The state of Connecticut is proposing buying a minority stake in the Sun at a valuation higher than the WNBA's current $250 million offer in an effort to keep the team from moving away.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper has informed the Raiders that intends to retire just days before the team will open the 2025 season at New England, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The Eagles are the defending champions, but U.S. sportsbooks are opening the 2025 season with the Bills and Ravens as co-favorites to win the Super Bowl.

A prohibition on contact between unrelated women and men meant many womens wounds went untended and some were left trapped under rubble after a deadly earthquake, witnesses said.

Trumps recalcitrance isnt enough to shatter his coalition, but it has created at least a few fissures.

The president, Michael Schill, will step down after months of turbulence, including Trump administration cuts of $790 million to the universitys research funds.

At an arraignment on Thursday, Elias Rodriguez faced federal hate crime and other charges that could result in the death penalty.

The Danish company behind Revolution Wind, a $6 billion project off Rhode Island, said the federal government had unlawfully halted work on the wind farm.

Cleaning has never been this easy.READ MORE...

Plants and animals bring Najah so much joy that shes surrounded herself with them in her botanical Atlanta home that feels like a cool bar, coffee shop, or a library lounge.READ MORE...

Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook listens during an open meeting of the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve, June 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-09-04T18:20:59Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department has issued subpoenas as part of an investigation into mortgage fraud allegations against Lisa Cook, who is fighting a Trump administration effort to remove her from her role as a Federal Reserve Governor.A person familiar with the matter confirmed that subpoenas had been sent in connection with the probe, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Justice Department urged a federal judge on Thursday to allow the immediate removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook while she fights to keep her job, dismissing as baseless Cooks claim that the president is attempting to fire her so that he can seize control of the independent central bank.Trump said he was firing Cook on Aug. 25 after one of his appointees alleged that she committed mortgage fraud related to two properties she purchased in 2021, before she joined the Fed. Cook is accused of falsely listing two properties as primary residences. Down payment requirements are often more lenient and mortgage rates lower for primary residences versus a second home or investment property. In a filing in U.S. District for Washington D.C. this week, Cooks lawyers argued that firing her was unlawful because presidents can only fire Fed governors for cause, which has typically meant inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance while in office. They also said she was entitled to a hearing and a chance to respond to the charges before being fired, but was not provided either. Attorneys said in the court filing that Cook never committed mortgage fraud. Responding on Thursday, the Justice Department said the president has the discretion to fire Cook for cause and that his decisions cannot be reviewed by the courts. The case could become a turning point for the 112-year old Federal Reserve, which was designed by Congress to be insulated from day-to-day political influence. Economists prefer independent central banks because they can do unpopular things like lifting interest rates to combat inflation more easily than elected officials. Trump has repeatedly attacked Fed Chair Jerome Powell and the other members of the Feds interest-rate setting committee for not cutting the short-term interest rate they control more quickly.Many economists worry that if the Fed falls under the control of the White House, it will keep its key interest rate lower than justified by economic fundamentals to satisfy Trumps demands for cheaper borrowing.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo gestures as speaks to supporters and members of the media before a bill signing by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Nov. 18, 2021, in Brandon, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)2025-09-04T18:47:10Z As the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis prepares to make Florida the first state to remove school vaccine mandates, deep concern is spreading among doctors, parents and public health workers for the safety of children, their families and others who might be vulnerable in a disease outbreak.They fear that dreaded diseases, held in check for decades by vaccines, could flare up again if too many people in Florida arent immunized. Heres what to know about Floridas plan: DeSantis calls this medical freedomWhile states traditionally follow federal guidance when it comes to vaccines, school mandates are set by state health departments. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced Wednesday that the health department would begin taking steps immediately to eliminate these mandates, calling them immoral intrusions on peoples rights that hamper parents ability to make health decisions for their children.Were going to end it, Ladapo said, without providing details or a timeline.The Health Department also did not immediately respond to questions about other vaccine requirements, such as for certain workplaces. Many such requirements are enshrined in state law and would require legislative approval. DeSantis appointed Ladapo and his wife Casey DeSantis to a commission thats drafting a broader medical freedom measure expected to be introduced in the next legislative session. School nurses sound alarmIf theyre able to go through with it, theyre just opening a door to a health crisis thats 100 percent preventable, said Lynn Nelson, president of the National Association of School Nurses.Schools are a microcosm of society, and when students go home, they can bring diseases to vulnerable people such as infants and the elderly, Nelson said.Measles, mumps and pertussis also known as whooping cough -- are among the preventable diseases Nelson is most concerned about if Floridas plan succeeds. Measles, a highly contagious illness, can create life-threatening situations for infants and small children, she said.There are outbreaks all over the country right now, and they will spread in any state or community where the vaccine rate drops, she said. Florida already lags nation in vaccination ratesEven before Wednesdays announcement, Florida lagged the rest of the United States when it came to kindergarteners being immunized for diseases like measles, mumps and rubella, with 88.7% immunized in 2025, compared to more than 92% nationwide, according to state and federal health statistics.New religious exemptions to vaccines have also increased, to 6.4% among children age 5-17 years old, and as much as 15% in some counties, as of April 2025.Thats according to the Florida Health Departments monthly online Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance Report, which was last updated on May 29. At the time, it showed cases of hepatitis A, whooping cough and chickenpox were increasing in Florida. Why are vaccines needed?Since the first safe and effective polio vaccine was released for use in the United States in 1955, vaccines have become a cornerstone of public health, keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases that had afflicted populations for centuries.Timely and up-to-date required vaccinations are essential to protecting school-age children, youth, and the public from preventable, serious infectious diseases, according to a recent position paper from the National Association of School Nurses. Vaccine exemptions should be eliminated, except when necessary for validated medical contraindications, the group said.Doctors will have an important role in battling the misinformation spreading online, by trying to explain how vaccines work and how theyre developed, said Dr. Joshua Laban, a primary care physician in Miami. I think the worst-case scenario is that, you know, our vaccination rate declined and some of these diseases become emergent and then become endemic in our communities once again, Laban said. How could this affect Floridas tourism industry?Its unclear how a decline in vaccinations might affect Floridas top business its $128 billion tourism industry. Florida is among the top U.S. destinations, with 143 million visitors last year.Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and other Orlando theme parks no longer require proof of vaccinations for employees, due to Florida laws passed in 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that limit employers power to require such protection. Representatives for Disney and Universal didnt respond to inquiries Thursday asking them about the potential impact of more unvaccinated children.Florida also is home to a cruise line industry with a $24 billion economic impact, according the Cruise Lines International Association. Most cruise lines dont have any vaccine requirements. But the CDC has recommended that passengers be vaccinated against COVID and the flu, and that they check which other vaccines may be recommended based on the countries theyre visiting. JEFF MARTIN Martin covers a variety of topics including crime, hurricanes, and civil rights across the southeastern U.S. He was a member of the AP team named a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for the Lethal Restraint project. mailto MIKE SCHNEIDER Schneider covers census, demographics and Florida for The Associated Press. Author of 2023 book, Mickey and the Teamsters. twitter mailto DANIEL KOZIN Kozin is an Associated Press video journalist based in Miami. He covers everything from hurricanes to politics to environmental issues, as well as South Floridas many cultural communities. twitter mailto

