God Sent Coronavirus to Destroy LGBTQ People, Says Trump-OK’d Preacher

That comes from Rick Wiles, whose TruNews outlet received White House press credentials to cover the president in Switzerland last week.

www.advocate.com/religion/2020/1/29/god-sent-coronavirus-destroy-lgbtq-people-says-trump-okd-preacher

Details emerge of ‘sophisticated’ new Grindr scam called “DiCaprio”

A new scam utilizing Grindr has managed to trick major media outlets including PBS, Fox and CBS into buying fake ads.

Dubbed the “DiCaprio” scam–no relation to Leo–the fraud works like this: Hucksters bought a regular ad on Grindr, then modified the code to look like an empty channel slot on a Roku device. They then sold the fake slot to potential advertisers, who thought they were bidding on Roku ad space. Instead, the con artists just pocketed the funds.

It’s been called “DiCaprio” because the name appears in the HTML code inserted by the fraudsters.

Palo Alto-based ad fraud detection company called Pixelate first detected the scam. CEO Jalal Nasir called the scam “one of the most sophisticated OTT [over-the-top] ad fraud schemes we have seen to date,” in a statement to BuzzFeed News. OTT fraud involves selling fake ad space.

Related: New report uncovers more bad news for Grindr… and its users

In addition to cheating buyers out of money, investigators also believe that the fake ads consumed massive amounts of Grindr user data as well as drained the batteries of their phones.

Grindr, for its part, denies any knowledge of the ad scheme. “Grindr is committed to creating a safe and secure environment to help our community connect and thrive. Any fraudulent activity is a clear violation of our and conditions and something we take very seriously,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

The ad fraud is just the latest in a litany of scandals surrounding Grindr, the popular LGBTQ dating app. The app and its Chinese corporate ownership have come under fire for selling user data to companies, tracking user movements, and allowing scams to thrive on its platform. The ownership and upper-level management of the company has also come under recent criticism for homophobia. 

www.queerty.com/details-emerge-sophisticated-new-grindr-scam-called-dicaprio-20200129?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Queer, Doug Collins, Next in Fashion, Madame X, Tulsi Gabbard, Miley Cyrus, Elizabeth Warren, Henry Cavill: HOT LINKS

INFECTIOUS DISEASES. Elizabeth Warren has a plan: “Warren’s latest policy proposal, released on her campaign website, includes calls to undo President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to federal pandemic prevention and response programs run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Massachusetts senator said she would “fully fund this work” and also restore an Obama-era White House leadership position for health security created in response to the Ebola epidemic.”

BANNED. Was pot the reason Miley Cyrus wasn’t at the Grammys?

CORONAVIRUS. Australian scientists successfully grow virus in lab. “Scientists in Melbourne, Australia, have successfully grown the Wuhan coronavirus from a patient sample, which could help provide international experts with crucial information to beat the virus. It’s the first time the virus has been grown in a cell culture outside China.”

MADAME X. Madonna is being plagued by injuries and canceling more shows.

MICHIGAN. LGBT non-discrimination ballot initiative language approved. ‘Launched earlier this month, the effort would re-define the word “sex” in Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, effectively extending those protections to LGBT people. It would also define “religion” to include the religious beliefs of an individual.’

QUEER. 6 percent of sexual minority adults in the U.S. identify as queer. “Researchers examined a representative sample of sexual minorities in the United States from three age groups—young (18-25), middle (34-41), and older (52-59)—to determine the demographics and sexuality of people who identify as queer, compared to those who identify as lesbian/gay, bisexual, or as other sexual minority identities.”

2020. Tulsi Gabbard complains about not being invited to debate: “Gabbard is currently polling at 4.8 percent in the RealClearPolitics index of polls in New Hampshire, ahead of tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, businessman Tom Steyer and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. Yang, Steyer and Patrick, along with former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) all received invites to participate in the two-night event.”

DOUG COLLINS. Loathsome Georgia congressman and Trump ally makes bid for U.S. Senate. “The decision by the four-term congressman sets up a battle with U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a wealthy Republican executive tapped by Gov. Brian Kemp in December. The Rev. Raphael Warnock is poised to join the November race, along with other Democrats.”

ANALYSIS. Inside Trump’s Facebook operation: “Over the course of 2019, the Trump campaign spent nearly $20m on more than 218,000 different Facebook ads, a new Guardian analysis shows. Among the ads were some of the images and videos that made front-page news for their xenophobic, fear-mongering, vitriolic and outright false rhetoric.”

