Despite even my own death, I feel surprisingly good, and my confidence grows each day that soon enough you will know the full truth," said Spacey in the video.
The criminal case hit another snag last month when prosecutors told the court the teen’s cell phone had ‘disappeared.’ The prosecution reportedly used some text messages from the phone in justifying the charges against Spacey.
Spacey's defense attorney, Alan Jackson, alleged some text messages had been deleted, and requested the chance to examine the phone.
The teenager’s lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, told the court that the boy’s mother had given the phone to police investigators in December 2017, when the initial probe began, and neither the teen nor his parents “recall seeing the phone since.”
WCVB reached out to the teen's mother, who declined to comment on the developments.
At the height of the #MeToo movement, Spacey was publicly accused of sexual assault and misbehavior by a series of men including actors Anthony Rapp, Guy Pierce, and Harry Dreyfuss, as well as crew members on the set of his Netflix series, House of Cards.
As a result of the wave of accusations, Spacey was dismissed from House of Cards and replaced in the film, All the Money in the World, after the movie had already been completed.
The Washington Postreports that Donald Trump is suing to block Congress - specifically House Oversight Committee Chair Elijah Cummings - from accessing his financial records.
The lawsuit seeks a court order to prevent Trump’s accounting firm from complying with what his lawyers say is an improper use of subpoena power by congressional Democrats.
“Democrats are using their new control of congressional committees to investigate every aspect of President Trump’s personal finances, businesses, and even his family,” the filing by Trump claims. “Instead of working with the President to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans, House Democrats are singularly obsessed with finding something they can use to damage the President politically.”
The filing, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, further escalates a clash between the White House and the Democratic-controlled House over congressional oversight.
Last week, Cummings subpoenaed Mazars USA, an accounting firm long used by Trump.
It's important to note that the House Oversight Committee is specifically charged with oversight of the Executive Branch of government.
Cummings' committee is seeking 10 years of financial records from Trump.
Trump WH constantly touts how many records were turned over to prove no collision. Why does the president fight so hard to keep anyone from seeing his tax returns, business records, bank loans? https://t.co/KLYIv2VeUd
Just when we thought the whole Jussie Smollett debacle was done and done, the city of Chicago has announced it may file a lawsuit in an attempt to recoup expenses for the cost of investigating his alleged late-night attack.
In late January, Smollett filed a police report alleging he was assaulted by two masked men who beat him, poured an unknown liquid over his head and put a noose around his neck - all while reportedly shouting homophobic and racist slurs.
As reported here on The Randy Report, the investigation eventually turned to Smollett, and he was charged with 16 counts of filing a false police report.
Last week, the charges were abruptly dropped.
Two days later, the city sent the Empire actor a bill for $130,000 for expenses related to the police investigation.
Smollett apparently has no interest in paying the bill.
“Mr. Smollett has refused to reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of police overtime spent investigating his false police report on Jan. 29, 2019,” the city said. “The Law Department is now drafting a civil complaint that will be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County… The Law Department will file the suit in the near future. As part of this legal action, the Law Department will pursue the full measure of damages allowed under the ordinance.”
“It is the Mayor and the Police Chief who owe Jussie an apology — for dragging an innocent man’s character through the mud," his lawyer has previously told the press. "Jussie has paid enough.”
Michael Cohen, former attorney and 'fixer' for Donald Trump, has a filed a lawsuit against his former boss asking for nearly $1.9 million in unpaid legal fees.
Cohen says his contract with the Trump Organization obligated the company to cover his legal expenses.
According to reports, the Trump Organization stopped paying Cohen's legal bills in June 2018 after he began to cooperate with the Mueller investigation.
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer and self-described fixer, sued the Trump Organization on Thursday, saying the company stopped paying his legal fees in June 2018 and breached a contract to repay him for litigation expenses. https://t.co/BAdxCqQ9Kt via @bpolitics
Cohen has pleaded guilty to nine felonies stemming from a federal probe into campaign violations and other crimes. He has been sentenced to three years in prison.
He's scheduled to report for incarceration on May 6.
In interviews with The Washington Post, and in the lawsuit, Alva Johnson said Trump grabbed her hand and leaned in to kiss her on the lips as he exited an RV outside the rally in Tampa on Aug. 24, 2016. Johnson said she turned her head and the unwanted kiss landed on the side of her mouth, which she called “super-creepy and inappropriate.”
“I immediately felt violated because I wasn’t expecting it or wanting it,” she said. “I can still see his lips coming straight for my face.”