Northwestern University President Michael Schill testifies during a hearing of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)2025-09-04T17:49:11Z Northwestern University President Michael Schill said Thursday that he will resign, ending a three-year tenure marked by the freeze of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding by the Trump administration and heated criticism from House Republicans over the universitys response to campus protests. The funding freeze and uncertainty over its finances contributed to Northwesterns decision to lay off around 200 people over the summer. In a statement announcing his resignation, Schill acknowledged the pressure from the White House. It is critical that we continue to protect the Universitys research mission and excellence while preserving academic freedom, integrity, and independence, he said. Northwestern emerged as a prominent target of President Donald Trumps campaign to reshape elite colleges he has derided as hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism. In April, the administration froze $790 million in federal funding for the private school in Evanston, Illinois, one of dozens of colleges under investigation over claims they did not do enough to protect Jewish students. During the wave of pro-Palestinian protests in spring 2024, Northwestern drew ire from conservatives over an agreement it struck with demonstrators to take down their encampment. In exchange, Northwestern pledged to reestablish an advisory committee on university investments and made other commitments. Schill defended the arrangement during an appearance in May 2024 before a House committee investigating campus antisemitism. We had to get the encampment down, Schill said. The police solution was not going to be available to us to keep people safe, and also may not be the wisest solution as weve seen at other campuses across the country.Supporters of Israel and the administration officials have framed the protests at Northwestern and other schools as antisemitic and pro-Hamas. But people involved in the demonstrations reject that characterization. They say advocating for Palestinian human rights and territorial claims, or criticizing Israeli military action, is not antisemitic. Schill also navigated the fallout from a hazing scandal that broke not long after he was named Northwesterns president in August 2022. Former football players filed lawsuits in 2023 alleging sexual abuse and racial discrimination on the team, and similar allegations then spread across several sports. Northwesterns football coach, Pat Fitzgerald, was initially suspended then later fired after an investigation. The school concluded he had a responsibility to know that hazing was occurring and should have stopped it. Fitzgerald denied wrongdoing and filed a lawsuit that ended with a settlement last month.Schill will continue as president until an interim leader is chosen and will return from a sabbatical as a faculty member at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, the school said. He also will work with the Board of Trustees on efforts to restore the universitys frozen federal funding, Northwestern said. ___The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. ANNIE MA Ma is an Associated Press national writer who covers K-12 education. twitter mailto

