• GLAAD.ORG
    WATCH: Benito Skinner Talks Healing New Series Overcompensating: I forgave myself in a lot of ways for not living truthfully for so much of my life.
    The most highly anticipated comedy series of the year is almost here! The internets favorite comedian Benito Skinneraka Benny Drama is making his television debut as the creator, star, writer, and executive producer ofOvercompensating. Premiering May 15th on Amazon Prime,Overcompensatingfollows a football player named Benny, as he struggles to accept his sexuality in college, finding [...]The post WATCH: Benito Skinner Talks Healing New Series Overcompensating: I forgave myself in a lot of ways for not living truthfully for so much of my life. first appeared on GLAAD.
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  • GLAAD.ORG
    Love on the Spectrum: Pari Gives Updates on Her Relationship with Tina; Hopes The Show Makes People Feel Less Afraid To Be Their True Selves
    As soon as the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority enthusiast Pari appeared on Love on the Spectrumto find her Princess Charming, we all fell in love with her. Sure, all the stories of finding romance on the reality dating series are like an endearingly warm blanket in a time of turmoil, but Paris hits different. She [...]The post Love on the Spectrum: Pari Gives Updates on Her Relationship with Tina; Hopes The Show Makes People Feel Less Afraid To Be Their True Selves first appeared on GLAAD.
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  • WWW.PRIDE.COM
    Celebrate Pride in these top 10 European countries for LGBTQ+ rights
    ILGA-Europe has released its annual Rainbow Map for 2025, providing an analysis of LGBTQ+ rights and the climate for family in 49 European states. The group was created out of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World), the international advocacy group for the LGBTQ+ community.ILGA-Europe researchers examined 49 countries using 76 criteria, which were then broken down into seven thematic categories:Equality and non-discriminationFamilyHate crime and hate speech;Legal gender recognition;Intersex bodily integrity;Civil society space; andAsylum.Each country was then given a percentage score and ranked. The results were compiled in the interactive Rainbow Map, with links to a breakdown of every countrys performance plus a more comprehensive report providing detailed analyses and examples of the good and the bad for that nations LGBTQ+ community.While there were some positive signs in many countries, others ranked among the very worst climates for the LGBTQ+ community.The Rainbow Map 2025 offers a stark snapshot of where Europe stands on LGBTI human rights, and highlights the pressing need to defend and advance these rights in the context of acute democratic erosion, ILGA-Europe concluded. "If left unchallenged, these tactics risk spreading further across Europe, undermining a human rights framework that has taken decades to build. The time to push back is now, before the targeted attacks were seeing in countries like Hungary, the U.K., and Georgia become the norm rather than the exception. Political leaders must lead by example and turn their words into action. Its time for people to stand up, make their voices heard, and hold our governments to account before its too late.Keep scrolling to see ILGA-Europes top 10 countries for LGBTQ+ rights, cultural climate, and travel.You can view the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map at rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.10. LuxembourgOverall score 2024: 68.41 percent (10th)Overall score 2023: 70.04 (8th)Strengths: Perfect score for Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: Intersex Bodily IntegrityQuote of note:The Ministry of Family, Integration, and the Greater Region, in cooperation with the Centre LGBTIQ+ Cigale, the Centre for Equal Treatment, the Rosa Ltzebuerg association, developed a guide to help bridge the gap between trans people and their employers. This guide equips employers with key information to better understand trans identities and implement inclusive policies, while also offering trans people support in communicating their needs within the workplace.RELATED: The worlds top 10 queer and trans-friendly citiesYou can learn more about Luxembourgs performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.9. NorwayOverall score: 68.6 percent (9th)Overall score 2023: 69.53 (9th)Strengths: Perfect score for Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: Intersex Bodily IntegrityQuote of note:Zaniar Matapour was found guilty of aggravated terrorism by the Oslo District Court for his role in the mass shooting during Oslo Pride on June 25, 2022. Matapour was sentenced to 30 years in prison, the strictest penalty under Norwegian law. State prosecutor Aud Kinsarvik Gravs expressed satisfaction with the courts decision in the case.RELATED: Seeking escape, this lesbian sailed to the Arctic CircleYou can learn more about Norways performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.8. GermanyOverall score 2024: 69.1 percent (8th)Overall score 2023: 66.13 (11th)Strengths: Perfect score for Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: Intersex Bodily IntegrityQuote of note:In October, Germanys Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann of the Free Democrats (FDP) announced new plans to reform adoption and family law. The proposed reforms aim to allow adults in unmarried partnerships to adopt a child together and permit just one adult in a marriage to legally adopt a child, addressing gaps in current laws. Currently, both married and unmarried heterosexual and same-sex couples can adopt, but married couples must both legally adopt the child, while only one adult in an unmarried partnership can do so.RELATED: Germany makes it easier to change gender and name on legal documentsYou can learn more about Germanys performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.7. GreeceOverall score 2024: 69.18 percent (7th)Overall score 2023: 70.78 percent (7th)Strengths: High scores for Equality & Non-Discrimination and Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: AsylumQuote of note:In February, Greece became the first Orthodox-majority country to legalise same-sex marriage. The bill passed with the support of 176 out of 300 MPs, also allowing same-sex couples to adopt children and granting equal parental rights to both partners. However, the bill does not include provisions for surrogacy for same-sex couples. Furthermore, while it abolishes the requirement of being unmarried to access legal gender recognition, it does not include any provision to modify a parents name and gender on the birth certificate of their children after legal gender recognition.RELATED: Meet the gay man elected to lead Greeces leftist party in historic firstYou can learn more about Greeces performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.6. FinlandOverall score 2024: 69.85 percent (6th)Overall score 2023: 70.78 percent (6th)Strengths: Perfect score for Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: Intersex Bodily IntegrityQuote of note:In June, the Helsinki Pride march attracted an estimated 100,000 participants. This years event was notable for the first-time involvement of the Rainbow Police of Finland, an LGBTI police association established in 2020 by current and former police officers and civilian staff.RELATED: Google down these 25 mouthwatering artworks from Tom of Finland FestYou can learn more about Finlands performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.5. SpainOverall score 2024: 77.97 percent (5th)Overall score 2023: 76.41 percent (4th)Strengths: Civil Society Space and AsylumWeaknesses: Hate Crime & Hate SpeechQuote of note:In May, several cases of bias-motivated violence were recorded across Spain. These include the violent beating of a 14-year-old trans girl by a peer, a homophobic attack against openly gay singer Miguel Garena, and an episode of harassment faced by a health worker who received a threatening letter accompanied by a photograph of him and his partner in the crosshairs of a gun.RELATED: Emira DSpain makes history as Bravos first trans cast memberYou can learn more about Spains performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.4. DenmarkOverall score 2024: 80.10 percent (4th)Overall score 2023: 76.35 percent (5th)Strengths: Perfect score for Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: Intersex Bodily IntegrityQuote of note:In February, the Danish government, along with most opposition parties, reached an agreement regarding surrogacy that aims to simplify the recognition of parenthood for Danish parents utilising surrogacy, whether domestically or abroad. A corresponding bill was presented in a public hearing. Under the new framework, the requirement for second-parent adoption will be eliminated, with the primary focus being the childs benefit from the recognition.RELATED: Former Denmark ambassador responds to VP Vances not a good ally commentsYou can learn more about Denmarks performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.3. IcelandOverall score 2024: 84.06 percent (3rd)Overall score 2023: 83.02 percent (2nd)Strengths: Perfect scores for Legal Gender Recognition and Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: Intersex Bodily Integrity and AsylumQuote of note:On January 1st, a law banning conversion therapy for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression took effect. The law was passed on June 9, 2023, with 53 out of parliamentarians voting in agreement.RELATED: The land of fire and ice Your gay guide to Icelands Reykjanes peninsulaYou can learn more about Icelands performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.2. BelgiumOverall score 2024: 85.31 percent (2nd)Overall score 2023: 78.47 (3rd)Strengths: Perfect scores for Hate Crime & Hate Speech and Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: Intersex Bodily IntegrityQuote of note:In February, Belgium introduced a new Criminal Code that removes the distinction between discrimination based on racial criteria and other grounds, including sexual orientation, in employment and goods and services. This means that discrimination against individuals based on sexual orientation is now treated with the same legal seriousness as discrimination based on race, ensuring equal protection under the law.RELATED: 15 destinations from Lonely Planets new LGBTQ+ travel guideYou can learn more about Belgiums performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.1. MaltaOverall score 2024: 88.83 percent (1st)Overall score 2023: 87.84 percent (1st)Strengths: Perfect scores for Hate Crime & Hate Speech, Legal Gender Recognition, and Civil Society SpaceWeaknesses: Intersex Bodily IntegrityQuote of note:A survey conducted by the EU Agency for Human Rights revealed that 62 percent of LGBTI people in Malta feel comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation, surpassing the EU average of 51 percent.RELATED: Malta unveiled Your ultimate LGBTQ+ guide to the Mediterranean paradiseYou can learn more about Maltas performance at the ILGA Europe Rainbow Map.You can reach the entire ILGA Europe Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex People in Europe and Central Asia at www.ilga-europe.org.
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    11 Black Pride events you don't want to miss in 2025
    Pride season is right around the corner, and while that means that your calendar is probably full of parties and parades, there are also Black Pride marches and festivities happening all across the country that should move to the top of your Pride Month calendar.Pride Month is about demanding space and celebrating marginalized LGBTQ+ identities, but sometimes the Black queer community can be left out of the equation. Thats why Black Pride Month events are so important. The very first Black Gay Pride event took place in 1991, when DC Black Pride had its inaugural celebration, paving the way for a movement of Black Pride protests and festivals across the United States. What has become a way to celebrate identity and demand a seat at the table started in response to how Black LGBTQ+ communities were disproportionately affected by the AIDS epidemic and encourages Black people to celebrate their own culture and heritage. Since then, events have cropped up all over the country to champion Black rights and joyfully gather in community with one another.Don't see an event you're excited about? Email us at news@equalpide.com and we'll add it to the calendar.Keep scrolling to see all of the amazing Black Pride Month events happening in America!DC Black Pride (May 23 - 26)This year Washington, DC will be home to the WorldPride celebration, but thats not all. There will also be a four-day-long Black Pride festival that will feature electrifying parties, glamorous balls, health and wellness breakout sessions, and dynamic performances.More details at DC Black Pride.Tri-State Black Pride Memphis (June 12 - 15)Tri-State Black Pride in Memphis, Tennessee will have a drag brunch, dripping wet pool party, and a music festival, and although you have to buy tickets the events make it worth the price of admission.More details at Tri-State Black Pride.New Orleans Black Pride (June 12 - 15)New Orleans knows how to do Pride right! The Black Pride weekend will start with a mixer before the Black Queer summit with panels, workshops, and meaningful conversations. There will also be a country-themed party, a community festival in Armstrong Park, a Nightcap Party with live DJs, and a Gospel Drag Brunch.More details at Black Pride NOLA.Indiana Pride of Color (June 14)Indy Prides BLQ+ event is one part Pride celebration and one part Juneteenth event. The day is a way to honor the history of Junneteenth and the resiliency and solidarity of the Black queer and trans community.More details at Indy Pride.Black Pride Festival - Upstate Pride SC (June 28)On June 28, downtown Greenville, South Carolina, will become the home of the Black Pride Festival. The day will start with a march and end with a festival that is both an opportunity and celebration of the BIPOC LGBTQ+ community.More details at Upstate Pride SC.Harlem Pride (June 28)This years Harlem Pride has a Kween & Qing theme that will honor the unique contributions of community leaders. There will be a Kween and Qing pageant and crowning ceremony, a Pride Sweet 16 party, and a festival with live performances, local vendors, community resources, and amazing food.More details at Harlem Pride.SF Pride Black Pride Festival (June 28)San Francisco Soul of Pride is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. What started as a place to uplift Black LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco has become a vibrant celebration that blends art, activism, and fellowship. There will be performances, art, and activism during Pride weekend that will celebrate the rich diversity of the Black queer community.More details at Soul of Pride.Boston Black Pride (July 2 - 6)Hosted by the Boston LesBiGay Urban Foundation, Boston Black Pride takes place over five days and includes a Pride Parade and music and arts festival. There will also be an open mic night party, a teen party, an R&B brunch, a Black Pride Ball, and a Met Gala.More details at the LesBiGay Urban Foundation.LA Black Pride (July 2 - 6)LA Black Pride is a five-day festival meant to uplift and celebrate the Black LGBTQ+ community, and includes an R&B party, a block party, a brunch, a Soul Sunday event at The Abbey.More details at Black Pride LA.Black Pride RVA (July 17 - 20)The 8th annual Black Pride RVA Festival takes place in Richmond, Virginia, and kicks off with a big party, which is meant to celebrate unity and culture. The rest of the event includes a Root Award ceremony at the Black History Museum, a Day of Purpose festival, a Blacktopia Ball, and a Pride in the Park celebration.More details at the Black Pride RVA Instagram account.Twin Cities Black Pride (August 13)Twin Cities Black Pride celebration will include an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding contributions within the Black LGBTQ+ community, a party boat, and a Sip, Paint, and Smoke event where a relaxed atmosphere, drinks, painting, and socializing.More details at MN POC Pride.
