The BBC reports: The Grenfell Tower fire in London started in a fridge-freezer, and outside cladding and insulation failed safety tests, police say. The Metropolitan Police say manslaughter, health and safety, and fire safety charges will be considered. A total of 79 people are feared dead after the blaze destroyed 151 homes in the Kensington tower block and nearby. Meanwhile, …

CNN reports: First lady Melania Trump announced Friday the hiring of Timothy Harleth for the role of chief usher, a key position in the executive residence. The search for the new chief usher didn’t stray far from the White House; Harleth was until recently the director of rooms at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. “I am pleased that Timothy …

Newsweek reports: Bernie Sanders’s wife, Jane Sanders, has reportedly hired lawyers following a federal investigation into her time as president of the now-defunct Burlington College in Vermont. She is accused of fraudulently obtaining a $10 million bank loan that was purportedly used to buy 33 acres of land for the school. But, the full story is a little stranger than …

I believe this is a first. Via press release: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed the spire of One World Trade Center and the Kosciuszko Bridge to be lit this weekend in honor of LGBT pride. The iconic landmarks will be lit the colors of the transgender flag for Trans Day of Action today, June 23rd and the colors of …

Mic reports: June 22 is now officially Laverne Cox Day in New York City. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, made the surprise announcement on Thursday when the actress made an appearance at his official residence, Gracie Mansion. “Can you believe that a black transgender woman from Mobile, Alabama, raised by a single mother has a day in New …

The Washington Examiner reports: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Friday morning he believes consumers should be able to buy health insurance for $1 per day. “What I’d like to do is legalize inexpensive insurance, and you should be able to get insurance for $1 a day. I mean, you really should,” Paul said in an interview on MSNBC. “The insurance …

Raw Story reports: During a combative interview with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway refused to say why President Donald Trump waited 42 days before admitting he did not have secret Oval Office tapes with ex-FBI director James Comey on them. “Why did the president 42 days ago suggest that there might be audiotapes of his conversations with …

Mediaite reports: Fox & Friends aired a report on Friday about how James Comey visited The New York Times yesterday. The only problem is that, that does not appear to be true. Fox’s report was based on a Thursday article from Daily Mail which included pictures of Comey and his wife entering the building where the Times newsrooms are located. …

Back in March, I reported that a coalition of grassroots activists had reached an agreement with New York City Pride for front-of-parade placement. Today we have details about those groups. Via press release: Inspired by the defiant spirit from which NYC Pride was born, 18 diverse LGBT community organizations will march together at the front of this year’s NYC Pride …

The Washington Post reports: Early last August, an envelope with extraordinary handling restrictions arrived at the White House. Sent by courier from the CIA, it carried “eyes only” instructions that its contents be shown to just four people: President Barack Obama and three senior aides. The White House debated various options to punish Russia, but facing obstacles and potential risks, …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: San Francisco police detained a motorcyclist who they said drove his bike at a group of protesters demonstrating against the federal health care bill in an apparent attempt to hit them, according to witnesses as well as photographs and videos from the scene. The red 2015 BMW motorcycle captured in photographs is registered to San …

The Sacramento Bee reports: California is restricting publicly funded travel to four more states because of recent laws that leaders here view as discriminatory against gay and transgender people. All totaled, California now bans most state-funded travel to eight states. The new additions to California’s restricted travel list are Texas, Alabama, Kentucky and South Dakota. They join Kansas, Mississippi, North …

Germany’s The Local reports: Germany’s parliament voted Thursday to quash the convictions of 50,000 gay men sentenced for homosexuality under a Nazi-era law which remained in force after the war and offer compensation. After decades of lobbying, victims and activists hailed a triumph in the struggle to clear the names of gay men who lived with a criminal record under …

Media Matters has the transcript of the Fox & Friends interview that aired this morning: AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): Big news today. You said you didn’t tape [former FBI Director] James Comey. Do you want to explain that? Why did you want him to believe you possibly did that? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well I didn’t tape him. You never know what’s …

THIS was expected. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed: A day after an LGBT employee group at the Justice Department announced plans to honor lawyers and a student seeking to advance transgender rights at a pride month program next week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke positively to staff Thursday about the upcoming event. “We are going to have a pride group, …

Swampity! The Washington Examiner reports: President Trump officially announced his intent to nominate New York Jets owner Woody Johnson to be ambassador to the United Kingdom. The White House confirmed the news Thursday night in a press release. If approved by the Senate, Johnson would be taking over one of the top American diplomatic posts. He contributed millions of dollars …

CNN reports: Four conservative Republican senators announced Thursday that they opposed the current version of GOP Senate leadership’s health care bill as written. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah said in a joint statement they’re “not ready to vote for this bill.” “Currently, for a variety of reasons, …

The Washington Examiner reports: Vice President Mike Pence is headed to the Rocky Mountains Friday to speak at an anniversary celebration for Focus on the Family, a Christian nonprofit in Colorado Springs, Colo. Pence, a Christian, is scheduled to address attendees at the organization’s 40th-anniversary event, according to the White House. The vice president will also visit Schriever Air Force …

The New York Daily News reports: More than 700 jobs that President Trump claimed to have “saved” at a Carrier air conditioner plant in Indiana are going to Mexico — and layoffs at the plant begin next month. Trump turned the woes at Carrier’s heating-and-air conditioning plant into a victory lap for himself and then Indiana Gov. Mike Pence after …

Via Mediaite: If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I wonder how many a video is worth. In newly surfaced footage posted to Twitter on Thursday, protesters in wheelchairs and wearing medical equipment are carried and dragged away from outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell‘s office, where they were protesting the GOP’s health care bill. The protesters, participating …