Workers set up an Oscar statue in the red carpet area before the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)2025-03-02T11:01:31Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Its almost time to see how the biggest nailbiter Oscar season of recent years concludes.Stars will converge at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday for the 97th annual Academy Awards, which will undoubtedly see some first-time Oscar winners in top categories.Its the second year the Oscars are starting earlier in the hope that the best picture award will be announced before audiences go to bed.The best picture race has been a real horserace this year, with Anora and Conclave scooping up top awards at other shows in recent weeks. Emilia Prez, the leading nominee this year, has had its Oscar chances upended by the surfacing of racist tweets by star Karla Sofa Gascn, so it remains to be seen how often the divisive Netflix narco-musical has its name out after the envelopes are opened Sunday.Heres how to watch and other key things to know before Sundays show: What time do the Oscars start?The Oscars start at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. PST. ABC is available with an antenna or through cable and satellite providers.How can I stream the Oscars?The show is being livestreamed this year on Hulu. Its also available on services offering live streaming of ABC such as Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. I dont live in the U.S. How can I watch the Oscars?The Oscars are widely broadcast beyond the United States. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a handy guide to dozens of international territories that have Oscar telecasts. How can I watch the red carpet?The Oscars red carpet is a major fashion showcase. Oscar nominees and winners from past, present and future pose and mingle ahead of the ceremony.ABC will begin its red carpet pre-show at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, live on air and streaming on Hulu.E! will kick off its show, Live From E!: The Oscars, beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern.The Associated Press will have a livestream of stars arrivals available on APNews.com and YouTube.Whats likely to win and how can I watch the nominated films?AP Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr have made their predictions for this years show. And for the first time, you can make your own predictions on APNews.This years nominees are widely available on streaming platforms. The AP has compiled a guide of where to watch, whether youre trying to cram a film in before the show or catching up after the awards. ___For full coverage of this years Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards.

Photos by Canva. Design by Sam Donndelinger. Subscribe nowBy: Hope Pisoni, Ian Max Stevenson and Spencer MacnaughtonThis story was produced in partnership with the Idaho Statesman, a Boise, Idaho newspaper that has been around since 1864.Idaho lawmakers were met in late January by a House committee hearing room full of constituents stating their beliefs about the institution of marriageand who it should extend to. After testimonies from nearly two dozen people, the last to speak joined the hearing remotely and thanked Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, for bringing forward a resolution to challenge the legality of same-sex marriages and ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decade-old landmark ruling that granted it.Arthur Schaper, field director for a group called MassResistance, told the committee that activists at his international organization had brought forward similar resolutions in North Dakota, Montana, Michigan and Wyoming and that state lawmakers had been taking it up. As of this week, at least nine states have proposed measures to roll back same-sex marriage.Schaper defended the resolution with discredited claims about homosexuality, which the countrys major medical organizations agree is a normal part of human sexuality.People are born Black, Hispanic, or otherwise, Schaper said. They are not born homosexual.Schaper declined Uncloseted Medias request for an interview and did not respond to a list of questions sent via email.Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott (R), presented a resolution opposing same-sex marriage to the House State Affairs Committee, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, at the Idaho Capitol in Boise. Photo: Darin Oswald for Idaho StatesmanA Three-Decade History of Fighting Against LGBTQ RightsThe Idaho resolution was drafted by MassResistance, a far-right Christian organization that has been fighting against LGBTQ rights since it formed 30 years ago. The group is one of the most openly extreme anti-LGBTQ groups among the far right, advertising itself as engag[ing] in issues and events that most other conservative groups are afraid to touch and boasting about writing resolutions like the one passed in the Idaho House. MassResistance has drafted text for state legislature resolutions that call on the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its infamous and illegitimate Obergefell ruling, the group shared on its website in January, referencing Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage.It also has criticized Southern Poverty Law Center-designated anti-LGBTQ hate groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and Family Research Council for their polite opposition to the latest left-wing lunacy and stated that rather than being truthful and confrontational, too many pro-family groups want to be seen as reasonable and not extreme. In addition to its anti-LGBTQ activism on home turf, MassResistance works to roll back queer rights globally, with chapters in Africa, South America, the Caribbean and beyond.Justin R. Ellis, a criminologist at the University of Newcastle in Australia who has written about anti-LGBTQ movements and groups, including MassResistance, said that the successes of groups like ADF in rolling back some LGBTQ rights is exactly what allows MassResistance to take the spotlight.Them coming out with their framing and their litigation and their hostility toward queer issues emboldens other groups like MassResistance to go, Hang on, were gonna go bolder, Ellis said in a video interview.MassResistances effort to overturn same-sex marriage is the latest in a long list of campaigns in which the group has worked to pass anti-LGBTQ legislation, from book bans to gender-marker restrictions, in state and local governments across the country and even abroad.Subscribe for accountability journalism. How MassResistance Grew Beyond its Massachusetts RootsMassResistance was founded in 1995 in Massachusetts under the name Parents Rights Coalition by local activist Brian Camenker. After getting his start in activism as an outspoken opponent of LGBTQ-inclusive sex education in schools, Camenker quickly led the groups first major campaign: drafting and lobbying for state legislation that required schools to notify parents and allow them to opt out of sex education for their children. The group emphasized that doing so would allow parents to ensure their children dont learn about homosexuality or so-called transgenderism. The campaign was successful, and the bill passed into state law in 1996.After the Massachusetts Supreme Court made the state the first in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004, the group shifted its focus to fighting that decision. The group temporarily changed its name to the Article 8 Alliance, referencing part of the Massachusetts Constitution that outlines the impeachment of judges. Under this new identity, the group filed state legislation to impeach all of the justices who supported Massachusetts pro-same-sex-marriage ruling and to outlaw the unions under state law. None of the bills the group wrote were successful.Despite this, after rebranding back to MassResistance in 2006, the group continued to write legislation opposed to LGBTQ inclusion until at least 2017. In one bill from 2011, the group sought to repeal an anti-bullying law because of its protections for LGBTQ students.During this period, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated MassResistance a hate group, in part because it labeled Boston Pride a depraved display that featured a great deal of obviously disturbed, dysfunctional, and extremely self-centered people.In the mid-2010s, MassResistance expanded its focus to the national stage. Its first out-of-state chapter opened in 2014 in Virginia. In 2016, Schaper launched a chapter in California. And in 2020, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who MassResistance has said worked closely with members of its Georgia chapter, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.By 2022, the free speech advocacy group PEN America identified at least 16 MassResistance chapters in the U.S., with several more international chapters. PEN America also identified MassResistance as one of the most active groups in the national push to ban books with LGBTQ content from schools and libraries.The book ban efforts followed MassResistance publishing in 2017 its own book, The Health Hazards of Homosexuality, which claimed to compile scientific evidence that supported a ban on homosexuality. The 600-page book touts endorsements from various anti-LGBTQ activists, including Michelle Cretella, former executive director of the American College of Pediatricians, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group known for publishing and spreading specious science about LGBTQ people.The book rails against the coarsening of our culture that has accompanied the normalization of homosexuality and makes numerous false or misleading scientific claims. For example, it cites statistics indicating higher rates of mental or physical illness among LGBTQ people as evidence of innate risks despite many experts agreeing that discrimination and lack of resources are more accurate explanatory factors.Where Does the Funding Come From?According to IRS filings, MassResistance has received thousands of dollars from several donor-advised funds. They include the National Christian Foundation and Arthur G. Jaros Sr. and Dawn L. Jaros Charitable Trustboth of which financially support other far-right groups, including the ADF and the Heritage Foundation, the group behind Project 2025.Uncloseted Media and the Idaho Statesman also identified IRS forms for the Parents Education Foundation, a group run by Camenker and listed as related to MassResistance. Despite little to no public presence, on its most recent IRS filing from 2023, the organization reported revenue of $211,123, much of which was sourced via donations from large conservative donors and other mainstream donor-advised funds.The Parents Education Foundation lists Dr. Paul Church as a director. Church is a urologist who was fired from a Boston hospital in 2015 for likening a Pride event to a chosen social agenda, Fox News reported. MassResistance supported Church in his fight against the hospital, and, in 2017, he provided an expert endorsement in The Health Hazards of Homosexuality.MassResistance Makes Inroads Into IdahoThe current Idaho resolution is not the first instance where MassResistance has worked with the states legislators. In a collection of emails leaked by former conservative activist Elisa Rae Shupe, who died by suicide earlier this year, Uncloseted Media found correspondence from 2020 between Schaper and former Idaho state Rep. Julianne Young, R-Blackfoot, who testified in favor of the anti-Obergefell resolution. Young discussed developing an anti-trans bill that would forbid changing gender markers on state birth certificates. The bill became law in Idaho in 2020.We are still going after the governor, though, to make sure that he signs or at least allow[s] the bills to become law, Schaper told Young in one email."MassResistance does send emails. They were looking for people to testify, but I did not make those arrangements with them deliberately. I let them know I would contact the bill's sponsor," Young told Uncloseted Media in reference to the 2025 anti-Obergefell resolution, which she says she supports. It's a correct principle to allow those decisions to be made by the states and not by a single unelected panel of judges."When asked if she takes issue with any of MassResistance's stances on gay issues, Young said, "It's probably not an issue that I have a relevant opinion on."Idaho has been home to some of MassResistances government targets. In 2023, activists from its state chapter and other anti-LGBTQ groups successfully campaigned to elect a majority of far-right candidates onto Kootenai Countys Community Library Network board. The board has since enacted multiple policies restricting minors access to LGBTQ content and libraries in general.At the 2023 Rexburg Pride Event in East Idaho, counter-protestors from Idaho MassResistance, led at the time by former Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, had physical confrontations with attendees. The spectacle caused police to heighten security and some organizations to pull out of the event the following year. MassResistance made a less conspicuous appearance in 2024. Nate did not respond to Uncloseted Medias request for comment.Uncloseted Media is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Ellis, the professor who writes about anti-LGBTQ movements including MassResistance, said that coordinating these kinds of local attacks on the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups has become much easier with social media.One of the things that groups such as MassResistance can do is, through their online networks, coordinate protests against Drag Queen Story Time childhood literacy events, for example, and now same-sex marriage, and what they do is get people in other jurisdictions to go to those locations and protest in person, he said. Through social media, you can coordinate ideologically aligned individuals quickly and cheaply.MassResistance has taken credit on its website for the Idaho resolution carried by Rep. Scott. The group noted that an Idaho House member offered to spearhead the resolution this year but did not name the lawmaker.In response to a public records request, Scott reported she had no communications with MassResistance, and she declined to respond to a question from a Statesman reporter about whether she worked with the group.In an interview on The Ranch Podcast in early February, Scott said she was first approached about opposing same-sex marriage in the Legislature eight years ago. She said she was looking through a list of ideas for legislation over the summer and decided to push [same-sex marriage] up to the top this year.Scotts resolution states that the Obergefell decision is an overreach from the U.S. Supreme Court, which should leave marriage laws to the states. However, it also asks the Supreme Court to restore the natural definition of marriage, a union of one man and one woman.On the podcast, she underscored her perspective on gay marriage. Dont force me to say that thats a marriage, because in my eyes thats an abomination to God, she said, noting that she would support creating a legal relationship between LGBTQ couples that would provide them with the legal rights of marriage.MassResistances International FootprintMassResistance also advocates against LGBTQ rights around the world. On its website, the group claims to have worked with activists from at least 24 countries and territories, including Mexico, Brazil, Croatia, Nigeria, Taiwan and Australia. Last year, the group started a new chapter in Kenya, where it reported on its website that it was holding trainings for youth to resist the LGBT agenda in schools.Subscribe for investigative LGBTQ-focused journalism. An digital flyer for an anti-LGBTQ event put on by MassResistances Kenya chapter. Screenshot/MassResistance.In many of these countries, the group circulates a video by Camenker titled What gay marriage did to Massachusetts. The video has been converted into booklets, which have been translated and circulated in Mexico, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and more.Once same-sex marriage gets a foothold, society becomes more oppressive, hammering citizens with the force of law. The judicial system becomes more radical and arrogant, and politicians become more cowardly. And once that concept is institutionalized, other boundaries on sexual behaviors continue to fall, Camenker says in the video. The push for gay marriage is really about putting the legal stamp of approval on homosexuality and forcing its acceptance on otherwise unwilling citizens and on our social, commercial, and political institutions. To those of you where this is being threatened, do not waitit is absolutely necessary for you to call, write, and even visit your elected officials. They must feel your outrage.Camenker did not respond to Uncloseted Medias request for comment.Some of MassResistences more noteworthy interventions abroad include helping keep anti-sodomy laws on the books in Sri Lanka and supporting propaganda campaigns against the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan. In the latter case, the group said that Schaper spoke directly with a representative of Taiwans Democratic Progressive Party and was invited to a party event in the U.S. over the course of the campaign.In Ghana, meanwhile, MassResistance has collaborated with Freedom International, an organization that congratulated Uganda for its anti-LGBTQ legislation that threatens life in prison for consensual same-sex relations, to start anti-LGBTQ youth clubs in secondary schools.[Africa] is the land of opportunity when it comes to restricting LGBTQ rights, Wendy Via, president and co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told Uncloseted Media. There are a lot of huge worldwide groups with lots of money who are working on the same thing, and they also come at it from a Christian point of view.MassResistances Plans Span Far Beyond IdahoThe future of Scotts resolution in Idaho is uncertain. It passed the Idaho House in a 46-24 vote in late January. Before a vote on the Senate floor, the legislation must advance out of a Senate committee. But the committees chairman, Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, told the Statesman he is not sure whether he will allow a hearing.The public has weighed in, and its been pretty one-sided in terms of, Why are we doing this? he said.Guthrie said he expects to meet with Scott to discuss her resolution before deciding whether to hold a hearing, but he acknowledged his own concerns.The effect of it could be pretty harmful to a lot of people, making them feel for whatever reason that they dont belong. I just dont see the benefit being greater than the hurt, Guthrie added, noting that it could tear peoples lives apart.Via said MassResistances goal is to overturn Obergefell and starting in deep-red pockets of the country is a trial run.The little, tiny resolution in Idaho, its like the butterfly wings, she said.Editors note: Dr. Paul Church could not be reached for comment.Additional reporting by Sam Donndelinger. If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media