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  • WWW.PRIDE.COM
    Airbnb Originals: Where fan events meet personal hangouts
    Not just an update, but a reinventionEach year, a swarm of journalists touches down in sunny Los Angeles for Airbnb's biannual release part product showcase, part glimpse into where travel is headed. This year's updates feel less like an app refresh and more like a total reinvention. The brand's Summer Release felt especially tailored to travelers who crave not just a bed but also a bit of magic: think private mezcal tastings, in-home massages, and curated cultural deep-dives that go beyond the tourist brochure. For LGBTQ+ travelers, there's a refreshing thread of inclusivity running throughout it all, from the experiences to the voices shaping them behind the scenes.Lets rewind for a secondIts hard to remember a time when travel didnt come with the inevitable question: Hotel or Airbnb? In fact, the word Airbnb has become so ubiquitous, its right up there with The Kardashiansanother cultural mainstay that launched in 2007. What began as a trio of roommates renting out air mattresses in their San Francisco apartment to cover rent has since transformed hospitality as we know it. And now, in the words of co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky, its ready to do it all over again. Seventeen years ago, we changed the way people travel. More than two billion guests later, Airbnb is synonymous with a place to stay, Chesky said at the event. With the launch of services and experiences, were changing travel again. Now you can Airbnb more than an Airbnb.Airbnb Originals bring the star powerOne of the buzziest updates is the launch of Airbnb Originals one-of-a-kind experiences hosted by some of the worlds most intriguing people. From Megan Thee Stallions Otaku Hottie Quest to a behind-the-scenes Broadway prep day with Keke Palmer, to game day rituals with Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle of Angel City Football Club, these experiences blur the line between fan event and personal hangout. Therell even be a glam session with Sabrina Carpenter, where youll more than likely leave with quite an impression.The release event itself felt more like a Grammys red carpet affair than a tech launch in the best way possible with appearances from the likes of Doechii, Becky G, Shaboozey, Chance the Rapper, Christina Aguilera, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys, Normani, and the Htown Hottie herself. Whether all these stars are future Airbnb Originals collaborators or simply fans of the platform, well have to wait and see but one things clear: Airbnb isnt just a place to book beds anymore.Book a blowout, a massage, or a private chefAirbnb Services is the other big reveal, letting users book vetted professionals in ten different categories across 260+ cities worldwide. Chefs, photographers, personal trainers, massage therapists, estheticians, hairstylists, nail techs, and yoga instructors are all available. Planning a proposal in Paris? Hire a local photographer who captures your aesthetic. Need to unwind after too much sightseeing? Tap for an authentic Swedish massage. Want to throw a dinner party in Miami? Book a private chef. These offerings arent just for travelers, either. You can live in LA., have friends in town, and book an outdoor yoga class in a Bel Air mansion, or arrange a styling session in NYC or a CBD spa treatment in Austin. Unlike other apps where you gamble on quality and lets be honest, worry youve been scammed until the moment it starts Airbnb vets hosts for experience, expertise, and credentials. Services can be booked instantly, often in just a few taps, and many start under $50.A smarter way to travelThe newly redesigned Airbnb app ties everything together: homes, services, and experiences in one sleek interface. Its easier to browse, easier to compare, and finally easier to budget. Another welcome change? Airbnb recently started showing the total cost of your reservation, including cleaning and service fees, right from the start. Its a small change, but one that goes a long way toward reducing that dreaded $89 a night surprise that turns into $207 at checkout. Booking is also faster, with most experiences and services available to reserve instantly, in just a few taps. The layout is clean, intuitive, and actually feels like it was built for how we plan trips today on our phones, in a rush, and on the fly whether thats a spontaneous escape or a special evening in your hometown.Safety, trust, and the Tara Bunch effectFor LGBTQ+ travelers, booking a trip often comes with extra questions and extra precautions. Airbnbs Global Head of Operations, Tara Bunch, whos been named to Fast Companys Queer 50 list twice, spoke candidly about the platforms ongoing commitment to inclusivity. One of the things we require of all hosts and guests is that they agree to our community commitment, and that requires everyone to treat everyone with respect, without bias, no exceptions we have zero tolerance for discrimination, she said. She also shared that shes the executive sponsor for Airbnbs Pride employee groupa role shes held proudly at Apple and HP in previous leadership positions. Her message to other LGBTQ+ professionals in tech? Try to always be authentic. I think it's one of the most important leadership attributes... One of the most important things that a leader has to have in order to be successful, I believe, is trust.A shift toward experience-first travelOf all the latest updates, what stood out most for me even more than the delightfully unexpected celebrity sightings was the push for meaningful, local connection. To a place, to a culture, and each other. We have a really strong value around connections and creating connections and understanding of other people's cultures and backgrounds, identities, etc., Bunch said. That value comes through in the range of LGBTQ+ experiences now live on Airbnb where you can opt to take a queer history walking tour in Greenwich Village, uncover Berlins queer legacy, or hop through Lisbons top LGBTQ+ nightlife spots, and so much more.The redesigned Messages tab only adds to that spirit of connection, with new features like photo and video sharing, integrated payments, and the ability to message fellow guests before, during, or after an experienceso those spontaneous friendships dont have to end when the tour does. Whether youre traveling abroad or exploring your citys backyard, Airbnbs 2025 Summer Release signals something bigger: a shift toward thoughtful, inclusive, and experience-first travel. And thats something we can all get behind no matter where were going.
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    'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10': Here are queens from bracket 1 on their way to the semi-finals
    The endgame is here for bracket 1 of 'All Stars 10'!Editor's note: This article contains spoilers for episode 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10.RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 10 episode 3 is the final chance for the bracket 1 queens Aja, Bosco, DeJa Skye, Irene The Alien, Olivia Lux, and Phoenix to earn enough points and qualify to compete in the semi-finals.At the end of this episode, three queens with the most points did move forward to the next stage. But not all is lost to the other three queens who did not qualify, with Mama Ru teasing another twist (more on that later!).The bracket 1 scoreboard prior to this third episode had both Irene The Alien and Bosco with 4 points, as well as Aja with 3 points. DeJa Skye, Olivia Lux, and Phoenix were all at stuck at 1 point each.And yet, the episode started with another round of deliberations for the four Most Valuable Queen (MVQ) points that are up for grabs And the girls are girling, that's for sure!'All Stars 10' Bracket 1: Round 2 of MVQ PointsThe Most Valuable Queen (MVQ) points were distributed in a way that placed both DeJa Skye and Olivia Lux at 3 points. This meant that both DeJa and Olivia were now tied to Aja, who won all 3 of her points during the premiere episode.Considering that this second round of MVQ points ended with Aja, DeJa, and Olivia all tied at 3 points, it didn't take long for Bosco and Irene each with 4 points to clock that half of the queens in this bracket were only a point away from them. Frontrunners? Sure. Three queens dangerously close to surpassing the two of them? Absolutely.Unfortunately, the MVQ shenanigans still left Phoenix trailing behind everyone else with just one point overall.'All Stars 10' Bracket 1: Final Top 2 Lip SyncBosco and Irene The Alien win this week's makeover challenge. The two drag sisters then battled it out in a top 2 lip sync to "Pocketbook" (by Jennifer Hudson and Ludacris) for the chance to win a final point.Mama Ru declared that Irene won that final lip sync which, by the way, was her first-ever lip sync win in Drag Race herstory! Adding one more point to her stellar track record, Irene accumulated a grand total of 7 points and advanced to the semi-finals.'All Stars 10' Bracket 1: Round 3 of MVQ PointsSee on InstagramUnlike the other MVQ deliberations, this final round for bracket 1 challenged the queens to distribute their MVQ points right on the main stage. In other words, they all had to write down names at the same time and didn't have a chance to plead their case back in the werk room. Those final points were distributed as such:Aja gave her MVQ point to DeJa.DeJa gave her MVQ point to Olivia.Olivia gave her MVQ point to Aja.Phoenix gave her MVQ point to Aja.Which queens from bracket 1 advanced to the semi-finals of 'All Stars 10'?Irene The Alien, Bosco, and Aja were the three queens from bracket 1 who advanced to the semi-finals of All Stars 10. Here's a breakdown of their final scores:Irene The Alien won three maxi challenges (2 points each) and one top 2 lip sync (1 point). Irene's final score: 7 points.Bosco won two maxi challenges (2 points each), one top 2 lip sync (1 point) and one MVQ point. Bosco's final score: 6 points.Aja won a maxi challenge (2 points), one top 2 lip sync (1 point), and two MVQ points. Aja's final score: 5 points.Which queens from bracket 1 did not move forward to the next stage of 'All Stars 10'?DeJa Skye, Olivia Lux, and Phoenix didn't win any maxi challenge while competing on All Stars 10. As the three queens with the lowest scores, they didn't move forward to the semi-finals.Ultimately, Deja and Olivia finished the season with 4 points, which were all earned in the MVQ deliberations. Phoenix finished the bracket with only 1 point.But don't count them out yet, it seems! At the end of episode 3, RuPaul declared that the three queens who didn't qualify to the semi-finals could still battle their way for a chance to return to the competition, but Mama Ru didn't reveal too many details about how that's going to play out.'All Stars 10' Bracket 1: Final ScoreboardIrene The Alien: 7 pointsBosco: 6 pointsAja: 5 pointsDeJa Skye: 4 pointsOlivia Lux: 4 pointsPhoenix: 1 pointWhich queens are competing in bracket 2 of 'All Stars 10'?Episode 4 kicks off the competition for bracket 2 of All Stars 10. This batch of queens, otherwise identified as "Group Pink," consists of Jorgeous, Kerri Colby, Lydia B Kollins, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Nicole Paige Brooks, and Tina Burner.May the Tournament of All Stars continue!RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 drops new episodes every Friday on Paramount+.
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    11 excellent lesbian and sapphic shows to stream on HBO Max
    In the mood for a good old-fashioned sapphic binge-watch but feel like you've already seen everything Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+ have to offer? Well then, it's time to crack open that HBO Max menu because if you haven't, we can assure you that there is plenty of top-tier lesbian content youve been missing out on.From sweeping period romances to animated love stories, to hilarious comedies, coming-of-age dramas, sapphic superheroes, and even a lesbian love story at the end of the world, these are the must-see shows about queer women you can watch on HBO Max right now.All film and series descriptions are courtesy of HBO Max.Gentleman JackSynopsis: Halifax, 1832. Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) shakes up her shabby ancestral home, determined to restore its fortunes and find herself a wife. Society will talk.Why you need to binge it: Well, for one its a lesbian period romance that isnt a huge bummer, plus it's a rare one that centers around a butch.The Sex Lives of College GirlsSynopsis: The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four college roommates as they arrive at New Englands prestigious Essex College. A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these girls are equal parts lovable and infuriating as they live out their new, free lives on campus.Why you need to binge it: First of all, Rene Rapp stars in a queer role. Second of all, so does Ruby Cruz. But more important is how much queerness is woven into the fabric of this show, which depicts both sapphic discovery and exploration with authenticity. ControlSynopsis: Former lovers Natalia (Adrianna Chlebicka) and Majka (Ewelina Pankowska) explore their personal feelings to reconcile their turbulent past.Why you need to binge it: This Polish series may have flown under your radar, but today that changes! While some of the shows on this list include queer storylines and characters, which make them worth watching, this one is all about centering the sapphics. Plus, since it began as a web series, which makes for a a short and sweet binge. PatriaSynopsis: Patria tells a story over three decades of the Spanish Basque Country threatened by the separatist terrorism of ETA, through the eyes of two families divided by the violent conflict.Why you need to binge it: Heres another foreign series that you may have missed. While the series focuses more broadly on the impact of the Basque conflict on its cast of characters, Arantxa, portrayed by Loreto Maulen, is one of its most compelling characters.Harley QuinnSynopsis: Harley Quinn has finally broken things off with the Joker and attempts to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City.Why you need to binge it: Nothing will scratch your itch for a chaotic lesbian love story like this hilarious and cheeky animated series. The love story between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, despite the madcap vibes of everything and everyone around them, is incredibly sweet and grounded you know, for an animated series about a bunch of comic book villains. The Girls On the BusSynopsis: The Girls On The Bus invites viewers to hit the campaign trail alongside four female journalists, each of them different in their reporting styles and personalities. The story centers on Sadie McCarthy (Melissa Benoist), a journalist who romanticizes a bygone era of campaign reporting and scraps her whole life for a shot at covering a presidential candidate for a paper of record. Sadie joins the bus and eventually bonds with three female competitors, Grace (Carla Gugino), Lola (Natasha Behnam), and Kimberlyn (Christina Elmore). Despite their differences, the women become a found family with a front-row seat to the greatest soap opera in town - the battle for the White House.Why you need to binge it: The cast of this series is enough sapphic cred alone! Melissa Benoist and Carla Gugino? Yes, please. And yet even with those two on board, it's queer Iranian-American actress Natasha Behnam as the Gen-Z influencer Lola Rahaii, who steals the show. HacksSynopsis: This Jean Smart-led comedy series explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance (Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old (Hannah Einbinder).Why you need to binge it: Ok, this is probably one that has at least been on your radar. But if for some reason you haven't taken the plunge, get in there because the water is... ghey as hell. Yes, there are sapphic characters played by out actors and queer romance abounds, but truly every single thing about this show is just infused with queerness in the best and messiest ways possible. Its brilliant.I Hate SuzieSynopsis: When a phone hack exposes her most compromising photos, a former teen pop star embarks on a tumultuous journey of self-discovery.Why you need to binge it: Not only does the series feature geeky sapphic fave Billie Piper as the titular Suzie, but it also gives her a bisexual bestie. Leila Farzad stars as Naomi Jones, Suzies closest friend and manager helping her to navigate the phone leak fallout. She is complex and her plotline doesn't revolve around her romantic life, rather it's a rich and nuanced portrayal of female friendship.The Last of UsSynopsis: The Last Of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.Why you need to binge it: Chances are you've heard of this one and with good reason. Even sapphics who normally eschew horror films should give this one a shot. Ramsey turns in a stellar performance as queer teen Ellie whose love stories are pivotal to the plot and her character growth without ever feeling forced. And don't even get us started on that Bill and Frank episode.BatwomanSynopsis: Kate Kane follows in the footsteps of her missing cousin, Bruce Wayne, and protects the streets of Gotham City as Batwoman.Why you need to binge it: Lesbian superhero. Do we need to say more? Fine, how about two lesbian superheroes, both played by out actors? Ruby Rose and Javicia Leslie both donned the Batwoman mantle (with a little Wallis Day in between). BettySynopsis: Betty follows a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through the predominantly male-oriented world of skateboarding, set against the backdrop of New York City.Why you need to binge it: Baby dykes on skateboards? Of course, this is a must-watch!
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    Seeking a job in science? How hiring practices across industry and academia compare
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01514-0Why is recruitment often speedier in industry? Julie Gould investigates what the two sectors can learn from each other in the race to source top talent.
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    Powerful CRISPR system inserts whole gene into human DNA
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01518-wDirected evolution in the laboratory creates an editing tool that outperforms classic CRISPR systems.
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    Worlds first personalized CRISPR therapy given to baby with genetic disease
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01496-zTreatment seems to have been effective, but it is not clear whether such bespoke therapies can be widely applied.
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    Daily briefing: Yes, you can find love during your PhD
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01590-2The highs and lows of looking for the one during a PhD. Plus, mice with a human gene grow bigger-than-usual brains and reptiles might have evolved 35 million years earlier than we thought.
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    Stem cells coaxed into most advanced amniotic sacs ever grown in the lab
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01498-xThe sacs grew to roughly 2 centimetres wide and could be used to study early pregnancy.
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    NWSL Power Rankings: Chawinga's brilliance keeps Current No. 1
    If you make a single mistake against Temwa Chawinga and the Current, you're likely to get punished. That and more in ESPN's NWSL Power Rankings.
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    Ajax boss emotional after historic title collapse
    Ajax manager Francesco Farioli has said he has no regrets despite his side finishing as runners-up in the Eredivisie in one of the biggest title collapses in history.
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    Galaxy still winless after Trafico draw with LAFC
    Marco Reus scored twice, including the game-tying free kick in the 87th minute as the LA Galaxy earned a 2-2 tie with rival LAFC on Sunday night in Carson, California.
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    Messi urges Miami to be 'united' in 'difficult' time
    Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi urged the team to stay strong and remain united after losing 3-0 to in-state rival Orlando City SC at Chase Stadium on Sunday night.
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    OKC conquers nerves to roll Nuggets, reach WCF
    The Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals after beating the Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7 on Sunday.
