On ‘Easter of war’, pope implicitly criticises Russia over Ukraine
On ‘Easter of war’, pope implicitly criticises Russia over Ukraine
On ‘Easter of war’, pope implicitly criticises Russia over Ukraine
On ‘Easter of war’, pope implicitly criticises Russia over Ukraine
Pro-Russian rallies spread unease in Germany, rage in Ukraine
Pro-Russian rallies spread unease in Germany, rage in Ukraine
USAID, PEPFAR deliver 18 million antiretroviral drug doses to Ukraine
USAID, PEPFAR deliver 18 million antiretroviral drug doses to Ukraine
Mike Pence Refuses to Declassify Call with Ukrainian President
Mike Pence’s attorney is refusing a request to declassify a call between the vice president and Ukraine’s president.
The Daily Beast writes: “Pence’s counsel rejected the request from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), which came after Pence aide Jennifer Williams testified about the call, but told lawmakers that specific details of the conversation were classified. Pence’s office said the vice president didn’t discuss the impeachment inquiry, which has revolved around President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, so there was no need to release the transcript. “
Politico reports: “In a letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Pence’s lawyer, Matthew Morgan, said it “serves no purpose” to declassify supplemental testimony from one of Pence’s national security aides, as Schiff had demanded. ‘At this point, the Intelligence Committee’s oversight authority is limited to those areas in which it may potentially legislate or appropriate,’ Morgan wrote to Schiff, who pressed Pence last week to declassify supplemental testimony from one of the vice president’s national security aides, Jennifer Williams.”
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Mike Pence Refuses to Declassify Call with Ukrainian President
Devin Nunes Met with Ukrainian Prosecutor to Dig Up Dirt on Bidens, Says Indicted Giuliani Henchman
Ranking Republican House Intelligence Committee member and Trump ally Devin Nunes (R-CA), who has hammered witnesses all week in the impeachment inquiry he has repeatedly labeled a “circus,” was allegedly directly involved in Trump administration schemes to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine.
Joseph Bondy, a lawyer for indicted Giuliani henchman Lev Parnas, says his client is willing to testify to Congress that Nunes met last year with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Victor Shokin in an effort to dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
NBC News reports: “Parnas was indicted last month for allegedly making illegal campaign contributions. He pleaded not guilty while expressing willingness to cooperate with impeachment investigators.”
CNN reports: “Bondy tells CNN that his client and Nunes began communicating around the time of the Vienna trip. Parnas says he worked to put Nunes in touch with Ukrainians who could help Nunes dig up dirt on Biden and Democrats in Ukraine, according to Bondy. That information would likely be of great interest to House Democrats given its overlap with the current impeachment inquiry into President Trump, and could put Nunes in a difficult spot. … Parnas’ claims about Nunes’ alleged involvement offers a new wrinkle and for the first time suggests the efforts to dig up dirt on the Bidens involved a member of Congress.”
Nunes called the reports “demonstrably false and scandalous” in a statement to Breitbart News. Nunes said he plans to sue CNN and The Daily Beast for what he said are false reports.
The post Devin Nunes Met with Ukrainian Prosecutor to Dig Up Dirt on Bidens, Says Indicted Giuliani Henchman appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Devin Nunes Met with Ukrainian Prosecutor to Dig Up Dirt on Bidens, Says Indicted Giuliani Henchman
Fiona Hill, David Holmes, Town 2.0, Zuckerberg and Thiel, Bon Iver, Kacey Musgraves, Dolly Parton: HOT LINKS
IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS. Some of the biggest moments from today’s impeachment hearings with Fiona Hill and David Holmes. “President Trump’s former adviser testified that the pressure campaign on Ukraine was a purely political one that diverged from U.S. foreign policy. She denounced the “false narrative” embraced by Mr. Trump and Republicans that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election, calling it a dangerous story planted by Russia.”
INTIMIDATION. Trump launched another real-time attack on an impeachment inquiry witness, shortly before David Holmes testified.
EVERYDAY LIFE. One of the world’s biggest musical acts won’t be touring until they can make it environmentally sustainable and beneficial.
STEPHEN MILLER. 100+ Democrats sign letter calling on Trump adviser Stephen Miller to resign: “Given Mr. Miller’s role in shaping immigration policy for your administration, his documented dedication to extremist, anti-immigrant ideology and conspiracy-mongering is disqualifying,” the lawmakers wrote.
THE BANKER. Apple cancels premiere of its first feature film amid sexual abuse claims against the real-life subject’s son.