Johnson said she told her boyfriend, mother and stepfather about the incident later that day, an account all three confirmed to The Post. Two months later, Johnson consulted a Florida attorney about the unwanted kiss; he gave The Post text messages showing that he considered her “credible” but did not take her case for business reasons. The attorney gave Johnson the name of a therapist, whose notes, which The Post reviewed, reference an unspecified event during the campaign that had left her distraught.
Trump famously said on the Access Hollywood video, “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything."
So, he's basically accused of doing what he said he does.
The White House denies the allegation.
Former Florida Attorney General (and Trump supporter) Pam Bondi, who was present at the event, said she did not see the incident.
"Do I recall seeing anything inappropriate? One hundred percent no. I'm a prosecutor, and if I saw something inappropriate, I would have said something." Bondi also didn't investigate Trump University fraud after Trump wrote her a $25k check for her reelection fund.
BREAKING: Trump campaign staffer Alva Johnson has accused Trump of forcing an unwanted kiss on her during the 2016 campaign. The White House denies her claim. She joins a long and growing list of women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. pic.twitter.com/EffZjP9XfE
Sixteen states have filed a joint lawsuit to stop Donald Trump from using 'national emergency' powers to get funding for his long-promised wall on the southern border of the United States.
The lawsuit is part of a constitutional confrontation that Mr. Trump set off on Friday when he declared that he would spend billions of dollars more on border barriers than Congress had granted him. The clash raises questions over congressional control of spending, the scope of emergency powers granted to the president, and how far the courts are willing to go to settle such a dispute.
The suit, filed in Federal District Court in San Francisco, argues that the president does not have the power to divert funds for constructing a wall along the Mexican border because it is Congress that controls spending.
Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, said in an interview that the president himself had undercut his argument that there was an emergency on the border.
“Probably the best evidence is the president’s own words,” he said, referring to Mr. Trump’s speech on Feb. 15 announcing his plan: “I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster.”
Joining California and New York are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Virginia.
Since Congress enacted the National Emergencies Act of 1976, presidents have declared 59 national emergencies. Prior to Trump's declaration, not one has been for funding of a political goal.
Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly told his followers he would 'build the wall' and Mexico would pay for it.
Using this emergency declaration, Trump will take funds previously allocated to law enforcement priorities and military construction.
A transgender woman has successfully sued a county jail in New York state for denying her medically-prescribed hormone treatments for 16 months while incarcerated.
In 2013, Jessica Sunderland sued the Suffolk County in New York state. She served a 16 month sentence at the Riverside Correctional Facility.
Sunderland said the jail refused to give her her prescribed hormone therapy even though she had started transitioning two year prior.
‘I had been transitioning for two years prior, and to have everything reverse itself… it was horrible,’ she told The Appeal.
In October, Sunderland won her case against the jail and its medical director, Vincent Geraci. A jury found the jail and Geraci had violated her constitutional rights. The court awarded her $280,000 in damages and $75,000 in punitive damages against Geraci.
According to the The Appeal, the jail kept giving Sunderland excuses about why it was not giving her hormones.
‘It was very uncomfortable to deal with the physical changes,’ she said. After multiple stalling tactics, the jail confirmed that Geraci decided she shouldn’t have hormone treatment.
‘I was told I wasn’t going to get it—at all,’ Sunderland said.
Geraci originally refused to prescribe Sunderland hormones because he claimed it would damage her liver. But also wrote in her medical records it was his ‘preference’.
According to The New York Times, the doctor had shared several anti-trans posts on social media.
CNN and Jim Acosta won in court today in their lawsuit to restore Acosta's suspended press access to the White House as a Trump appointed judge ordered the return of his 'hard pass.'
A federal judge on Friday granted CNN's request for a court order that would temporarily reinstate network correspondent Jim Acosta's White House press pass, which had been suspended indefinitely in the wake of a fiery exchange between the reporter and President Donald Trump a week earlier.
The ruling from Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, gave CNN a victory in the ongoing case.
"I want to thank all of my colleagues in the press who supported us this week, and I want to thank the judge for the decision he made today," Acosta said outside U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
"Let's go back to work!" he added.
CNN's lawsuit, announced Tuesday, argues that Acosta's constitutional rights had been violated by Trump and five other members of his administration, as well as by the U.S. Secret Service. The other defendants include chief of staff John Kelly, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, deputy chief of staff Bill Shine and Secret Service Director Randolph Alles.
In a statement, CNN and Acosta said they "look forward to a full resolution in the coming days."