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  • WWW.PROPUBLICA.ORG
    Trump Administration Moves to Block the U.S. Travel of Mexican Politicians Who It Says Are Linked to the Drug Trade
    by Tim Golden Leer en espaol. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. In what could be a significant escalation of U.S. pressure on Mexico, the Trump administration has begun to impose travel restrictions and other sanctions on prominent Mexican politicians whom it believes are linked to drug corruption, U.S. officials said.So far, two Mexican political figures have acknowledged being banned from traveling to the United States. But U.S. officials said they expect more Mexicans to be targeted as the administration works through a list of several dozen political figures who have been identified by law enforcement and intelligence agencies as having ties to the drug trade.The list includes leaders of President Claudia Sheinbaums governing party, several state governors and political figures close to her predecessor, former President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, the U.S. officials said. They insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive policy plans.The governor of the Mexican state of Baja California, Marina del Pilar vila, confirmed that she and her husband, a former congressman, were told their U.S. visas were revoked because of a situation involving her husband. The fact that the State Department has cancelled my visa does not mean that I have committed something bad, she said at a news conference on Monday.Sheinbaum said her government had asked U.S. officials to explain why vila was stripped of her visa but had been told that such matters are private and no further information was given. The visa actions represent the latest political challenge for the new Mexican leader and her leftist National Regeneration Movement, known as Morena. Despite the countrys historic sensitivity to any hint of U.S. meddling, Sheinbaum has thus far bolstered her support at home by asserting Mexicos sovereignty in discussions with President Donald Trump while also moving to meet his demands for action against the biggest traffickers.Mexican journalists reported that U.S. immigration officials also pulled the visa of another border-state governor, Amrico Villarreal of Tamaulipas, an assertion that the governors spokesperson dismissed as unconfirmed. (Villarreal has been frequently accused of having ties to drug trafficking, which he has denied.) Last month, the mayor of that states second-largest city, Matamoros, was stopped from crossing the border into Brownsville, Texas, but he, too, insisted he had not been formally stripped of his visa. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment, noting that visa records are confidential under U.S. law.Three U.S. officials said the visa actions will likely in some cases be accompanied by Treasury Department sanctions that block individuals from conducting business with U.S. companies and freeze financial assets they have in the United States. vila said that she did not have any U.S. bank accounts and faced no such sanction.A spokesperson for the Treasury Department declined to comment on the sanctions plan. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller (Tom Brenner/The Washington Post/Getty Images) When the administration imposed tariffs on Mexico in early March, it asserted that the countrys government had granted safe havens for the cartels to engage in the manufacturing and transportation of dangerous narcotics, which collectively have led to the overdose deaths of hundreds of thousands of American victims.As part of what it has described as an all-out fight against fentanyl and other illegal drugs, the administration has designated some of the biggest Mexican trafficking gangs as terrorist organizations and explored the possibility of unilateral U.S. military actions against them, officials said.The review of Mexican drug corruption was initiated by a small White House team that requested information from law enforcement agencies and the U.S. intelligence community about Mexican political, government and military figures with criminal ties.Officials said the group has been shaping the administrations security policy with Mexico under the leadership of a deputy White House homeland security adviser, Anthony Salisbury. It is overseen by the deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller. A spokesperson for the White House declined to comment in response to questions about the groups role in initiating the travel sanctions.One official familiar with the teams list said it overlaps with a file of about 35 Mexican officials that was compiled by Drug Enforcement Administration investigators in 2019, after Lpez Obrador began shutting down Mexicos cooperation with the United States in counterdrug programs. That earlier effort sought to identify Mexican government figures who could be criminally prosecuted for aiding drug traffickers. It led to the 2019 indictment in the U.S. of the countrys former security chief, Genaro Garca Luna, and his conviction on drug charges five years later in a New York federal court.The two former DEA officials in Mexico City who oversaw the compilation of the 2019 list, Terrance Cole and Matthew Donahue, also proposed that the State Department cancel the U.S. visas of some of the Mexican political figures named on it. Senior U.S. diplomats rejected that proposal.Cole is now awaiting Senate confirmation as the Trump administrations new DEA administrator.Some current and former U.S. officials expressed concerns about the latest White House-led plan. They noted that the standard of proof required for both visa cancellations and Treasury sanctions is well below that of a criminal trial, which could encourage proponents of the measures to act on what might be less-than-solid information.Officials said the visa actions were being taken under Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which stipulates that noncitizens can be found ineligible for entry to the United States if the government knows or has reason to believe that the foreigner is or has been a knowing aider, abettor, assister, conspirator or colluder with others in the illicit trafficking of illegal drugs. The law also allows the State Department to cancel the visas of relatives of a sanctioned official who may have benefited from their illicit gains. One U.S. official said that while the visa withdrawals might send a powerful signal of the United States new willingness to challenge Mexican corruption, they could also stir new conflict between the two governments.We should be using all the resources of the government to go after these people, the official said, referring to corrupt Mexican officials. But the bigger question is: Does this work with President Sheinbaum? Are you going to lose an opportunity now with a Mexican government that has been very compliant on the drug front?A former Mexican ambassador to Washington, Arturo Sarukhaan, said further visa actions against prominent figures in Sheinbaums party would make it hard for her to continue claiming a good relationship with the United States despite Trumps often openly confrontational tone.But at the same time, Sarukhaan added, it gives her a nationalistic president with a very chauvinistic party behind her a perfect excuse to say that everything bad thats happening in Mexico with the economy and everything else is because of U.S. imperialism.Lpez Obrador, who came to power in 2018, had promised to fight corruption as never before. Instead, he presided over an administration that denied having any corruption problem in its own ranks even as journalists produced report after report that officials close to the president and even his own sons were engaged in profiteering and graft.Sheinbaum has struck a different tone. In a message to a Morena party congress on May 4, she warned the faithful about the dangers of cronyism, nepotism and corruption.All members of Morena should conduct themselves with honesty, humility and simplicity, she said. There cannot be any collusion with crime whether organized or white collar. Correction May 16, 2025: This story originally misstated how much time elapsed between Genaro Garca Lunas indictment and his conviction. They were five years apart, not three.
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    How the Trump Administration Is Weakening the Enforcement of Fair Housing Laws
    by Jesse Coburn ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. Kennell Staten saw Walker Courts as his best path out of homelessness, he said. The complex had some of the only subsidized apartments he knew of in his adopted hometown of Jonesboro, Arkansas, so he applied to live there again and again. But while other people seemed to sail through the leasing process, his applications went nowhere. Staten thought he knew why: He is gay. The property manager had made her feelings about that clear to him, he said. She said I was too flamboyant, he remembered, that its a whole bunch of older people staying there and they would feel uncomfortable seeing me coming outside with a dress or skirt on.So Staten filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in February. It was the type of complaint that HUD used to take seriously. The agency has devoted itself to rooting out prejudice in the housing market since the Fair Housing Act was signed into law in 1968, one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. And, following a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that declared that civil rights protections bar unequal treatment because of someones sexual orientation or gender identity, HUD considered it illegal to discriminate in housing on those grounds.Then Donald Trump became president once more. Two days after filing his complaint, Staten received a letter informing him that HUD did not view allegations like his as subject to federal law a stark departure from its position just a month prior. The news gutted him. I went through pure hell just to get turned away, Staten said. (The property manager disputed Statens account and said he was rejected for fighting on the property, which Staten denied. The property owner declined to comment.) Statens complaint is one of hundreds impacted by a major retreat in the federal governments decadeslong fight against housing discrimination and segregation, according to interviews with 10 HUD officials. Those federal staffers, along with state officials, attorneys and advocates across the country, described a dismantling of federal fair housing enforcement, which has been slowed, constrained or halted at every step. The investigative process has been hobbled. The agency is withholding discrimination charges that HUD officials say should already have been issued. Those accused of housing discrimination appear newly emboldened not to cooperate with the agency. And at least 115 federal fair housing cases have been halted or closed entirely since Trump took office, with hundreds more cases in jeopardy, HUD officials estimate. These changes raise questions about the future of one of the enduring legacies of the civil rights movement, which advocates see as urgently needed today amid a historic housing shortage and rising complaints about housing discrimination. Itll give free rein to companies, to states, to governments to take advantage of people, to refuse to respect their rights, without fear of response from the government. They know that no one is watching, no one will hold them accountable, so they can just do what they want, said Paul Osadebe, a HUD attorney and union steward who litigates fair housing cases. The civil rights laws that people marched for and fought for and died for, that Congress passed and at least sensibly expects to be enforced, thats just not happening right now. Its not happening. And people are really being harmed by it.Asked to comment on the findings in this story, HUD spokesperson Kasey Lovett said in a statement: HUD is committed to rooting out discrimination and upholding the Fair Housing Act. ProPublica continues to cherry pick examples to further an activist narrative rather than report the facts. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. They know that no one is watching, no one will hold them accountable, so they can just do what they want, said Paul Osadebe, a HUD attorney and union steward who litigates fair housing cases. (Alyssa Schukar for ProPublica) For many victims of housing discrimination, HUDs Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity has long been the best path to winning justice. Recent investigations by the office and its state and local partners have led to millions of dollars in relief for victims and reforms from landlords, mortgage lenders and local governments. When a California city began requiring property owners to evict tenants if the county sheriffs department said they had engaged in criminal activity regardless of whether they were convicted it was a HUD investigation that led to a nearly $1 million settlement and a repeal of the ordinance. (The city did not admit liability.) The agency also secured a $300,000 settlement for a mother, daughter and the daughters boyfriend in Oklahoma who were allegedly harassed and assaulted by neighbors because the boyfriend was Black, to which the landlord responded by trying to evict the mother. (A representative for the property ownership company said company leadership has changed since the allegations.)Such victories may be rare in the next four years.We are being gutted right now, said one agency official, who, like others, requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation. And it feels like its not even the beginning. The Fair Housing Offices staff of roughly 550 full-time employees is set to fall by more than a third through the administrations federal worker buyout program, according to a HUD meeting recording obtained by ProPublica. Internal projections that have circulated widely among HUD staffers suggest far deeper cuts could follow.Those accused of housing discrimination seem to have taken notice. HUD officials described an increase in defendants ignoring correspondence from investigators or even copying Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency in their communication with HUD, seemingly in hopes the cost-cutting department will take their side.For them to face a consequence, they will need to be brought through a litigation process, which requires expenditure of litigation from the department, and they know that we dont have those resources anymore, one HUD official said. They also feel emboldened that this administration will not consider the things that they are doing to be illegal.Some defendants have been more explicit about this. In one case, a midwestern city which had allegedly allowed local politicians to block affordable housing in white neighborhoods asked HUD officials if the agency still had the backing to pursue the case if the city walked away from the negotiating table, one official said. In another case, a public housing authority, also in the Midwest, rescinded a six-figure settlement it had offered two days prior, citing Trumps newly issued executive order attacking disparate-impact liability. The housing authority had allegedly favored white applicants and denied applicants with even modest criminal records. HUD spent years building the case; it crumbled in 48 hours. (HUD officials shared details on these and other cases on the condition that ProPublica not name the parties or locations, as the deliberations are private.)Without the support of agency leadership, HUD is in a weaker negotiating position, dimming the prospects of major settlements or reforms. In another case involving a public housing authority, this one on the East Coast, HUD is considering settling for no monetary penalty although it would not have accepted less than $1 million under the prior administration, officials said. HUD found the housing authority excluded disabled applicants and that some of its buildings had tenants who were disproportionately white (which the authority has denied).When settlement negotiations collapse, HUD regularly issues charges of discrimination, akin to filing a lawsuit. Four months into Joe Bidens presidency, the agency had charged at least eight cases and announced major steps in another four. In the second Trump presidency, HUD has not filed a single charge of housing discrimination, officials said.Its not for a lack of credible complaints, HUD officials say. There are dozens stuck in limbo at the agencys Office of General Counsel, HUD officials estimated, including several where officials had conducted lengthy investigations and determined a civil rights law had been violated. One such complaint involves a New York woman who said she was sexually harassed for years by a maintenance worker in her building. The worker allegedly grabbed her breasts and told her that to receive repairs she would have to call him after hours allegations that HUD officials found to be credible. But Trump appointees have not allowed them to file a charge, officials said.Lovett, the HUD spokesperson, said that the Department is preparing multiple charges that will be issued within the next week against individuals who we believe violated the Fair Housing Act. She did not respond to a request for details about those charges.Many of the cases halted by HUD involve claims of housing discrimination because of someones sexual orientation or gender identity. Those appear to have been undermined by Trumps defending women executive order, issued on his first day in office, which eliminated executive branch recognition of transgender people. Another executive order declaring English the countrys official language has paralyzed cases involving the requirement that housing providers who receive federal funds try to reach people with limited English proficiency. Other cases now in peril involve environmental justice, like disputes over the construction of pollution-emitting factories in poor, predominantly nonwhite neighborhoods. Race-based discrimination cases could be next on the chopping block, given the administrations campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, some HUD officials fear.Previously there were many channels through which the public could file housing discrimination complaints to HUD. In March, the agency shut down all but one of them (with limited exceptions), citing staffing reductions. Now complaint hotlines and inboxes go unmonitored, with answering machines informing callers: The number you reached is no longer in use.Investigations have been thwarted. Staffers can no longer travel to look for witnesses, as staff credit cards now have $1 spending limits. Agency attorneys must seek approval from a Trump appointee for basic tasks, such as issuing subpoenas, taking depositions, assisting with settlement discussions and even merely speaking to other attorneys in and outside government. As that approval seems to rarely come, investigations languish, HUD officials said. Even routine settlements now require approval from a political appointee, exacerbating the case backlog and delaying relief for victims, officials said.The dysfunction has at times taken more mundane forms. For around two weeks in March, the Fair Housing Offices work slowed to a crawl after DOGE canceled, without notice, a contract that had enabled staffers to quickly send certified mail to people involved in cases, according to officials and federal contracting data. It was a crucial resource the office mails tens of thousands of documents each year, and regulations require some correspondence to be certified. Without the contract, staff had to spend their days stuffing envelopes themselves. The contract was worth only around $220,000. In recent years, HUDs annual discretionary budget has topped $70 billion.Compliance reviews and discretionary investigations have also been affected. Typically that involves examining the policies and practices of developers, public housing authorities and other recipients of HUD funding to ensure that they abide by civil rights laws. Officials said such efforts have all but ceased, including an investigation into a housing authority that appeared to have a disproportionately low number of Latino tenants and applicants compared to the surrounding area. Larger, systemic investigations are similarly on ice.The apparent retreat in fair housing enforcement extends beyond HUD. At the Department of Justice, which prosecutes many fair housing cases, staffers received a draft of the housing sections new mission statement, which omitted any mention of the Fair Housing Act. (The DOJ declined to comment.) At the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Trump appointee Russ Vought has sought to vacate a settlement with a company called Townstone Financial, which CFPB alleged had effectively discouraged African Americans from applying for mortgages. The agency is now proposing to return the settlement funds to the company. CFPB abused its power, used radical equity arguments to tag Townstone as racist with zero evidence, and spent years persecuting and extorting them, Vought has said to explain the decision. (CFPB did not respond to a request for comment. Townstones CEO said that he welcomed the move to vacate the settlement and that the prior allegations were meritless.)The federal governments fair housing efforts are supported by a broad ecosystem of local nonprofits. They, too, have been destabilized. In February, HUD and DOGE canceled 78 grants to local fair housing organizations, saying each one no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities. The funding represented a minuscule fraction of HUDs budget but was essential to grant recipients. That includes groups like Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Greater Cincinnati, which was forced to pause investigations into racist mortgage lending practices and apartment buildings that may flout accessibility laws, according to Executive Director Elisabeth Risch. Four of the organizations filed a class-action lawsuit, arguing HUD and DOGE had no authority to withhold funding approved by Congress. The litigation is ongoing.Many states do not have their own substantial fair housing laws, leaving little recourse for housing discrimination victims in large swaths of the country if HUDs retreat continues. In the state of Missouri, HUD was it for housing protections, said Kalila Jackson, an attorney in St. Louis. Its a terrifying situation.Fighting housing discrimination was once seen as so imperative that President Lyndon Johnson described the Fair Housing Act as a crowning achievement of the civil rights movement. With this bill, the voice of justice speaks again, he said when signing the legislation. It proclaims that fair housing for all all human beings who live in this country is now a part of the American way of life. But advocates and HUD officials say that ambition never became a reality. The fair housing laws were never fully implemented, said Erin Kemple, a vice president at the National Fair Housing Alliance. If you look at segregation throughout the country, it is still very high in most places. And the Fair Housing Office has been chronically understaffed and underfunded by Republican and Democratic administrations alike. The office has long struggled to clear its docket. In recent years, segregation has been on the rise by some measures. One study found that most major metropolitan areas were more segregated in 2019 than they had been in 1990. Another found that the Black homeownership rate is lower now than it was at the passage of the Fair Housing Act. And more housing discrimination complaints were filed in 2023 than in any other year since the National Fair Housing Alliance began tracking the figures three decades ago.Some advocates fear that a four-year federal retreat from the issue could send the country sliding back toward the pre-civil rights era, when landlords and mortgage lenders could freely reject applicants because of their race, and when federal agencies, local governments and real estate brokers could maintain policies that perpetuated extreme levels of segregation.HUD officials interviewed by ProPublica echoed those concerns, foreseeing a growing national underclass of poor renters suffering discrimination with little hope of redress. They can always file lawsuits, but, for those at the bottom of the housing market, costly litigation is hardly an option. Even if todays policies are undone by future administrations, there will be at least four years in which it may become easier for local zoning boards to block affordable housing, for mortgage lenders to retreat from nonwhite neighborhoods, and for developers to flout accessibility requirements in new buildings, HUD officials fear. The consequences of those changes could stretch far into the future. Housing cycles are long, one HUD official said. This decimation will set us back for another several decades.April is Fair Housing Month, when HUD usually announces high-profile cases and holds events celebrating the Fair Housing Act. This April came and went without fanfare. HUD Secretary Scott Turner did release a two-minute video, in which he vowed to uphold the Fair Housing Act so every American has the opportunity to achieve the American dream of homeownership. He added: A more fair and free housing market is truly part of President Trumps golden age of America.Beyond that, Turner has had little to say about housing discrimination or segregation, beyond weakening a measure known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. HUD even eliminated the Fair Housing Offices old website. The URL now redirects to HUDs homepage, which features a photo of a suburban cul-de-sac with a heavenly sunset behind it and a quote from Turner, a former NFL player and Baptist pastor.God blessed us with this great nation, it reads. Together, we can increase self-sufficiency and empower Americans to climb the economic ladder toward a brighter future.