BOSTON. First LGBTQ housing development for the elderly under development: “Within the next few years, the city hopes to complete a transformation of the William Barton Rogers Middle School in Hyde Park into a $33 million development with 74 apartments.”
PRINCE ANDREW. He’s finished.
AUSTIN. Trump touts opening of Apple plant that has been running since 2013: “The moment was part of a bizarre afternoon in Texas, where the president played up a six-year-old factory as evidence of his three-year-old presidency’s success in bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States.”
UNDISCLOSED. Trump held White House dinner for Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel in October: “The meeting took place during Zuckerberg’s most recent visit to Washington, where he testified before Congress about Facebook’s new cryptocurrency Libra. Zuckerberg also gave a speech at Georgetown University the week before, detailing his company’s commitment to free speech, and its resistance to calls for the company to crack down on misinformation in political ads….A source familiar with the dinner told NBC News that Thiel was also present. It is unclear why the meeting was not made public or what Trump, Zuckerberg and Thiel discussed.”
TOWN 2.0 Resurrection of Washington D.C. gay nightclub in church facing protests from neighbors: “A total of at least six groups submitted protest complaints to D.C.’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA). Protest letters came from two groups at an apartment building beside the proposed location called the John and Jill Ker Conway Residence. Additionally, letters were sent to the ABRA board from the ANC 6C Chair Kevin Wirt, Gonzaga High School, and two groups from Mount Airy Baptist Church.”
DESIGN INNOVATION OF THE DAY. The coffee cup has been redesigned: “Now a full-fledged company, Unocup aims to cut down the amount of plastic waste that enters the ocean (8 million tons annually) by replacing conventional cup and lid designs with a single, origami-like cup that folds to create a lid.”
HER GUY. Ariana Grande shares backstage photo with Bernie Sanders.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on
TRAILER OF THE DAY. Harrison Ford in The Call of the Wild.
ORIGIN STORY OF THE DAY. Dolly Parton’s breasts.
NEW TUNE OF THE DAY. Kacey Musgraves “Glittery”.
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY. Bon Iver “Naeem”.
MUSIC VIDEO 2 OF THE DAY. Big Freedia feat. Icona Pop “Louder”.
THIRSTY THURSDAY. Bryce Willard Smithe and Laith Ashley.
View this post on InstagramBasic ass gym selfie on a rainy ass day starring my gorgeous twin @laith_ashley. I love my friends. #gymselfie #fitnessfreak #aesthetics #flex #studs #pride #gainz (This lazy post is an experiment)
A post shared by Bryce Willard Smithe (@brycewillardsmithe) on
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Savannah Guthrie Calls Out Nikki Haley for Defending Trump’s Attempt to Use U.S. Aid to Extort a Biden Investigation: ‘With All Due Respect…’ — WATCH
In a hard-hitting interview, TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie called out former UN ambassador Nikki Haley’s defense of Trump’s attempt to use U.S. aid to extort a Biden investigation out of Ukraine’s government.
Said Guthrie: “With all due respect, that doesn’t seem like much of a defense of the president, that he might have tried to do those things, but it didn’t work out, so it’s all okay…”
Haley continued to defend Trump, calling the phone call “a conversation between two presidents that’s casual in nature.”
Guthrie continued to challenge Haley, reminding the former US ambassador that her assertions that “aid flowed” are lies: “The aid was on hold at that moment. The aid did go on hold. It eventually was released.”
Added Haley: “You can have those hypotheticals. The aid was released, that’s a fact.”
“The aid was held up. That’s not a hypothetical, right?” Guthrie replied.
Guthrie then went on to quote Haley’s resignation letter, in which she said the Trump administration was always putting America first, and then asked, “How is asking a foreign country to investigate your political rival putting America first? Whose interest is that in? Is it in America’s interest or is it in the president’s personal interest?”
Guthrie then challenged Haley about assertions that she made in her book, that John Kelly and Rex Tillerson were “dangerous” when they were resisting several of Trump’s policies.
Here’s the full interview:
The post Savannah Guthrie Calls Out Nikki Haley for Defending Trump’s Attempt to Use U.S. Aid to Extort a Biden Investigation: ‘With All Due Respect…’ — WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Dua Lipa, Paul Manafort, Impeachment, Jason Momoa’s Oreo, Voting Machines, Apple: HOT LINKS
IMPEACHMENT. White House officials refuse to testify: ‘Four White House officials scheduled to appear before the House Oversight, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees, are not expected to show up, according to multiple media reports. Two of the officials — John Eisenberg, the National Security Council’s lawyer, and his deputy, Michael Ellis — fielded concerns from other officials about U.S. policy with Ukraine and are said to have knowledge of Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The others include Robert Blair, a senior adviser to Trump’s acting chief of staff, and Brian McCormack, an official at the Office of Management and Budget.’