City of Miami Beach police officers respond to an incident during spring break, March 15, 2024, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)2025-03-02T05:19:43Z MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) Miami Beach broke up with spring break last year and city leaders still arent interested in couples counseling.Officials recently announced they were bringing back enhanced security measures for practically the entire month of March, including parking restrictions and increased fees for nonresidents. The new rules were introduced last year after three consecutive years of spring break violence. The city is again warning visitors to expect curfews, bag searches at the beach, early beach closures, DUI checkpoints and arrests for drug possession and violence.Last years spring break was a success on any level you measure it, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said. We had zero fatalities, zero shootings, zero stampedes. The majority of our businesses did very well and actually thanked us for the measures we took. Most spring break activity centers around a 10-block stretch of Ocean Drive known for its Art Deco hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. Before spring break last year, city officials launched a marketing campaign that said, Miami Beach Is Breaking Up With Spring Break. A video featured residents breaking up with spring breakers and warning them to expect restrictions if they decided to come anyway. This year, officials followed up with a Reality Check video featuring a group of young people on a fictitious reality show having their spring break ruined by the citys enhanced rules. We broke up a spring break, Meiner said. Some people ask, are you getting back together? No, were done.City leaders want visitors to come and enjoy the beaches, hotels and restaurants, as long as they behave, Meiner said, noting that overall hotel occupancy actually increased in 2024 over 2023.And thats because when you walked around Ocean Drive and South Beach, you felt welcoming, you felt safe, Meiner said. Other Florida cities struggle with spring break crowdsMiami Beach isnt the only Florida city bracing for spring breakers this year. Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Tampa are among the top 10 domestic spring break destinations, according to AAA booking data.Following a particularly rowdy Presidents Day weekend in Daytona Beach, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood recently announced plans to crack down on bad behavior from spring breakers.They dont bring any financial benefit, Chitwood said. All they do is bring chaos, and if they want to bring chaos, I am going to bring chaos in return.Businesses have mixed reactionsSome Miami Beach business owners see the restrictions as necessary to ensure public safety, while others are concerned that driving away spring breakers could irreparably damage Miami Beachs status as an iconic tourist destination.Louis Taic, owner of the Z Ocean Hotel, said he welcomes visitors to Miami Beach any time of the year, but he understands why city officials have taken to actions that they have.What we dont like is people that take advantage of Miami Beach, that take advantage by doing things here that they would never do at home, Taic said.David Wallack, owner of Mangos Tropical Cafe, said Miami Beach has thrived as an entertainment destination for nearly a century, even through Prohibition and the Great Depression. Instead of trying to scare people away, city officials need to organize events such as concerts, art festivals and sporting events to attract people who will spend money, Wallack said.Miami Beach is magical, but youve got to still give customers what they want, Wallack said.Are restrictions linked to race? Some civil rights advocates believe the restrictions are racially motivated. South Beach became popular among Black tourists about two decades ago as promoters organized Urban Beach Week during the Memorial Day weekend. Many locals have complained about violence and other crime associated with the event, which led to an increased police presence. But the events continued popularity correlates to a bump in Black tourism throughout the year.Stephen Hunter Johnson, an attorney and member of Miami-Dades Black Affairs Advisory Board, said city leaders are using a brief spike in violence as an excuse to discourage Black visitors. Most of the problems experienced by Miami Beach in recent years began during the pandemic, when Florida remained open while other popular tourist destinations around the U.S. were locked down, and officials are unfairly crediting the new spring break restrictions with decreasing violence last year, Johnson said.Arrests were down, and no one was shot, Johnson said. Those things were going to occur anyway, because the farther we get away from COVID restrictions, the more normalized things are.Meiner has repeatedly rejected the notion that the restrictions are racially motivated. He always hates the idea of anyone getting injured, but as an elected official he feels an additional sense of responsibility when people are shot and killed in the city he serves, he said.We are going to keep people safe, Meiner said. Law and order is the number one priority in our city. There is no compromising on that.

Festive lights are strung between destroyed Palestinian homes for the holy month of Ramadan in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-03-02T15:09:14Z Muslims in the Middle East are observing the holy month of Ramadan under exceptional circumstances.Ramadan is seen as a time of religious reflection and worship, charity, and community, as they fast from sunrise until sunset.Families broke their first day of fast with loved ones, as towns and cities lit festive lights and held events for communities to mark the occasion as they have for generations during times of peace and economic stability.However, the impact of war and major political transformations that shook the region are still felt.This is the first Ramadan for many Syrian spent without the Assad dynasty ruling the country in over half a century. President Bashar Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgency in December led by the countrys new Islamist de facto rulers in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.Assads downfall brought initial joy and hope among Syrians, but the vast destruction following over a decade of war, economic turmoil that has plunged an estimated 90% of its population into poverty, and uncertainty over whether the countrys security will find stability anytime soon has simmered down that initial optimism. Families in once bustling neighborhoods reduced to rubble broke their fast by the ruins as charities arranged Iftar dinners. The widespread poverty in Syria comes as the new interim government has urged the international community to lift sanctions to allow reconstruction and make the countrys battered economy viable again. It is still a novel sight, as Syrians in Damascus walked through its iconic old city markets at night, only this time without the portraits of Assad on every corner, and with Syrias new flag draped over store fronts. In the Gaza Strip, its the second year Palestinians are marking Ramadan following the war between Israel and the militant Hamas group. This year, they are hoping that a shaky ceasefire deal holds, as much of the tiny enclave lays in ruins, where most Palestinians rely on food and medical aid to survive due to the widespread destruction. In the southern city of Rafah, where a monthslong Israeli military operation took place since last summer, Palestinians set strings of lights across the ruins of damaged buildings and a table stretching across the road for Iftar during sunset.Elsewhere, a family in Jabaliya in northern Gaza prepares a modest Iftar dinner over a makeshift stove in their damaged home. Its a far cry from the larger dinners families hold where they invite relatives and friends to have a meal.Photographers from The Associated Press in Syria, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Turkey, and Pakistan show us a glimpse of what this years Ramadan looks like in the region.

Soul singer Angie Stone, pictured in New York, Oct. 14, 1999. (AP Photo/Jim Cooper, file)2025-03-02T19:37:03Z MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Fans are remembering the voice and songs of trailblazer Angie Stone after her death at 63 in a weekend crash on an Alabama highway as she traveled from a performance.The Grammy-nominated R&B singer was a member of the all-female hip-hop trio The Sequence and known for the hit song Wish I Didnt Miss You. She found a sweet spot in the early 2000s as neo-soul began to dominate R&B. In a recent Instagram post, Stone told fans she was excited about upcoming events and getting back in the mix.A lot of stuff is going on that I dont want to just let out of the bag just yet, she said. But you can see that theres a big grin on my face.The tributes to Stone on social media included one from rap artist MC Hammer, who posted a video featuring Stones song Brotha, writing I cant tell you how many days this song blessed my Soul. R.I.P. Angie Stone. Actor and singer Jennifer Hudson expressed disbelief in a social media post.What a loss !!! Angie Stone was a true pioneer, Hudson wrote. Another one of our great soul singers gone too soon. Prayers up for her family and loved ones! The Alabama Highway Patrol said the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van that Stone was traveling in overturned on Interstate 65 early Saturday before being hit by a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia truck. Stone was pronounced dead at the scene, the highway patrol said in a statement. The crash occurred about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of the Montgomery city limits. The vans driver and seven others were taken to a hospital for treatment. Officials continue to investigate the crash. The singer-songwriter created hits like No More Rain (In This Cloud) which reached No. 1 for 10 weeks on Billboards Adult R&B airplay chart, Baby with legendary soul singer Betty Wright, another No. 1 hit, and Wish I Didnt Miss You and Brotha. Her 2001 album Mahagony Soul reached No. 22 on the Billboard 200, while 2007s The Art Of Love & War peaked at No. 11. Rest in Power, Angie Stone. A true pioneer, a soulful storyteller, and a voice that helped shape the sound of R&B, the NAACP Image Awards posted on social media.The church-grown singer was born in Columbia, South Carolina. She helped form The Sequence, the first all-female group on the hip-hop trailblazing imprint Sugar Hill Records, becoming one of the first female groups to record a rap song. The groups Funk You Up, which has been sampled by numerous artists, including Dr. Dre. Stone later joined the trio Vertical Hold before launching her solo career.Actor and comedian Jamie Foxx said Stone would be missed painfully.I know they say that God doesnt make any mistakes but man this one hurts, Foxx said. Angie Stone was an incredible songwriter, and incredible artist and incredible person never thought in 1 million years that this would happenStone was also remembered by the Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr. and CEO of the King Center.So heartbreaking King posted on social media. Rest well, soul sister. #AngieStone Stones performance at the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Associations Grand Marshals Ball on Friday night was nothing short of phenomenal, according to the organizations president, Isadore B. Sims. In a statement, Sims said they would cherish memories of Stones talent and warm spirit.Her talent captivated everyone in attendance, and her presence truly elevated the event, Sims said. Never could we have imagined that it would be the last time we would have the honor of witnessing her perform.At the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Associations mens championship basketball game in Baltimore on Saturday, where Stone was scheduled to perform during halftime, Chaplain Pastor Jerome Barber called for a moment of silence.Zeta Phi Beta Sorority mourned the loss of their sorority sister.Renowned for her contributions to the R&B and neo-soul genres, Stones music has resonated with fans for decades, the sorority said in a statement, remembering her diabetes awareness efforts and work with the sororitys Elder Care initiatives and Zetas Helping Other People Excel.

