Yesterday the Sesame Street team tweeted out the above image to their nearly two million followers, many of whom responded with utter joy. As you may know, last month Trump budget director Mick Mulvaney cited Big Bird in defense of his proposal to cut the entire budget for the Corporation For Public Broadcasting. And of course, he had it all …

Reuters reports: Istanbul’s governor has banned a gay and transgender pride march which was due to take place in the city on Sunday, citing security concerns after threats from an ultra-nationalist group. It will be the second year running that Istanbul’s LGBT march, described in the past as the biggest in the Muslim world, has been blocked by city authorities. …

The Washington Examiner reports: The Green Party’s Jill Stein says a recent spike in interest about a photo of her having dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin can be traced to Democrats “looking for someone to blame” for their election struggles. The photo, from late 2015, shows Stein seated at a table at a Moscow gala with Putin and Mike …

Breitbart wails: Former Breitbart Senior Editor Milo Yiannopoulos’ “Coming Out Conservative” event has been canceled by a restaurant following left-wing protests, prompting a change of venue. The Jue Lan Club in Manhattan, New York, chose to cancel the event following threats of boycotts from left-wing activists. Chadwick Moore, the Head of Research for Milo Inc, told Breitbart Tech that “LGBT …

At least World Net Daily admits the poll is worthless. They write: True, it’s an unscientific, anyone-welcome-to-vote poll. But it’s on the Drudge Report, one of the most influential websites. A stunning 92 percent of the respondents believe President Trump is doing a “great” or “good” job six months into his presidency, despite intense criticism and virtually a total-opposition approach …

Via press release from hate group leader Tony Perkins: It’s rare to get good news from the courts these days, but in Mississippi, Governor Phil Bryant (R) got exactly that. Before the ink had even dried on his Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act, a group of liberal activists at the ACLU filed suit. In one of the …

The Associated Press reports: Ivanka Trump must testify in a dispute with an Italian shoemaker over one of her company’s shoe designs, a judge said Friday. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest rejected a request by the senior White House aide’s lawyers that she be blocked from submitting to a deposition in the trademark infringement lawsuit brought by Aquazzura Italia SRL …

The Hill reports: The New York Times has compiled a massive list called “Trump’s Lies,” in what they say catalogues “nearly every outright lie” President Trump has made since his January inauguration. The Times‘s list, which ran in the paper’s opinion section, including his inaccurate claim that there was a terror attack in Sweden last February and his recent incorrect …

Mediaite reports: A New Hampshire state Representative and President Donald Trump supporter who once said Hillary Clinton should be “shot for treason” was invited to a White House bill signing on Friday. New Hampshire state Rep. Al Baldasaro visited the White House Friday for the signing of the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Act. Last year on a radio show, Baldasaro …

The Guardian reports: Police chiefs will consider the possibility of offering a gun to every frontline police officer in England and Wales, to counter the threat of a marauding terrorist attack, the Guardian has learned. A discussion paper on the subject has been drawn up for the next meeting of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), which wants to look …

The Hill reports: The pro-Trump group “America First Policies” is preparing a massive seven-figure ad buy against Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), just hours after the GOP senator announced Friday that he would not support the Senate’s bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare. The group was formed by six former members of Trump and Pence’s staffs, including former spokeswoman Katrina Pierson …

The Associated Press reports: Military chiefs will seek a six-month delay before letting transgender people enlist in their services, officials said Friday. After meetings this week, the service leaders hammered out an agreement that rejected Army and Air Force requests for a two-year wait and reflected broader concerns that a longer delay would trigger criticism on Capitol Hill, officials familiar …

As I reported yesterday, Mike Pence is in Colorado today to keynote the annual convention of Focus On The Family, one of the nation’s largest, most powerful, and most vicious anti-LGBT hate groups. Miranda Blue reports on his speech at Right Wing Watch: Pence began his speech by delivering greetings from Trump, “a good friend of mine, who’s a leader, …

Via press release: San Francisco “Dykes on Bikes” is celebrating Monday’s unanimous 8-0 United States Supreme Court Trademark decision, in which the Court found it unconstitutional to prohibit registration of a trademark by the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) based on what some may consider “disparaging language.” The organization was able to trademark its name after a 4-year battle all …

The Washington Post reports: The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Ill., is calling on priests there to deny Holy Communion and even funeral rites to people in same-sex unions unless they show “some signs of repentance” for their relationships before death. The decree by Bishop Thomas Paprocki also said that people “living publicly” in same-sex marriages may not …

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 …