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, arrives to meet with Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa at the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Sept.. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, pool)2025-09-04T14:56:50Z QUITO, Ecuador (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the United States is designating two Ecuadorian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations in the Trump administrations latest move against cartels.The announcement came as Rubio traveled to Ecuador to meet with its leaders in a trip to Latin America this week that has been overshadowed by a U.S. military strike against a similarly designated gang, Tren de Aragua, that has raised concerns in the region about whether the Trump administration will step up military activity to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration.The two new designees, Los Lobos and Los Choneros, are Ecuadorian gangs blamed for much of the violence that began since the COVID-19 pandemic. The designation, Rubio said, brings all sorts of options for the U.S. government to work in conjunction with the government of Ecuador to crack down on these groups. That includes the ability to kill them as well as take action against the properties and banking accounts in the U.S. for the groups members and people with ties to the criminal organizations, Rubio said, adding it would also help with intelligence sharing. Rubio called them these vicious animals, these terrorists.This time were not just going to hunt for drug dealers in the little fast boats and say lets try to arrest them, Rubio said at a news conference in Ecuadors capital, Quito. No, the president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because theyve been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded. Rubios meetings in Quito on Thursday followed talks a day earlier with Mexican leaders that were overshadowed by the U.S. military strike on suspected Tren de Aragua drug runners in the southern Caribbean. The Trump administration asserts that it targeted a Venezuelan drug-running ship crewed by members of Tren de Aragua. U.S. officials say the vessels cargo was intended for the United States and that the strike killed 11 people. U.S. officials have yet to explain how the military determined that those aboard the vessel were Tren de Aragua members. Rubio on Wednesday defended the action and offered no justification other than to say the boat posed an immediate threat to the U.S. and that Trump opted to blow it up rather than follow what had been standard procedure to stop and board, arrest the crew and seize any contraband on board.The strike got a mixed reaction from leaders around Latin America, where the U.S. history of military intervention and gunboat diplomacy is still fresh. Many, like officials in Mexico, were careful not to outright condemn the attack but stressed the importance of protecting national sovereignty and warning that expanded U.S. military involvement might actually backfire.Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Ramn de la Fuente, speaking to reporters alongside Rubio, emphasized his countrys preference for nonintervention, peaceful solution of conflicts. Rubio on Thursday contested that U.S. actions were being directed more toward Venezuela, and not Mexico, because of its adversarial relation with the South American country. Theres no need to do that in many cases with friendly governments, because the friendly governments are going to help us, Rubio told reporters. They may do it themselves, and well help them do it.Ecuador has its own issues with narcotics trafficking and also has been looked to by the Trump administration as a possible destination to deport non-Ecuadorian migrants from the United States. U.S. officials have said they would like to secure an agreement with Ecuador that would have it accept such deportees, but the status of negotiations with Quito was not clear.Ecuadors president, Daniel Noboa, on Thursday thanked Rubio for the U.S. efforts to actually eliminate any terrorist threat. Before their meeting, Rubio had said on social media that the U.S. and Ecuador are aligned as key partners on ending illegal immigration and combatting transnational crime and terrorism. The latest U.N. World Drug Report says various countries in South America, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, reported larger cocaine seizures in 2022 than in 2021, but it does not give Venezuela the outsize role that the White House has in recent months.The impact of increased cocaine trafficking has been felt in Ecuador in particular, which has seen a wave of lethal violence in recent years linked to both local and transnational crime groups, most notably from Mexico and the Balkan countries, the report says.Violence has skyrocketed in Ecuador since the COVID-19 pandemic, as drug traffickers expanded operations in the country and took advantage of the nations banana industry.The South American country is the worlds largest exporter of bananas. Traffickers find maritime shipping containers filled with the fruit the perfect vehicle to smuggle their product. In addition, cartels from Mexico, Colombia and the Balkans have settled in Ecuador because it uses the U.S. dollar and has weak laws and institutions, along with a network of long-established, ruthless gangs, including Los Choneros and Los Lobos, that are eager for work.The work of Los Choneros, Los Lobos and other similar groups include contract killings, extortion operations and movement and sale of drugs. Authorities have blamed them for the unprecedented violence in the country as they fight over drug-trafficking routes to the Pacific and control of territory, including within prisons, where hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2021.Ecuador also gained prominence in the global cocaine trade after political changes in Colombia last decade. Coca bush fields in Colombia have been moving closer to the border with Ecuador due to the breakup of criminal groups after the 2016 demobilization of the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known by its Spanish acronym FARC.Ecuador in July extradited to the U.S. the leader of Los Choneros, Jos Adolfo Macas Villamar. Nicknamed Fito, Macas escaped from an Ecuadorian prison last year and was recaptured in June, two months after a U.S. Attorney indicted him in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the U.S. ___Lee and Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. JACQUELYN MARTIN Martin photographs politics at the White House and Congress and has circumnavigated the globe as a pool photographer covering every Secretary of State since 2010. She is known for her multidisciplinary enterprise feature packages and is fluent in Spanish. twitter instagram RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Days away from finding out his sentence for sex trafficking as the ringleader of Girls Do Porn, Michael James Pratt and his attorney are attempting to paint a picture of a man reformed behind bars, through personal letters and certificates from classes he has passed inside prison.GirlsDoPorn was a sex trafficking operation posing as a porn studio that Pratt ran from 2009 to 2020. By lying to the women they recruited, telling them that they were being hired for modeling gigs and adult video shoots that would never be distributed outside offline private collections, GirlsDoPorns operators coerced young, inexperienced women into shooting rough, hours-long sex scenes in San Diego hotel rooms. The videos were distributed on massive porn sites including Pornhub, where GirlsDoPorn was a content partner for years. Women who have come forward for the civil and federal trials against GirlsDoPorn have said their lives were upended by Pratts criminal enterprise.Were you a victim of GirlsDoPorn, or do you have knowledge of how it operated? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at sam.404. Otherwise, send me an email at sam@404media.co.Pratt has been in custody since he was arrested in Spain on December 21, 2022 and extradited to the US. Prior to that, hed been in hiding since fleeing the US in the middle of a massive civil trial in 2019, where 22 victims sued him and his co-conspirators for $22 million (a case they won). Right after his disappearance, Pratt was charged with federal counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and was on the FBIs Most Wanted List for years. He initially pleaded not guilty to these charges in 2024, but changed his plea to guilty in June.Exhibits filed by Pratts lawyer Brian White on Sept. 1 include letters, mostly anonymous, from people who knew him when he was younger asking the judge for leniency, including his sister and mother. Mike's father, Steve Pratt, was not a good role model. He was a drinker and had a controlling personality. I caught Steve smacking Michael uncontrollably on a couple of occasions. I stopped it immediately, his mother wrote.Three years of prison has given me enough time to think about this entire situation, Pratt wrote in a letter to the court submitted on Monday. Trying to understand things from other points of view has given me insight into how some victims were really affected by these videos. I put myself in the shoes of the women who participated, trying to see what they have gone through. I myself have been a victim of bullying and know how rough that is on the psyche. I cannot imagine the trauma experienced by a video being published where friends and family could come across it.We know, in fact, from years of testimonies and interviewsmany while it was still unsafe for them to come forward, when the consequences of speaking up about this abuse risked compounding trauma and continued, violent harassmenthow Pratts victims were impacted by his actions.Several of the women whove testified in the civil and federal trials, and came forward to speak on the record to journalists, reported violent assault to the point of bleeding or injury, being trapped inside the hotel rooms with no clothing, and being lied to by Pratt and his co-conspirators about who would be able to see the videos. As one of the women targeted by GirlsDoPorn told me in 2021: There were a few points where I was just like please, I need to stop, I need to stop, because it was just so much pain. I said, I cant go on anymore At that point I could have said nothing. I could have been mute. My voice was just not heard at all. Another woman said while testifying during the civil trial: They put furniture in front of the door, so what was I going to dojump over the balcony? GirlsDoPorns attorney at the time, Aaron Sadock, asked that woman on the stand if she had fun. No, I did not have fun! she said, crying.Kristy Althaus, who sued Pornhub in 2023 for disseminating the videos, claimed that Pratts conspirators held her captive in a hotel room and filmed her being raped for nine to 10 hours, barricading the doors, ignoring her bleeding and cries, forcing her to consume alcohol, marijuana, and Xanax, and spiking her drink with oxycodone. According to that complaint, when she refused to return for another shoot, Pratt threatened her and her family, texting, You have it coming for u, I will cut and kill you bitch, and You better be here by noon shoot 2tomorrow or your graveyard, according to screenshots of texts from Althauss complaint.For many of these women, the trauma and harassment didnt stop once they left the hotel rooms. In some cases, they were disowned by their families and friends, harassed endlessly, struggled to find jobs in previously-prestigious careers and found it difficult to date or trust anyone intimately again.In the defendants sentencing memorandum, White blames Pratts alcoholic, abusive father and his own ADHD; throws his co-conspirators under the bus; accuses the entire pornography industry of being exploitative and dehumanizing; and asserts again that the women lied in their testimonies.The memo paints a picture of Pratt as a precocious child with a difficult upbringing in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he taught himself how to use computers and eventually learned about websites and affiliate marketing. Mr. Pratt began looking for better ways to generate income, and through the associations he made in the affiliate marketing business, he learned that making videos to direct internet traffic to pornography sites could be financially successful, the memo says. But when he tried to make a pornography business himself, he wasnt very good at it, blaming the banning of Craigslists erotic ads in 2009 for his difficulties in finding models. He claims he posted ads seeking models as a way around the ban.Pratt's lawyer asserts in the memorandum that his employee, Andre Reuben Dre Garcia, the main actor in most of the GirlsDoPorn videos, stopped when the women told him to stop. She said, stop, its not going to work. Garcia stopped, the memo says. The model offered to try a second time and again told Garcia to stop because it wasnt going to work. Again, Garcia stopped. That was the end of it. Forcing a model to do something against her will was not Mr. Pratts intention. He also claims that when Pratt heard complaints about Garcia from models, Pratt instituted certain safety measures like locking the hotel room refrigerators and putting more cameras in the room. Those safety measures didnt include firing Garcia, however.When hes arguing that he should have a lower sentence than Garcias 20 years, Pratt acknowledges that Garcia sexually assaulted many of these women. Garcia physically raped a number of the models before and after the video shoots, and multiple women were forced to continue having sex with him on video despite their pleas to stop due to pain or because the sex went beyond the scope of what they had agreed to do, the memorandum states.The exhibits filed as part of the memo also attempt to show how productive and busy Pratt has been in prison. His attorney submitted nearly 100 certificates of completion issued by the learning platform Edovo, which offers classes for incarcerated people. The classes Pratt passed include Embracing Unexpected Change, Doing Time With Jesus, several anger management courses, Media Relations Foundations, marketing classes for LinkedIn and Facebook, Augmented Reality Marketing, Human Trafficking in the United States: The Truth and What You Can Do About It, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, and multiple cooking classes, including Soups and Sauces.Federal prosecutors seek a 22-year prison sentence, while Pratts defense countered with around 17 years; Judge Janis L. Sammartino will hand Pratt his sentence on Monday in San Diego.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. was outraged when Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) asked him about how he suggested that antidepressants played a role in last weeks Minneapolis school shooting, where a shooter killed two children and injured 17 other people before killing themself. It is not known if the shooter was even taking antidepressants, and there is no research connecting them to mass violence.Just last week, in the days after the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in my home state of Minnesota, you went on Fox News, blaming school shootings on antidepressants, Smith said at a Senate Finance hearing today. Related RFK Jr. roasted for disturbing Darth Vader breathing as senators berate his anti-vaccine policies No Kennedy started to respond.Do you have evidence of that? Because you have no evidence of a connection- she said. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Youre just saying something, Kennedy said, interrupting. Youre just making stuff up!You know, this is what you say, right? Smith responded. When someone presents you with information that does not fit with your worldview-I did not blame that shooting on- I have no idea whether- I have no idea, and I never said that, youre making it up, youre twisting! Yeah, you are! Kennedy said, outraged that she would suggest he said what he said on camera just a week ago. You are being dishonest right now! Youre being dishonest! Smith: You went on Fox News blaming school shootings on antidepressants.RFK JR: You're just making stuff up. pic.twitter.com/PVV6wsAOdl Acyn (@Acyn) September 4, 2025Smith was referring to comments Kennedy made on Fox News last week, where he was asked whether he thinks that medications associated with gender-affirming care are responsible for school shootings. He responded by saying that his department is looking into antidepressants.We are doing those kinds of studies now, he responded. At [the National Institutes of Health], were launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor] drugs and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence. You know, many of them have black box warnings that warn of suicidal ideation and homicidal ideation. So we need, we cant exclude those as a culprit. RFK Jr. probing SSRIs and psychiatric drugs drugs as contributions to violence "We're launching studies on the potential contribution of some of the SSRI drugs and some of the other psychiatric drugs that might be contributing to violence."THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW WHATS IN pic.twitter.com/01AEh2czHq Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 28, 2025Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson wants to ask out former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg very specific questions about gay sex because he thinks Buttigieg is a fake gay.Carlson said this on the Wednesday installment of The Tucker Carlson Show while speaking to Michael Knowles, an anti-LGBTQ+ Daily Wire host who once acted in a film as a man who sleeps with another man. Related 5 ways that Tucker Carlson has proved himself as a proudly anti-LGBTQ+ bigot When Knowles mentioned Buttigiegs name, Carlson responded, The fake gay guy?Knowles then responded, I have a friend who thinks hes a fake gay. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Carlson replied, My gay producer was always like hes not gay. He was with a girl like 20 minutes ago, and like he wants to be the Democratic nominee, its like Time for a gay guy!Knowles then claimed that Buttigieg is playing the long game, and Carlson said, Well, its suffering for your art, Ill say that. The insinuation is absurd. Buttigieg began dating his now-husband, author Chasten Buttigieg, in 2015. They married in 2018 and are now raising two children together. Theres absolutely zero proof to suggest that Buttigieg has ever not been gay. Moreover, there has never been a Democratic presidential nominee who wasnt straight and cisgender, so its unlikely anyone would think that being gay is a requirement to win the nomination.Knowles then said that he knows 100 Pete Buttigieges (presumably, straight men who act gay for social advancement), adding, I know this character, the kind. Knowles noted that Buttigieg went to an elite school. Carlson then said that Buttigieg [found] some benighted Midwestern town that he can just like become mayor of, referring to Buttigiegs eight years serving as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020. Buttigieg was born and raised in South Bend.The town kind of sucks, actually, Carlson said. He didnt do a good job. He didnt have a college there. Its worth mentioning that South Bend has a population of just 103,713 people, and that only five new colleges have opened in the United States since 2001, according to College Raptor, an informational website for college-bound students. The newest U.S. college, Florida Polytechnic University, opened in 2012.Ive always wanted to interview him, Carlson said. Hes never agreed to interview, but Im gonna ask him like some very specific questions about gay sex and see if he can even answer. I doubt he even knows! Carlson didnt explain how he allegedly attained his knowledge about the finer points of gay sex. Pretending to talk with Buttigieg, Carlson said, Yeah. No, totally. Yeah. Youre not gay dude, stop! Knowles then said, Think about Pete Buttigieg. If [right-wingers] controlled the universities, if we controlled the culture, and if the incentives in the corporations and all of the DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] offices we can rename them if all the incentives were not to be like America-hating, gay, liberal, Pete Buttigeig, I am convinced look this is purely my gut telling me this he would be like waving the stars and bars, like whatever incentive were there he would go to it.In short, Knowles believes that Buttigieg wouldnt pretend to be gay if liberal society didnt reward him for it. His belief ignores all evidence of the anti-gay animus that persists in U.S. society. Tucker Carlson is anti-gay & weirdly fixated on ButtigiegThis isnt the first time that Carlson has implied that Buttigieg isnt really gay. In a July 2024 episode of Carlsons show hosted on X, the social media platform owned by transphobic right-wing billionaire Elon Musk Carlson called Buttigieg supposedly gay and said that one of his shows gay producers told him that Buttigieg is not gay. Gays all keep close track of that stuff, Carlson said, offering no real proof of his absurd claim.My producer goes, Its totally a pose. He was dating women just a few years ago. Its totally fake. Hes not gay at all, Carlson said. He added that he once said this previously on the air, and people got all offended. I thought it was kind of hilarious. Carlson has previously described Buttigieg as effeminate and told viewers that Buttigiegbreastfeeds his adopted twin babies. Buttigiegresponded by saying, I guess he just doesnt understand the concept of bottle-feeding.Carlsons 1991 Trinity College yearbook lists him as a member of the Dan White Society and the Jesse Helms Foundation.White is the person who assassinated Harvey Milk, the groundbreaking out politician who urged gay people to come out. Helms, the late Republican senator from North Carolina, was notoriously racistand viciously anti-gay.In 1990, Carlson wrote in his college newspaper thathomosexuality wasunnatural and unhealthy.In 2007, Carlson went onMSNBC Liveto brag about the time he beat up a gay man in a bathroom.In his 2023 bookNetwork of Lies, journalist Brian Stelter said that Carlson was dismissed from Fox News in April of that year because Carlsons escalating toxicity, which included an undercurrent of white supremacy and a penchant for demeaning women and minorities, led Lachlan Murdoch, the then chief executive of Fox Corp, to [fire Carlson],The Guardianreported.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The first teaser trailer for the upcoming Wuthering Heights movie helmed by Saltburn director Emerald Fennell premiered on Wednesday and stirred up controversy and discourse online among fans of the 1847 Emily Bront novel.Saltburns Jacob Elordi and Barbies Margot Robbie star in this adaptation of the famous gothic novel about the Earnshaw and Linton families in late 18th century England, which focuses on cycles of generational trauma, and the obsessive, destructive love between Catherine Earnshaw (Robbie) and the Earnshaw's foster son Heathcliff.The trailer, which dropped yesterday, features overt eroticism with a shirtless and sweaty Elordi working outdoors, bread being kneaded suggestively, corsets being tightened, and lingering shots of Robbies face as she looks like shes trying to repress sexual urges. It was clearly intended to intrigue and titillate but instead it has been met with a furious onslaught of criticism. Although some fans are excited to see Elordi half-naked and others are curious about Fennells likely subversive take on the novel, the conversation has been dominated by people who are angry about the casting and are concerned that the movie is going to be a bodice-ripper and not an exploration of deep themes from the book.Plenty of films have not lived up to their source material and haven't received this much back lash. So, what exactly are people so up in arms about?Whitewashing Heathcliff (@) Heathcliffs ethnicity is unclear in the novel, but he is described as dark-skinned, and many people are upset that a white actor was hired to play him, especially since James Howson, a Black actor, starred as Heathcliff in the 2011 adaptation. In the book, Heathcliff is also described as having black eyes, and one character remarks: Who knows but your father was Emperor of China, and your mother an Indian queen. In response to criticism when the casting was made public, casting director Charnel Cochrane told Deadline that its just a book and the film doesnt need to be accurate.There was one Instagram comment that said the casting director should be shot, Cochrane said. But just wait till you see it, and then you can decide whether you want to shoot me or not. But you really dont need to be accurate. Its just a book. That is not based on real life. Its all art.Casting of Margo Robbie (@) Fans of the novel are also angry that 35-year-old Robbie was cast to play the books teenage protagonist, Catherine. There have also been complaints that Robbie is blonde while Catherine is described as being a brunette.Ignoring the themes (@) The book focuses on the Earnshaws and the Lintons, two wealthy land-owning Yorkshire families, and explores issues of class, race, ethnicity, generational trauma, love and obsession, and revenge. People online familiar with the Wuthering Heights themes are concerned that Fennells film will focus more on sex, turning it into a dark romance fit for BookTok, instead of delving into these complex themes.Emerald Fennell as director (@) Fennell, who first gained notoriety after winning an Oscar for her debut film Promising Young Woman, is known for her subversive plot lines and lush modern set designs.Since the first images for the movie were released, Fennell has been accused of eschewing historical accuracy in favor of more modern aesthetics, including an 80s style white wedding dress that wouldnt have been worn in the Victorian Era. A new song from Charlie XCX is also featured in the teaser trailer, which has other fans concerned Fennell has plans to turn Wuthering Heights into a Bridgerton knock-off.Wuthering Heights will premiere in theaters on February 13, 2026. Watch the trailer below and decide for yourself.