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    The Trump Administration Leaned on African Countries. The Goal: Get Business for Elon Musk.
    by Joshua Kaplan, Brett Murphy, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. In early February, Sharon Cromer, U.S. ambassador to Gambia, went to visit one of the countrys Cabinet ministers at his agencys headquarters, above a partially abandoned strip mall off a dirt road. It had been two weeks since President Donald Trump took office, and Cromer had pressing business to discuss. She needed the minister to fall in line to help Elon Musk.Starlink, Musks satellite internet company, had spent months trying to secure regulatory approval to sell internet access in the impoverished West African country. As head of Gambias communications ministry, Lamin Jabbi oversees the governments review of Starlinks license application. Jabbi had been slow to sign off and the company had grown impatient. Now the top U.S. government official in Gambia was in Jabbis office to intervene.Musks Department of Government Efficiency loomed over the conversation. The administration had already begun freezing foreign aid projects, and early in the meeting, Cromer, a Biden appointee, said something that rattled Gambian officials in the room. She listed the ways that the U.S. was supporting the country, according to two people present and contemporaneous notes, noting that key initiatives like one that funds a $25 million project to improve the electrical system were currently under review. Jabbis top deputy, Hassan Jallow, told ProPublica he saw Cromers message as a veiled threat: If Starlink doesnt get its license, the U.S. could cut off the desperately needed funds. The implication was that they were connected, Jallow said. In recent months, senior State Department officials in both Washington and Gambia have coordinated with Starlink executives to coax, lobby and browbeat at least seven Gambian government ministers to help Musk, records and interviews show. One of those Cabinet officials told ProPublica his government is under maximum pressure to yield.In mid-March, Cromer escalated the campaign by writing to Gambias president with an important request. That day, a contentious D.C. meeting between Musk employees and Jabbi had ended in an impasse. She urged the president to circumvent Jabbi and facilitate the necessary approvals for Starlink to commence operations, according to a copy of the letter obtained by ProPublica. Jabbi told confidantes he felt the ambassador was trying to get him fired. Lamin Jabbi, first image, head of Gambias communications ministry, and Sharon Cromer, U.S. ambassador to Gambia (Via the Facebook pages of Gambias Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, and the U.S. Embassy in Banjul, Gambia) The saga in Gambia is the starkest known example of the Trump administration wielding the U.S. governments foreign policy apparatus to advance the business interests of Musk, a top Trump adviser and the worlds richest man.Since Trumps inauguration, the State Department has intervened on behalf of Starlink in Gambia and at least four other developing nations, previously unreported records and interviews show.As the Trump administration has gutted foreign aid, U.S. diplomats have pressed governments to fast-track licenses for Starlink and arranged conversations between company employees and foreign leaders. In cables, U.S. officials have said that for their foreign counterparts, helping Starlink is a chance to prove their commitment to good relations with the U.S.In one country last month, the U.S. embassy bragged that Starlinks license was approved despite concerns it wasnt abiding by rules that its competitors had to follow.If this was done by another country, we absolutely would call this corruption, said Kristofer Harrison, who served as a high-level State Department official in the George W. Bush administration. Because it is corruption. Helping U.S. businesses has long been part of the State Departments mission, but former ambassadors said they sought to do this by making the positive case for the benefits of U.S. investment. When seeking deals for U.S. companies, they said they took care to avoid the appearance of conflicts or leaving the impression that punitive measures were on the table.Ten current and former State Department officials said the recent drive was an alarming departure from standard diplomatic practice because of both the tactics used and the person who would benefit most from them. I honestly didnt think we were capable of doing this, one official told ProPublica. That is bad on every level. Kenneth Fairfax, a retired career diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan, said the global push for Musk could lead to the impression that the U.S. is engaging in a form of crony capitalism.The Washington Post previously reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed U.S. diplomats to help Starlink so it can beat its Chinese and Russian competitors. Multiple countries, including India, have sped up license approvals for Starlink to try to build goodwill in tariff negotiations with the Trump administration, the Post reported.ProPublicas reporting provides a detailed picture of what that push has looked like in practice. After Gambias ambassador to the U.S. declined an interview about Starlink a topic seen as highly sensitive given Musks position ProPublica reporters traveled to the capital, Banjul, to piece together the events. This account is based on internal State Department documents and interviews with dozens of current and former officials from both countries, most of whom requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.In response to detailed questions, the State Department issued a statement celebrating Starlink. Starlink is an America-made product that has been a game changer in helping remote areas around the world gain internet connectivity, a spokesperson wrote. Any patriotic American should want to see an American companys success on the global stage, especially over compromised Chinese competitors. Cromer and Starlink did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the office of the president of Gambia. Jabbi made Jallow available to discuss the situation.During the Biden administration, State Department officials worked with Starlink to help the company navigate bureaucracies abroad. But the agencys approach appears to have become significantly more aggressive and expansive since Trumps return to power, according to internal records and current and former government officials.Foreign leaders are acutely aware of Musks unprecedented position in the government, which he has used to help rewrite U.S. foreign policy. After Musk spent at least $288 million on the 2024 election, Trump gave the billionaire a powerful post in the White House. In mere months, Musks team has directed the firing of thousands of federal workers, canceled billions of dollars in programs and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, which supported humanitarian projects around the world. African nations have been particularly hard-hit by the cuts.At the same time, Musk continues to run Starlink and the rest of his corporate empire. In past administrations, government ethics lawyers carefully vetted potential conflicts of interest. Though Trump once said that we wont let him get near conflicts, the White House has also suggested Musk is responsible for policing himself. The billionaire has waved away criticisms of the arrangement, saying Ill recuse myself if conflicts arise. My companies are suffering because Im in the government, Musk said.In a statement, the White House said Musk has nothing to do with deals involving Starlink and that every administration official follows ethical guidelines. For the umpteenth time, President Trump will not tolerate any conflicts of interest, spokesperson Harrison Fields said in an email.Executives at Starlink have seized the moment to expand. An April State Department cable to D.C. obtained by ProPublica quoted a Starlink employee describing the companys approach to securing a license in Djibouti, a key U.S. ally in Africa that hosts an American military base: Were pushing from the top and the bottom to ram this through. The headquarters of Gambias Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, a Cabinet agency headed by Lamin Jabbi (Brett Murphy/ProPublica) Musk entered the White House at a pivotal moment for Starlink. When the service launched in 2020, it had a novel approach to internet access. Rather than relying on underground cables or cell towers like traditional telecom companies, Starlink uses low-orbiting satellites that let it provide fast internet in places its competitors had struggled to reach. Expectations for the startup were sky high. Bullish Morgan Stanley analysts predicted that by 2040, Starlink would have up to 364 million subscribers worldwide more than the current population of the U.S. Starlink quickly became a central pillar of Musks fortune. His stake in Starlinks parent company, SpaceX, is estimated to be worth about $150 billion of his roughly $400 billion net worth. Although the company says its user base has grown to over 5 million people, it remains a bit player compared to the largest internet providers. And the satellite internet market is set to become more competitive as well-funded companies launch services modeled on Starlink. Jeff Bezos Project Kuiper, a unit of Amazon, has said it expects to start serving customers later this year. Satellite upstarts headquartered in Europe and China arent far behind either.They want to get as far and as fast as they can before Amazon Kuiper gets online, said Chris Quilty, a veteran space industry analyst. In internal cables, State Department officials have said they are eager to help Musk get ahead of foreign satellite companies. Securing licenses in the next 18 months is critical for Starlink due to the growing competition, one cable said last month. Senior diplomats have written that they hope to give Musks company a first-mover advantage. Africa represents a lucrative prize. Much of the continent lacks reliable internet. Success in Africa could mean dominating a market with the fastest-growing population on earth. A technician mounts a Starlink satellite dish on a house in Niamey, Niger. (Boureima Hama/AFP/Getty Images) As of last November, Starlink had reportedly launched in 15 of Africas 54 countries, but it was beginning to spark a backlash. Last year, Cameroon and Namibia cracked down on Musks company for allegedly operating in their countries illegally. In South Africa where Starlink has so far failed to get a license Musk exacerbated tensions by publicly accusing the government of anti-white racism. Since Trump won the election, at least five African countries have granted licenses to Starlink: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho and Chad.Now Musks campaign of cuts has given him leverage inside the State Department. A Trump administration memo that leaked to the press last month proposed closing six embassies in Africa. The Gambian embassy was on the list of proposed cuts.An 8-year-old democracy, Gambias 2.7 million residents live on a sliver of land once used as a hub in the transatlantic slave trade. For two decades until 2017, the nation was ruled by a despot who had his opponents assassinated and plundered public funds to buy himself luxuries like a Rolls-Royce collection and a private zoo. When the dictator was ousted, the economy was in tatters. Today Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with about half the country living on less than $4 a day.In this fragile environment, the telecom industry that Jabbi oversees is vitally important to Gambian authorities. According to the government, the sector provides at least 20% of the countrys tax revenue. Ads for the countrys multiple internet providers are ubiquitous, painted onto dozens of public works parks, police booths, schools. Its unclear why Starlinks efforts in Gambia, a tiny market, have been so intense. Banjul, the capital of Gambia, during New Years celebrations (Muhamadou Bittaye/AFP/Getty Images) Cromers efforts on behalf of the company started under the Biden administration, as she documented last December in a cable sent back to Washington. Last spring, Starlink began the process of securing necessary approvals from a local utilities regulator and the Gambian communications agency. The utilities regulator wanted Starlink to pay an $85,000 license fee, which the company felt was too expensive. Cromer spoke to local officials, who then pressured the regulator to remove this unnecessary barrier to entry, the ambassador wrote.Gambian supporters of Starlink felt that its product would be a boon for consumers and for economic growth in the country, where internet service remains unreliable and slow. The ripple effects could be extraordinary, Cromer said in the December cable, contending it could enable telehealth and improve education. Opponents argued that local internet providers were one of Gambias few stable sources of jobs and infrastructure investments. If Starlink killed off its competition and then jacked up its prices in Nigeria, the company announced last year it would suddenly double its fees authorities could have little leverage to manage the fallout. When Musk refused to turn on Starlink in part of Ukraine during the war there, it heightened concerns about handing control of internet access to the mercurial billionaire, industry analysts said. One Musk tweet about foreign regulators ability to police his company caught the attention of Gambian critics: They can shake their fist at the sky, Musk said in 2021.The ultimate authority for granting Starlink a license lies with Jabbi, an attorney who spent years in the local telecom sector. Gambian telecom companies that dont want competition from Musk see Jabbi as an ally. Jallow, Jabbis top deputy, told ProPublica that the ministry is not opposed to Starlink operating in Gambia. But he said Jabbi is doing due diligence to ensure laws and regulations are being followed before opening up the country to a consequential change. After Trumps inauguration, Jabbis position pitted him against not only Starlink but also the U.S. government. In the weeks after the February meeting where Cromer reminded Jabbi about the tenuous state of American funding to his country, the ambassador told other diplomats that getting Starlink approved was a high priority, according to a Western official familiar with her comments.The stance surprised some of Cromers peers. Cromer had spent her career at USAID before President Joe Biden appointed her as ambassador. Her tenure in Gambia often focused on human rights and democracy building.In March, when Jabbi and Jallow traveled to D.C. to attend a World Bank summit, the State Department helped arrange a series of meetings for them. The first, on March 19, was with Starlink representatives including Ben MacWilliams, a former U.S. diplomat who leads the companys expansion efforts in Africa. The second was with U.S. government officials at the State Departments headquarters.The meeting with the company quickly became contentious. Huddled in a conference room at the World Bank, MacWilliams accused Jabbi of standing in the way of his nations progress and harming ordinary Gambians, according to Jallow, who was in the meeting, and four others briefed on the event. We want our license now, Jallow recalled MacWilliams saying. Why are you delaying it? The conversation ended in a stalemate. In the hours that followed, Starlink and the U.S. governments campaign intensified in a way that underscored the degree of coordination between the two parties. The company told Jabbi it would cancel his scheduled D.C. meeting with State Department officials because there was no more need, Jallow said. The State Department meeting never happened. Instead, 4,000 miles away in Gambias capital, Cromer would try an even more aggressive approach.That same day, Cromer had already met with Gambias equivalent of a commerce secretary to lobby him to help pave the way for Starlink. Then she was informed about the disappointing meeting Starlink had had in D.C., according to State Department records. By days end, Cromer had sent a letter to the nations president.I am writing to seek your support to allow Starlink to operate in The Gambia, the letter opened. Over three pages, the ambassador described her concerns about Jabbis agency and listed the ways that Gambians could benefit from Starlink. She also said the company had satisfied conditions set by Jabbis predecessor.I respectfully urge you to facilitate the necessary approvals for Starlink to commence operations in The Gambia, Cromer concluded. I look forward to your favorable response. In the weeks since, Jabbi has refused to budge. The U.S. governments efforts have continued. In late April, Gambias attorney general met in D.C. with senior State Department officials, according to a person familiar with the matter, where they again discussed the Starlink issue. Diplomats were troubled by how the pressure campaign could hurt Americas image overseas. This is not Iran or a rogue African state run by a dictator this is a democracy, a natural ally, said another senior Western diplomat in the region, noting that Gambia is a prime partner of the West in United Nations votes. You beat up the smallest and the best boy in the class.Gambia is not the only country being leaned on. Since Trump took office, embassies around the world have sent a flurry of cables to D.C. documenting their meetings with Starlink executives and their efforts to cajole developing countries into helping Musks business. The cables all describe a problem similar to what happened in Gambia: The company has struggled to win a license from local regulators. In some countries, ambassadors reported, their work appears to be yielding results. (The embassies and their host countries did not respond to requests for comment.)The U.S. embassy in Cameroon wrote that the country could prove its commitment to Trumps agenda by letting Starlink expand its presence there. In the same missive, embassy officials discussed the impact of U.S. aid cuts and deportations and cited a humanitarian official who was reckoning with Americas shifting foreign policy: They may not be happy with what they see, but they are trying to adapt as best they can. In Lesotho, where embassy officials had spent weeks trying to help Starlink get a license, the company finalized a deal after Trump imposed 50% tariffs on the tiny landlocked country. Lesotho officials told embassy staff they hoped the license would help in their urgent push to reduce the levies, according to Mother Jones. A major multinational company complained that Starlink was getting preferential treatment, embassy documents obtained by ProPublica show, since Musks firm had been exempted from requirements its competitors still had to follow. In cables sent from the U.S. embassy in Djibouti this spring, State Department officials recounted their meetings with the company and pledged to continue working with Starlink in identifying government officials and facilitating discussions. In Bangladesh, U.S. diplomats pressed Starlinks case early and often with local officials, partnered with Starlink to build an educational strategy for their counterparts and helped arrange a conversation between Musk and the nations head of state, according to a recent cable. The embassys work started under Biden but bore fruit only after Trump took office.Their efforts resulted in Bangladesh approving Starlinks request to do business in the country, the top U.S. diplomat there said last month, a sign-off that Musks company had sought for years. Do you have information about Elon Musks businesses or the Trump administration? Josh Kaplan can be reached by email at joshua.kaplan@propublica.org and by Signal or WhatsApp at 734-834-9383. Brett Murphy can be reached at 508-523-5195 or by email at brett.murphy@propublica.org. Anna Maria Barry-Jester contributed reporting.
