Monthly Archives: March 2019

HRC Yanks Google Endorsement Over Ex-Gay App

Fortune reports: Google lost an endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign, the largest U.S. LGBTQ group, over an app tied to the practice of so-called “conversion therapy” to change a gay person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which had previously scored a perfect 100 on the annual Corporate Equality Index, will have its rating withheld until the …

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Puerto Rico Gov Signs Order Banning Ex-Gay Torture

The New York Times reports: The governor of Puerto Rico signed an executive order on Wednesday banning so-called conversion therapy for gay or transgender minors on the island. The decision came after Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives refused to vote on a bill that would have prohibited conversion therapy, a discredited practice that proponents claim can change a person’s sexual …

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Appeals Court Rules For Grindr In Impersonation Suit, Plaintiff Claims Ex-BF Had 1000+ Men Seek Him Out

Courthouse News Service reports: The case of the New Yorker whose nightmarish experience on Grindr sparked national headlines and federal litigation will disappear with neither a trace nor a precedent. An attorney for Matthew Herrick, whose ex-boyfriend used the hook-up app to send about 1,100 suitors Herrick’s way, had choice words Wednesday after the Second Circuit affirmed dismissal of their …

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Twitter Mulls Labeling “Offensive” Tweets By Trump

CNN reports: Twitter is considering labeling tweets that violate its rules but should remain on the platform because they’re in the public interest. Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s head of legal, policy and trust made the announcement during an on-stage interview with the Washington Post on Wednesday. The social media company is trying to find a way of maintaining its standards while …

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HUD Charges Facebook With Housing Discrimination

The Washington Post reports: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said Thursday it is charging Facebook with housing discrimination, alleging its targeted advertising platform violates the Fair Housing Act by “encouraging, enabling, and causing” unlawful discrimination by restricting who can view housing ads. The charges caught Facebook off guard, coming one week after the social media giant agreed …

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Florida Mayor Announces 2020 Presidential Campaign

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Wayne Messam, the mayor of Miramar, said in a video released Thursday morning that he’s running for president. “The promise of America belongs to all of us. That’s why I’m going to be running for president. To be your champion,” Messam said in the video. He formally kicks off the campaign on Saturday, with a …

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New York State Poised To Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags

USA Today reports: New York appears poised to ban single-use plastic shopping bags and mandate a small fee for paper bags, with a final deal expected to be part of a $175 billion state budget due Sunday. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, told reporters Wednesday he expects a ban on plastic bags to be part of the final budget. But …

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US Approves Sales Of Nuclear Tech To Saudi Arabia

The Daily Beast reports: The U.S. Department of Energy has approved six authorizations for U.S. companies seeking to conduct nuclear related work in Saudi Arabia, according to two sources with knowledge of those approvals. Federal law stipulates that companies obtain clearance from the U.S. government for exporting nuclear technology to or engaging in the production or development of special nuclear …

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Notorious Liar Says Man Should Resign For Lying

The Hill reports: President Trump said Thursday that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) should be forced to resign from Congress. The tweet comes after Schiff told The Washington Post that he believes evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia “undoubtedly” exists and can be found by his committee, even though a summary of special counsel Robert …

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Trump Claims FBI/DOJ Will “Review” Smollette Case

NBC News Chicago reports: The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice will review the case involving “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, President Donald Trump tweeted early Thursday. Representatives for the FBI and DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday morning. The surprise decision to dismiss all charges, which was celebrated by Smollett and his …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Detroit’s Fox affiliate reports: The staff at a Downriver pet store are asking for help identifying a man who stole a python. On Wednesday, March 20, someone wandered into the I Love My Pets store in Rockwood, Mich. and scooped up the 4-foot adult ball python out of its case. In a story full of euphemisms, there’s a video to …

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NRA Sought Infowars Help In “Debunking” Parkland

The Huffington Post reports: An official with the National Rifle Association corresponded with a prominent Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist to call into question the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, emails obtained by HuffPost show. NRA officer Mark Richardson emailed Wolfgang Halbig [photo], a noted harasser of parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims, to float a conspiracy theory about the …

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House Demands 10 Years Of Trump’s Financial Records

CNBC reports: House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., has requested a decade’s worth of President Donald Trump’s financial records from an accounting firm that prepared several years of financial statements for Trump, according to a letter Cummings sent on March 20, but which was only released on Wednesday. The move represents an escalation of congressional Democrats’ longstanding interest in …

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BRITAIN: Parliament Votes Against Eight Brexit Options

The BBC reports: None of MPs’ eight proposed options for Brexit has secured clear backing following a Commons vote. Calls for a customs union with the EU were rejected by 272 to 264 votes while a call for a referendum to endorse any deal was rejected by 295 to 268 votes. Brexit Secretary Steven Barclay said the results strengthened ministers’ …

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#QAnon Nutbags Threaten Sebastian Gorka

Because Gorka tweeted that “Q is garbage.” The Daily Beast reports: Former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka is no stranger to conspiracy theories. In January, for example, he suggested that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was secretly dead. Normally, that would align him with believers in QAnon, the wacko movement that posits that the Democratic Party is run by …

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REPORT: Terry McCauliffe Likely To Join 2020 WH Field

NBC News reports: Terry McAuliffe is moving closer to a 2020 presidential run, Democrats close to the former Virginia governor said today. McAuliffe has been telling Democratic allies that he is leaning toward jumping into the Democratic presidential race next month, according to three people who have spoken to him. The former governor has long said he would make a …

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EU Mandates Anti-Speeding Devices For New Vehicles

Forbes reports: Drivers in Europe will soon have to get used to anti-speeding devices in their cars, after EU legislators agreed this morning on new legislation requiring them. The agreement came after months of often tense negotiations which pitted safety against freedom, and prompted concerns over “big brother” watching driving behavior. The legislation will require all new vehicles put on …

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POLL: Majority Say Trump Not Exonerated By Mueller

CNN reports: Though President Donald Trump has claimed “complete and total exoneration” based on Attorney General William Barr’s summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, the American public disagrees, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS. A majority (56%) says the President and his campaign have not been exonerated of collusion, …

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Nazi Driver Pleads Guilty To 29 Hate Crime Charges

CBS News reports: James Fields, Jr. has pleaded guilty to 29 federal hate crime charges for his car attack on a crowd of people on Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville. The attack killed Heather Heyer Charlottesville that killed Heather Heyer and injured many other people. As a result of the plea, the death penalty was taken off the table. The …

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Trump Threatens Russia Over Troops In Venezuela

Reuters reports: U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Russia to pull its troops from Venezuela and said that “all options” were open to make that happen. The arrival of two Russian air  force planes outside Caracas on Saturday believed to be carrying nearly 100 Russian special forces and cybersecurity personnel has escalated the political crisis in Venezuela. “Russia …

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