The 21-year-old Emmy-nominated actor, known for their breakout roles in Game of Thrones and HBOs hit adaptation of The Last of Us, came face-to-face with their very first Madame Tussauds wax figure this week, a striking tribute to one of televisions most dynamic and trailblazing stars.Unveiled Thursday, Sept. 4, at the iconic Madame Tussauds London location on Baker Street, the figure captures Ramseys distinctive style and energy, complete with a high-fashion green Undercover suit, chunky rings, and black boots, the same look the actor wore to The Last of Us Season 2 world premiere in Los Angeles earlier this year.For Ramsey, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, the moment was more than just a career milestone, it was a celebration of visibility, individuality, and the radical power of being unapologetically oneself.Joined by family, close friends, and their dog, Skipper, Ramsey shared an emotional reaction as they laid eyes on the wax figure for the first time, giving it their enthusiastic stamp of approval. According to Madame Tussauds, Ramsey was deeply involved in the entire creation process over the last 10 months, ensuring every detail, from facial expression to jewelry, reflected their signature presence.A Year of Milestones and MagicRamseys inclusion in the museums legendary Awards Party zone comes at a fitting time. The young actor has had a whirlwind year, wrapping filming on Season 2 of The Last of Us, where they star as Ellie, a role that has redefined queer representation in mainstream media.This year, Ramsey is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards, marking a historic nod not just for their performance, but for nonbinary and gender-nonconforming actors in leading roles.Ramseys wax twin now stands among a glittering lineup of celebrity figures that includes Zendaya, Timothe Chalamet, Harry Styles, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Lil Nas X, and brand-new for 2025, Lady Gaga, another queer icon in their own right.From Westeros to World PremieresBorn in Nottingham, England, Ramseys acting career began with a breakout role as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, where their commanding presence stole every scene. Since then, theyve gone on to become one of the most exciting performers of their generation, bringing raw vulnerability and fierce strength to their characters, especially as The Last of Uss Ellie, a queer teen navigating love and loss in a post-apocalyptic world.The series, adapted from the beloved video game, has been both a critical and commercial success, praised for its storytelling, production, and inclusive casting. Season 2, expected to premiere in early 2026, continues to push the boundaries of representation, with Ramseys Ellie at the emotional center.A Figure of the FutureFor many LGBTQ+ fans, Ramseys presence in Madame Tussauds marks more than celebrity status, its symbolic of how far representation has come. In an industry where nonbinary actors are still fighting for visibility, their likeness standing proudly among global icons sends a clear message: queerness belongs in the spotlight.Their wax figure, stylish, poised, and authentically them, is a testament to what Ramsey stands for: a new kind of star power, built not on fitting into expectations, but breaking them altogether.As visitors queue to take selfies with the new addition at Madame Tussauds London, they wont just be posing with a talented actor, theyll be standing beside a symbol of change, resilience, and queer excellence.Bella Ramseys wax figure is now on display in the Awards Party zone at Madame Tussauds London, beginning September 4.Source