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    Connecticut Towing Companies Use Belongings Left in Cars as Leverage to Collect Fees, Drivers Say
    by Ginny Monk and Dave Altimari, The Connecticut Mirror This article was produced for ProPublicas Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Connecticut Mirror. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Gary Hudson excitedly planned a fishing trip with his 4-year-old son and purchased a kids fishing pole in late 2019. He tossed it in the trunk of his Ford Taurus and parked on the street outside his Hartford, Connecticut, home.Within hours, his car was hauled away by a tow truck. Hudson couldnt afford to pay the more than $300 in towing and storage fees and asked if he could at least get into the car to collect his belongings the fishing pole and the safety vest and handcuffs he needed to work nights as a security guard. He said he offered to pay $20 but that Whiteys, a Hartford towing company, told him he had to pay the full amount. They would not budge, period, Hudson said. So I cant get my work equipment, and you expect me to make money to pay you? When Hudson couldnt afford to retrieve the car, he said, Whiteys sold it, and he lost his belongings. Whiteys has since closed, and its owner has died.The Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica have heard repeatedly from people with similar stories. Inside their vehicles, they had work equipment, child car seats or personal mementos, and towing companies refused to give them back.Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles regulations say that vehicle owners can retrieve personal property which is essential to the health or welfare of any person. But that gives towing companies wide latitude in how they interpret the rule, and several people whose cars were towed said the companies used their belongings as leverage to get them to pay towing and storage fees. Past reporting by CT Mirror and ProPublica showed how Connecticuts laws have come to favor tow companies at the expense of vehicle owners. Connecticut has one of the shortest windows in the country between when a car is towed and when tow companies can consider it abandoned and start the process of selling it companies have to wait just 15 days for vehicles worth less than $1,500. People with low incomes have been particularly impacted by these laws, the news organizations found.Some nearby states, like Rhode Island, have no law on the books about getting possessions from towed cars. But in those that do, the list of items owners must be allowed to retrieve is often broader than Connecticuts. Maine allows people to retrieve clothing, car seats, medications and mail. In New York, people can retrieve anything from the vehicle. A bill in the Massachusetts legislature would let its drivers do the same.In an interview last year, Michelle Givens, the Connecticut DMVs assistant legal director, said she couldnt say whether work equipment qualified as essential to health or welfare.Its broad, Givens said. I cant answer that and sit here and say, Yes, that will qualify. So I cant get my work equipment, and you expect me to make money to pay you? Gary Hudson, a security guard who was not allowed to get his belongings out of his towed car DMV Commissioner Tony Guerrera said he thought car owners should file a complaint with the agency if they werent able to get their belongings out. The complaint process can take weeks, however, which is often longer than the period before a towing company is allowed to sell a car.Timothy Vibert, president of the industry association Towing & Recovery Professionals of Connecticut, said people can generally retrieve medicine or tools, but he said that part of the law shouldnt apply if people wait months to get them. He added that when people dont pay the towing fees, it makes towers reluctant to return their belongings.If somebody owed you $800 and they called up and said they wanted to get something out of their car, he asked, its OK for them to waltz down here and take their things and then leave you with an $800 bill?Other towers say they are more lenient. Sal Sena, owner of Sena Brothers and Cross Country Automotive in Hartford, said if someone has keys to the vehicle or can prove its theirs, he lets them get stuff out of it regardless if they pay the fees.I dont care if you take stuff out, but I just want to make sure youre not putting my ass in a situation where Im gonna get in trouble, Sena said. You got the key? Then take what you want out of the car because then I can justify it.Connecticut lawmakers are looking to change the states towing laws. House Bill 7162, which was voted out of committee in March, would overhaul the law and allow owners to retrieve any personal property from a towed motor vehicle. The bill makes a strong effort to identify and correct abusive practices in the towing industry that have had a serious and detrimental effect on motor vehicle owners, legal aid attorney Rafie Podolsky said in public testimony.Tow company employees and owners have objected to the bill, saying it would make it harder for them to tow vehicles that are parked illegally or unsafely and that towers didnt have enough involvement in crafting the legislation.Transportation Committee co-chair Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, said during a March meeting that the importance of the issue hit home for her because of the number of folks who have told her they got towed and werent allowed to retrieve belongings from their vehicles.The people should certainly be made aware of their rights with respect to towed vehicles, she said.Hudson, who had planned the fishing trip, had to save up to replace his holster, mace and safety equipment for the security job, which he estimated cost him about $1,000. He canceled the fishing trip and said he failed his son by breaking a promise.It really, really hurt, Hudson said.Hudson is one of several people who told the news organizations they lost things they needed for work tools, chefs knives, even the draft of a movie script. Paul Boudreau, a carpenter and mechanic in Hamden, said he lost his entire carpentry tool set worth more than $1,500 when his Chevrolet Blazer was towed from his apartment complex in April 2021. The vehicle wasnt registered because it couldnt pass an emissions test, and his mechanic was waiting on a part that was hard to get during the supply chain crisis following the COVID-19 lockdown. The apartment complexs management gave him more time to get it registered, he said, so he was surprised when he looked out his window and saw a tow truck hooking up his vehicle. He said MyHoopty.com, a towing company in Watertown, told him it would cost more than $300 to get it back. With his wife recovering from cancer, his carpentry work scarce because of the pandemic and not a penny in cash, Boudreau realized he couldnt afford to retrieve his car. Still, he asked multiple times to retrieve his tools and was denied, he told the DMV in a complaint, which included an itemized list of tools. But MyHoopty owner Michael Festa said in an interview, At no point did anyone contact us or attempt to come down and retrieve any personal belongings that may have been in the vehicle.The Connecticut DMV found that MyHoopty committed no violations related to the tow but did not address the items Boudreau said were in the vehicle.Anybody we talked to was like, Theres nothing we can do, Boudreau said in an interview.After 18 days, MyHoopty submitted a form to sell the Blazer.The tows at his apartment complex led Boudreau to become a tenant union organizer. He said state legislators always tell him that when it comes to landlords, their property is sacred. Paul Boudreau, center, speaks at a Connecticut Tenants Union rally at the state Capitol last year. His experience having his car towed led him to become a tenant organizer. (Shahrzad Rasekh/CT Mirror) Why isnt our property sacred? Why isnt our car sacred? Boudreau asked about tenants. Wealthy peoples property is always sacred, but poor peoples property doesnt mean a thing.Other drivers lost belongings that held sentimental value photographs, a sewing project, a prayer card from their fathers funeral.When Brandon Joyners Nissan Maxima was towed from the front of his Bridgeport home in 2017, he lost photos of his mother and aunt that had never been digitized, which hed traveled with since he got his license as a teenager. He also had shoes, clothing and a car seat for his nieces and nephews in the vehicle, he said.The car was towed because Joyner owed motor vehicle taxes on it. After a couple of weeks of saving, he paid the taxes. But when he asked for his car, he said he was told it had been sold.Everything was just gone, he said.It took him months to afford a new vehicle, in part because he was still paying down the old loan from the bank. When he told them he no longer had the vehicle and didnt want to pay on it, it damaged his credit score, making it harder to get a loan for a new car, he said.It was hurtful, because theres nothing you can really do, Joyner said. No matter how many people you talk to, you lose things, and its nobodys fault, nobody cares. Has Your Car Been Towed in Connecticut? Share Your Story and Help Us Investigate. Asia Fields contributed reporting.
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    U.S. AG Pam Bondi Sold More than $1 Million in Trump Media Stock the Day Trump Announced Sweeping Tariffs
    by Robert Faturechi and Brandon Roberts ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million worth of shares of Trump Media the same day that President Donald Trump unveiled bruising new tariffs that caused the stock market to plummet, according to records obtained Wednesday by ProPublica.Trump Media, which runs the social media platform Truth Social, fell 13% in the following days, before rebounding. Trumps Liberation Day press conference from the White House Rose Garden unveiling the tariffs came after the market closed on April 2. Bondis disclosure forms showing her Trump Media sales say the transactions were made on April 2 but do not disclose whether they occurred before or after the market closed. Trades by government officials informed by nonpublic information learned through work could violate the law. But cases against government officials are legally challenging, and in recent years judges have largely narrowed what constitutes illegal insider trading. Its unclear from the public record whether Bondi as attorney general would have known in advance any nonpublic details about the tariffs Trump was announcing that day. Trump, of course, publicly announced his plans to institute dramatic tariffs during the election campaign. But during the first weeks of his term, the market seemed to assume his campaign promises were bluster. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to questions about the trades.The disclosure forms do not include the specific amount of stocks sold or their worth but instead provide a rough range. The documents do not say exactly what time she sold the shares or at what price. The companys stock price closed on April 2 at $18.76 and opened the next morning, after the press conference, at $17.92 before falling more in the days ahead. In addition to selling between $1 million and $5 million worth of Trump Media shares, Bondis disclosure form shows she also sold between $250,000 and $500,000 worth of warrants in Trump Media, which typically give a holder the right to purchase the shares. Bondis ownership of Trump Media shares has previously been disclosed. Before she became attorney general, Bondi was a consultant for Digital World Acquisition Corp., the special purpose acquisition company that merged with Trump Media to take the presidents social media company public. As part of her ethics agreement, Bondi had pledged to sell her stake of Trump Media within 90 days of her confirmation, a deadline that would have allowed her until early May to sell the shares.On April 1, Trump Media filed a disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission with details about holdings of various top shareholders, including Trump and Bondi. The purpose of the filing is unclear, as is whether it relates to Bondis sales the next day. It appeared to reregister for sale shares held by several of the companys top shareholders. Alex Mierjeski contributed research.
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    Russia Unleashes One of Its Largest Drone Barrages of the Ukraine War
    The bombardment, which Ukrainian officials said mostly targeted Kyiv, came just a day before President Trump was expected to talk with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
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    U.K.-E.U. Summit: What to Know as Officials Gather to Talk Defense, Trade and More
    Top officials from Britain and the European Union will gather in London on Monday. Heres what to expect.
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    Russia Beefs Up Forces Near Finlands Border
    Tents, shelters for fighter jets and warehouses for military vehicles show increased Russian presence near one of NATOs newest members.
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    Joe Biden Is Diagnosed With an Aggressive Form of Prostate Cancer
    The cancer has metastasized to the bone, according to a statement from Mr. Bidens personal office.
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    What a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Like Bidens Means for Patients
    While prognoses for prostate cancer patients were once measured in months, experts say that advances in treatment and diagnosis now improve survival by years.
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    New Indiana Law Requires All Porn Viewers To Register As Sex Offenders
    NDIANAPOLISIn an effort to curb unauthorized traffic to adult websites within the state, Indiana lawmakers passed new legislation Thursday requiring all potential viewers of online pornography to register as sex offenders before they could access sexually explicit material.This law will ensure that no resident of Indiana encounters harmful, X-rated content on the internet without first providing proof that they are legally considered a sexual predator, said bill co-sponsor Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne), explaining that under the new measure an unclosable pop-up window would send users to a third-party website where they would be prompted to verify their permanent status on the sex offender database, waive their right to a trial, and submit to a mugshot before any graphic content could be displayed.This is merely a fail-safe to ensure the only individuals accessing mature material online are those on record as being a depraved person in the eyes of the law, Brown continued. In addition, the community at large will be alerted to the presence of these perverts who regularly view pornography for their own pleasure. Similar measures have proven successful in Texas and Oklahoma, where internet users are required to go door to door and announce themselves as sex criminals to their friends and neighbors every time they wish to navigate to a website that may show genitals, kissing, or a womans nipple.Brown went on to state that users would need to register as repeat offenders for each additional category of pornography they intended to view.The post New Indiana Law Requires All Porn Viewers To Register As Sex Offenders appeared first on The Onion.
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    Any Deport In A Storm
    The post Any Deport In A Storm appeared first on The Onion.
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    Trump Casts Cabinet In Les Misrables Amid Kennedy Center Boycott
    WASHINGTONSitting in the front row and snapping his fingers in time to the 1980 musicals overture, President Donald Trump rehearsed his Cabinet for a Kennedy Center performance of Les Misrables amid an escalating boycott by the shows usual cast, sources reported Friday. Marco, I want you in there as Jean Valjean, and give us your full energy on Look Downremember, chest voice, not head voice! Youre a prisoner, for goodness sake, not Patti LuPone, said the visibly anxious president, who, after glancing at a list of Broadway actors who had departed from the production out of protest, turned to JD and Usha Vance, telling the vice president and second lady to don bicorne hats, scarves, and aprons for the roles of Madame and Monsieur Thnardier. Relax, JD! Master Of The House doesnt need you to hit any high notes. Just keep up that bawdy energy of yours, and youll win over the audience. Now, places people! Were going to nail the choreography on the barricade sequence if it kills me. At press time, Trump was overheard ordering a weeping Attorney General Pam Bondi to take I Dreamed A Dream from the top and to please stay in tune this time.The post Trump Casts Cabinet In Les Misrables Amid Kennedy Center Boycott appeared first on The Onion.
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    Michael Strahan Surpasses Diane Sawyer As Good Morning Americas All-Time Sack Leader
    NEW YORKAfter months of closing in on the former news anchors legendary record, Michael Strahan surpassedDiane Sawyer on Friday asGood Morning Americas all-time sack leader. Throughout his career on GMA, Strahan has led the show in tackles, forced fumbles, interceptions, and, most importantly, sacks, saidproducer Greg Emerson, adding that Strahans speed, strength, and ability to penetrate the offensive line and rush the passer had also earned him the title of ABCs Defensive Anchor of the Year. Many people said Diane Sawyer was, and always would be, the undisputed queen of the blitz. But despite suffering a pectoral injury and being put on the IR broadcasting list, Michael Strahan was able to recover, tackle George Stephanopoulos during an in-studio cooking segment, and beat Sawyers long-standing record of 140 career sacks. At press time, Strahan had reportedly been traded to CBS Mornings in exchange for CBS all-time pass rusher Gayle King and CBS return specialist/backup wide receiver Nate Burleson.The post Michael Strahan Surpasses Diane Sawyer As Good Morning Americas All-Time Sack Leader appeared first on The Onion.
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    Cannes Bans Nudity On Red Carpet
    Cannes Film Festival issued an updated red carpet dress code that effectively bans full nudity and voluminous ensembles, citing decency reasons. What do you think?Look, they never said where my black tie was supposed to go.William Alidor, Cone PlacerGood. Cannes is about late-career vanity projects, not smut.Isaiah Suarez, Cactus PrunerSurely this rule has a Stanley Tucci exemption clause.Kathy Blomster, Library SanitizerThe post Cannes Bans Nudity On Red Carpet appeared first on The Onion.
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    PSA: HomeGoods Has One of the Cutest Tomato Lamps Ive Ever Seen
    People are literally going on treasure hunts for it. READ MORE...
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    A Dead-End Galley Kitchen Becomes a Midi-malist Modern Masterpiece
    A better flow, dream appliances, and a MCM-meets-minimalist vibe what more could you want?READ MORE...