BBC. The gay men risking their health for the perfect body. ‘A number of gay men have told the BBC they are going to extreme lengths to change their bodies – including using steroids and having plastic surgery – just to become “accepted” by others in the LGBT community.’

KOBE BRYANT. Details of helicopter crash made public.

THROUGH TEARS. Shaq remembers Kobe.

TRAILER OF THE DAY. Fantasy Island.

EXCLUSIVE CUT OF THE DAY. Next In Fashion.

NEED TO KNOW OF THE DAY. Henry Cavill explains the Witcher’s sword.

HUMP DAY HAIRY. Junior Padua.

View this post on Instagram

A gente trabalha muito, mas tb gosta muito de uma selfie. #selfies #agro #farm #beard #day #agricultura.

A post shared by JUNIOR PÁDUA – Priguicinha® (@padua.junior) on Jan 21, 2020 at 2:25pm PST

The post Queer, Doug Collins, Next in Fashion, Madame X, Tulsi Gabbard, Miley Cyrus, Elizabeth Warren, Henry Cavill: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

www.towleroad.com/2020/01/queer-doug-collins/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+towleroad%2Ffeed+%28Towleroad+Gay+News+%29

Trump’s Lawyers Present a Laughable Defense

Trump’s attorneys try to belittle and downplay a crucial summit. Anyone who took a civics class knows better. 

www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/1/29/trumps-lawyers-present-laughable-defense

Reality star responds to being outed by castmate on live TV, says “I thought it was really gross”

Weeks after being outed by her castmate on live television, Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix is finally breaking her silence.

Just to recap: The drama began earlier this month when bartender Jax Taylor outed Madix  for “liking women” during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live!

“She likes women,” Taylor grumbled when asked about Madix’s relationship with her boyfriend. He quickly followed the remark up by saying “Sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry.”

But by then the cat was already outta the bag.

When Andy Cohen asked, “You think Ariana likes women? What do you mean you didn’t mean it? You just said it,” Taylor quipped, “Just own it. That’s fine. Just don’t lie about it.”

But this wasn’t the first time Taylor has used a person’s LGBTQ identity as a weapon against them. Last November, he hurled antigay remarks at a fan on Twitter then claimed he couldn’t possibly be homophobic because he used to live in West Hollywood and 50 percent of his friends are gay.

Related: After homophobic outburst, reality star claims “50 percent” of his friends are gay

After the show aired, Madix took to Twitter to set the record straight, letting everyone know that, yeah, she’s bisexual. And so what?

“I DO like women AND men. it’s called being bisexual,” she tweeted. “Ever heard of it? #thisisnthard”

This week, Madix stopped by Watch What Happens Live! to talk about the situation. When asked how she felt about what Taylor did, she didn’t hold back.

“I thought it was really gross,” she said. “And I also thought it didn’t make any sense on any level.”

“I mean, there are lesbians who have children. There are lesbians who don’t. There are women who have children who are married. And there are women who are married who don’t. Like, none of it made any sense.” she continued.

Madix went on to say that she has been “very open and honest” about her sexuality and that it’s never been “an issue” in her life.

“And it’s certainly not an issue in my relationship,” she added, “so I think he should just chill out.”

After the episode aired Monday night, Taylor went back on the attack.

In a tweet, he called his Madix the “most negative person I have ever met” and insinuated that she hasn’t been completely forthright about her life on Vanderpump Rules.

“Must be nice to be on a show and dodge everything about your relationship life for 9 years and tell production ‘I am not talking about that’ but still wants a paycheck,” he tweeted. “That’s my response to Ariana. Most negative person I have ever met.”

Related: Homophobic reality star Jax Taylor outs co-star on live TV, says “Just own it!”

www.queerty.com/reality-star-responds-outed-castmate-live-tv-says-thought-really-gross-20200129?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

White House Threatens John Bolton Over Publication of Book Exposing Trump’s Ukraine Motives

The Trump administration has threatened former National Security Manager John Bolton over the publication of his memoir, The Room Where It Happened, which reportedly directly links the president’s withholding of U.S. military aid to demands that Ukraine investigate his political rival Joe Biden.

The warning to Bolton says that the book contains classified information and says “the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion” of said material.

The NYT reports: “White House officials deny that they are trying to block the entire book from publication, insisting that they are only seeking to shield content they consider ‘classified.’”

The post White House Threatens John Bolton Over Publication of Book Exposing Trump’s Ukraine Motives appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

White House Threatens John Bolton Over Publication of Book Exposing Trump’s Ukraine Motives