FEED ME. Jason Momoa mouth-fed an Oreo to a bear.
UKRAINE. Paul Manafort was at the center of conspiracy spread before 2016 election: “Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, spread a conspiracy theory now at the center of the impeachment investigation — that Ukraine, not Russia, hacked the Democratic National Committee — as early as five months before the 2016 election, according to newly released documents from the special counsel’s investigation.”
DEEP DIVE OF THE DAY. John Oliver looks at voting machines.
HIS PEOPLE. Donald Trump booed at UFC fight.
WHISTLEBLOWER. Trump really wants to out him. ‘Trump (and thus Republicans) have sustained a burning interest in the whistleblower’s identity despite his or her growing irrelevance to the impeachment inquiry. Democrats, initially hellbent on getting the whistleblower’s testimony, now shrug at the prospect, citing the wealth of evidence they’ve gotten from other witnesses who don’t have to worry so much about protecting their identities.’
AFFORDABLE HOUSING. Apple promises $2.5 billion to ease California crisis: “It’s just unsustainable,” Cook said. “This problem is so big that the public sector cannot do it alone.”
View this post on InstagramI often find myself shirtless and stretching in the middle of the street, should I be concerned? : @anthonymichael . . . . #la #miami #losangeles #photoshoot #picoftheday #moodygrams #malemodel #portraits #menstyle #summershoot #fashionstyle #fashionpost #photomodel #portrait #tattoos #ralphlauren #gq #esquire #calvinklein #saxx #jcrew #miansai
A post shared by Jake Hobbs (@jakedhobbs) on
MALE MODEL MONDAY. Elliott Meeten, Christian Hogue, Eian Scully, Jules Horn, Jake Hobbs and MORE.
GET USED TO IT. Pete Buttigieg says Russia and Saudi Arabia will just have to get used to the idea of a gay president.
CAROL BURNETT AWARD. Ellen DeGeneres to be honored at Golden Globes.
GERMANY. Health Minister Jens Spahn publishes draft law banning gay conversion therapy: “Under the draft law published on Monday, consenting adults can still request the service in Germany, but they would have to show that they had not been deceived, coerced or threatened into taking part.”
AWARDS SHOW PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY. Dua Lipa at the MTV European Music Awards.
MONDAY MAN. Tokeyo.
The post Dua Lipa, Paul Manafort, Impeachment, Jason Momoa’s Oreo, Voting Machines, Apple: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
Dua Lipa, Paul Manafort, Impeachment, Jason Momoa’s Oreo, Voting Machines, Apple: HOT LINKS
Laura Ingraham, Sean Duffy Attempt Sick Smear of Impeachment Inquiry Witness and Decorated War Vet Alexander Vindman Ahead of Testimony: WATCH
Alexander Vindman, a decorated Iraq war veteran, who was on Donald Trump’s call in which he pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, is testifying before the House impeachment inquiry today.
The NYT reports: ‘Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman of the Army, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, twice registered internal objections about how Mr. Trump and his inner circle were treating Ukraine, out of what he called a “sense of duty,” he plans to tell the inquiry, according to a draft of his opening statement obtained by The New York Times.’
Wrote Vindman in his opening statement: “I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine. I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained.”
Monday night, ahead of his testimony, FOX News’ Laura Ingraham and CNN’s recently hired commentator Sean Duffy attempted to smear Vindman.
Ingraham suggested that the decorated Iraq war veteran is a Ukrainian double agent, and John Yoo threw out the word “espionage.”
Said Ingraham: “Here we have a U.S. national security official, who is advising Ukraine while working inside the White House apparently against the president’s interest and usually, they spoke in English. Isn’t that kind of an interesting angle on this story?”
Added Yoo: “I find that astounding. Some people might call that espionage.”
Oh my God, look at the spin they are using right now, actually saying that Vindman is a Ukrainian double agent….this is so freaking bananas pic.twitter.com/ritg9QcNgV
— KRK (@Page1ANews) October 29, 2019
Said CNN’s John Berman, about the Ingraham clip on New Day: “What you are about to see is disgusting.”
New CNN hire Sean Duffy went after the same talking point on Tuesday morning: “It seems very clear that [Vindman] is incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense. I don’t know that he’s concerned about American policy, but his main mission was to make sure that the Ukraine got those weapons. I understand that. We all have an affinity to our homeland where we came from. Like me, I’m sure that Vindman has the same affinity or like Mark Meadows.”