Trucks line up at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip after Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)2025-03-02T19:18:57Z Israel has cut off the entry of all food and other goods into Gaza in an echo of the siege it imposed in the earliest days of its war with Hamas. The United Nations and other humanitarian aid providers are sharply criticizing the decision and calling it a violation of international law.A tool of extortion, Saudi Arabias foreign ministry said. A reckless act of collective punishment, Oxfam said. Key mediator Egypt accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon.Hunger has been an issue throughout the war for Gazas over 2 million people, and some aid experts had warned of possible famine. Now there is concern about losing the progress that experts reported under the past six weeks of a ceasefire.Israel is trying to pressure the Hamas militant group to agree to what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government describes as a U.S. proposal to extend the ceasefires first phase instead of beginning negotiations on the far more difficult second phase. In phase two, Hamas would release the remaining living hostages in return for Israels withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire.Heres a look at what Israels decision means and the reactions. US says it supports Israels next stepsThe ceasefires first phase ended early Sunday. Minutes later, Israel said it supported a new proposal to extend that phase through the Jewish holiday of Passover in mid-April. It called the proposal a U.S. one from Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. Israel also warned it could resume the war after the first phase if it believes negotiations are ineffective.Negotiations on the second phase were meant to start a month ago, increasing the uncertainty around the fragile truce. Hamas has insisted that those talks begin.Later Sunday, Israel announced the immediate cutoff of aid to Gaza.The U.S. National Security Council said Washington will support Israels decision on next steps, given Hamas has indicated its no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire. The statement didnt confirm the proposal was Witkoffs or mention the cutoff of aid. Its not clear when Witkoff will visit the Middle East again. He had been expected to visit last week.The U.S. under the Biden administration pressed Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, threatening to limit weapons support. Aid organizations repeatedly criticized Israeli restrictions on items entering the small coastal territory, while hundreds of trucks with aid at times waited to enter.Israel says it has allowed in enough aid. It has blamed shortages on what it called the U.N.s inability to distribute it, and accused Hamas militants of siphoning off aid.For months before the ceasefire, some Palestinians reported limiting meals, searching through garbage and foraging for edible weeds as food supplies ran low. 600 trucks of aid a dayThe ceasefires first phase took effect on Jan. 19 and allowed a surge of aid into Gaza. An average of 600 trucks with aid entered per day. Those daily 600 trucks of aid were meant to continue entering through all three phases of the ceasefire.However, Hamas says less than 50% of the agreed-upon number of trucks carrying fuel, for generators and other uses, were allowed in. Hamas also says the entry of live animals and animal feed, key for food security, were denied entry.Still, Palestinians in Gaza were able to stock up on some supplies. The ceasefire brought some much-needed relief to Gaza, but it was far from enough to cover the immense needs, the Norwegian Refugee Council said Sunday.Israels announcement came hours after Muslims in Gaza marked the first breaking of the fast during the holy month of Ramadan, with long tables set for collective meals snaking through the rubble of war-destroyed buildings.The sudden aid cutoff sent Palestinians hurrying to markets. Prices in Gaza tripled immediately, Mahmoud Shalabi, the Medical Aid for Palestinians deputy director of programs in northern Gaza, told The Associated Press. Legal implicationsProminent in the immediate criticism of Israels aid cutoff were statements calling the decision a violation.International humanitarian law is clear: We must be allowed access to deliver vital lifesaving aid, said the U.N. humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher.Hours after Israels announcement, five non-governmental groups asked Israels Supreme Court for an interim order barring the state from preventing aid from entering Gaza, claiming the move violates Israels obligations under international law and amounts to a war crime: These obligations cannot be condition on political considerations.Last year, the International Criminal Court said there was reason to believe Israel had used starvation as a method of warfare when it issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. The allegation is also central to South Africas case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.On Sunday, Kenneth Roth, former head of Human Rights Watch, said Israel as an occupying power has an absolute duty to facilitate humanitarian aid under the Geneva Conventions, and called Israels decision a resumption of the war-crime starvation strategy that led to the ICC warrant.___Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed. CARA ANNA Anna is an editor on the APs Global Desk. She has reported from Africa, China, Ukraine, Afghanistan and the United Nations. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs after a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-03-02T20:00:50Z PHOENIX (AP) President Donald Trumps senior aides and allies lashed out at Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Washington as he attended a European summit Sunday in London to rally international support for his militarys fight against the Russian invasion. Following Trumps lead, White House officials and Republicans in Congress used news show appearances to demand that Zelenskyy display more gratitude for U.S. support and an openness to potential war-ending concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some suggested Zelenskyy should consider resigning even as Ukrainians rally around him.But they offered little clarity as to what Zelenskyy and Ukraine could do after Fridays Oval Office meeting in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated him before canceling the signature of an economic agreement between Washington and Kyiv. The dispute leaves the future of that relationship in question, as well as the prospects for ending a conflict that began when the Kremlin invaded in February 2022. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz, who while in Congress went to Ukraine during the first year of the war to meet Zelenskyy and once compared him to wartime British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, said Zelenskyys behavior at the White House was incredibly disrespectful. Asked about that Churchill-Zelenskyy comparison, Waltz noted that Churchill was voted out of office in the final months of World War II. Churchill was a man for a moment, but he did not then transition England into the next phase, Waltz said. And its unclear whether President Zelenskyy, particularly after what we saw Friday, is ready to transition to Ukraine to an end to this war and to negotiate and have to compromise. Waltz said a negotiated end to the war would involve territorial concessions from Ukraine as well as Russian concessions on security guarantees, but he did not offer any more details about what Moscow would have to do. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., echoed the suggestion that Zelenskyy may need to step aside. Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that, Johnson said. I mean, its up to the Ukrainians to figure that out. But I can tell you that we are reexerting peace through strength.Trumps director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, said the contentious meeting has led to a huge rift in the relationship and she took issue with Zelenskyy telling Fox News afterward that he did not think he did anything wrong. Theres going to have to be a rebuilding of any kind of interest in good faith negotiations, I think, before President Trump is going to be willing to reengage on this, she said.The coordinated campaign of pressure from Washington played out as Zelenskyy and European leaders came to terms with Trumps overhaul of U.S. foreign policy. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom would use 1.6 billion pounds ($2 billion) in export financing to supply 5,000 air defense missiles for Ukraine. Support for Zelenskyy among congressional Republicans has been scant after the Oval Office meeting. But Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of the few GOP lawmakers willing to break with Trump publicly, criticized the Republican presidents stance toward the Ukrainians.I know foreign policy is not for the faint of heart, but right now, I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world, Murkowski wrote on X on Saturday. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said it was inappropriate for senators to call for Zelenskyy to leave office and predicted that such a move would spiral Ukraine into chaos right now. Others were more vocal in support of Zelenskyy. Millions of Americans are embarrassed, are ashamed, said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.Our job is to defend the 250-year tradition that we have of being the democratic leader of the world, not turn our backs on a struggling country that is trying to do the right thing, Sanders said.Waltz appeared on CNNs State of the Union,' Johnson, Sanders and Lankford were on NBCs Meet the Press, and Gabbard spoke on Fox News Sunday JONATHAN J. COOPER Cooper writes about national politics from Arizona and beyond for The Associated Press. Now based in Phoenix, he previously covered politics in Oregon and California. twitter mailto

In this photo released by the Horry County Fire Rescue, smoke is seen from fires in Horry County, S.C., on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Horry County Fire Rescue via AP)2025-03-02T21:36:56Z Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds and evacuations were ordered in some areas.The National Weather Service warned of increased fire danger in the region due to a combination of critically dry fuels and very low relative humidity.In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Sunday to support the wildfire response effort, and a statewide burning ban remained in effect.Crews worked to contain a fire in the Carolina Forest area west of the coastal resort city of Myrtle Beach, where residents were ordered to evacuate several neighborhoods, according to Horry County Fire Rescue. The South Carolina Forestry Commission estimated Sunday afternoon that the blaze was burning about 1.9 square miles (4.9 square kilometers) with zero percent containment. No structures had succumbed to the blaze and no injuries had been reported as of Sunday morning, officials said. The 410 personnel involved in the effort were expected to remain until the fire was contained, county fire officials said. Evacuations were expected to remain in place Sunday and officials warned residents in the Carolina Forest area to be prepared with go-bags and emergency plans if more evacuations were called in their neighborhoods. In North Carolina, the U.S. Forest Service said fire crews were working to contain multiple wildfires burning on more than 400 acres (161.87 hectares) in four forests across the state on Sunday. The largest, about 300 acres (121.41 hectares), was at Uwharrie National Forest, about 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) east of Charlotte. The small southwestern town of Tryon in Polk County, North Carolina, urged some residents to evacuate Saturday as a fire spread rapidly there. On Sunday, officials said those evacuations remained in effect. That fire was burning about 400 acres (161.87 hectares) on Sunday afternoon, with zero percent containment, according to the Polk County Emergency Management/Fire Marshals office. The North Carolina Forest Service was conducting helicopter water drops and back-burning operations on the ground, and area residents should expect a lot of smoke during those operations, officials said. Officials have not said what caused any of the fires.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference at Canada House in London on Sunday, March 2, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-03-02T21:22:54Z TORONTO (AP) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with King Charles III, the countrys head of state, on Monday where he will discuss U.S. President Donald Trumps threats to make Canada the 51st state. The king has come under criticism in Canada for being silent about Trumps threats to annex Canada. Trudeau said in London on Sunday he will discuss matters of importance to Canadians with Charles and said nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation. Charles is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.Overall, the antiroyal movement in Canada is small, but the silence of the monarch on Trumps threats have spurred talk in recent days. Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said for Canadians disappointed that King Charles has not commented on Trumps threats he can only act on the advice of Canadas prime minister. The Government of Canada should ask the Head of State to underscore Canadian sovereignty, Kenney posted on X. The king, who met Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has invited Trump to come to Scotland for a state visit. Though Canadians are somewhat indifferent to the monarchy, many had great affection for the late Queen Elizabeth, whose silhouette marks their coins. She was the head of state for 45% of Canadas existence and visited the country 22 times as monarch. Visits by Charles over the years have attracted sparse crowdsCanadians will need to decide what purpose King Charles III serves as King of Canada if he cant even speak up for our sovereignty, Artur Wilczynski, a former Canadian public servant, posted on X. Abolishing the monarchy would mean changing the constitution. Thats an inherently risky undertaking, given how delicately it is engineered to unite a nation of 41 million people that embraces English-speakers, French-speakers, Indigenous tribes and a constant flow of new immigrants.

Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick speaks in the Oval Office of the White House after President Donald Trump signed an executive order, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-03-02T17:36:42Z WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that government spending could be separated from gross domestic product reports in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. You know, that governments historically have messed with GDP, Lutnick said on Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures. They count government spending as part of GDP. So Im going to separate those two and make it transparent.Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economys health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits and regulations by the government can impact the path of overall growth. GDP reports already include extensive details on government spending, offering a level of transparency for economists. Musks efforts to downsize federal agencies could result in the layoffs of tens of thousands of federal workers, whose lost income could potentially reduce their spending, affecting businesses and the economy at large. AP AUDIO: The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts AP correspondent Julie Walker reports the Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts. The commerce secretarys remarks echoed Musks arguments made Friday on X that government spending doesnt create value for the economy. A more accurate measure of GDP would exclude government spending, Musk wrote on his social media platform. Otherwise, you can scale GDP artificially high by spending money on things that dont make peoples lives better. The argument as articulated so far by Trump administration officials appears to play down the economic benefits created by Social Security payments, infrastructure spending, scientific research and other forms of government spending that can shape an economys trajectory.If the government buys a tank, thats GDP, Lutnick said Sunday. But paying 1,000 people to think about buying a tank is not GDP. That is wasted inefficiency, wasted money. And cutting that, while it shows in GDP, were going to get rid of that. The Commerce Departments Bureau of Economic Analysis published its most recent GDP report on Thursday, showing that the economy grew at an annual rate of 2.3% in the final three months of last year.The report makes it possible to measure the forces driving the economy, showing that the gains at the end of last year were largely driven by greater consumer spending and an upward revision to federal government spending related to defense. Still, the federal governments component of the GDP report for all of 2024 increased at 2.6%, slightly lower than overall economic growth last year of 2.8%.In the GDP report, government spending accounts for almost one-fifth of peoples personal income, which totaled more than $24.6 trillion last year. This includes Social Security payments, benefits for military veterans, Medicare and Medicaid and other programs. But the report also measures the amount of peoples personal incomes that are paid in taxes to the government. The government is not always a contributor to GDP and can subtract from it, which is what happened in 2022 as pandemic-related aid expired.Lutnick said that the Trump administration would balance the federal budget with spending cuts, saying that would help growth and reduce the interest rates paid by consumers.When we balance the budget of the United States of America, interest rates are going to come smashing down, Lutnick said. This is going to be the best economy anybodys ever seen. And to bet against it is foolish. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto

Karla Sofa Gascn, star of Emilia Prez, made her debut as an Oscar nominee at the 2025 Academy Awards but seemed to avoid the spotlight after controversy surrounding offensive, resurfaced tweets. Gascn, the first openly trans woman to be nominated for Best Actress, skipped the red carpet, opting for a low profile ahead of the ceremony. The actress, who earned a nomination for her role as theSource