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    Kanyes Nazi Song Is All Over Instagram
    While other social media sites and streaming services rush to scrub Kanye Wests pro-Nazi song from their platforms , the curious or the enthused can find memes, remixes, and unedited audio of Wests new song, Heil Hitler, all over Instagram.Nazism is one of the only groups that Meta calls out by name in its own rules. In the current version of its community standards policy regarding Dangerous Organizations and Individuals, the company says it will remove any content that promotes Nazis. Weremove content that Glorifies, Supports or Represents ideologies that promote hate, such as nazism and white supremacy.404 Media found dozens of Instagram reels that featured the song and several of them had been viewed more than a million times. One reel, which has been viewed 1.2 million times, declared it the song of the summer. How we all bumpin Kanyes New song This summer, it says over footage of people dancing.Another reel with more than 40,000 views shows Hasidic Jews dancing over the song under the caption Amazing things are happening.A third depicts a white dude in khaki pants dancing to the song in front of a glowing and spinning swastika. White dads getting turnt to Kanyes new song at the summer barbecue , reads the caption. Its been viewed more than 700,000 times. The account that shared it describes itself as a race realist and meme guy in the bio. Much of its content is memed-up clips of avowed white supremacist Nick Fuentes.Heil Hitler is the latest single from Kanye Wests forthcoming album Cuck. In the song he talks about how the world has been cruel to him. Man, these people took my kids from me / Then they froze my bank account / I got so much anger in me, Ye raps. It is these tribulations, he sings, that made him a Nazi.The video for the song racked up millions of views on X and is still up. It was also briefly available on major streaming platforms like Spotify and Soundcloud before getting pulled. Even the Genius page for the song was pulled."We recognize that users may share content that includes references to designated dangerous organizations and individuals in the context of social and political discourse," a Meta spokesperson told us in an email. "Thisincludes content reporting on, neutrally discussing or condemning dangerous organizations and individuals or their activities." None of the videos we've seen were "reporting on" the song. Some were arguably making fun of it, but most of of them were just sharing or celebrating it. We have reported many stories about Metas inability or unwillingness many types of content on Instagram that goes against its own rules, including accounts that face swap models that make them look like they have down syndrome, AI-generated accounts that pretend to be real people, accounts advertising illegal drugs and firearms on the site, and accounts promoting various scams.In theory these videos should be relatively easy to find, remove, or even prevent people from uploading to begin with. Internet platforms like YouTube and Twitch have technology that automatically detects audio to flag content that may violate copyright. The same method can also be used to flag certain audio and prevent users from uploading it. Additionally, one reason we were able to find so many of these videos so quickly is that, like TikTok, Instagram has a feature that shows users what other videos were uploaded to the platform using the exact same sound.Update: This article has been updated with comment from Meta.
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    Unity Is Threatening to Revoke Licenses From DayZ Developer Dean Hall
    Game engine company Unity is threatening to pull the licenses for RocketWerkz, the studio founded by DayZ developer Deal Hall, for reasons Hall told me are unfounded.Hall first posted about this situation to the Reddit game development community r/gamedev on Friday, where he said Unity is currently sending emails threatening longtime developers with disabling their access completely over bogus data about private versus public licenses.According to the initial email from Unity, which was provided to me by Hall, Unity claimed that RocketWerkz is mixing Unity license types and demanded that the studio take immediate action to fix this or Unity reserves the right to revoke the developers access to existing licenses on May 16. Essentially, Unity is accusing RocketWerkz of using free Personal licenses to work on commercial products that Unity says require paid Pro licenses. Hall says this is not true. If the companys licenses are revoked, RocketWerkz will not be able to keep updating and maintain Stationeers, a game it released in 2017, and continue development on its upcoming project Torpedia.Hall told me that one of his concerns is not just that Unity is threatening to pull its licenses, but that its not clear how it collected and used the data to make that decision.How is Unity gathering data to decide whether a company has enough pro licenses? he told me in an email. It appears to me, they are scraping a lot of personal data and drawing disturbing conclusions from this data. Is this data scraping meeting GDPR requirements?Unity has a variety of plans developers can use, ranging from a free Personal version and an up to $4,950 a year Industry version. The more expensive plans come with more features and support. More importantly, games with revenue or funding greater than $200,000 in a 12-month period have to at least pay for a Unity Pro license, which costs $2,200 a year per license. Unity infamously outraged the games industry when it tried to add additional fees to this pricing scheme in 2023, a strategy that was so disastrous for the company it reversed course and dumped its CEO.According to Halls Reddit post, RocketWerkz pays for multiple licenses which it has spent about $300,000 on since the company was founded in 2014. He also shared an invoice with me showing the company paid $36,420 for 18 Unity Pro Licenses in December of 2024, which are good until December of 2025. Game developers need to buy a license for each of their employees, or one license per seat or person who will be using it. Paying for monthly or annual access to software, instead of buying, owning, and using software however you like, is increasingly common. Even very popular consumer software like Adobe and Microsoft Office have shifted to this model in recent years.According to an email Unity sent to RocketWerkz after it asked for clarification, which I have viewed, Unity claims that there are five people at the studio who are using Personal licenses who should be using Pro licenses. Unity lists their emails, which show two @Rocketwerkz.com emails and three emails with domain names obscured by Unity.Hall says that of those people, one is a RocketWerkz employee who has a Personal Unity account but does not work on a Unity project at the studio and one is a RocketWerkz employee who the company currently pays for a Pro license for. Another email belongs to a contractor who did some work for RocketWerkz in 2024, and who the company paid for their Pro license at the time, and the other two belong to two employees at different companies, which like RocketWerkz are also based in New Zealand. These two employees never worked at RocketWerkz. One works at Weta workshop, the visual effects company that worked on Lord of the Rings. Hall also shared an image of the Unity dashboard showing its currently paying for Pro licenses for the employees Unity says are using Personal licenses.There is a lot of unknowns here, and I don't have much to go on yetbut I do wonder if there are serious data violations going on with Unityand they appear to be threatening to use this data to close down developer accounts, Hall told me. How will this affect users who don't have the clout I do?Essentially, its not clear how Unity, which can see what RocketWerkz is paying it, what for, and who is using those licenses, is determining that the studio doesnt have enough licenses. Especially since Unity claims RocketWerkz should be paying for licenses for people who never worked at the studio and are seemingly not connected to it other than being located in the same country.Unity did not respond to a request for comment.On Reddit, Hall said that on one hand he feels vindicated that Unitys recent strategies, which have been hostile to game developers, lead to bad business outcomes, but that many small developers rely on it and that will be bad for them also.They will take with them so many small studios. They are the ones that will pay the price. So many small developers, amazing teams, creating games just because they love making games, Hall said. One day, after some private equity picks up Unity's rotting carcass, these developers will to login to the Unity launcher but won't be able to without going through some crazy hoops or paying a lot more.
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    The Simulation Says the Orioles Should Be Good
    The Baltimore Orioles should be good, but they are not good. At 15-24, they are one of the worst teams in all of Major League Baseball this season, an outcome thus far that fans, experts, and the team itself will tell you are either statistically improbable or nearing statistically impossible based on thousands upon thousands of simulations run before the season started.Trying to figure out why this is happening is tearing the fanbase apart and has turned a large portion of them against management, which has put a huge amount of its faith, on-field strategy, and player acquisition decision making into predictive AI systems, advanced statistics, probabilistic simulations, expected value positive moves, and new-age baseball thinking in which statistical models and AI systems try to reduce human baseball players into robotic, predictable chess pieces. Teams have more or less tried to solve baseball like researchers try to solve games with AI. Technology has changed not just how teams play the game, but how fans like me experience it, too.Some of the underperformance that weve gotten, I hope is temporary. This is toward the extreme of outcomes, Orioles General Manager Mike Elias said last week when asked why the team is so bad. So far in a small sample this year, it just hasnt worked. And then weve got guys that have been hitting into tough luck if you kind of look at their expected stats weve got a record that is not reflective of who we believe our team is, that I dont think anyone thought our team was.Embedded in these quotes are current baseball buzzwords that have taken over how teams think about their rosters, and how fans are meant to experience the game. The extreme of outcomes refers to whatever probabilistic statistical model the Orioles are running that suggests they should be good, even though in the real world they are bad. Small sample is analogous to a poker or blackjack player who is making expected value positive moves (a statistically optimal decision that may not work out in a small sample size) but is losing their money because of the statistical noise inherent within not playing for long enough (another: markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent); basically, the results are bad now but they shouldnt stay that way forever. Tough luck is the reason for the bad performance, which can be determined via expected stats, which are statistical analyses of the expected outcome of any play (but crucially not the actual outcome of any play) based on how hard a ball was hit, where it was hit, the balls launch angle, exit velocity, defender positioning, etc. Elias has repeatedly said that the Orioles must remain consistent with your approach and that they should not change much of anything, because their process is good, which is what poker players say when they are repeatedly losing but believe they have made the statistically correct decision. Before the season, a model called the Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm (PECOTA), which simulates the season thousands of times before and during the season, projected that the Orioles would win 89 games; they are on pace right now to win barely 60. The PECOTA projections simulations did not show the Orioles being this bad even in its worst-case preseason simulations. A Redditor recently ran an unscientific simulation 100,000 times and estimated that there was only a 1.5 percent chance that the Orioles would be this bad.The likely range of outcomes for the Orioles as predicted by Baseball Prospectus's PECOTA before the season started. The Orioles actual winning percentage so far.385, is not represented on this chart.Right now, none of this is working out for the Orioles, who in recent years have become industry darlings based on their embrace of this type of statistical thinking. The last two years the simulations have suggested the Orioles should be near the top of the league, and in the millions of simulations run for these projections they have surely won thousands of simulated World Series. But under Elias they have not even won a single real life playoff game.Here is how the fanbase is taking this years underperformance:The team has been so bad that for several days the Orioles subreddit began to talk only about the actual Baltimore Oriole bird and not the baseball team.The Orioles obsession with simulations training and treating their players like robots has become a constant punchline. On the popular Orioles Hangout forums, which I have lurked on for 25 years, posters have started calling the team the Expected Stat All Stars but real-life losers. The Orioles are my favorite team in the only sport I care about. I have been a daily lurker on the popular orioleshangout.com forums since my posting account was banned there in 2003 for a beef I got into in high school with the sites owner. I listen to podcasts about the Orioles, read articles about the Orioles, and, most importantly, watch as many Orioles games as I can. I listen to the postgame press conferences, follow all of the beat reporters. When I cannot watch the game, I will follow it on MLB Gameday or will, at the least, check the score a few times then watch the highlights afterwards.The Orioles have not won a World Series since 1983, five years before I was born. They were good in 1996 and 1997, when I was eight years old and simulated heartbreaking playoff games in my backyard pitching the ball into a pitchback rebounder as Armando Benitez blew a critical save or as Jeffrey Maierthe most hated child in DC-Baltimore Metropolitan Arealeaned over the scoreboard and fan-interfered a home run for Derek Jeter and the hated Yankees in the 1996 ALCS. They were good again from 2012-2016. Besides that, they have been laughingstocks for my entire life.The Orioles of the late 2010s, after a very brief 2016 playoff appearance, were known for ignoring advanced statistics, the kinds made popular by the Oakland Athletics in Moneyball, which allowed a small-market team to take advantage of overlooked players who got on base at a high rate (guys with high on base percentage) and to eschew outdated strategies like sacrifice bunting to achieve great success with low payrolls. Teams like the As, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays eventually figured out that one of the only ways to compete with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers of the world was to take advantage of players in the first few years they were in the big leagues because they had very low salaries. These teams traded their stars as they were about to get expensive and reloaded with younger players, then augmented them over time with a few veterans. Ill gloss over the specifics because this is a tech site, not a baseball blog, but, basically the Orioles did not do that for many years and aspired to mediocrity while signing medium priced players who sucked and who did not look good by any baseball metrics. They had an aging, disinterested, widely-hated owner who eventually got very sick and turned the team over to his son, who ran the team further into the ground, sued his brother, and threatened to move the team to Nashville. It was a dark time.The teams philosophy, if not its results, changed overnight in November 2018, when the Orioles hired Mike Elias, who worked for the Houston Astros and had a ton of success there, and, crucially, Sig Mejdal, a former NASA biomathematician, quantitative analyst, blackjack dealer, and general math guy, to be the general manager and assistant general manager for the Orioles, respectively. The hiring of Elias and Mejdal was a triumphant day for Orioles fans, a signal that they would become an enlightened franchise who would use stats and science and general best practices to construct their rosters.Under Elias and Mejdal, the Orioles announced that they would rebuild their franchise using a forward-thinking, analytics-based strategy for nearly everything in the organization. The team would become data driven and invested in various technology tools Edgertronic cameras, Blast motion bat sensors, Diamond Kinetic swing trackers and others. They recently entered a partnership with the 3-D biofeedback company K-Motion they hope further advances those goals, according to MLB.com. The general strategy was that the Orioles would trade all of their players who had any value, would tank, for a few years (meaning, essentially, that they would lose on purpose to get high draft picks), and would rebuild the entire organizational thinking and player base to create a team that could compete year-in and year-out. Fans understood that we would suck for a few years but then would become good, and, for once in my life, the plan actually worked.The Orioles were not the only team to do this. By now, every team in baseball is data driven and is obsessed with all sorts of statistics, and, more importantly, AI and computer aided biomechanics programs, offensive strategies, defensive positioning, etc. Under Elias and Mejdal, the Orioles were very bad for a few years but drafted a slew of highly-rated prospects and were unexpectedly respectable in 2022 and then unexpectedly amazing in 2023, winning a league-high 103 games. They were again good in 2024, and made the playoffs again, though they were swept out of the playoffs in both 2023 and 2024. Expectations in Baltimore went through the roof before the 2024 season when the long-hated owner sold the team to David Rubenstein, a private equity billionaire who grew up in Baltimore and who has sworn here wants the team to win.Because of this success, the Orioles have become one of the poster children of modern baseball game theory. This is oversimplifying, but basically the Orioles drafted a bunch of identical-looking blonde guys, put them through an AI-ified offensive strategy regimen in the minor leagues, attempted to deploy statistically optimal in-game decisions spit out by a computer, and became one of the best teams in the league. (Elias and Mejdals draft strategy suggests that position players should be drafted instead of pitchers because pitchers get injured so often. Their bias toward drafting position players is so extreme that it has become a meme, and the Orioles have, for the last few years, had dozens of promising position players and very few pitchers. This year they have had so many pitching injuries that they sort of have no one to pitch and lost one game by the score of 24-2 and rushed back Kyle Gibson, a 37-year-old emergency signing who promptly lost to the Yankees 15-3 in his first start back).Behind this young core of homegrown talent (Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, Heston Kjerstad, etc.), the Orioles were expected and still are expected to be perennial contenders for years to come. But they have been abysmal this year. They may very well still turn it around this yearlong season, baseball fans love to sayand they will need to turn it around for me to have a bearable summer.Mejdals adherence to advanced analytics and his various proprietary systems for evaluating players means that many Orioles fans call him Sigbot, as a term of endearment when the team is playing well and as a pejorative when it is playing poorly. Rather than sign or develop good pitchers, the Orioles famously decided to move the left field wall at Camden Yards back 30 feet and raise the wall (a move known as Walltimore), making it harder to hit (or give up) home runs for right handed batters. The team then signed and drafted a slew of lefties with the goal of hitting home runs onto Eutaw Street in right field. Because of platoon splits (lefties pitch better to left-handed hitters, righties to right-handed hitters), the Orioles lefty-heavy lineup performed poorly against lefties. So, this last offseason, the team moved the wall