Juan Raymond Harper, best known online as Rolling Ray, has died. He was 27.Zeus Network, the streaming platform where Harper made multiple appearances, confirmed his death in a statement on Instagram, writing that he was gone way too soon and praising him as a BIG hearted, most Raw, & Real Friend.Harper, a Washington, D.C.-based influencer, rose to viral fame through his unapologetic personality and sharp wit. He described himself in his Instagram bio as the most famous boy inna wheelchair, a reference to the disability that shaped both his online identity and his activism.From Memes to MovementsWhile Harper first caught attention through viral clips and catchphrases, he used his growing platform for more than just laughs. With nearly 450,000 followers on Instagram, Harper became a vocal advocate for people with disabilities and was active in social justice movements, including the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.His presence was larger than life both on and off social media, often mixing humor with raw honesty. Fans frequently shared his videos and memes, cementing his status as a cultural fixture in online communities.Reality TV and Pop Culture FootprintBeyond Instagram, Harper carved out space on reality television. He appeared in Zeus Networks Bobby I Love You, Purrr, along with cameos on Catfish: Trolls and Divorce Court. Each appearance brought his bold, unfiltered style to wider audiences.Zeus Networks tribute described Harper as unapologetically and authentically himself, noting that his laughter and light would live on forever.Tributes From Fans and StarsHarpers death prompted an outpouring of tributes from fans and celebrities alike. Cardi B, who previously had a playful online rapport with him, honored his legacy on X (formerly Twitter).He was a menace, she joked, before adding that he had grown into a more positive presence in recent years. I know that soul made it to heaven. You will truly be missed BIG PURRRR!!!A Legacy of AuthenticityFor many, Rolling Ray represented a rare mix of humor, vulnerability, and unfiltered truth. His ability to turn viral fame into a platform for advocacy leaves behind a legacy that continues to resonate across digital culture.As one fan wrote in a tribute post, There will never be another Rolling Ray.Source

Justin Bieber fans wont have to wait long for new music, the pop star announced Thursday that his latest album, Swag II, will be released at midnight Eastern.The project serves as a direct sequel to his July comeback album Swag, which he unveiled with little notice earlier this summer. In true Bieber fashion, he teased the release with a flurry of Instagram posts, including images of neon-lit billboards emblazoned with SWAG II and a family snapshot featuring wife Hailey Bieber and their young son Jack.A Swift TurnaroundBiebers decision to follow Swag so quickly with Swag II mirrors the fast-paced release strategies of fellow chart-toppers like Drake and Taylor Swift, who often surprise fans with new projects. His July release, a 21-track R&B-heavy album, marked his first studio project since 2021s Justice and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.The record performed even stronger on streaming platforms, topping Billboards Top Streaming Albums and Top R&B Albums charts. Its single Daisies gave Bieber his seventh No. 1 on Billboards Streaming Songs chart, tying him with Kendrick Lamar. That puts him just behind Taylor Swifts nine and Drakes commanding 21 chart-toppers.What to Expect from Swag IIWhile Swag leaned heavily into R&B, early reports suggest Swag II may return Bieber to his pop roots. According to Billboard, the album trades in the moody, groove-driven sound of its predecessor for brighter, more radio-friendly production.Swag featured collaborations with artists such as Mk.gee, Dijon, Carter Lang, Knox Fortune, Druski, 2 Chainz, Gunna, Sexyy Red, Cash Cobain, and Lil B. Fans are eagerly waiting to see which names appear on Swag II and whether Bieber will continue blending unexpected features with mainstream hooks.A New ChapterNow 31 and a new father, Bieber has framed his recent projects as part of a new era in his career. His social media rollout for Swag II reflects both his personal life and his evolving artistry, balancing family imagery with sleek visuals.With two full albums released just weeks apart, Bieber seems determined to reclaim his place at the center of pop culture. Whether Swag II follows its predecessors chart trajectory or sets a new creative tone, fans wont have to wait long to find out, the album arrives tonight at midnight.Source

Nature, Published online: 04 September 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02839-6MXenes, distant cousins of graphene, reach new heights of complexity opening the way for use in advanced batteries and more.

Nature, Published online: 04 September 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02809-yA group of companies has flooded 380 journals with hundreds of suspect papers since 2017.

Nature, Published online: 04 September 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02837-8Construction of tidal irrigation systems helped to drive the formation of city states some 5,000 years ago.

Chelsea reached a verbal agreement with Angel City over the transfer of Alyssa Thompson for an initial fee of close to $1.5 million, sources told ESPN.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end kept things lighthearted about his relationship and engagement to the superstar singer/songwriter.