Max Naumov reacts after performing Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Washington at the Legacy on Ice event, a figure skating tribute to support the families and loved ones affected by the Jan. 29, 2025, aviation incident. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)2025-03-02T22:42:11Z WASHINGTON (AP) Maxim Naumov wept on his knees at the end of his performance honoring his parents, wiped away tears as he skated off the ice and held an electric candle in the air as applause rained down. Amber Glenn broke down when she finished skating, and so did 13-year-old Isabella Aparicio, who was performing in memory of her brother, Franco, and their father Luciano.There was not a dry eye to be found anywhere, pairs skater Madison Chock said. A low murmur of crying pierced a lengthy moment of silence as fans lit the arena with their cellphones, riding waves of emotion through a poignant figure skating show Sunday in the nations capital to remember and raise money for the victims of the midair collision outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.The Legacy on Ice benefit event featured a star-studded group of some of the best U.S. figure skaters of the past and present taking part to pay tribute to the 67 people who died when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight and crashed into the Potomac River on Jan. 29. That included 28 members of the figure skating community, some of whom lived and trained in the Washington area. Everyone grieves in their own way, and the last month has been really challenging for a lot of us to just grapple with the magnitude of this loss, said Evan Bates, who with Chock won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2022. I think coming together today and doing something tangible like a show will give people, hopefully, a little glimmer of hope and a little light for that next step forward. American icons of the sport Kristi Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano emceed the show, which included performances by the likes of Glenn, Johnny Weir and reigning mens world champion Ilia Malinin, along with poignant tributes to the victims. We are not powerless, Boitano said in opening the show. As skaters, we learned to be resilient and to always find a path forward that is positive. Ted Leonsis, head of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which staged the event along with U.S. Figure Skating, DC Fire & EMS Foundation and the Greater Washington Community Foundation, hopes doing this at Capital One Arena helps families in the healing process the way concerts and sports at Madison Square Garden did in New York in 2001 after 9/11.Sports can play this convening and healing role, Leonsis said. Our goal is to allow the community to heal, kind of a collective hug for these communities, but then we want to raise a lot of money.The dasher boards had 67 stars, one for each of the victims, and skaters put flowers on a rinkside table of candles before beginning their routines.Were all here to support one another, whether it was our friends that were on that plane, family members, coaches, teammates, loved ones, said 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist Jason Brown, who skated to The Impossible Dream by Josh Groban. We all travel for this sport. We get to do what we love. And travel is such a huge part of what we do, so it all hit us really hard because this is just such an integral part of what we do, as well as those are people that were closest to. Glenn kicked things off by performing to Andra Days Rise Up and broke down in tears at center ice when she finished. Weir, whose family moved to Newark, Delaware, when he was 12 for him to pursue his skating career, dedicated his performance to the members of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club who were on American Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, following a national development camp there coinciding with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.It was a very traumatic experience for me and really just devastating for me to hear when all that happened, and I really wanted to have something that everyone could remember as a family, as a whole community that we remember them, Malinin said. All of our daily lives, every time we step on the ice, well always think of them. Every time were competing, theyll always be in our hearts.Peggy Fleming, 1968 Olympic champion, said she hopes the event will heal and give strength to our skaters in the future. Alysa Liu wants to try to honor the memory of those lost so she can keep going. Its still a struggle and was a struggle, said Liu, who performed to Hero by Mariah Carey. Coming together and seeing everyone again has definitely been the most reassuring feeling. And its just because everyone knows exactly how everyone feels.Forty-one years after winning gold at the Olympics, Scott Hamilton skated onto the ice and led a prayer. Imagine blared from arena speakers during one ensemble performance, Malinin dazzled the crowd with his jump-filled routine and Lady Gagas Hold My Hand was the soundtrack of the grand finale of the emotional two-plus-hour show.It was just an amazing show, U.S. Figure Skating interim CEO Sam Auxier said. You could see even with Ilia the passion and the feelings about what happened coming through in their skating. Among the sellout crowd of over 15,000 were hundreds of first responders and their family members. Some came from as far away as Baltimore to be part of the rescue and recovery efforts.This was an incredibly challenging scene for those first responders, DC Fire and EMS Foundation executive director Amy Mauro said. The things that they witnessed are very difficult and will stay with them for a long time. This is part of their grieving and healing process, as well.In addition to being a gathering place for figure skaters, first responders and all the families affected by the crash, the intent was to raise money for all of them.Weve heard from the families about things like college tuition for young children who are in elementary school today but also things like therapy and health care that they need, Monumental president of external affairs and chief administrative officer Monica Dixon said. Every family will choose how to use those funds in the best way that they choose.The event aired live on Monumental Sports Network and streamed on Peacock. NBC will show an encore performance March 30.Thats what were hoping: We raise a lot of donations that way, Leonsis said. People care. The lesson in this is that, to me, if you personalize something like this, you can come together and do the right things in the right way.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports STEPHEN WHYNO Whyno has covered the NHL, Washington Capitals, the NFLs Washington Commanders and horse racing for The Associated Press since 2016. twitter facebook RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Paul Tazewell has made history at the 2025 Academy Awards, becoming the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design. Tazewell earned the prestigious honor for his work on Wicked, the highly anticipated film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. The award, presented during the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2, marks a significant milestone in Tazewells career and in theSource

Posters showing the face of Elon Musk and messages relating to data privacy are seen on a fence surrounding a building site in Washington, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-03-07T22:09:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) A series of decisions revealed Friday provided a glimpse of the turmoil engulfing federal agencies since President Donald Trump and Elon Musk launched their campaign of disruption, upending how government functions in ways big and small. Some changes appeared designed to increase political control over agencies that have historically operated with some degree of autonomy, such as requiring Environmental Protection Agency officials to seek approval from the Department of Government Efficiency for any contracts exceeding $50,000.Other directives increased burdens on federal workers, who have already endured insults, layoffs and threats from the president and other top officials. For example, government credit cards issued to civilian employees at the Pentagon were altered to have a $1 limit, choking off their ability to travel for work. The Transportation Security Administration became another target. The administration canceled a collective bargaining agreement with 47,000 workers who screen travelers and luggage at airports around the country, eliminating union protections in a possible prelude to layoffs or privatization. The cascading developments are only a fraction of the upheaval thats taken place since Trump took office, but they still reshaped how hundreds of thousands of public servants do their jobs, with potentially enduring consequences. The ongoing shakeup is much more intense than the typical whiplash that Washington endures when one administration gives way to another, raising fundamental questions about how government will function under a president who has viewed civil servants as an obstacle to his agenda. The White House has wrestled with political blowback over Musks role and legal challenges that have tried to block or slow down his work. Republicans who are facing growing pressure in contentious town halls have started to speak up. I will fully admit, I think Elon Musk has tweeted first and thought second sometimes, said Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., during a virtual meeting with constituents on Friday. He has plunged ahead without necessarily knowing and understanding what he legally has to do or what he is going to be doing.Mistakes are being madeThe overhaul of the federal government is happening at lightning speed, reflecting years of preparation by Trumps allies and the presidents decision to grant Musk sweeping influence over his administration. Musk, a billionaire entrepreneur with no previous experience in public service, has shown no interest in slowing down despite admitting that hell make mistakes in his crusade to slash spending and downsize the workforce. The government is facing even more dramatic changes in the coming weeks and months. Trump has directed agencies to prepare plans for widespread layoffs, known as reductions in force, that will likely require more limited operations at agencies that provide critical services.The Department of Veterans Affairs could shed 80,000 employees, while the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration are considering plans that would cut their workforces in half. Trump has vowed not to reduce Social Security benefits, but Democrats argue that layoffs would make it harder to deliver payments to 72.5 million people, including retirees and children. There are also concerns that politics could interfere with Social Security. Trump has feuded over transgender issues with Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, and his administration recently said children born in the state would no longer have a Social Security number assigned at birth. Instead, parents would have to apply for one at a local office. Leland Dudek, the acting commissioner of Social Security, rescinded the order on Friday.In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent, he said in a statement. Dudek added that as a leader, I will admit my mistakes and make them right. A startup mindset takes holdMore than a month after Trump took office, theres still confusion about Musks authority. In public statements and legal filings, administration officials have insisted that Musk does not actually run DOGE and has no direct authority over budgets.But Trump has contradicted both statements. He said Tuesday that DOGE is headed by Elon Musk in a prime-time speech to a joint session of Congress, and he said Thursday that Elon will do the cutting if agency leaders dont reduce their spending. Their approach has energized people like David Sacks, a venture capitalist serving as a Trump adviser on cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, who praised the administration as moving faster than any startup that Ive been part of.Trump denied reports of friction between Musk and Cabinet officials, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a meeting Thursday. Elon gets along great with Marco, the president said. The State Department had no immediate comment. Norm Eisen, executive chair of State Democracy Defenders Fund, an organization that has been suing the Trump administration, said the president made clear that Musk and DOGE have been calling the shots.Musk serves as a presidential adviser, not a Senate-confirmed official, which Eisen argued makes his role unconstitutional. He said Trumps comments are an admission that the vast chaos that Musk and DOGE have wrought without proper approval and documentation is illegal and so must be completely unwound.Trump is using executive orders to reshape governmentMany of the changes sweeping through Washington were ignited by Trumps executive orders. One order issued last week said agencies must develop new systems for distributing and justifying payments so they can be monitored by DOGE representatives. The EPA distributed guidance intended to ensure compliance. Any assistance agreement, contract or interagency agreement transaction (valued at) $50,000 or greater must receive approval from an EPA DOGE team member, said the documents obtained by The Associated Press.Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said the involvement of Musks unvetted, inexperienced team raises serious concerns about improper external influence on specialized agency decision-making.Republicans have shied away from holding town hall meetings with constituents after critics started using them to vent their frustration. Some protesters gathered outside Huizengas district office in Holland, Michigan, calling on him to answer questions in person. I would like to ask him why he thinks that someone like Musk can go in and simply blow up agencies without seemingly even knowing what theyre doing, said Linda Visscher, a Holland resident.She said increasing the efficiency of government was a good idea, but she doesnt agree with just taking the blowtorch to it.____Associated Press reporters Lolita Baldor, Matthew Daly, Fatima Hussein and Matthew Lee in Washington; Joey Cappelletti in Holland, Michigan; and Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto

Vivian Lovingood protests the scheduled execution of South Carolina inmate Brad Sigmon, Friday, March 7, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. For the first time in 15 years a death row inmate in the U.S. will be executed by a firing squad. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)2025-03-07T23:21:41Z COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A South Carolina man convicted of murder was executed by firing squad Friday, the first U.S. prisoner to die by that method in 15 years.Three volunteer prison employees used rifles to carry out the execution of Brad Sigmon, 67, who was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m.Sigmon killed his ex-girlfriends parents with a baseball bat in their Greenville County home in 2001 in a botched plot to kidnap their daughter. He told police he planned to take her for a romantic weekend, then kill her and himself.Sigmons lawyers said he chose the firing squad because the electric chair would cook him alive, and he feared that a lethal injection of pentobarbital into his veins would send a rush of fluid and blood into his lungs and drown him. The details of South Carolinas lethal injection method are kept secret in South Carolina, and Sigmon unsuccessfully asked the state Supreme Court on Thursday to pause his execution because of that. On Friday, Sigmon wore a black jumpsuit with a hood over his head and a white target with a red bullseye over his chest. The armed prison employees stood 15 feet (4.6 meters) from where he sat in the states death chamber the same distance as the backboard is from the free-throw line on a basketball court. Visible in the same small room was the states unused electric chair. The gurney used to carry out lethal injections had been rolled away. The volunteers all fired at the same time through openings in a wall. They were not visible to about a dozen witnesses in a room separated from the chamber by bullet-resistant glass. Sigmon made several heavy breaths during the two minutes that elapsed from when the hood was placed to the shots being fired. His arms briefly tensed when he was shot, and the target was blasted off his chest. He appeared to give another breath or two with a red stain on his chest, and small amounts of tissue could be seen from the wound during those breaths. A doctor came out about a minute later and examined Sigmon for 90 seconds before declaring him dead.Witnesses included three family members of the victims, David and Gladys Larke. Also present were Sigmons attorney and spiritual advisor, a representative from the prosecuting solicitors office, a sheriffs investigator and three members of the news media.Sigmon delivered a closing statement that he said was one of love and a calling to my fellow Christians to help us end the death penalty.The firing squad is an execution method with a long and violent history in the U.S. and around the world. Death in a hail of bullets has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in Americas Old West and as a tool of terror and political repression in the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.Since 1977 only three other prisoners in the U.S. have been executed by firing squad. All were in Utah, most recently Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010. Another Utah man, Ralph Menzies, could be next; he is awaiting the result of a hearing in which his lawyers argued that his dementia makes him unfit for execution. In South Carolina on Friday, a group of protesters holding signs with messages such as All life is precious and Execute justice not people gathered outside the prison before Sigmons execution.Supporters and lawyers for Sigmon asked Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to commute his sentence to life in prison. They said he was a model prisoner trusted by guards and worked every day to atone for the killings and also that he committed the killings after succumbing to severe mental illness.But McMaster denied the clemency plea. No governor has ever commuted a death sentence in the state, where 46 other prisoners have been executed since the death penalty resumed in the U.S. in 1976. Seven have died in the electric chair and 39 others by lethal injection. In the early 2000s, South Carolina was among the busiest death penalty states, carrying out an average of three executions a year. But officials suspended executions for 13 years, in part because they were unable to obtain lethal injection drugs. The state Supreme Court cleared the way to resume them in July. Freddie Owens was the first to be put to death, on Sept. 20, after McMaster denied him clemency. Richard Moore was executed on Nov. 1 and Marion Bowman Jr. on Jan. 31.Going forward the court will allow an execution every five weeks.South Carolina now has 28 inmates on its death row including two who have exhausted their appeals and are awaiting execution, most likely this spring. Just one man has been added to death row in the past decade. Before executions were paused, more than 60 people faced death sentences. Many of those have either had their sentences reduced to life or died in prison. JEFFREY COLLINS Collins covers South Carolina from Columbia for The Associated Press. He has been with the AP since 2000. twitter mailto

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss a Supreme drop, a visit to a local Risograph printer, and what is up with Big Car.JOSEPH: My only experience with brands like Supreme and drops is when Ive covered the underground industry of bots and tools for getting ahead of ordinary customers. In 2019 I spoke to the hacker finalphoenix about her fascinating work on this botting ecosystem. I was very frustrated, because whenever Id try to buy something that was relatively cool on Instagram, it was always sold out, she told me at the time. I think we were standing in one of those cavernous hallways at the DEF CON hacking conference in Vegas. She then automated the process of buying these clothes herself, but learned so much more about the wider industry too.