Responded Berman: “Are you suggesting that you would put Irish defense over U.S. Defense? Is that what you’re saying?”
Added Duffy: “So are we saying that by giving this money to the Ukraine that absolutely is the money that’s going to secure American national defense against Russia? I don’t believe that. And so he’s entitled to his opinion. He has an affinity I think for the Ukraine. He speaks Ukrainian, and he came from the country and he wants to make sure they’re safe and free.”
Sean Duffy on CNN on Army Lt. Col. Vindman: “It seems very clear that he is incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense. I don’t know that he’s concerned about American policy … we all have an affinity to our homeland where we came from … he has an affinity for the Ukraine.” pic.twitter.com/dlsYlTnCwR
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 29, 2019
A few reactions on Twitter to the smear attempt:
The post Laura Ingraham, Sean Duffy Attempt Sick Smear of Impeachment Inquiry Witness and Decorated War Vet Alexander Vindman Ahead of Testimony: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
A Warning, Niall Horan, Patti LuPone, William B. Taylor, Jeffrey Toobin, Lee Pace, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kanye West: HOT LINKS
SAD SACK AND A JERK. Patti LuPone has some harsh words for Andrew Lloyd Webber.
IMPEACHMENT. William B. Taylor Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine, gives damning testimony. “The senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine said Tuesday he was told release of military aid was contingent on public declarations from Ukraine that it would investigate the Bidens and the 2016 election, contradicting President Trump’s denial that he used the money as leverage for political gain.”
A WARNING. Trump official who wrote anonymous op-ed in New York Times to publish book next month. ‘The book, titled, “A Warning,” will be published on Nov. 19 by Twelve, a division of the Hachette Book Group. The author is represented by Matt Latimer and Keith Urbahn of Javelin, the literary agency that represents the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey, Senator Martha McSally and the retired United States Navy commander Guy Snodgrass.’ Flashback HERE.
JEFFREY TOOBIN. CNN commentator expresses regret over “mistakes” in Clinton email coverage: “The New Yorker and CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin now says he devoted too much attention in 2016 to Hillary Clinton’s private email server, becoming the first big-name journalist to acknowledge having second thoughts about the story since a State Department probe cleared Clinton of serious breaches of rules on Friday.”
JIMMY CARTER. Former president, 95, hospitalized after fall: “The injury was the second one Carter, who fought cancer in recent years, suffered within a span of weeks. After a separate fall at his home this month in which he sustained a black eye, Carter appeared soon after at a Habitat for Humanity project.”
TRUMP TRIAL. John Roberts will preside over a Trump impeachment trial: ‘The Constitution explicitly states that the chief justice, in this case John Roberts, “shall preside” over presidential impeachment trials. The rules of the Senate, moreover, require McConnell to take this command seriously. In order to prevent the vice president, who formally presides over the Senate, from refusing to allow the chief justice to play his constitutional role, the Senate rules governing impeachment require the vice president to swear in the chief justice immediately after the House’s charges are announced on the floor. The rules then explicitly empower the chief justice to “direct all the forms of proceedings” during the trial. The Senate, in contrast, is granted the “power to enforce obedience” to all these rulings.’
PETE BUTTIGIEG AND FACEBOOK. It’s complicated…
IT’S A GAY BAR, PAMELA. How this became the Twin Cities’ favorite meme.
SPOTTED. Jake Gyllenhaal saved a Dalmatian caught in a busy intersection: “I noticed that it was Jake Gyllenhaal, and I saw him turn and look into the street — I thought he was trying to flag down a cab or something.”
$47.8 MILLION. Cristiano Ronaldo takes home more money from Instagram each year than he does playing for Juventus. “Receiving a reported average of $975,000 per advertised post, Ronaldo’s Instagram earnings far eclipse the world’s biggest celebrities, including Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Emily Ratajkowski.”
24-HOUR SURVEILLANCE. Harry Styles’ designer says all his costumes are kept in a frozen vault: “It’s basically like a giant refrigerator – a frozen vault…The clothes all have 24 hours surveillance, which you can look at via an iPad, specifically done for his outfits, and they have all been cryogenically frozen in time to preserve them.”
TRAILER OF THE DAY. Kanye West Jesus is King.
TRAILER 2 OF THE DAY. Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life.
SLANG MEANINGS OF THE DAY. Irish with Niall Horan.
TWO FOR TUESDAY. Thara and buddy.
The post A Warning, Niall Horan, Patti LuPone, William B. Taylor, Jeffrey Toobin, Lee Pace, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kanye West: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
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