by Robert Faturechi, 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. The Trump administration has vowed to go after anyone who got lower mortgage rates by claiming more than one primary residence on their loan papers. President Donald Trump has used it as a justification to target political foes, including a governor on the Federal Reserve Board, a Democratic U.S. senator and a state attorney general.Real estate experts say claiming primary residences on different mortgages at the same time is often legal and rarely prosecuted.But if administration officials continue the campaign, mortgage records show theres another place they could look: Trumps own Cabinet.Underscoring how common the practice is, ProPublica found that at least three of Trumps Cabinet members call multiple homes their primary residences on mortgages. We discovered the loans while examining financial disclosure forms, county real estate records and publicly available mortgage data provided by Hunterbrook Media. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer entered into two primary-residence mortgages in quick succession, including for a second home near a country club in Arizona, where shes known to vacation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has primary-residence mortgages in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, has one primary-residence mortgage in Long Island and another in Washington, D.C., according to loan records.In a flurry of interviews and rapid-fire posts on X, Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, has led the charge in accusing Trump opponents of mortgage fraud. If somebody is claiming two primary residences, that is not appropriate, and we will refer it for criminal investigation, Pulte said last month.A political donor to the president and heir to a housing company fortune, Pultes posts online tease big developments and criminal referrals, drawing reposts from Trump himself and promises of swift consequences. Fraud will not be tolerated in President Trumps housing market, Pulte has warned. Real estate experts told ProPublica that, in its bid to wrest control of the historically independent Fed and go after political enemies, the Trump administration has mischaracterized mortgage rules. Its justification for launching criminal investigations, they said, could also apply to the Trump Cabinet members.All three Cabinet members denied wrongdoing. In a statement, a White House spokesperson said: This is just another hit piece from a left-wing dark money group that constantly attempts to smear President Trumps incredible Cabinet members. Unlike [Fed Gov.] Lisa Corrupt Cook who blatantly and intentionally committed mortgage fraud, Secretary DeRemer, Secretary Duffy, and Administrator Zeldin own multiple residences, and they have followed the law and they are fully compliant with all ethical obligations. If somebody is claiming two primary residences, that is not appropriate, and we will refer it for criminal investigation, said Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director. (Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images) Mortgages for a persons main home tend to receive more favorable terms than for a second home or an investment property. That includes better interest rates and the ability to borrow more money.The idea is that borrowers are more likely to pay back and less likely to default on a loan attached to the home they actually live in. That makes those loans less risky for lenders. Interest rates are typically a quarter- to a half-point lower for primary mortgages, according to Pulte. On the low end, that could save around $75 each month over the life of a 30-year, 5% interest, half-million-dollar loan or a total of around $25,000.Standard mortgage documents commonly include an occupancy clause that requires the borrower to use the property as their principal residence for at least a year. They also include a section where borrowers can check a box when the mortgage is for a second home. Misrepresenting occupancy status is not rare, according to a widely cited 2023 study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. In interviews, real estate lawyers said that mortgage lenders are typically well aware of their clients other loans and sometimes even encourage the primary-residence language for second homes.They also pointed to a mundane reason that innocent mistakes are common: Homebuyers simply sign stacks of forms without reading them. Few consumers understand this issue, and if there is someone at fault here, it is likely the loan officer who likely advised them to sign up for this loan that obviously wasnt for their primary residence, said real estate lawyer Doug Miller. Loan officers who are competing for business will often quote lower rates in order to get a customers business.Mortgage fraud is rarely prosecuted, according to real estate lawyers and federal sentencing data. Pulte has pointed to a case from 2016 in which a California woman was found guilty of obtaining multiple loans for condos that she falsely stated would be her primary residence. But that case had an added layer of fraud: The woman never intended to live in the homes. She was secretly being paid because she had good credit to act as a front for the true buyer of the properties, to whom they were later transferred. She later defaulted on the loans, causing more than half a million dollars in losses for the lenders.Lawyers told ProPublica that determining ill intent would be key to prosecute. Fraud requires the borrower to be aware that the borrower was making a false representation, said Jon Goodman, an attorney focused on real estate at Frascona, Joiner, Goodman and Greenstein.But Pulte has framed the issue in black-and-white terms: Your second home is not your primary home, he warned in one recent post on X. By that standard, Trumps labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer, could be in the wrong. In her financial disclosure form, she listed two mortgages on personal residences, both obtained in 2021. Mortgage records show her home is in Happy Valley, a city near Portland where Chavez-DeRemer served as mayor before being elected to represent the area in the U.S. House. She and her husband, Shawn DeRemer, who leads an anesthesia company in Portland, refinanced their longtime Oregon home in January 2021. Two months later, the couple bought a newly built house near a golf course in Fountain Hills, Arizona. The pair had previously enjoyed vacationing in Arizona, according to news reports and social media posts. (In one incident that made the news, Chavez-DeRemer was briefly hospitalized after a golf cart accident on her way back from watching a Sonoran Desert sunset.)The mortgage agreement for the Arizona property required them to occupy the home as their principal residence for at least a year, barring extenuating circumstances or the lender allowing them to violate the stipulation. A spokesperson for Chavez-DeRemer said that the couple bought the Arizona home with the intent to retire there, but then Chavez-DeRemer decided to run for Congress representing her Oregon district and did not move. This is nothing more than a left-wing rag inventing a story just to attack the Trump Administration. Its common for families to refinance then buy a home with future plans in mind trying to spin that as some type of scandal is pure nonsense, said spokesperson Courtney Parella.In response to questions from ProPublica, a White House official said that although DeRemer opted to stay in Oregon, her husband continued to move forward with the process of becoming an Arizona resident. Political donation records list his home in Oregon as recently as late 2023. Duffy, Trumps transportation secretary, and his wife also have two primary-residence mortgages, obtained a few years apart.In August 2021, the Duffys, who have nine children, purchased a large $2 million home in Far Hills, New Jersey, about an hours drive from Manhattan, where Rachel Campos-Duffy works as a Fox News host.They got a $1.6 million mortgage to purchase the property, and documents show it was a principal residence loan. In February, after Duffy took the job in Trumps cabinet, the couple bought another home, in Washington, D.C. Again, they got a principal-residence mortgage, this time for $1.76 million. Both Duffy and his wife are listed as borrowers on both mortgages, which came from the same bank. Its not clear where Sean Duffy lives most of the time, and a Department of Transportation spokesperson declined to answer questions about where Duffy and his wife each make their primary home. In late May, several months after they purchased the Washington home, Fox & Friends Weekend ran a segment in which Rachel Campos-Duffy cooked a Make America Healthy Again breakfast for host Steve Doocy. Sean Duffy and some of the couples children were also in the segment, and it was filmed in the New Jersey home. From left: Fox & Friends Weekend host Steve Doocy with Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy in their home in Far Hills, New Jersey (Fox News) Duffys spokesperson said in a statement that after being confirmed, Sean purchased a home in Washington D.C. where he works full-time. The home in DC is not a rental, investment or vacation property. The same bank holds both mortgages and was fully informed of Secretary Duffys new employment location and need for a DC residence.A White House spokesperson said, The bank, not the Secretary, determined and classified both mortgages as primary residences. Like the Duffys, Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, and his wife also have two concurrent primary-residence mortgages. One, obtained in 2007, is on a home in Shirley, New York, on Long Island, which Zeldin represented in Congress for several years. Last year, Zeldin and his wife obtained a second mortgage, for $712,500, on a property in Washington, D.C., a short walk from the EPAs headquarters. Both are primary-residence mortgages.An EPA spokesperson said in a statement that Zeldins primary residence was previously on Long Island but is now in Washington. The spokesperson didnt respond to questions about where his wife lives. Administrator Zeldin followed ALL steps to complete the move in accordance with all laws, rules, and contracts, notifying his mortgage company, insurance company, and local government, the spokesperson said. EVERY I was dotted and t was crossed 1000% by the book without exception.The dual mortgages identified by ProPublica among Trumps cabinet secretaries resemble the loans obtained by U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, whom Trump accused of mortgage fraud. In May, Pulte referred Schiff to the Justice Department for taking out a primary-residence mortgage in Maryland, for a home he purchased in 2003 after being elected to the House, while also claiming his primary home was in Burbank, California, in the district he represented. Schiff and his wife refinanced the Maryland home several times as a primary residence, Pulte noted, until a 2020 refinance in which they reclassified it as a secondary home. Schiff appears to have falsified records in order to receive favorable loan terms, Pulte concluded in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Representatives for Schiff called the allegations transparently false and said his lenders had full knowledge of the senators year-round bicoastal work obligations and his use of two homes for that reason. Schiff, according to his office, navigated the two mortgages in consultation with a House lawyer.Pulte made similar allegations in a criminal referral about New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging she may have committed fraud by getting a primary-residence mortgage for a home in Virginia, even though her position required her to live in New York. Her lawyer has said James helped a family member buy the property and notified the mortgage broker at the time that it would not be her primary residence. James became one of Trumps top political enemies after she brought a fraud lawsuit against the president and his company in 2022. Representatives for James have called the fraud claims made against her politically motivated and false. (Pulte did not respond to a request for comment from ProPublica.)Pultes most consequential allegations thus far were made against Cook, a Federal Reserve governor. Trump has been going after Fed Chair Jerome Powell for months for not lowering interest rates, even raising the specter that he would take the unprecedented step of attempting to fire the chair. Pultes criminal referral against Cook presented Trump with another avenue for bending the traditionally independent Fed to his will, securing a majority of the Feds board by firing Cook, a move that Cook has sued to block. Pulte pointed to mortgage records that show that within just a couple of weeks, Cook signed primary-residence mortgages for homes in Michigan and Georgia. Legal experts said the close proximity was a red flag but that much was still unknown, including Cooks intent and what her lenders were told. Pulte also flagged a third property, in Massachusetts, that Cook represented as a second home in mortgage documents but as an investment property in subsequent financial disclosures. Investment properties can be hit with higher mortgage rates than second homes. 3 strikes and youre out, he posted on X. Cooks lawyers have denied that she committed mortgage fraud but have not provided a detailed explanation of the context for the various mortgages. They argued in court this week that her loans cannot be legally used as grounds to terminate her.The Justice Department has begun investigating all three Trump foes singled out in Pultes referrals, according to news reports. The department has issued subpoenas in Cooks case, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.ProPublicas review of mortgage agreements by Trump cabinet officials shows that some made clear to lenders they were purchasing second homes. When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for example, got a mortgage for his home near the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, the agreement included a rider making it clear he would be using it as a second home. Do you have any information that we should know? Robert Faturechi can be reached by email at robert.faturechi@propublica.org and by Signal or WhatsApp at 213-271-7217. Justin Elliott can be reached by email at justin@propublica.org and by Signal or WhatsApp at 774-826-6240. Brandon Roberts and Steve Suo of ProPublica and Matthew Termine of Hunterbrook Media contributed research.

During often tense exchanges, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his positions on Covid vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and autism.

Hes exploiting a diabolical problem in our legal system to expand presidential power.

The move to treat criminals as if they were wartime combatants escalated an administration pattern of using military force for law enforcement tasks at home and abroad.

Federal prosecutors say the January blaze that swept through Altadena, as well as another fire in 2022, were sparked by faulty equipment.

Two former agency leaders said the administrations hostility toward vaccines had spread to the agencys top ranks.

Its a dream come true!READ MORE...