Googles featured snippet is pulling in an Amazon AI summary of Adolf Hitlers Nazi manifesto Mein Kampf that calls it a true work of art in the latest AI-related fuckup affecting top search results.As of writing, searching for mein kampf positive reviews returned a result that was pulled from an AI-generated summary of an Amazon listings customer reviews. So, its a search algorithm attempting to summarize an AI summary. The full AI summary on Amazon says: Customers find the book easy to read and interesting. They appreciate the insightful and intelligent rants. The print looks nice and is plain. Readers describe the book as a true work of art. However, some find the content boring and grim. Opinions vary on the suspenseful content, historical accuracy, and value for money.As Im writing this, Google says An AI Overview is not available for this search, but the Amazon AI summary was in large text directly below it, in the space where an overview would typically be, above other web results. This is what Google calls a featured snippet: "Google's automated systems select featured snippets based on how well they answer the specific search request and how helpful they are to the user," the company says. A highlight appeared, added by Google, over the phrase easy to read and interesting. Notably the featured snippet result for this doesnt quote everything from Amazons AI, so it is itself a summary.Google's result for "mein kampf positive reviews" as of early Thursday morning, showing the Amazon review as a "featured snippet." Screenshot of Amazon's AI-generated review summaryAlexios Mantzarlis, the director of the security, trust, and safety initiative at Cornell Tech and formerly principal of Trust & Safety Intelligence at Google, first spotted the result.Uh... Amazon's AI summary of Mein Kampf is even worse, and pollutes Google results for [Mein Kampf positive reviews] Alexios Mantzarlis (@mantzarlis.com) 2025-03-06T13:45:31.788ZAfter I contacted Google for comment (the company hasnt responded as of writing) an AI Overview did appear, and notes that the book is widely condemned for its hateful and racist ideology, but that historical analyses might point to aspects of the book that could be considered positive from a purely literary or rhetorical perspective.Screenshot of Google's search result for "mein kampf positive reviews" as of late Thursday morning, showing the AI Overview result.This is, at least, a better summation of the conversation around Hitlers book that Amazons AI summary gives. The AI-generated review summary on the Amazon listing also shows links to see reviews that mention specific words, like readability, read pace, and suspenseful content. Enough people mentioned Mein Kampf being boring that theres a boredom link, too.Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The 2,067 reviews for this specific copy of Hitlers fascist manifesto are mostly positive, and taken extremely literally, the blueprint for Nazism is easy to read and, in some sense, interesting. But the reviews are much more nuanced than that. Reviewing the roadmap for the Holocaust from the worlds most infamous genocidal dictator with five stars seems twisted, but the reviews are nuanced in a way that AI clearly doesnt understandbut a human can.Mein Kampf, by Adolf Hitler, should be read by everyone in the world who are interested in a world of peace, social responsibility, and worldwide cooperation, one reviewer wrote, in an honestly pretty concerning start to a very long review. But they go on to write more that clarifies their point of view: This evil book presents a dark vision of how to go about creating tyranny in a democratic society so that one, similar to Russia, is created. [...] Also, Hitler is an excellent writer; he is not a rambling madman writing disconnected ideas and expressing a confusing methodology. His text is easy reading, and it is a world classic that is a must read.Another five-star review says: Chilling to begin reading this book and realize that these are the words written by Adolf Hitler. Read it and absorb what he says in his own words and you soon grasp what he means. [...] We are bound to repeat History if we don't understand mistakes that were made in the past.These arent positive reviews; most of the five-star reviews are noting the quality of the print or shipping, and not endorsing the contents of the book.Mein Kampf has never been banned in the U.S. (unlike plenty of other books about race, gender, and sex), but Amazon did briefly ban listings of the book from its platform in 2020 before reinstating it.Googles AI Overview shoots itself in the algorithmic foot frequently, so its noteworthy that its sitting this result out. When it launched in May 2024 as a default feature on searches, it was an immediate and often hysterical mess, telling people its chill to eat glue and that they should consume one small rock a day. In January, the feature was telling users to use the most famous sex toy in the world with children for behavioral issues. These weird results are beside the bigger point: Googles perversion of its own search functionits most popular and important productis a deep problem that it still hasnt fixed, and that has real repercussions for the health of the internet. At first, AI Overview was so bad Google added an option to turn it off entirely, but the company is still hanging on to the feature despite all of this.The Mein Kampf AI summaries are also an example of how AI is starting to eat itself online, and the cracks are showing. Studies in the last few years show that AI models are consuming AI-generated content as training data in a way thats polluting and destroying the models themselves.

Subscribe nowAs per my video message above, its Uncloseted Media's six month anniversary this week!We're so proud of all the rigorous reporting we've done so far. We've published over 100 stories, including roughly 50 pieces of originally reported investigative LGBTQ journalism. A lot of these stories are investigations into America's far right. Why is Kristen Waggoner, the woman who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, now coming for LGBTQ rights? Why do at least six anti-LGBTQ hate groups have Special Consultative Status inside the United Nations? And why did Trump spend $215 million on anti-trans ads this election cycle, five times more than he spent on the economy? In addition to our investigations, we've also leveled up partnerships with queer media and mainstream media alike. Hope Pisoni's recent investigation into Riley Gaines and why the far-right chose her as the figurehead for the trans sports debate has now been picked up by about 10 different publications, including the Michigan Standard, the Oregonian, the 19th, GAY TIMES, Queer Kentucky, Seattle Gay News and more. Outstanding! We want our work to have an impact and be seen by as many people as possible. So we encourage all newsrooms to republish our important journalism. Check out our republishing guidelines here. We've also focused on character-driven, human stories. We've looked at America's homeschooling movement and how it impacts queer kids being raised in Christian households who believe that homosexuality is a sin. We've looked at why trans men are the most likely group to suffer from eating disorders. And we've investigated why Black women are over nine times more likely to contract HIV than their white counterparts.Sam Donndelinger penned an investigation into PrEP deserts across the United States. And like all our stories, this one had an impact. The American Pharmacists Association said they would use this investigation in their testimonies and letters to lawmakers when discussing PrEP lawsuits in the American legislatures. We also heard from an AIDS center in Birmingham, Alabama, who said that the story pushed them to hire their first Black female doctor, which helped attract more women to the clinic. In this current climate in American history, LGBTQ rights are perhaps more under attack than ever before. And we need rigorous accountability journalism to hold the people, the money and the power to account. We at Uncloseted Media want to scale up and add more rigor, heft and depth to our investigative storytelling. But we really need help.If you do have the means, like our work and are able to upgrade to a paid or founding subscriber, we would be so grateful. There are many places in the article where you can do that really easily. At any rate, we are grateful to have you here, and we're looking forward to the next six months with all of you as we continue to grow and continue to tell the stories that matter. Thank you so much.Upgrade to paid to support LGBTQ-focused accountability journalism. Where Being Gay Is Punishable by Death, Aid Cuts Are Heartbreaking (The New York Times)Ugandas L.G.B.T.Q. population was already struggling to cope with the fallout of a harsh anti-gay law when the disruption of U.S. aid put people at even greater risk.'Who am I to judge?' With five words, Pope Francis set new tone for Catholic Church (USA Today) Pope Francis signaled that his papacy was going to be different from his predecessors', especially when it came to LGBTQ issues.Some Republican lawmakers increase calls against gay marriage SCOTUS ruling (ABC News)Same-sex marriage has come under scrutiny by some conservative legislators.U.S. withdraws from U.N. LGBTQ and intersex group (The Advocate)The move is among numerous anti-LGBTQ actions by the Trump administration.Subscribe nowWe passed 7,000 subscribers! Thank you to everyone for continuing to support our work. Were thrilled to have co-reported our investigation into MassResistance, the group taking credit for the new efforts to chip away at marriage equality, with the esteemed Idaho Statesman, a publication with a rich history dating back to 1864.Our West Wilson social post went mega-viral on Instagram, with over 1,000 comments from folks with polarizing perspectives. Click here for the clip and stay for the commentary. This weekend, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting: As companies sprint away from DEI, biblically responsible investing is booming. Tom Sayers and I investigate the rapidly growing, socially conservative form of Christian faith-based investing that steers Christians, no matter how well-intentioned, away from investing in companies that support or promote various LGBTQ rights or that make efforts to create inclusive environments for gay and trans people. Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints, tips, and story ideas! Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chiefspencer@unclosetedmedia.comIf objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media

Welcome to our weekly roundup of political issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community.In his first speech to the joint session of Congress, President Donald Trump spoke about banning transgender women in sports and declared our country will be woke no longer. The Census Bureau has requested permission from the Office of Management and Budget to remove questions about gender identity from the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey. On his new podcast, California Gov. Gavin Newsom referred to allowing trans athletes to compete as deeply unfair. Newsoms episode featured Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. On the subject of transgender women playing sports, Newsom told Kirk they were completely aligned.U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5)held a town hall on March 5 and shared his support for the LGBTQ+ community, in particular the transgender community. Quigley said he wanted to make it clear that we should never abandon our friends, and thats not how you succeed.Former California state Rep. Evan Low has been named the new president and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. The Victory Fund, which works to increase the number of LGBTQ+ candidates running for office around the country, has been led by former Houston Mayor Annise Parker since 2017. The post The OutLook: LGBTQ+ politics & policy: March 7, 2025 appeared first on News Is Out.

HulusMid-Century Modern, a new series about three gay middle-aged men who decide to live together in Palm Springs, finally has a trailer. Produced byRyan Murphyand created byWill & GracesMax MutchnickandDavid Kohan, the series starsNathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham,andLinda Lavin.Lane, Bomer, and Graham play lifelong friends who, after the death of a dear friend, decide to spend their golden years togetherGolden Girls-style. Lavin plays Lanes mother, who also lives with them.Like Will & Grace, viewers can expect a parade of guest stars including Pamela Adlon, Vanessa Bayer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Judd Hirsch and Rhea Perlman. Mid-Century Modern premieres on March 28 on Hulu. The post Trailer drops for Hulus gay buddy comedy Mid-Century Modern appeared first on News Is Out.

Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend. 1.) The heartfelt rom-com Picture This is streaming on Prime Video! The pic follows struggling photographer Pia (Simone Ashley), who is told that true love and career success [...]The post The GLAAD Wrap: Picture This Streaming, Trailer for Mid-Century Modern, New Music by Lady Gaga, Molly Grace, Gender Amplified, and More! first appeared on GLAAD.

GLAADs groundbreaking digital original series DMELO,has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious 2025 Halo Awards in the category of Best Gender & LGBTQ Equality Initiative. The recognition honors the incredible work that GLAAD in collaboration with Latination Media has done to amplify Latine LGBTQ voices in comedy. The Halo Awards are [...]The post GLAAD Digital Original Series DMELO Selected as Halo Awards Finalist first appeared on GLAAD.