back in and signed a bunch of righties who historically hit left-handed pitchers well, in hopes of creating two different, totally optimized lineups against both lefties and righties (this has not worked, the Orioles have sucked against lefties this year).Orioles fans have suggested all these changes were made because Sigbots simulations said we should. When the Orioles fail to integrate a left-handed top prospect into the lineup because their expected stats against lefties are poor, well, thats a Sigbot decision. When manager Brandon Hyde pulls a pitcher who is performing well and the reliever blows it, they assume that it was a Sigbot decision, and that the team has essentially zero feel for the human part of the game that suggests a hot player should keep playing or that a reliever who is performing well might possibly be able to pitch more than one inning every once in a while. The Orioles have occasionally benched the much-hyped 21-year-old Jackson Holliday, who is supposed to be a generational talent, against some lefties because he is also left handed in favor of Jorge Mateo, a right-handed 29-year-old journeyman who cannot hit his way out of a wet paper bag. The fans dont like this. Sigbots fault.Fans will also argue that much of the Orioles minor league and major league coaching staff is made up of people who either did not play in the major leagues or who played poorly or briefly in the major leagues, and that the team has too many coachesvarious offensive strategy experts, and things like thisrather than, say, experienced, hard-nosed former star players.Baseball has always been a statistically driven sport, and the beef between old school players and analysts who care about back of the baseball card stats like average and home runs versus sabermetrics like on base percentage, WAR (wins above replacement), OAA (outs above average, a defensive stat) is mostly over. The sport has evolved so far beyond Moneyball that to even say oh, like Moneyball? when talking about advanced statistics and ways of playing the game now makes you a dinosaur who doesnt know what theyre talking about.The use of technology, AI simulations, probabilistic thinking, etc is not just deployed when compiling a roster, making in-game decisions, crafting a lineup, or deciding a specific strategy. It has completely changed how players train and how they play the game. Advanced biomechanics labs like Driveline Baseball use slow-motion cameras, AI simulations, and advanced sensors to retrain pitchers how to throw the baseball, teaching them new pitch shapes that are harder to hit, have elite spin rates, meaning the pitch will move in ways that are harder to hit, and how to tunnel different pitches, which means the pitches are thrown from the same arm slot in the same manner but move differently, making them harder to detect and therefore hit. The major leagues are now full of players who were not good, went to Driveline and used technology to retrain their body how to do something exceptionally well, and are now top players.Batters, meanwhile, are taught to optimize for exit velocity, meaning they should swing hard and try to hit the ball hard. They need to make good swing decisions, meaning that they only swing at pitches they can hit hard in certain quadrants of the plate in specific counts. They are taught to optimize their swing plane for launch angle, meaning the ball should leave between a 10 and 35-degree angle, creating a higher likelihood of line drives and home runs. A ball hit with an optimal launch angle and exit velocity is barreled, which is very good for a hitter and very bad for a pitcher. Hard-hit and barreled balls have high xBA (expected batting average), meaning the simulations have determined that, over a large enough sample size, you are likely to be better. Countless players across the league (maybe all of them, at this point) have changed how they hit based on optimizing for expected stats.Prospects with good raw strength and talent but a poor hit tool are drafted, and then the team tries to remake them in the image of the simulation. Advanced pitching machines are trained on specific pitchers arsenals, meaning that you can simulate hitting against that days starting pitcher. Players are regularly looking at iPads in the dugout after many at bats to determine if they have made good swing decisions.Everything that occurs on the baseball field is measured and stored on a variety of websites, including MLBs filmroom to Baseball Savant, which is full of graphs like this:Everything that happens on the field is then fed back into these models, which are freely available, are updated constantly, and can be used for in-game analysis discussion, message board fodder, and further simulations.So now, the vast majority of baseball discourse, and especially discourse about the Orioles, is whether good players are actually good, and whether bad players are actually bad, or if there is some unexplained gulf between their expected stats and their actual stats, and whether that difference is explained by normal variance or something that is otherwise unaccounted for. Baseball is full of random variance, and it is a game of failure. The season is long, the best teams lose about 60 times a year, and even superstars regularly go 0-4. Expected stats are a way to determine whether a player or teams poor results is a result of actual bad play or of statistical noise and bad luck. We are no longer discussing only what is actually happening on the field, but what the expected stats suggest should be happening on the field, according to the simulations. Over the last few years, these stats have been integrated into everything, most of all the broadcasts and the online discourse. It has changed how we experience, talk about, and should feel about a player, game, season, and team.Sugano's Baseball Savant page. Red is good, blue is bad.Rather than celebrate bright spots like when a pitcher like Tomoyuki Suganoa softish-throwing 35-year-old Japanese pitcher the Orioles signed this yearpitches a gem, fans hop over to Baseball Savant and note that his whiff rate is only 13th percentile, his expected batting average against is 13th percentile, and his K percentage is unsustainable for good pitchers. His elite walk and chase percentage offer some hope and we should happy he played well, but they surmise based on his Baseball Savant page that he will likely regress. Fans break down the pitch shapes, movement, and velocity on closer Felix Bautistas pitches as he returns from Tommy John (elbow) surgery, looking for signs of progression or regression, and comparing what his pitches look like today versus in 2023, when he was MLBs best pitcher. The fact that he remains a statistically amazing and imposing pitcher even with slightly lesser stuff is celebrated in the moment but is cause for concern, because the simulations tell us to expect lesser results in the future unless his velocity ticks up from only 98 MPH to 99-100 MPH.Felix Bautista's statistics on Statcast. These aren't even the complicated charts.We rail against Eliass signing of Charlie Morton, a washed-up 41-year-old who has been the worst pitcher in the entire league while collecting a whopping $15 million. The Orioles are 0-10 in games Morton has pitched and are 15-14 in games he has not pitched, meaning that in the simulated universe where we didnt sign Morton or perhaps signed someone better we wouldnt be in this mess at all; can we live in that reality instead? Even Mortons expected stats are up for debate. He should merely be pretty bad and not cataclysmically bad according to his pitch charts; Morton speaks in long, philosophical paragraphs when asked about this, and says that he would have long ago retired if he felt his pitch shapes and spin rate were worse than they currently are: It would be way easier to go, You know what, I dont have it anymore. I just dont have the physical talent to do it anymore. But the problem is I do it would be way easier if I was throwing 89-91 [mph] and my curve wasnt spinning and my changeup wasnt sinking and running he said after a loss to the Twins last week. There are just the outcomes and the results are so bad there will be times just randomly in the day Ill think about it. Ill think about how poorly Ive pitched and Ill think about how bad the results are. And honestly, it feels like its almost shocking to me.MASN, the Orioles-owned sports network, speculated that perhaps Mortons horrible performance thus far can be boiled down to bad luck because of what the simulations suggest: When these sorts of metrics are consistent with past years but the results are drastically different, were left with an easier takeaway to swallow: perhaps theres nothing wrong with the pitch itself, and Morton has just run into some bad luck on the offering in a small sample size.Adley Rutschman, meanwhile, our franchise catcher who has been one of the least valuable players in all of Major League Baseball for nearly a calendar year, has just been unlucky because he is swinging the bat harder, has elite strike zone discipline, 98th percentile squared up percentage, and good expected stats (though absolutely dreadful actual stats). The discourse about this is all over the place, ranging from carefully considered posts about how, probabilistically, this possibly cannot last to psychological and physiological explanations that suggest he is broken forever and should be launched into the sun. On message boards, Rutschman is either due for a breakout because his expected stats are so good, or he sucks and will never get better, is possibly hiding an injury, is sad because he and his girlfriend broke up, perhaps he is not in good shape. We then note that Ryan Mountcastles launch angle on fastballs has declined every year since 2022, wonder if trying and failing to hit the ball over Walltimore psychologically broke him forever, and decry Heston Kjerstads swing decisions and lackluster bat speed, and wonder if its due to a concussion he had last summer. On message boards, these playersand Im guilty of it myselfare both interchangeable robots that can be statistically represented by thousands of simulations and fragile humans who arent living up to their potential, are weak, have bad attitudes, are psychologically soft, etc.The umpires, too, are possibly at fault. Their performance is also closely analyzed, and have been biased against the Orioles more than almost any other team, leading to additional expected runs for their opponents (and sometimes real runs) and fewer for the Orioles, which are broken down every day on Umpire Scorecard. The Orioles have the second worst totFav in the league, a measure of The sum of the Total Batter Impact for the team and Total Pitcher Impact for the team, and a statistic that I cannot even begin to understand. If only we had that expected ball, which would lead to an expected walk, which would lead to an expected run, which would lead to an expected win, which could have happened in reality, we would have won that game.What an "Umpire Scorecard" looks like. Image: umpscorecards.comAll of this leads to discussions among fans that allow for both unprecedented levels of cope and distress. We can take solace in a good expected outcome at-bat, say the team has just been unlucky, or, when they win or catch a break, suggest the exact opposite. Case in point: On Sunday, Rutschman hit a popup that an Angels player lost in the sun that is caught almost every time (xBA: .020) and went for a triple. Later in the game, he crushed a ball over the center field fence that an Angels player made an amazing catch on (xBA: .510). Fans must now consider all of this when determining whether a player sucks or not, and hold it in their mental model of the player and the team.(Also, the Orioles have had a lot of injuries so far this season, which can explain a lot of the underperformance by the team but not from individual players.)This has all led to widespread calls for everyone involved to be fired, namely manager Brandon Hyde, hitting coach Cody Asche, and possibly Elias and Mejdal, too. So, what is actually wrong?Last August, The Athletic wrote an article called Whats the Orioles secret to developing great hitters? Rival teams have theories. The article surmised that the Orioles were optimizing for VBA, which is Vertical Bat Angle, as well as they draft guys with present power and improve their launch angle and swing decisions they teach better Vertical Bat Angle to reduce ground-ball rates. Swing decisions plus better VBA equals power production when those top-end exit velocities exist. The Athletics article was written at a time when the Orioles lineup was very feared, and when Mike Elias and Sigbot were considered by many in the sport as the smartest guys in the room. What they had done with the Orioles and, especially, with its lineup, was the envy of everyone.I am not a baseball reporter but I do watch tons of baseball, and this makes sense to me. What it means, essentially, is that they have been training all of their players to swing very hard, with an upward arc, and to try to swing at pitches that they think they can do damage with. This intuitively makes sense: Hitting the ball hard is good, hitting home runs is good.But something has changed so far this year, and its still not clear whether we can chalk it up to injuries, random underperformance, small sample size, or the fragility of the human psyche. But so far this season, the Orioles cannot hit. They cannot hit lefties, they cannot hit with runners in scoring position, and often, they simply cannot hit at all. It is as though the game has been patched, and the Orioles are continuing to play with the old, outdated meta.The Athletic explains that optimizing for things like VBA and swinging hard often leads to more swing-and-miss, and therefore more strikeouts. Growing up playing baseball, and watching baseball, we were taught situational hitting, which maybe means yes, swing for the fences if youre ahead in the count. But also: choke up, foul pitches off, and just put the ball in play with a runner on third and less than two outs. The Orioles hitting woes this year feel like they are swinging for the fences and striking out or popping up when a simple sacrifice fly or ground ball would do; rather than fouling off close pitches with two strikes, they are making good swing decisions by taking pitches barely off the plate and getting rung up for strike three by fallibly human umpires, etc. Either this is random variance at the beginning of a long season, the Orioles players are not nearly as good as their track record and the simulations have shown them to be, or some hole in the Orioles approach has been identified and other teams are taking advantage of it and the Orioles have yet to adjust.Bashing analytics has become a worn-out trope among former players and announcers, and yet, it is as though much of the Orioles team has suddenly forgotten how to hit. Watching the games, the Orioles are regularly missing or fouling off pitches thrown right down the middle and are swinging for the fences (and missing) on pitches that are well outside the strike zone. Former Oriole Mike Bordick, known for his fundamentals but not necessarily his bat, ranted on the radio the other day that this obsession with advanced pitching and hitting statistics is what he sees wrong with the team: Charlie Morton stood there and said My spin rate is better than its ever been, my fastball velocity is better than its ever been, and for some reason its just not working for me. Therein lies the problem. If were thinking about our spin rates and velocities, which carries over to offensive performance too, Bordick said. Theyre chasing these [advanced analytical] numbers, and theyre not chasing competition. Putting the barrel on the ball, and throwing strikes. I mean, what are we doing? You cant rely on bat speed and exit velocity if you cant put the barrel on the ball.Old-man-yells-at-cloud is a time-honored sports tradition, and despite writing this article, I am mostly all for the new, optimized version of baseball, as it adds a lot of strategy and thinking to a game that has always been dominated by statistics. But I am sick of losing. I do not know how to explain, when my partner asks me if the Orioles are winning or how the game is going, that not good actually often means the delta between Adley Rutschman's xBA and actual BA is wildly outside the statistically expected probabilities and its pissing me off. But, unless the Orioles figure out something soon, they will be one of the simulated best teams in Major League Baseball, and one of the worst teams in real life. A simulated World Series championship, unfortunately, doesnt bring me any real-life joy.
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    How Video Game Sex Scenes Are Made
    Somewhere in Warsaw, Poland, two actors are pretending to have sex. Its not the most intimate of environments. The mood lighting, if you can call it that, is fluorescent bulbs burning overhead, making the sterile, white walls look even brighter than they actually are. In lieu of a bed or couch, the actors fit tightly into a makeshift tanka technical mockup that's more pipes and bars than any sort of vehicleto capture an intimate scene between Cyberpunk 2077 mercenaries V and Panam Palmer.The actors are wearing stretchy black one piece bodysuits designed for motion capture scenessomething not dissimilar from a diving wetsuitadorned with velcro markers strategically placed all over their bodies. Sometimes, when the velcro bits touch, you can hear the riiiiip of the actors getting stuckand unstuckfrom each other as they climb back-and-forth between seats and each other.When theres too much contact, the markers on mo-cap suits start to fall off and break, CD Projekt Red creative director Igor Sarzyski told me. Its really difficult to both create an authentic, intimate atmosphere between the actors and get something through in this performance in this very technical setup. Its complex and sometimes a little bit awkward.
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  • WWW.PRIDE.COM
    15 sizzling hot pics from NoRal Apparel swimwear's fashion show at Blatino Oasis 2025
    Its getting hot in here so take all your clothes!That could have been the motto of the men who attended Blatino Oasis 2025 earlier this month. Taking place at the famed Canyon Club Resort in Palm Springs, California, the event is a fun, sexy way to kick off the summer, and features scantily-clad men decked out in speedos.Not only was it was way for gay men to gather together in the sirupy of community building and embracing each others identities, but it also featured a fashion show from NoRal apparel, the queer mens body-inclusive fashion brand from Kentucky native LaRon Hickerson (Ron DuWayne). This marked Hickersons 12th year showing off his latest collection at the clothing-optional gay mens resort, and the lewks were on point this year.Keep scrolling for a sneak peak at some of the hottest fits at the event!You can learn more about NoRal Apparel at noralapparel.com@noralapparel (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook)The NoRal Apparel celebrate mens bodies, with unique designs, bright colors, and plenty of skin on display!To shop the fashion, check out NoRal Apparel at noralapparel.com.Not only is the Blatino Oasis home to the NoRal Apparel, but its also a clothing-optional resort that has nude yoga, erotic dancers, and live entertainment. The NoRal Apparel celebrate mens bodies, with unique designs, bright colors, and plenty of skin on display!To shop the fashion, check out NoRal Apparel at noralapparel.com.Not only is the Blatino Oasis home to the NoRal Apparel, but its also a clothing-optional resort that has nude yoga, erotic dancers, and live entertainment. The NoRal Apparel celebrate mens bodies, with unique designs, bright colors, and plenty of skin on display!To shop the fashion, check out NoRal Apparel at noralapparel.com.Not only is the Blatino Oasis home to the NoRal Apparel, but its also a clothing-optional resort that has nude yoga, erotic dancers, and live entertainment. The NoRal Apparel celebrate mens bodies, with unique designs, bright colors, and plenty of skin on display!To shop the fashion, check out NoRal Apparel at noralapparel.com.Not only is the Blatino Oasis home to the NoRal Apparel, but its also a clothing-optional resort that has nude yoga, erotic dancers, and live entertainment. The NoRal Apparel celebrate mens bodies, with unique designs, bright colors, and plenty of skin on display!To shop the fashion, check out NoRal Apparel at noralapparel.com.Not only is the Blatino Oasis home to the NoRal Apparel, but its also a clothing-optional resort that has nude yoga, erotic dancers, and live entertainment.