In his decision, Kelly ruled that Acosta’s First Amendment rights overruled the White House’s right to have orderly news conferences.
Over several days, the White House has changed its reasoning for suspending Acosta.
At first, Sarah Huckabee Sanders attempted to say Acosta had physically attacked a White House intern when she reached to take a microphone out of Acosta's hand as he was asking Donald Trump a question.
Then, the reasoning moved to Acosta being 'rude.'
Donald Trump and his staff have targeted Acosta since the beginning of the Trump administration for asking actual questions and holding them to answers.
The day a nation's leader shuts down a free press is a dark day for any country.
Statement from CNN and @Acosta on today’s ruling: “We are gratified with this result and we look forward to a full resolution in the coming days. Our sincere thanks to all who have supported not just CNN, but a free, strong and independent American press.”
Here's what Trump-appointed Judge Kelly said about gov't case: "Whatever process occurred within the government is still so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me at oral argument who made the initial decision to revoke Mr. Acosta's press pass."
In the aftermath of the White House revoking CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta's press credentials, CNN has filed a lawsuit against President Trump and several of his aides, seeking the immediate restoration of Acosta's access to the White House.
The lawsuit is a response to the White House's suspension of Acosta's press pass, known as a Secret Service "hard pass," last week. The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN's First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning. It was docketed and assigned to Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee. CNN is seeking a preliminary hearing as soon as possible.
Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are six defendants: Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, Secret Service director Randolph Alles, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta's hard pass away last Wednesday.
"CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration this morning in DC District Court," the statement read. "It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN's Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process."
The White House Correspondents' Association said it "strongly supports CNN's goal of seeing their correspondent regain a US Secret Service security credential that the White House should not have taken away in the first place."
The White House has shifted its explanation for barring Acosta.
Initially, the reason for suspension was “placing his hands” on an intern (he didn't), but now the issue supposedly is that he kept asking questions.
So, if they think he monopolizes a press conference, why call on him?
A jury in Georgia has awarded a young boy $31 million for pain and suffering after a botched circumcision left his penis severely deformed.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the boy was only 18 days old in October 2013 when his mother took him to Riverdale’s Life Cycle Pediatrics to be circumcised.
It’s estimated that 81% of American males have undergone the minor operation.
But an accidental slip by nurse midwife Melissa Jones during the procedure left the boy with part of his penis severed.
Dr. Brian Register informed the owner of the clinic, Anne Sigoin, as well as the boy's pediatrician, Dr. Abigail Kamishlian of Daffoldil Pediatric and Family Medical.
At the time, the tissue was placed in a refrigerator and no efforts were made to reattach the tissue via emergency surgery. The bleeding boy was sent home with his mother.
For years now, the boy has had to undergo multiple surgeries just to be able to urinate while his mother had to insert a medical instrument into his penis several times a day to keep it from closing.
Aside from the obviously painful physical effects of the accident, doctors are unsure if the boy will be able to have children.
The attorney representing the boy, Neal Pope, addressed the emotional and social issues the boy will face as he gets older including embarrassment as he begins dating.
“It will take a special person to accept the boy’s deformity,” said Pope.
During the trial, Pope showed the jury a photo of Lebron James explaining the NBA star earned $99 million in three years, and then pointed out that the boy’s life expectancy could be another 69 years.
Pope concluded his point by saying, “I think the case is a $100 million case.”
Terrell W. Benton, the attorney representing Jones and Register, recommended to the jury that $1 million would have been a fair amount to cover the boy’s ongoing medical expenses, long-term therapy and suffering.
Jones, Register, Sigouin’s Life Cycle Pediatrics and Life Cycle OB/GYN, Kamishlian and Daffodil Pediatric and Family Medical were all included as defendants in the suit, but Jones and Register were the only ones found to be liable.
In 2007, Sean Stentiford consented to an HIV test while being treated for facial paralysis at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.
According to The Boston Globe, he agreed to the testing after a resident at the hospital told him his symptoms were ‘highly suggestive’ of HIV infection.
His neurologist, Dr. Kinan K. Hreib, disagreed and cancelled the test writing in Stentiford’s file that there was “no risk of HIV,” despite the fact that he was gay and had worked as a paramedic earlier in his life.
The Centers for Disease Control recommend sexually active gay men be tested for HIV at least once a year. Going back to 2006, Stentiford’s medical records reflected that he was a gay man.
Although blood tests were performed, the HIV test was removed from the list without telling Stentiford.