The LGBTQ+ community won't back down.Pride began as a rebellion and that spirit is still very much alive today.Although the current political administration is trying to take down the LGBTQ+ community, queer celebrities and allies are rising up and reminding everyone to stay strong even in the face of fear.Big names from every corner of the entertainment industry attended the 33rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles to raise crucial funds for the astounding nonprofit and to share uplifting messages for queer people around the world.Scroll below to see how Hollywood's brightest stars are standing their ground and speaking up for equality.Dylan MulvaneySee on Instagram"All of the things that they're trying to attack you for are the best parts of yourself. When we are succeeding and when we don't give into what they're saying about us, it just shows that what they're saying isn't true. I want you to keep doing whatever it is you're doing that's pissing off people, because it's probably actually a good thing."Scott & Mark HoyingSee on Instagram"People can't take our joy. They cannot take our queer joy," Mark Hoying says."We're gay, we're gay, we're gay! We all have each other. Find your people. Find your community. This'll pass and it's going to be tough, but in the words of Kamala, we have to organize, fight, and be gay," Scott Hoying adds.Manila LuzonSee on Instagram"We are going through this all time. Everyone is always trying to pick on us because they just can't take how fabulous we are! You have to stay strong. Stay vigilant. Make sure that you are always looking out for each other. We are a community so make sure that you are sending extra love to our brothers and sisters."ValentinaSee on Instagram"For nonbinary and trans people, we're under attack every single day. So, maybe just limit social media and try to be present for the beauty of life that's right in front of you. It's very hard to dwell on things you can't control. Try to control the things you can."Betty WhoSee on Instagram"Trans people will always exist and we love you forever and ever. You are beautiful the way that you are. Hold onto the people who see you and love you and know you. Be with the people who get you. Don't get sucked into your phone. You can take a break and remember that you are safe."Regan AliyahSee on Instagram"Everybody's trying to reel back our rights and do everything they can to stop us from existing, but we have been here since the beginning of time. We're not going anywhere, so coming together and supporting one other in all facets is the most important thing that we can do right now."Harvey GuillnSee on Instagram"Times are really scary right now and we should be reminded that we're not going back in time. We're moving forward. We need to really unite and stand our ground and we're doing it tonight. Elton John's foundation is what helps the community. We can do it guys. Stay strong."Heidi N ClosetSee on Instagram"If you look back in history, it's all about coming together. Learn your history so we repeat it. In this case, learn it so you can repeat it. We keep coming back stronger and harder."Jennifer TillySee on Instagram"Be steadfast. Be strong and be fabulous. When times are tough, be even more fabulous than you normally are and that'll get you through everything."Chris ColferSee on Instagram"Never give up the fight. Just remember to have as much fun and joy as possible, because that is the best revenge."Kevin McHaleSee on Instagram"Check on your brothers and sisters and keep each other close. We gotta stick together through this. We've done a lot of things historically and it's only because we've all stuck together."Dexter MayfieldSee on Instagram"We cannot let them steal our joy. We cannot let them steal our existence. We're here. We're queer. We're trans. We're all of the above. It's going to be a fight of resistance through existence. You can't erase us in any way shape, form, or fashion. Enough is enough."Mont X ChangeSee on Instagram"We get to choose our family. We can lean on each other and trust in each other in the families that we build."Bobby BerkSee on Instagram"The haters are loud, but the people who love you far outnumber them."Justin TranterSee on Instagram"I came out of the closet in 1994 in the Midwest, 40 miles outside of Chicago across the street from a pig farm. If I could find joy being queer then, we have to find joy being queer now."

You may have heard about lesbian boyfriends, but have you been introduced to the idea of lesbian husbands?Bachelor Nation alum and Traitors star Gabby Windey made headlines this week when she announced that she and Robby Hoffman had quietly gotten married in Las Vegas at the start of the year."Husband and wife!!" she captioned her Instagram post of wedding pics. Meanwhile, Hoffmans own announcement read, "Ya boy off the market for life," and "I love my wife !!!!"See on InstagramWhile the overwhelming response was pure excitement and congratulations directed at the happy couple, some people paid particular note to the word choices they each used for themselves and for one another. So, what is a lesbian husband? (@) People use the term "lesbian husband" in a few different ways. Sometimes you may see it in reference to men who are more in touch with their feminine side, or even deployed in a similar manner as "work wife." But the most common usage is the simplest one a woman married to another woman.Isn't that a wife? you might wonder. Sure. But the discourse surrounding "lesbian boyfriends" was a reminder that LGBTQ+ people have always played around with both gender norms and gendered terms. A person doesnt have to use he/him pronouns to be referred to as a boyfriend or a husband the term just has to feel right.Part of this is based in heteronormativity and the ways in which queer couples took precautions with their word choices so as to protect themselves in previous eras. But for many in modern times, its not quite that serious. Some queer women just feel more comfortable being referred to by masculine terms, even if their gender identity isnt male. And sometimes, "husband" (or "boyfriend") is used on the occasional playful occasion, with "wife" (or "girlfriend") remaining in the rotation.As with anything surrounding labels, there are people both within and outside of the LGBTQ+ community who take issue with the idea that someone can be both a lesbian and a husband. Fortunately for them, what other people call one another has little to no impact on their lives. For everyone who does enjoy masc labels or staking a claim on heteronormative terms, describing queer women as boyfriends or husbands is here to stay.putting my two cents in about this whole lesbian boyfriend dialogue - i love my lesbian boyfriend so much i proposed to them so they can be my lesbian husband caitie (@bcaitie.bsky.social) January 3, 2025 at 3:54 PM"putting my two cents in about this whole lesbian boyfriend dialogue - i love my lesbian boyfriend so much i proposed to them so they can be my lesbian husband"the heterosexual mind cannot comprehend the way I love being a lesbian wife with a lesbian husband L (they/them) (@lesbianicedlatte.bsky.social) February 20, 2025 at 7:37 AM"the heterosexual mind cannot comprehend the way I love being a lesbian wife with a lesbian husband" (@) "would a lesbian boyfriend walk around the neighborhood on an extremely windy day to pick up little treasures from his neighbors to decorate his little home he shares with his honeybun? no, but a lesbian husband, such as myself, would do it again." (@) "my lesbian husband, 1999!!" (@) "a lesbian husband with slight mommy issues. i love them"

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has taken controversial steps to censor certain historical records, marking 26,000 images and online posts in response to former President Donald Trumps executive order aiming to combat diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This large-scale move has drawn significant criticism, especially after one of the entries targeted for removal was a photoSource

The case of Andrey Kotov, a Russian travel agent who was found dead in custody in December, is set to proceed to trial. Kotov, who was arrested in late November 2023 for allegedly organizing tours for queer people, was charged with participating in and organizing the activities of an extremist community under a law that outlawed the so-called international LGBT movement in Russia.Source

Flags fly outside the United Nations headquarters Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Jennifer Peltz, File)2025-03-07T22:01:59Z UNITED NATIONS (AP) In 2015, then-President Barack Obama committed the United States to achieving newly adopted U.N. global goals by 2030, including ending poverty, achieving gender equality and urgently tackling climate change. The Trump administration now says it rejects and denounces the goals.The U.S. renunciation was one of the first if not the first by any country of the 17 goals that were adopted unanimously by all 193 U.N. member nations, with the aim of eliminating global hunger, protecting the planet, ensuring prosperity for all people, and promoting peace.The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, also include providing clean water and sanitation for all people and quality education for every child, while promoting good health and decent work and economic growth for everyone.The Trump administrations announcement was buried in remarks on a General Assembly resolution on the International Day of Peaceful Coexistence this week by Edward Heartney, a minister-counselor at the U.S. mission to the United Nations. Heartney said that while framed in neutral language, the goals and the U.N. agenda for 2030 advance a program of soft global governance that is inconsistent with U.S. sovereignty and adverse to the rights and interests of Americans. In last Novembers election that gave President Donald Trump a second term, he said, globalist endeavors like Agenda 2030 and the SDGs lost at the ballot box to the U.S. government focusing first and foremost on Americans. President Trump also set a clear and overdue course correction on `gender and climate ideology, which pervade the SDGs, Heartney said.Trump has said the U.S. government will only recognize two sexes, male and female, and spoken out against transgender people and rights. The SDGs stress that they apply to everyone, everywhere, and will leave no one behind, but they do not specifically mention LGBTQ people. As for climate, Trump has promoted more oil and gas drilling and he withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 landmark Paris climate agreement to combat global warming, and said he would take the U.S. out of other climate pacts. The SDGs call for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, noting that planet Earth is standing at the brink of climate calamity. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, responding to the U.S. announcement, said all 193 U.N. member states voted in 2015 for the SDGs and agreed to work together to deliver the 2030 Agenda, which is the path to bridging divides, restoring trust and building solidarity.It continues to be the U.N.s guiding principles to advance a world of peace, prosperity and dignity for all and a better, healthier, safer and more prosperous and sustainable future, he said.After Trumps first election in November 2016 on an America First platform, the U.S. also opposed multilateral solutions, but it didnt disavow the SDGs. It just ignored them.Following Joe Bidens election to the presidency in 2020, the U.S. renewed support for the SDGs, reporting to Congress on how the United States was contributing to achieving the 17 goals.___On the Web: https://sdgs.un.org/goals RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Actor Gene Hackman with wife Betsy Arakawa in June 1993. (AP Photo, File)2025-03-07T22:21:41Z Gene Hackmans wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection, officials in New Mexico announced Friday. Hantavirus, found throughout the world, is spread by contact with rodents or their urine or feces. It does not spread between people. The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.The vast majority of U.S. cases since then have been in western states, especially the southwest. Between 1993 and 2022, there were 864 reported U.S. cases. New Mexico had the highest number over that time, at 122, followed by Colorado at 119. Symptoms start one to eight weeks after exposure, and initially can include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, according to the CDC. As the disease progresses, symptoms can include coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest as the lungs fill with fluid. About a third of people who develop respiratory symptoms from the disease can die, the CDC says. The best way to avoid the germ is to minimize contact with rodents and their droppings. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

A number of AI video generators, mostly released by Chinese companies, lack the most basic guardrails that prevent people from generating nonconsensual nudity and pornography, and are already widely used for that exact purpose in online communities dedicated to creating and sharing that type of content.A 404 Media investigation into these AI video generators show that the same kind of ecosystem thats developed around AI image generators and nonconsensual content has already been replicated around AI video generators, meaning that only a single image of someone is now required to create a short nonconsensual adult video of them. Most of these videos are created by abusing mainstream tools from companies with millions of dollars in venture capital funding, and are extremely easy to produce, requiring only a reference image and a text prompt describing a sexual act. Other tools use more complicated workflows that require more technical expertise, but are based on technology produced by some of the biggest tech companies in the world. The latter are free to use, and have attracted a large community of hobbyists who produced guides for these workflows, as well as tools and models that make those videos easier to produce.[These AI video generators] need to put in safeguards to prevent the prompting and creation of NCII [nonconsensual intimate images], Hany Farid, a professor at UC Berkeley and one of the worlds leading experts on synthetic media, told me in an email. OpenAIs DALL-E, for example, has some pretty good semantic guardrails on the user prompt input, and image filtering on the image output to prevent the widespread misuse of their image generator. This type of output filtering is relatively standard now and used in many social media platforms like Facebook/Instagram/YouTube to limit the uploading of NSFW content.Do you know anything else about people abusing AI tools? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at emanuel.404. Otherwise, send me an email at emanuel@404media.co.

A leading French university is inviting American scientists who fear their research on subjects like climate might be censored by Donald Trumps administration to do their work in France.The program is called safe place for science, and will provide 15 million Euros in funding for some 15 researchers over a 3-year period, Clara Bufi, a spokesperson for Aix Marseille University, told me in an email. It targets, but is not limited to, climate and environment, health, and human and social sciences.A press release from Aix Marseille University today said that the program is for American scientists who may feel threatened or hindered in their research, and is dedicated to welcoming scientists wishing to pursue their work in an environment conducive to innovation, excellence and academic freedom.Are you doing research that's compromised by the Trump Executive Orders? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at emanuel.404. Otherwise, send me an email at emanuel@404media.co.

LGBTQ+ mental health challenges are at an all-time high.From rejection and trauma to political attacks and inadequate health care access, the community faces disproportionate struggles.In honor ofLGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week, News is Out is hosting avirtual event on March 18 at 3:00 p.m. PT / 6:00 p.m. ETto help you prioritize mental wellness. Tune into our Facebook and Youtube Live channels to participate. Well be joined bymental health professionals and advocatesto discuss the unique challenges facing LGBTQ+ individuals and share practical tools for support and resilience. Hear from experts in the field Get your questions answered live Learn strategies to support yourself and others Take part in a live guided meditationStay tuned for special guest announcements and resources. Your mental wellness matters. Dont miss this important conversation!Register now to receive a reminder of the event. The post Prioritizing LGBTQ+ mental health: Free virtual event on March 18 appeared first on News Is Out.