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is accusing the White House of orchestrating a huge cover-up of government files detailing investigations into the high-profile accomplices of now-deceased child sex trafficker Jefferey Epstein.In an interview posted Wednesday on X by political commentator Aaron Parnas, Garcia said that White House staffers have been calling Republican lawmakers to pressure them not to sign onto a bipartisan discharge petition that would compel the full release of Epstein-related records. I know for a fact that [The] White House [is] calling Republican members right now telling them not to sign the petition, Garcia said. Related Pete Buttigieg explains how the Epstein files might tear apart the MAGA base: Extraordinary What is Donald Trump hiding? Rep. Garcia asked Parnas.Earlier this week, the House Oversight Committee released more than 33,000 Department of Justice (DOJ) documents on Epstein in response to a subpoena from Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY). However, Garcia and other Democrats quickly criticized the release, noting that 97% of the files were already public. Garcia dismissed the disclosure as a joke. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Very little is new, Rep. Garcia recently said in an interview with MSNBC. There is a massive White House coverup going on right now.Garcia pointed out that both Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have the authority to make all Epstein records public but have chosen not to. They have the power right now to get all the files out to the American public, Rep. Garcia said during his MSNBC interview.Trump has repeatedly called the issue a Democrat hoax, despite reports that his name appears in the Epstein files. Bondi at one point said she had the client list on her desk and planned to release them, but later claimed that such a list did not exist. I think that were at the point now where the president is so obsessed with calling this a hoax that, we, the American public, I think now deserve some answers, Rep. Garcia said in an interview this week with The Contrarian.Rep. Garcia has been leading Democratic efforts to force the DOJ to release the Epstein files. In August, he announced that Epsteins estate agreed to provide the committee with Epsteins birthday book a document reportedly including a birthday letter from Trump along with other sensitive materials. According to Garcia, many of the unreleased records originate from Florida, where Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate is located.Earlier this week Rep. Garcia joined lawmakers and over a dozen survivors of Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell during a nonpartisan press conference at the U.S. Capitol to demand the DOJ release the Epstein files. Several said that they were teenagers when Epstein and Maxwell exploited them.The days of sweeping this under the rug are over. We the survivors say no more,' Epstein survivor Anouska De Georgiou said. Im no longer weak, I am no longer powerless and Im no longer alone.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Jacob Elordi has hit the gym!The beloved actor is teaming up with Margot Robbie in Emerald Fennell's upcoming film Wuthering Heights and Elordi has gone through quite the transformation for the role.Fans will recall that Elordi recently worked with Fennell in the controversial film Saltburn, so it's very possible that there will be more jaw-dropping moments in the movie slated to release on February 13, 2026.Until then, check out the sexy pics of Elordi from the steamy trailer that have fans everywhere going wild. (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

Giorgio Armani, founder of the influential fashion house that bore his name, died Thursday at 91. His company's official Instagram page shared the news of his death. "With infinite condolences, the Armani group announces the passing of its inventor, founder, and tireless engine: Giorgio Armani," the statement reads. "Mr. Armani, as he was always called with respect and admiration by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. Tireless, he has worked until the last days, dedicating himself to the company, to the collections, to the different and always new projects in being and to becoming."The fashion mogul leaves a monumental legacy in the fashion industry and is one of its greatest LGBTQ+ figures but he kept his personal life very private. However, throughout the years, the public learned a bit more about his life. Ahead is a timeline of interviews Armani gave in which he addressed his sexuality and partners.Vanity Fair interview, 2000. Fashion designer Giorgio Armani walks the runway with two models during Paris Fashion Week, 2024.Marc Piasecki/WireImageThe head of the fashion house kept his private life very private while ascending to international fame. Twenty-five years into his career, however, Armani opened up about his love life, which was referenced in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2000. "I have had women in my life. And sometimes men," he said. The label head talked about meeting his long-term partner, Sergio Galeotti, in 1966 at 32 and falling in love."Right away he made me Papa I felt right away responsible for him and for his life," Armani recalled about the beginning of their relationship. "Suddenly it became a relationship of deep affection." The two built the brand together until Galeotti passed away from complications from AIDS in 1985. "He is still there all the time. He is always there in my head. I see him walking down the steps, I see him in the garden, with his cigarette he is talking to friends. He is always there."Corriere della Sera interview, 2024. Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani walks the runway during the Giorgio Armani "One Night Only Dubai" fashion show, 2021.Cedric Ribeiro/Getty ImagesThe most recent look into the mogul's private life was the interview he did with Corriere della Sera last October, where he opened up about losing his virginity to a girl and having a crush on a boy as a young kid. "I've never talked about this," he said in the interview. "It happened under a shed on the beach at Misano, at five in the afternoon, when all the boys from the summer camp were supposed to have a bit of a quiet time."He continued, "I was in a group of boys, and there was a supervisor, a young man, who I felt immediately attracted to. I didn't fully understand it at the time, and I didn't pursue it. But from that moment on, my life took a different turn."Armani went on to say that he had to investigate those feelings, "I didn't understand what it was. I didn't distinguish between men and women at the time. It was just an attraction I felt, something beautiful: I couldn't wait to be near him, to be touched I felt a huge connection."Two decades after the Vanity Fair piece in which he acknowledged his attraction to men for the first time, Armani discussed his late partner Galeotti whose "Tuscan smile" was something that Armani was drawn to."When Sergio died, a part of me died with him. I'm still amazed that I found within myself the resilience to withstand such an immense pain," the fashion mogul said. "I had to tap into my willpower to deal with all the pain and anguish. A whole year spent next to Sergio in his hospital bed. And it all happened as our career was taking off, when we were becoming known, setting up our company, reaching worldwide fame. It was the moment I was gaining confidence in myself, then this blow hit me."To Corriere della Sera, Armani also revealed is in a relationship with Leo Dell'Orco, who is head of the men's design for his fashion brand. While the two never married and Armani wouldn't give a label for his relationship with Dell'Orco, Armani shared that he wore a "wonderful ring with a diamond" that he once had to save from a fire."I think it over and realize there's no point in being in love and giving it so little space, because I just don't have that much space," he explained. "But I have deep affection for Leo, who has lived with me for years and is the person closest to me."The Financial Times interview, 2025. See on Instagram Earlier this week, Armani announced what would happen to his empire if he were to die and he pointed to Dell'Orco by name. "My succession plans consist of a gradual transition of the responsibilities," the legendary designer told The Financial Times. "I have always assumed towards Leo Dell'Orco, the members of my family and the work team." The Financial Times notes how it was Dell'Orco who represented Armani at the brand's recent Milan menswear runways. I would like the succession to be organic and not a moment of rupture, Armani told the outlet prior to his death.

Rolling Ray, a social media influencer and star of The Zeus Network, has reportedly died at age 28.Besides going viral several times and reaching an audience of nearly 450,000 followers, Ray appeared on the gay dating show Bobby I Love You, Purrr, Divorce Court, and Catfish: Trolls.Ray's passing was confirmed through a statement shared by The Zeus Network, which reads:"Gone way too soon. #RestInPeace to the BIG hearted, most Raw, & Real FRIEND & #Zeus Star #RaymondHarper aka @iamrollingray. Your Laughter, Light, & Loving Spirit will Live on FOREVER! From #BobbyILoveYouPurrr to #TheConversation, you were Unapologetically & Authentically your TRUEST Self. From your ZEUS Fam, we Love, Thank, & will Miss you Always!""Sending Prayers & Condolences to his loved ones," the caption ended.See on InstagramReal name Juan Raymond Harper, he became known as Rolling Ray for being a person who used a wheelchair.Earlier today, TMZ reported that Ray's mom also confirmed his recent passing.