Stentiford visited his primary care doctor, Dr. Stephen E. Southard, in June of 2007 where he was told his tests “looked good.”
At that point in time, having signed a release form for the test (in the presence of his sister), Stentiford believed the HIV test had been performed.
Three years later, his condition had worsened. It was at that time he learned the HIV blood test hadn’t been performed and that he was, indeed, HIV positive.
By that time, the disease had advanced to full-blown AIDS as he battled brain damage and cognitive impairment.
After an 8-day trial in U.S. District Court, a jury found both Dr. Hreib and Dr. Stephen Southard guilty of negligence which caused Stentiford harm.
A third physician was also found to be negligent but hadn’t caused him harm.
On Monday, the jury awarded Stentiford, now 48 years-old, $18.4 million in damages.
Now living in the Bronx, Stentiford no longer suffers from HIV/AIDS-related symptoms due to modern medications and treatment.
NBC News is reporting that adult film star Stormy Daniels has filed a lawsuit saying the non-disclosure agreement between Donald Trump and herself is invalid because Trump never signed it.
The suit alleges that her agreement not to disclose her "intimate" relationship with Trump is not valid because while both Daniels and Trump's attorney Michael Cohen signed it, Trump never did.
Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, signed both the agreement and a side letter agreement using her professional name on October 28, 2016, just days before the 2016 presidential election. Cohen signed the document the same day. Both agreements are appended to the lawsuit as Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2.
The "hush agreement," as it's called in the suit, refers to Trump throughout as David Dennison, and Clifford as Peggy Peterson. The side letter agreement reveals the true identities of the parties as Clifford and Trump.
Each document includes a blank where "DD" is supposed to sign, but neither blank is signed.
According to the lawsuit, Clifford and Trump had an intimate relationship that lasted from summer 2006 "well into the year 2007." The relationship allegedly included meetings in Lake Tahoe and at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
NBC News goes on to say Clifford's reps say there have been attempts as recently as the last few weeks to keep her quiet.
The lawsuit also asserts that Donald Trump, as a client of Michael Cohen, must be aware of the behind-the-scenes machinations since the New York bar association requires Cohen to keep his clients informed at all times.
I have to add, however, that this news will not affect any of Trump's supporters.
His straight, white male followers will just say, "I'd do the same thing."
Suspended Fox News host Eric Bolling has begun legal proceedings aimed at the reporter that brought his alleged sexting scandal to light.
You'll recall last week, Yashar Ali reported for HuffPost that Bolling had texted pics of his genitals to several women over the years. Bolling was suspended from Fox News pending review.
Ali cites 14 sources for his reporting; highly doubtful he would write an article without a LOT of backup.
Via Politico:
Yashar Ali, a contributing writer for HuffPost, reported on Friday that several years ago Bolling sent lewd text messages that included photographs of male genitalia to two female colleagues at Fox. The next day Bolling was suspended and Fox launched an investigation by the same law firm that handled probes into the conduct of former host Bill O'Reilly and former Fox chairman Roger Ailes.
After the initial report, Bolling said, via his lawyer, that he "recalls no such inappropriate communications, does not believe he sent any such communications, and will vigorously pursue his legal remedies for any false and defamatory accusations that are made.”
On Wednesday, Bolling filed a "summons with notice" in New York State Supreme Court against Ali, seeking $50 million in damages for defamation. Ali must respond within 20 days, demanding that Bolling file a complaint, after which Bolling will have 20 days to file his response before the suit goes forward.
Bolling is represented by Michael Bowe from the same law firm as Marc Kasowitz, who was President Donald Trump's personal attorney until last month.
"This anonymously sourced and uncorroborated story is false, defamatory, and obviously intended to destroy this good man's career and family. We will defend Eric aggressively in court, where actual facts, based on evidence, testimony, and cross-examination, will belie these anonymous accusations," Bowe said.
It's notable that Bolling is only targeting Ali in his legal maneuver, not HuffPost who could easily settle a lawsuit. Bolling is clearly looking to bully Ali.
Ali stands by his story and his sources, telling Politico he will "protect my sources, especially the victims, at all costs."
Responding to the news, Lydia Polgreen, editor in chief at HuffPost, issued a statement which read, “Yashar Ali is a careful and meticulous reporter. We stand by his reporting."