Before embarking on his weekly 2,000-mile trip as a truck driver, Derric Schmid sets up his smart TV and preps meals in bulk like ham and potatoes.To some, long hours on the road away from family and friends sounds grueling. But for Schmid, its his way of life.I love the freedom, Schmid said. I get paid to go see the country. Ive spent New Years Eve in New Orleans, Ive spent it in St. Louis and this year I spent Christmas out in California exploring.Schmid is the vice president and senior diversity officer ofLGBTQ+ Truck Driver Network(TDN), a nonprofit he runs with founder Bobby Coffey-Loy. TDN aims to foster inclusivity and safety in the truck driving industry by building a supportive network of allies and queer truckers.Photo: Derric SchmidThe organization vets companies (Schmid says he calls 50-100 per week) to understand which are committed to creating safe spaces for drivers of all backgrounds. Schmid and Coffey-Loy also host the Big Gay Trucker Podcast, where they interview people who need advice or want to discuss taboo topics.Coffey-Loy said meeting people from different walks of life, including trans people recovering from surgeries while on the road, inspired him to create TDN.It just opened me up to a whole group of people that just needed representation, Coffey-Loy said. There are groups out there on [social media] pages, but nobody actually took it as far as a nonprofit organization.Coffey-Loy drives with his partner of 17 years, Ricky, for a company called Luna Lines. Together they drive about 6,000 miles a week, taking turns sleeping or keeping one another company. On Monday, they typically start a load in Jacksonville and then drive to New Mexico, Chicago, Baltimore, Tennessee and end up back home in Palm Coast, Fla., by Friday. They even pay for all their gas and food while on the road.Doing a weekly cross-country road trip in tight quarters with your partner can be trying, and Coffey-Loy will be the first to admit that: Your partner is someone that knows how to push your buttons faster than anybody else, he laughed.But he also said starting truck driving together eight years ago is what made him and his husband closer. Before driving, he said it felt like life and jobs sometimes got in the way of their relationship. Going to trucking school together and being able to support each other on the road over the years has sparked a different kind of connection in their lives.We didnt want to be apart from each other, so thats what made trucking work for us, he said.For both Schmid and Coffey-Loy, truck driving runs in the family. Schmid, whos been driving trucks for almost 24 years and with TDN for more than two, calls Jonestown, Pa., home a borough with a 2023 population of 1,645. He had three uncles and a grandfather who were truck drivers.Photo: Rickey (left) and Bobby (right) Coffey-LoyCoffey-Loy, born and raised in West Virginia, said his father and grandfather were truck drivers.Continuing family tradition is respectable enough, but Coffey-Loys mission of creating a safe and supportive space for those in the industry was unique; it was difficult for his parents to accept his identity when he first came out.Coffey-Loys parents passed away 11 months apart last year. He said they learned to grow to love him for who he was. When TDN started up, they became mom and dad to everyone, and even invited people with no familial structure to move in with them.At get-togethers, his dad called everyone sweetie or honey to be respectful since he didnt know how everyone identified.What theyve taught me is, if they can change their mind and they can accept everybody, anybody can, Coffey-Loy said. I will cherish it forever. I miss them every day.And the impact of this lesson has been tried and true. TDN attended the Mid-America Trucking Show despite receiving death threats and facing extra security measures yet they ran through dozens of handouts before their station even opened. Another year, they handed out condoms to promote safe sex on the road and were met with backlash yet they went through a whole box on the first day.We didnt want to be apart from each other, so thats what made trucking work for us.Bobby Coffey-LoyThe team behind TDN may be small about eight people but Schmid said their reach is wide. Thousands of people visit their social media pages from around the world and connect with each other, including a vocal German bus driver and a man from Africa trying to create more queer visibility in his area.Coffey-Loy said many people contact him directly for support. There was a straight man who called who had trouble balancing his home life and truck driving hours and expressed suicidal thoughts. The man said he saw Coffey-Loys number and needed someone to talk to.Moments like those are why Coffey-Loy emphasizes that the organization is there to support everyone, not solely the LGBTQ community. He recalled a bonfire gathering where people of different backgrounds and identities laughed and talked as friends.Its why you do what you do, Coffey-Loy said.Although TDN has given many people a family away from home, it doesnt make losing time with family and friends any easier. Coffey-Loy missed a family members funeral in West Virginia because he was in New Mexico and couldnt abandon his load.He had already been buried before I could get back, he said.Its a different way of life, but its not an impossible one. Schmid calls his mom and stepfather every morning and his mom again in the evenings. He gets on group calls with friends and TDN members. On weekends, Schmid sees some friends in person for dinners, and is able to visit with his family.Truck driving may mean frequently saying goodbye to close people in his life, but it also opens the door to new connections around the country: I got friends in every state, Schmid said.Although hes constantly traveling, Coffey-Loy always feels at home. Its those nights driving, with nothing but the roaring hum of the road filling the silence while his husband sleeps behind him, that fulfill him.Even though you miss so much of your everyday life, theres something about trucking that is so freeing, Coffey-Loy said. The road can be so loud in your life, and it has a way to really sort out things. Its like therapy for me.The post Beyond the highway: How LGBTQ+ truck drivers are paving the way for change appeared first on News Is Out.

MSNBC has announced that joining Jacqueline Alemany are Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels , who will co-anchor the networks newly expanded weekend program, The Weekend, making Capehart and Daniels the first out Black gay men to co-host a cable news program. Launching in late April, The Weekend will air live from Washington, D.C. from 7 [...]The post Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels Make LGBTQ History at MSNBC first appeared on GLAAD.

On March 4, for the second time since the start of the 2025 state legislative session, over 200 hundred LGBTQ Georgians and their allies descended on the State Capitol in downtown Atlanta as at least seven anti-LGBTQ bills inched closer to becoming law. Pride to the Capitol included more than a dozen LGBTQ equality groups [...]The post LGBTQ Advocates Rally, Resist Tsunami of Anti-Trans Hate at Pride To The Capitol first appeared on GLAAD.

The third season of The Traitors made reality TV star Gabby Windey a household name and an instant lesbian icon, but the announcement that the former Bachelorette just got married in a secret Las Vegas wedding made us curious about who won her heart.Earlier this week, Windey married her girlfriend, Robby Hoffman, who is both a comedian and television writer, but since she hasnt spent the last decade on reality TV the way Windey has, most people dont know who she is. And a crying shame because Hoffman has a darkly sarcastic wit, a deadpan delivery, and talks openly about her sexuality, gender identity, and relationship with Windey. But who is Robby Hoffman and why should you be falling in love with her just like Windey?Who is Robby HoffmanIf you're a lover of comedy, you need to know who Robby Hoffman is. Hoffman is an award-winning TV writer and stand-up comic who has written for shows like Workin Moms, The Chris Gethard Show, Baroness Von Sketch Show, and Odd Squad, for which she scored a Daytime Emmy. She was named Comic to Watch in 2020 by the New York Comedy Festival and has an hour-long comedy special called Im Nervous on Just for Laughs' YouTube channel.The comic was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., but was raised in Montreal, Canada by a single mother. Hoffman, who grew up in a Hasidic Jewish family with nine siblings, now considers herself to be ex-Hasidic but describes herself as both very Jewish and very gay, Hey Alma reports.Hoffman is currently working on writing a comedy for Showtime and A24 thats loosely based on her own life, called Rivkah, Cosmo reports. The TV show will be about her life as a genderqueer woman living in LA and her youth spent living in the closet within a Hasidic Jewish community.See on InstagramWhat pronouns does Robby Hoffman use?Hoffman is a genderqueer woman, who has had top surgery, and uses she/her pronouns. While on an episode of Long Winded with Gabby Windey, Hoffman described getting top surgery as being way better than she ever thought it could be.How did Robby Hoffman and Gabby Windey meet?Hoffman started dating The Traitors star Gabby Windey back in 2023 after the pair met outside a bar. Windey came out on The View by announcing she was in a relationship with a woman and then the went Instagram official in August 2023 and moved in together the following year. The cute couple tied the knot in Las Vegas on January 11, 2025, but kept their nuptials secret until March 5, when they did an interview about the wedding with Cosmopolitan.How did Robby Hoffman propose to Gabby Windey?The couple was staying in a penthouse in Las Vegas when they decided to get married, but it was Hoffman who ultimately proposed in the cutest and nerdiest way imaginable.I had a friend make a crossword, Hoffman revealed to Comso. I gave him the clues and the answers, and I said it had to say, WILL YOU MARRY ME, GABBY.Luckily, Windey said yes and they got married in an intimate and very Sapphic ceremony where the couple danced to Chappell Roans Hot To Go.Has Robby Hoffman talked about intimacy?When giving advice to a caller on her wifes podcast Long Winded with Gabby Windey about top surgery and dealing with dysphoria while strapping, Hoffman said, I like to top and to strap, but I dont have rhythmic sensibility about me, I know people have seen me dance or my version of dance she said before saying that getting top surgery helped her feel more confident int he bedroom but it wasnt the main reason she got it done. She went on to say, Sex for me is so mental, if Im strapping and I want to feel more masc, I get that. You just want to feel as much you as you can when youre doing sex because its so intimate.

To the very end, The Traitors season three gave us everything we wanted. First of all, our lesbian queen Gabby Windey being among the winners (alongside Dylan Efron, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, and Dolores Catania) was a redemption moment for a season that saw the straight bros targeting the queer folks in a way that felt uncomfortable, to say the least. Still, it also gave audiences a chance to see Bob the Drag Queen dominating well, when it came to entertaining moments that is the competition. And her reunion performance? Perfection. (@) Always quick with a one-liner and a read, the peak moment of the reunion featured Bob facing off against Real Housewives stars Dorinda Medley and Chanel Ayan, when they tried to come for Bob and instead got a lesson in literacy.The rivalry began as soon as Ayan walked in, parading her, admittedly fabulous, look in front of Bob as an attempt to shade her, only to have Bob casually respond, "a close second." (@) But the drama truly kicked off with Medley attempting to guilt and shame Bob for simply playing the game, and doing so unremorsefully.I was very sad that I got murdered but the whole thing [you said after] that I was mad, I can promise you I didnt think about it. Theres nothing to be mad about. I was very sad, Dorinda said, adding that she called reunion host Andy Cohen after the fact to cry, literally. I liked you and I really wanted to get to know you. So this negativity after the fact was really unfortunate.Speaking with PRIDE prior to the season airing, Bob confessed she wasn't familiar with the cast when she met them on the first day of taping. "The truth is, I didn't know who any of them were! I did not know a single one of those people and I'm not being shady. That's just me being honest!" she admitted. During the reunion, Bob doubled down, telling Medley. I dont know any of these people. Youre the only one taking that personally, she said as the Real Housewives star continued to speak over her. Are you capable of not talking while I am talking? said Bob, to which Cohen hilariously cosigned, She doesnt like to be on pause, in a reference to Medley having been put on pause during her tenure on The Real Housewives of New York, eliciting gasps and cracked faces from the rest of the cast. (@) I assure you Dorinda and this is no shade to anyone here I have never, ever had to try to make someone else diminish so that I could have stage time or screen time. No shade, I have been a star on every TV show I've ever been on, concluded Bob.This led to Ayan jumping in accusing Bob of being jealous because she was the funniest and most fabulous person on the show. To which Bob hilariously clapped back, When your comedy special comes out Ill be the first one to watch it. I already have two out right now.Murdered. By. Words. Or as fellow castmate Bob Harper puts it, This reunion show is so good right now.Harper is correct. Its juicy, it's punchy, its quintessentially Bob the Drag Queen. But what stands out more than anything is just how incredibly queer it is. This moment, this season, and all the joys, laughs, triumphs, drama, and excitement quite literally could not have happened without the impact of queer people and queer culture. Housewives as the cultural juggernaut it is would not exist without the influence of our producer turned The Traitors reunion host Cohen and the legions of queer fans who have celebrated and elevated the Housewives franchise. (@) Then of course there is BTDQ herself, sitting here in all her fabulous unapologetic nonbinary queerness, in the first chair no less. Why does that matter? Its because that placement signifies her centrality to the drama. It also serves as a reminder of what we have to lose should those calling for queer silence and erasure have their way.But they wont, because no matter how many metaphorical Boston Rob's try to take us out, we will prevail. We are not going anywhere.

Emmy and Tony Award winner Neil Patrick Harris has been cast in the highly anticipated Showtime series Dexter: Resurrection, which will serve as a follow-up to the 2021 series Dexter: New Blood. Harris will guest star as the character Lowell, adding to an already star-studded ensemble. Production for Dexter: Resurrection began in January in New York City, with the series slated to premiere thisSource

California Gov. Gavin Newsom stirred controversy on Thursday by expressing his belief that it is deeply unfair for transgender women and girls to compete in female sports, marking a sharp departure from the stance held by most of his fellow Democrats. His comments, made during a 71-minute interview on his new podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom, drew both criticism and support as he addressed theSource