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  • WWW.PRIDE.COM
    'Love, Simon' star Joey Pollari is spilling the tea on his ideal first date
    Love is in the air!Even before he came out back in 2018 while starring in Love, Simon, Joey Pollari has brought queer representation to the big and small screens with a slew of notable roles over the years.Pollari's latest project is no exception as he stars in the adorable LGBTQ+ rom-com Things Like This, where his character Zack deals with crippling anxiety as his life starts falling apart once he reunites with his middle school crush."I thought the opportunity would be really fun! Playing this role was a blast because of that level of fear and anxiety eating at him nonstop. [The] hope is that someone will have some kind of recognition that's helping them along," Pollari tells PRIDE. See on Instagram Pollari is beyond grateful that his dynamic gay roles have opened minds and started conversations for many people struggling with their sexuality."What I like about all of the stories that I've portrayed is that, although they're pushed a gay agenda, they've ultimately gone past that at some point. I played those characters where they had so much struggle about their identity. You're just trying to portray the emotion of shame, anxiety, chaos, and self-sabotage."Besides the very challenging aspects of coming out, Pollari loves showcasing queer joy on and off screen. Since Things Like This depicts a beautiful gay love story, the star dished on what his ideal first date looks like."I'm actually really simple! I don't like an activity for a first date. I do not want to go bowling or on a hike. My perfect date is you and I sitting down. We have a drink, we have a meal, and we actually get to just talk to one another. That's just me!"Things Like This is out now in theaters. To see the full interview with Joey Pollari, check out the video at the top of the page.
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  • WWW.PRIDE.COM
    5 ways HBO's 'Bessie' is utterly queerconic
    Like a perfectly timed high note in a torch song, Bessie doesn't tiptoe into queerness as filmmaker Dee Rees gives us a love letter to Black, bisexual brilliance. After all, when history forgets our queer queer forebears, we have to remind the world they were here singing, loving, and living out loud. Grab your feather boa, pour something substantial, and let's sashay through the five ways Bessie is queerconic as ever. It struts with bisexual visibilityFrom the moment Queen Latifah's Bessie Smith is in bed with Lucille (Tika Sumpter) under the daytime glow, we're toldno, shownthat the "Empress of the Blues" loved loudly across the gender spectrum. Director Dee Rees folds several of Smith's real-life girlfriends into Lucille's composite character to keep the focus tight, but the point is crystal clear: this woman's desire wasn't a footnote. Latifah herself doubled down on authenticity, waving off pearl-clutchers who fretted over the film's authentic portrayal of bisexual intimacy. The film stitches a queer sisterhood into blues historyEnter Mo'Nique's Ma Rainey, with all her gilded swagger and gravitational pull. Instead of reducing the great Mother of the Blues to a cameo, Bessie lets Rainey mentor, mother-hen, and downright flirt her way across the screen. It's a reminder that Black queer women have continuously innovated the cutlure they later get minimized if not entirely erased. Rainey takes Smith under her wing, teaching her everything from negotiating her pay to stepping into her theater presence, though the friendship gradually deteriorates. Dee Rees's queer Black gaze is the film's secret trumpet lineBehind the camera, Reesa Black lesbian filmmakerrenders 1920s rent-party decadence with the intimacy of a whisper and the bravado of a brass band. Her lens lingers on the tensions between nightclub euphoria and Southern violence, honoring how Black queer artists carved glittering sanctuaries in hostile terrain. That specificity helped the movie snag several awards, from wins at the Primetime Emmys and Critics' Choice to GLAAD Media Awards. It was proof that representation rings truest when it comes from within the community. It resurrects the roaring, raunchy queer juke-joint sceneBessie doesn't sanitize the Prohibition-era nightlife. It bathes the scene in sweat, gin, and coded blues lyrics that once telegraphed queer desire to those in the know. The film makes queerness feel less like a plot twist and more like the pulse of the era. Awards-season hardware and streaming lists cemented its legacyBy skipping the typical "coming out" arc and focusing on a woman who already owns her sexuality, Bessie expanded the possibilities of queer stories. No wonder it remains a "must-stream" on LGBTQ+ lists: the plot isn't about shame or revelation, but rather about talent, hustle, and bedroom freedom.In other words, it's queer, Black, and gloriously complicated. Bessie would damn sure be proud. Sometimes, the most radical act isn't bursting out of the closet. It's kicking back in a velvet dressing gown, lighting a cigarette, and daring the world to keep up with your tempo. Bessie is a queer-conic film that rings true to our truest identity.
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  • WWW.PRIDE.COM
    These National Parks thirst trap videos will make you want to pitch a tent
    When you think of the many national parks throughout the United States, you probably think of towering mountains, beautiful vistas, clear blue lakes, and deep canyons. You probably arent thinking about sex. But a new TikTok trend has combined spicy content with the normally very unsexy National Park System, and the results are going viral.It all started when a Yellowstone National Park fan account started posting thirsty TikToks earlier this month that paired sexy videos, explicit songs, and gorgeous images of the park itself.Then, other national park fan accounts started popping up all over TikTok, some posted horny videos stitching thirst trap accounts, while others combined spicy music with rock formations, caverns, and waterfalls that could read asdirty, if looked at in that context.The @visit.yellowstone TikTok account led the way in this viral trend and already accumulated 1 million followers at the time of publication. Its most viral videos are thirst traps with hunky shirtless men. One popular video features muscle-bound TikTok star Thoren Bradley, who is best known for his shirtless wood chopping videos, stripping off his shirt before the video quickly cuts to one of Yellowstones stunning geothermal lakes. Another video shows Jason Momoa holding an ice cream bar and saying, bite her or lick her as the video cuts to the parks famed Painted Pots while WAP plays.@visit.yellowstoneWithin Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres, visitors have unparalleled opportunities to observe wildlife in an intact ecosystem, and explore geothermal areas @Thoren Bradley #stitch #booktok #darkromance #masktok #fantasy #momsover30 #fypThis hilarious viral trend comes amid the Trump administration's attack on the National Park System. Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have severely slashed the departments budget (despite its 2020 budget only being one-fifteenth of one percent of the overall federal budget), terminated employees and forced others into retirement, and cut staffing at the parks, with future plans of privatizing the whole system, The Guardian reports.Despite what some viewers think, these arent official national park accounts or run by the tourism board, though some theorize that park rangers and employees fed up with the Trump administrations attack on the park system are behind the viral videos.@visit.yellowstoneIn Yellowstone National Park, "Painted Pots" refers to two distinct areas with geothermal features: Fountain Paint Pots and Artist Paint Pots @Jason Momoa #stitch #booktok #darkromance #masktok #fantasy #momsover30 #fypAfter the videos went viral on the social media app, tattooed OnlyFans creator Johnathon Caine responded to a Yellowstone video that shows him shirtless and looking into the camera before cutting to video of Mammoth Hot Spring with Ciaras Got Me Good playing.@visit.yellowstoneMammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park adjacent to Fort Yellowstone @Johnathon Caine #stitch #booktok #darkromance #masktok #fantasy #momsover30The adult content creator started the video by saying, So I feel like everyone knows whats going on here except for me, while blushing.@_johnathoncaineReplying to @aK420 Queer author Don Martin even made a funny TikTok video commenting on the viral videos, suggesting that while he knows we are defunding the national parks at like a pretty bad level he joked that he doesnt think the TikTok Creator Fund will get them enough money to support the parks. But I am fully here for whatever unhinged madness is currently going on with the various national parks accounts. Im just a little afraid that we are this close to some kind of OnlyFans collab, featuring, like Yellowstone National Park or something, Martin joked.@bydonmartinWhat is going on with the national park accounts???Other national park fan accounts quickly joined in on the thirsty trend by making their own videos. A Grand Canyon account made a splash with the caption, We are open!!! Cum on in, and a Olympia National Park fan account described the road to the Hoh Rain Forest as, wide open, all groomed and smooth, just for your enjoyment!Keep scrolling to the funniest and thirstiest national park TikTok videos!@multnomah_fallsIts waterfall Wednesday again! Multnomah Falls is definitely far, juicy and wet! Ive posted to waterfall Wednesday with videos back to back, one sweet and one spicy. Which one did you see first? And what does that say about you? #waterfallwednesday #multnomahfalls@miremoon.oLet me know in the comments @Thoren Bradley #travel #hike #thoren #greatsmokymountains #nationalpark #tuckaleecheecaverns #caves #river #waterfall #mountains #BookTok #parktok #explore #adventure #solohike #Hiking@grand.canyon.natioWe are open!!! cum on in #grandcanyonnationalpark #nationalparks #nationalpark@sagarmathanationalpark@voEROS voice #nationalpark #nature #beauty #mountains #water #nationalparks #nepal #sagarmathanationalpark #pov #wet #smuttok@officialacadianatparkBass Harbor Head Light #acadiahasalotofhead #morecrabsthanjoshuatree #daddy #acadianationalpark #parktok #momtok #daddytok #head #thirstrap #happymothersday #humpday #nationalpark #corn @Johnathon Caine @Yellowstone National Park @James Charles@olympicnationalparkReplying to @troubleon4paws come on down #mountains #mountaintok #olympicnationalpark #parktok #olympicmountains #booktok #hohrainforest@banffnpand we condemn the decisions of the Orange overlord to cut funding to our buddies below our belt! #protectourparks @Johnathon Caine @Yellowstone National Park @Joshua Tree National Park @Grand Teton @Big Bend NP @Grand Canyon @Death Valley National Park #parktok #nationalpark #mountaintok@joshuatreenpJust hiking, minding my own business and remembering the moment... #spicybooktok #spicy #spicytok #naughty #thirsttrap #parktok #nationalpark #mountaintok #joshuatree #joshuatreenationalpark #nationalparks #desert #hot #heat #audiobook@shenandoahnationalparkOh we see you, @Joshua Tree National Park Eternal flame Desert thirstFiremen But out here in the Shenandoahs? We dont call for help. We descend. Beneath the moss and mist and maternal rage. Into limestone cathedrals where stalactites drip symphonies and the earth sings her secrets in moans. You burn, my darling But we echo. #booktok #alttok #mothersday #joshuatreenationalpark #saveourparks #conservation #cavetok #mountaintok #alttiktok #bikelife@miremoon.oIts getting hot in here @Thoren Bradley #yosemitenationalpark #Hiking #vacation #Summer #waterfall #thorenbradley #california #halfdome #california #yosemite #nationalpark #nationalparkhikes #spring #yellowstonenationalpark #hikingweather #backpacking #roadtrip #views #trails #granolatok@joshuatreenpWelcome to spicy Joshua, glad you finally found your way to me If you like what you see, you should check out some of my friends (They aren't all as spicy as I am, but they are all still worth following as what they lack in spice they bring in sass ) Tag the ones I accidentally missed in the comments! @Mt St Helens @Crater Lake @Mt Hood Adventures @MOUNT RAINIER @Mt Marcy for real @Allegheny Mountains @Adirondacks NY @Alaska Official @Arches @California Redwoods @Columbia River Gorge @Death Valley National Park @Denali @Grand Teton @Mount Shasta @mt.adams @Multnomah Falls @Letchworth State Park @Olympic National Park @San Bernardino National Forest @Sequoia National Park @Utah Parks @visitcannonbeach @Walla Walla Valley-Many Waters @Willamette River @Yosemite National Park #mountaintok #mountains #unhinged #nationalpark #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstone #spicybooktok #spicy #joshuatreenationalpark #joshuatree #badboy #dirty #naughty #music #newsong #greatsong
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  • WWW.PRIDE.COM
    Queer Joy Alert: This TikTok star helps LGBTQ+ singles find love and chaos online
    Queer joy is a radical act, so join us each week for more stories that uplift, resist, and shine. For more stories on Queer Joy, click here.While people everywhere are becoming disillusioned with dating apps and are desperately seeking new ways to find love and connection, one TikToker is forging a new path for her LGBTQ+ Gen Z peers.What started as the dream of a queer woman with only $600 left to her name has turned into a viral sensation and created a community for queer people to find love in the messiest way possible. Josselyn Morris, a 26-year-old rising star on TikTok, started the apps first-ever livestream LGBTQ+ speed dating show that has now grown to have more than 370,000 followers and gets a minimum of 50,000 viewers per night. She streams four nights a week to help queer singles find love on her TikTok live show. Some singles have applied to be on the show, and others are picked from the live audience so that Morris can help them find a match. Sign up for the PRIDE.com Newsletter to get a candid take on whats fresh and fun in LGBTQ+ culture this week!I started this show with $600, a ring light, and a dream. And now there are people saying they found the love of their life in my comments section? Thats unreal, Morris tells PRIDE.The premise is as simple and effective as it is wildly entertaining: Morris holds up a sign that says LGBTQ+ Speed Dating and has a split screen with the curious single she invited on the show, and tries to connect them with people in the chat who feel a spark with the guest.The space Ive built became what I needed when I was most aloneand now its that for thousands of other people too, she says. People come back every week. They root for each other. They stay. That means more than views ever could.@josselynmorrisHOW DID I DO YALL BE HONEST CONGRATS TO THE HAPPY COUPLE @ROSE @BBBOWWWMBM #wedding #marriage #marriagehumor #lgbtq #lgbtqia # #married #josselynmorrisSometimes Morris helps people find a match and other times the people in the chat investigate the guest and figure out theyre actually in a relationship already or are lying about themselves. Combine that with Morris hilarious facial expressions, and sharp sense of humor and youre in for an entertaining night even if no one finds love. Think speed dating mixed with internet sleuthing, and reality TV shows like Catfish and Maury.Yes, its messy and full of gay chaos, but its also sweet and hopeful as young LGBTQ+ find love and build community on an app that can often make people feel even more isolated and pressured to be performative.It can be chaotic, funny, and unpredictable, but its also full of warmth, connection, and real vulnerability, Morris explains. Every night is different. One moment someones cracking jokes, the next someones talking about what its like to date while not being fully out. That kind of shift feels natural because the space allows for all of it.Originally from Yuma, Arizona, Morris knows what its like to be Black and queer in a small town with no community. A self-proclaimed stud, she started her TikTok channel with one main goal: to create an LGBTQ+ dating show made by and for the community.And shes found success doing just that. Shes created a community of devoted followers, who call themselves Team White Braids, has helped create 100 real queer relationships, was once even invited to a proposal between two contestants on her show, and heard that one couple she set up has a baby on the way.Its become this tight-knit, almost sacred digital living room. Were live almost every night, and the energy is always the same: safe, chaotic in the best way, and full of love, Morris says. You dont need a label, a storyline, or a look to belong here. People who arent even out yetpeople from towns where theres no gay scenecome here and feel seen.Her live queer dating show proves that love is messy and radical joy is not only possible, but is at your fingertips four nights a week.
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  • WWW.NATURE.COM
    The worlds richest people have an outsized role in climate extremes
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01427-yThe consumption and investments of the wealthiest 10% contribute disproportionately to the emissions that drive heat waves and drought.
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  • WWW.NATURE.COM
    PhD students in STEM: <i>Nature</i> wants to hear from you
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01486-1Buried in lab work or drowning in data? Take a break and help shape the future of PhD education.
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  • WWW.NATURE.COM
    How CAR-T cancer therapies could harm the brain
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01426-zImmune-system responses to cell therapies produce long-term effects on cognition in mice.
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  • WWW.NATURE.COM
    Ku limits RNA-induced innate immunity to allow Alu-expansion in primates
    Nature, Published online: 15 May 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09104-wKu limits RNA-induced innate immunity to allow Alu-expansion in primates
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