Just received a summons. Eric Bolling is suing me for defamation - $50 million in damages. I stand by my reporting + will protect my sources
It's important to note that Bolling's summons does not include HuffPost - he is coming after me personally. I'm a big boy...but very telling https://t.co/nvludsIV87
Not going to stop reporting on Eric Bolling or anyone else. I've had family members killed/jailed in Iran, a lawsuit isn't going to scare me https://t.co/nvludsIV87
Should be noted the story had FOURTEEN sources and Bolling isn't suing HuffPost, the publisher that could theoretically pay $50 million https://t.co/2EhBYWXqXk
Here's a sample of the kind of "reporting" Bolling does on Fox News:
WATCH: Eric Bolling to @MaxineWaters: "You saw what happened to Whitney Houston, step away from the crack pipe, step away from the Xanax.." pic.twitter.com/Wf6CCOTtuW
Facial hair didn't keep these two from finding gay bliss
(via Instagram)
Some news items you may have missed:
• A religious leader for Russia’s Old Believers is urging Russian men to stop shaving because growing a beard will “protect themselves from homosexuality.” The man has clearly never attended Bear Week.
• A straight man, who was the victim of anti-gay animus for years because his employers perceived him to be gay, has been awarded $17.4 million in a discrimination law suit.
• As the Texas legislature heads back to Austin for a special session called by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in part to consider an anti-transgender "bathroom bill," a new poll by the University of Texas/Texas Tribune shows only 44% of Texas voters feel the bill is "important" while 47% do not.
• No Justice No Pride, the group that temporarily disrupted the Capital Pride Parade in Washington, D.C., last week, say they are planning a similar action for the upcoming New York City Pride March this coming Sunday. The group opposes, among other things, allowing police officers to march in Pride parades, increasing the number of black and brown queer and trans on Pride committees and ending corporate sponsorships by companies that have a determined negative impact on the LGBTQ community.
• The New York City Council is considering a proposal that would make it illegal for anyone to charge a fee for therapy that aims to change a person's sexual orientation.
• MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle highlights the increasing number of anti-LGBTQ bills, noting that more than 100 bills in 29 states have been introduced in statehouses across the country. The majority of these bills target the transgender community, or aim to give taxpayer-funded agencies and employees a ‘license to discriminate’ against the LGBTQ community. Watch below.
A federal judge in Kentucky has ruled a lawsuit against President Trump, brought by three protesters who were violently attacked at a Trump campaign rally, will go forward.
The judge said Trump's claim of free speech was rejected in the lawsuit that accuses Trump of inciting violence.
Trump's lawyers sought to dismiss the lawsuit by three protesters who say they were roughed up by his supporters at a March 1, 2016 rally in Louisville, Kentucky. They argued that Trump didn't intend for his supporters to use force.
Two women and a man say they were shoved and punched by audience members at Trump's command. Much of it was captured on video and widely broadcast during the campaign, showing Trump pointing at the protesters and repeating "get them out."
Judge David J. Hale in Louisville ruled Friday that the suit against Trump, his campaign and three of his supporters can proceed. Hale found ample facts supporting allegations that the protesters' injuries were a "direct and proximate result" of Trump's actions, and noted that the Supreme Court has ruled out constitutional protections for speech that incites violence.
It is plausible that Trump's direction to 'get 'em out of here' advocated the use of force," the judge wrote. "It was an order, an instruction, a command."
Plaintiffs Kashiya Nwanguma, Molly Shah and Henry Brousseau allege that they were physically attacked by several members of the audience, including Matthew Heimbach, Alvin Bamberger and an unnamed defendant they have yet to be able to identify.
Bamberger later apologized to the Korean War Veterans Association, whose uniform he wore at the rally. He wrote that he "physically pushed a young woman down the aisle toward the exit" after "Trump kept saying 'get them out, get them out," according to the lawsuit.
Heimbach, for his part, sought to dismiss the lawsuit's discussion of his association with a white nationalist group and of statements he made about how Trump could advance the group's interests. The judge declined, saying such information could be important context when determining punitive damages.
• The gay couple in Rowan County, Kentucky, who have been denied a marriage license three times have filed a lawsuit in federal court against the county government and County Clerk Kim Davis.
• A man with a 19" penis says it makes working and having a social dating life impossible.
• Fox and Friends host Elizabeth Hasselbeck doesn't understand why the #BlackLivesMatter movement hasn't been named a "hate group." Seriously.
• Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis is running out of time and options in her fight to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Time to do your job, Ms. Davis.
• Ellen DeGeneres announces GapKids x ED, a new collection for Gap Kids that is for every girl no matter "whether they skateboard or dance, wear dresses or jeans, build forts or paint rainbows, or everything in between."