Police in York, Pennsylvania have arrested a suspect after a local drag artist and their friends were assaulted by a mob of people outside a bar two weeks ago. Devin Harbaugh has been charged with aggravated assault and strangulation in the attack of Sible Sible Stackhouse, known to their friends as Vayne, York City Police announced Sunday. Stackhouse was beaten and choked while they and their two companions were leaving Gift Horse Brewing Company on Aug. 22, according post on Facebook by their friend, Brady Pappas.Pappas alleged that a group of five people accosted them inside the bar before following them outside while "screaming at us and calling us f*ggots." Pappas recalled the group telling them, If you wanna dress like women act like women" and Leave f*ggots! Get out of here!"After exchanging yells from down the street, the group, led by one of the men began running after us and attacked Vayne," Pappas wrote. "Vayne was in no way being physically aggressive and said multiple times that they did not want to fight.Pappas said that the man "threw Vayne to the ground and choked them to the point that they turned purple, passed out, and began seizing after coming back to consciousness about 5 seconds later." The assault didn't stop until an employee from Gift Horse "got the man off of Vayne and held him down until the police arrived.""I truly did not know what was going to happen to my sister as I was sobbing, trying to pull them off of Vayne, begging for them to stop," Pappas said. When law enforcement arrived, Pappas said that "I heard [the group] lie several times to bystanders and the police," and that they "used 'because theyre gay' as an excuse." Officers ended up charging both Stackhouse and the man with disorderly conduct, despite Pappas maintaining, "This was hate. Vayne never laid a hand on the guy until they had to defend themself."The group's story was supported by Gift Horse, which posted an official statement on its Facebook page confirming that an employee stepped in to stop the assailants, who it said had "followed, harassed and violently attacked 3 people solely because they (the disgusting individuals) viewed the 3 as different and not confirming to the 'norm'." Gift Horse also said that the staff members would be working with police for the investigation going forward.In announcing Harbaugh's arrest, police commissioner Michael Muldrow issued an apology to Stackhouse, Pappas, and their friend for the hate they endured. However, Muldrow did not address the officers wrongfully charging Stackhouse with a misdemeanor, nor what will be done to prevent violent attacks against LGBTQ+ people from getting dismissed in the future.Human Relations Commission executive director Clare Twomey also clarified that the case is not being prosecuted as a hate crime, as the state does not have a classification for hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people. Pennsylvania's Ethnic Intimidation Law only designates a hate crime as one committed due to bias against another persons race, color, religion, or national origin not sexual orientation or gender identity. "There is no doubt that everyone involved in the investigation of this atrocity that traumatized those beautiful souls attempting to enjoy an evening out, which also directly affected the LGBTQIA+ community at large, sees this for what it is: an unadulterated hate crime," Twomey said. "However, the Commonwealth does not recognize this to be the case. While number of PA jurisdictions have passed anti-discrimination laws and protections for an inclusive number of underrepresented groups for those municipalities, the PA Legislature has not and continues to lag pathetically behind in providing these protections.""The climate of hate, promoted by bias, prejudice and discrimination, harms us all," she continued. "The emotional and physical traumatic toll is takes on targeted victims also affects those perpetrators who carry such hate. This is not a society conducive to unity, acceptance and the ability to thrive. The focus instead, remains on division and a false sense of differences. We have to do better Pennsylvania."

The 17-year-old Young Sheldon star recently opened up about their preferred pronouns and their debut novel.Raegan Revord recently told Entertainment Tonight that they use they/them pronouns, sharing how special it feels to be someone others can look up to.Growing up, whenever I would see a celebrity or whoever come out as nonbinary or queer or anything, I was like, Oh my God, this is so cool, I see myself in you, Revord said. And now its so crazy to have that experience where Im now that person and there might be a kid somewhere whos like, Oh my God, I see myself in you.Fans first noticed earlier this year that Revord had updated their pronouns on social media, sparking speculation. Now the actor has confirmed it directly.From Sitcom Star to AuthorAfter playing Missy Cooper in The Big Bang Theory universe for the last 8 years, Revord shifted gears. Their first book, Rules for Fake Girlfriends, hit shelves on September 2.The story centers on rom-com obsessed Avery Blackwell, who drops her plans to attend Columbia and instead travels to her late mothers alma mater in Brighton, England. There she begins a scavenger hunt her mom left behind. But just as her journey is beginning, she meets Charlie, a local who is looking for an excuse to make her ex girlfriend jealous. The two agree to help each other out, and the rest is history. Revord said telling these stories matters deeply to them, noting that even just a decade ago there was a clear lack of LGBTQIA+ perspectives. Its crazy to say growing up, because I am only 17, but even in 2014 or whatever when I was getting more into reading and broadening my horizons and reading stories and watching TV and stuff, there wasnt much queer representation.All Started With a Big BangBut dont worry, you have not seen the last of Missy Cooper. The young actor reportedly just wrapped filming season 2 of Georgie & Mandys First Marriage, the spin-off series to Young Sheldon that spotlights Sheldons older brother Georgie Cooper (Montana Jordan) and wife Mandy McAllister (Emily Osment). The new season will premiere on CBS on October 16. Between their milestone coming out moment and the release of a queer rom-com novel, Revord is stepping firmly into the spotlight on their own terms. We cant wait to see what they do next! Source

In a bizarre and inflammatory segment on The Tucker Carlson Show, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson once again cast doubt on the sexuality of former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, questioning the legitimacy of the openly gay politicians identity and suggesting he would like to ask him very specific questions about gay sex.The comments, which aired on a recent episode of Carlsons podcast, were made during an interview with fellow right-wing commentator Michael Knowles. The two were discussing a variety of topics, including a recent controversy involving Donald Trump and Harvard University, when Buttigiegs name surfaced. What followed was a rant that has been widely criticized as both homophobic and bizarre.Carlson did not provide any evidence to support the claim that Buttigieg was recently in a relationship with a woman, nor did he explain why that would disqualify someone from identifying as gay. Buttigieg, who came out publicly in 2015 while serving as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has been married to husband Chasten Buttigieg since 2018. The couple, who met on Hinge, are now raising adopted twins together.Despite this well-documented personal history, Carlson seemed insistent on undermining Buttigiegs identity, claiming the former presidential candidate is playing a long game with his public persona.History of HostilityThis is far from the first time Carlson has publicly attacked Buttigiegs identity. In 2022, while hosting Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News, he criticized Buttigieg for taking paid parental leave following the birth and adoption of his twins. Carlson mockingly suggested that Buttigieg was missing in action and had hid his sexuality for years for reasons hes never been asked to explain.Buttigieg has addressed his decision to come out later in life. In a 2015 op-ed for the South Bend Tribune, he wrote candidly about the internal conflict he faced as a young man.Still, Carlson and others on the far right continue to frame Buttigiegs identity as performative or inauthentic, despite years of public life, marriage, and parenting that would suggest otherwise.A Pattern of ProvocationCarlsons fixation on Buttigiegs sexuality is part of a larger pattern in which he routinely undermines or mocks queer public figures. In 2024, he told listeners that his unnamed gay producer had claimed Buttigieg wasnt gay at all, as if gay identity were something one could only verify through a private club of gatekeepers.While it may seem absurd on its face, Carlsons line of attack carries a darker implication: that queer people in public life are only authentic if they meet the standards of the political right, or if their queerness can be weaponized against them.That line of thinking plays into larger conservative efforts to police gender and sexuality in public spaces, often by insisting that queer identities are faked, exaggerated, or part of some broader political agenda.Queer Backlash and VisibilityCarlsons comments have drawn immediate backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and allies, many of whom see the remarks as yet another attempt to discredit queer people based on outdated and offensive stereotypes.This is exactly the kind of dehumanizing rhetoric we expect from Tucker Carlson at this point, said one LGBTQ+ rights organizer on X (formerly Twitter). But its still dangerous. Undermining someones identity in this way isnt just ignorant, it gives permission to others to harass and erase queer people from public life.Others have pointed out the inherent irony in Carlson, a straight man, declaring who is or isnt really gay, while expressing an unusual interest in the details of Buttigiegs sex life.Whats Really at StakeButtigieg, for his part, has not publicly responded to Carlsons latest remarks. He remains a prominent figure within the Democratic Party and has long maintained a complicated relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. While many have celebrated his visibility as an out gay man in national politics, some progressives have criticized his centrism and perceived lack of engagement on trans and nonbinary issues.Still, that nuance is lost in Carlsons reductive framing. By reducing Buttigiegs identity to a punchline or political calculation, the conservative firebrand reinforces a dangerous binary: that queer people must constantly prove their identity, or risk having it stripped away.In the end, the question isnt whether Pete Buttigieg is gay enough for Tucker Carlson, its why Carlson believes its his question to ask in the first place.Source

We asked our analysts and reporters to make predictions for the 2025 season.

The NCAA Football Oversight Committee voted Thursday to move to a January transfer window and eliminate the spring transfer window, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The distinctive design will be paired with a sleek all-black uniform and pays homage to Idaho's deep connection to the potato industry.

Here's a look at the Week 1 uniforms for all 32 NFL teams, led by the Saints debuting their gold uniforms.

A judge ruled that the Trump administration broke the law in canceling billions in federal funds for Harvard. Whether the money is returned matters for the rest of higher education.

The Trump administration seems to be betting that Americans are so inured to the war on terrorism that theyll be indifferent to extrajudicial executions.

The United States, Israel and the Gulf Arab states are pressuring Lebanons government to act decisively against the group.

The Trump administration aims to carry out more violent strikes against drug cartels, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said as he met with Ecuadors president.

One of the most prolific fashion designers in history, he turned a certain kind of Italian chic into an international phenomenon.

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