New York City Mayor Eric Adams attends an event at the NYPD's 40th precinct, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)2025-03-07T05:15:04Z NEW YORK (AP) A judge has no choice but to grant the Justice Departments unusual and divisive request to dismiss New York City Mayor Eric Adams corruption case, a court-appointed lawyer said Friday. But he recommended that prosecutors be barred from ever reviving the charges so they dont hang over Adams like the proverbial Sword of Damocles.Paul Clement, who represented the federal government before the Supreme Court as President George W. Bushs solicitor general, delivered the recommendation to Manhattan federal Judge Dale E. Ho in papers filed two weeks after Ho appointed him to provide neutral advice on the case.In a written submission, Clement told Ho that there was ample reason to dismiss the prosecution without granting the Justice Departments request to be able to refile them after this years mayoral election, which would leave a prospect that hangs like the proverbial Sword of Damocles over the accused. He added: Such an ongoing prospect of re-indictment is particularly problematic when it comes to the sensitive task of prosecuting public officials. There is an inherent risk that once an indictment has been procured, the prospect of re-indictment could create the appearance, if not the reality, that the actions of a public official are being driven by concerns about staying in the good graces of the federal executive, rather than the best interests of his constituents. Ho appointed Clement after Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove defended the request at a hearing, saying they came too close to Adams reelection campaign and would distract the mayor from assisting the Trump administrations law-and-order priorities. Bove had suggested the charges could be reinstated after the election if the new permanent U.S. attorney decided it was appropriate.In a filing late Friday signed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Bove, the government continued to maintain that the judge should allow reinstatement of the charges in the future. They also cited text messages exchanged by prosecutors who worked on the case a result of an investigation of the Adams prosecution team that Bove disclosed two weeks ago and suggested that they would reference those materials if Ho conducts a hearing, saying any additional inquiry will not reflect well on Manhattan prosecutors.Among the subjects addressed in the text messages, prosecutors discussed how to react to recent public statements about political corruption by former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who stepped down late last year.The filing came on the same day that two prosecutors who worked on the Adams case Celia Cohen and Andrew Rohrbach were placed on leave while the internal probe of the Adams prosecution continued, according to a person with knowledge of the action. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak publicly. Messages sent to Cohen and Rohrbach for comment were not returned Friday. Two other prosecutors on the case had already been placed on leave and one has resigned. The government also was expected to file papers soon in response to a recent request by lawyers for Adams asking that the charges be dismissed with prejudice, meaning they could not be refiled. That request is pending.Adams was indicted in September and accused of accepting over $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and travel perks from a Turkish official and others seeking to buy influence while he was Brooklyn borough president. He has pleaded not guilty and insisted he is innocent.Ho has said that oral arguments, if necessary, could occur next week on the government request to dismiss the indictment.Bove initially directed then-interim U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon to request dismissal, but she refused, telling Attorney General Pam Bondi in a Feb. 12 letter as she offered to resign that she could not agree to seek a dismissal driven by improper considerations.She said the indictment was brought nine months before New Yorks June Democratic mayoral primary, consistent with longstanding Justice Department policy regarding election-year sensitivities, and the threat of possibly refiling the charges amounted to using the criminal process to control the behavior of a political figure. Besides Sassoon, whose resignation was accepted by Bove the day after her letter, six prosecutors, including five high-ranking ones at the Justice Department, resigned before Bove made the dismissal request himself, along with two other Washington prosecutors.In his recommendation to Ho, Clement observed that the Justice Departments move to end the case precipitated a series of resignations and unusual public disclosures concerning internal deliberations about the case and the decision to seek dismissal.Suffice it to say that those materials raised material questions concerning both the initial decision to pursue the indictment and the subsequent decision to seek dismissal, he wrote. MICHAEL R. SISAK Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement and courts in New York City, including former President Donald Trumps criminal and civil cases and problems plaguing the federal prison system. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The Christmas photo of the Ken Martin family, from left, Barbara, 7; Ken, Barbara, Sue, 4; Donald, 21; and Virginia, 6; in Portland, Ore., in December 1952. (Ken Martin family via AP, File)2025-03-07T19:56:01Z After two days of dredging, a crane on Friday pulled a Ford station wagon from the Columbia River that officials believe belonged to an Oregon family who disappeared while on a trip 66 years ago to collect Christmas greenery.The vehicle came apart in the process and only the frame with wheels attached came out as the crane lifted it out of the water. The body, which was visible in diving videos, came off the frame in the retrieval process, which started about 3:44 p.m. Friday and took about 10 minutes. The car will be wrapped and sent to a warehouse where a forensic team will try to learn more about its owners, said Pete Hughes, a Hood River County Sheriffs deputy. But officials felt certain the found the car they were looking for, he said.Everything matches, he said. It appears to be the color, make and model of the Martin vehicle, Hughes said. The search for the Martin family was a national news story at the time and led some to speculate about the possibility of foul play, with a $1,000 reward offered for information. Where do you search if youve already searched every place logic and fragmentary clues would suggest? an Associated Press article wondered in 1959, months after the disappearance. Two of the familys children were found in the river later that year, though the remaining members never turned up.Salvage efforts were called off just before dark on Thursday and resumed early Friday as crews tried to clear mud that buried much of the car. The station wagon thought to belong to Ken and Barbara Martin was found last fall by Archer Mayo, a diver who had been looking for it for seven years, said Mayos representative, Ian Costello. Mayo pinpointed the likely location and dove several times before finding the car upside-down about 50 feet (15 meters) deep, covered in mud, salmon guts, silt and mussel shells, Costello said. This is a very big development in a case thats been on the back of Portlands mind for 66 years, Costello told The Associated Press.Mayo found other cars nearby, Costello said. Hughes, the Hood River County sheriffs deputy, said one car had been previously identified and the second was an unknown Volkswagen. The Martins took their daughters Barbara, 14; Virginia, 13; and Sue, 11 on a ride to the mountains on Dec. 7, 1958, to collect Christmas greenery, according to AP stories from the time. The children left the Sunday newspaper comics scattered about. Dishes remained in the sink and a load of laundry in the washing machine.They never returned. Officials narrowed their search for the family after learning that Ken Martin had used a credit card to buy gas at a station near Cascade Locks, a small Columbia River community about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Portland.Police have speculated that Martins red and white station wagon might have plunged into an isolated canyon or river, the AP reported. The credit card purchase was the only thing to pinpoint the familys movements.A waitress reported seeing a family that could have been the Martins at the Paradise Snack Bar, east of Cascade Locks, just before sunset. The family had been out looking for a Christmas tree. They ordered hamburgers, fries, milk and dessert. It came to $4.15. Five months after their disappearance, the body of the youngest daughter was found bobbing in a Columbia River slough, according to the AP. The body of Susan apparently floated free of the wreckage in the spring current and was washed to a back water slough near Camas, Washington, the AP wrote.Virginia Martins body was found the next day about 25 miles (40 kilometers) upstream from where her sisters was located. The other family members were never found, but the search continued.The Martins had a 28-year-old son, Don, who was a Marine veteran and graduate student at Columbia University in New York at the time and told the AP he believed his family was dead. Its been a high public interest case, Hughes told the AP on Thursday. After Mayo provided part of the license plate number and other vehicle identifiers, the sheriffs office and the Columbia Gorge major crimes team, along with the Oregon State Crime Lab, arranged to have the car pulled out, he said. Mayo runs a business that finds things that were lost in the river, like watches and rings, but also helps with the recovery of drowning victims, Costello said. He had been looking for a research vessel that sank in 2017 when he learned about the Martin family, Costello said.Mayo began digging up material on the family and used modeling to pinpoint the possible location, he said.___Associated Press journalists Sarit Hand and Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this report. MARTHA BELLISLE Bellisle is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Washington state. She reports on a range of topics, including police accountability, police training and mental health. She also has covered the Winter Olympics. twitter mailto

A game created with AI in just 30 minutes is generating more than $50,000 a month, its creator claimsand could be a peek at how AI can, and cant, change game design in the future.fly.pieter.com, an in-browser fun free-to-play MMO flight sim made with AI was made by Pieter Levels, who amassed a huge online following for pioneering the practice of quickly developing and launching software and startups with the help of AI. As he explains in his X bio, All my websites/apps/startups/projects are built by just me with vanilla HTML, JS with jQuery, PHP and SQLite. I'm very fast with my own little stack. I don't collaborate with other people and prefer shipping fast by myself.This is sometimes referred to as vibe coding, which generally means being less methodical and detail oriented, telling the AI tool what you want, and getting it to work without worrying about the code base being messy.

A team of volunteer archivists has recreated the Centers for Disease Control website exactly as it was the day Donald Trump was inaugurated. The site, called RestoredCDC.org, went live Tuesday and is currently being hosted in Europe.As we have been following since the beginning of Trumps second term, websites across the entire federal government have been altered and taken offline under this administrations war on science, health, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Critical information promoting vaccines, HIV care, reproductive health options including abortion, and trans and gender confirmation healthcare have been purged from the CDCs live website under Trump. Disease surveillance data about bird flu and other concerns have either been delayed or have stopped being updated entirely. Some deleted pages across the government have at least temporarily been restored thanks to a court order, but the Trump administration has added a note rejecting gender ideology to some of them.Restored CDC isnt going to have continuous updates on this type of healthcare and disease guidance, but it has brought back all of the critical data that was purged in an easy to use, easy to navigate, and fast website. Other critical archiving projects, including the End of Term Archive, have saved government websites more broadly, but many website archives are slow to use and difficult to navigate because things like interactive elements and internal linking can sometimes be wonky. Some archives require users to download files to navigate them on their own computers, for example. Archives on the Internet Archives Wayback Machine are a great public service, but depending on the snapshot, they can be slow to load and some elements may be broken. Using RestoredCDC.org, meanwhile, is like using any other website, and the team hopes that the pages will be indexed by Google so they will be easily discoverable on search engines.On other archives, The individual pages are archived, but links between them are broken and the pages are not easy to locate through web searches, the team behind RestoredCDC wrote.Therefore, we will re-build the links between the pages, to create a site that can be navigated the same way as the pre-January 21, 2025 CDC site, they wrote. The only changes we will make on these pages is to add a header that indicates that this site is not a CDC website. Because of the complex navigation between pages, we will also include a button to report problems in this header. Our goal is to provide a mirror site that provides the same information and user experience as the previous CDC website.In a Reddit post on the DataHoarders subreddit, one of the developers of RestoredCDC said that the website was made using archived pages created by that community, and that the website is hosted in Europe.Our goal is to provide a resource that includes the information and data previously available, the team wrote. We are committed to providing the previously available webpages and data, from before the potential tampering occurred. Our approach is to be as transparent as possible about our process. We plan to gather archival data and then remove CDC logos and branding, using GitHub to host our code to create the site.

The closest Ive been to a gun is in the video gamePUBG, where my character a guy with a chiseled face and six-pack abs who dresses like a survivalist can carry up to three weapons as well as many Molotov cocktails and grenades as can fit in a backpack.My favorite gun in the game is the Lynx AMR, a slick black sniper rifle thatll knock out an opponent with one shot to the head and have four more bullets left before reloading.The characters not queer, but I am. And they remind me how, even as a queer cisgender dude, Im still vulnerable to hate crimes. In fact, the numbers of hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people continue to rise, according to theFBIs annual report released in September 2024.The report showed that for the second year in a row, more than one in five of any type of hate crime was motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias. According to the report, there were 2,402 recorded incidents relating to an alleged victims sexual orientation in 2023, up from 1,947 the year before, and 547 relating to an alleged victims gender identity, compared with 469 the year before.The gender identity category included 401 instances that were specifically anti-transgender and 146 that targeted someone who was gender nonconforming.Its clear,according to recent news articles,that more and more LGBTQ+ people are realizing how vulnerable they are, leading to more andmoreLGBTQ+ people having taken interestin firearms training since President Donald Trump was elected.LGBTQ+ people especially transgender people have been afrequent target for Trump. And within hours of his inauguration in January,Trump had begun issuing executive ordersrolling back their civil rights.The same claims, of course, were written about in 2020, 2022 and 2023. Because there is little conclusive data about LGBTQ+ gun owners, the stories make the sudden interest in firearms looks like a new phenomenon.Among the few studies on the subject is a 2020 study inthe journalViolence and Genderfocused on LGB peoples views on gun safety and ownership. (Survey respondents were not give the options of identifying as transgender or gender non-binary.) Researchers found more bisexual women and lesbians reported more likely to own guns than gay and bisexual men. But that only focuses on dangers to the LGBTQ+ community, while the current wave of news stories imply LGBTQ+ people who own guns are solely interested in self-defense.University of Texas sociologist and researcher Thatcher Combs established himself as a rockstar on the topic of LGBTQ+ gun ownership with his 2022 dissertationQueers Bash Back: LGBTQ Gun Owners and Queer(ing?) Politics in the United States.Combs, who is transgender, breaks through the idea that guns are just for self-defense and that those of a more liberal bent are always against gun ownership. He notes research shows three primary reasons for gun ownership: for recreation and hunting, collecting and self-defense. But at the same time, in response to attacks such as thePulse nightclub mass shootingin June 2016, the LGBTQ+ movements grassroots positioned itself in favor of stricter civilian gun access.We see a paradox: People who take the side associated with the right when it comes to guns but who are simultaneously enveloped within the larger political and social LGBT community, Combs writes, and a movement that tends to lean left on many sociopolitical issues, especially firearms.(He distinguishes LGBT, which is represented by mainstream organizations and beliefs, from LGBTQ, which excludes gender non-binary, queer and asexual people, among others.)Andy Nold, a gay man in Arlington, Texas, doesnt associate guns with sexual orientation but instead with family. He grew up in West Texas, where gun ownership is as embedded in culture as Friday night football. His family owns guns. Going to a gun range was a family outing.While he declined to say whether he owns guns himself, he said he knows plenty of LGBTQ gun owners.I know transgender people who carry, he said. Theyve gotten threatened and beat up.Pink Pistolsis a group of LGBTQ+ and allied gun owners with around 45 chapters across the United States, including in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. They have two mottos: Pick on someone your own caliber, and Armed queers dont get bashed.The name comes froma 2000Salonarticle by libertarian Jonathan Rauch, who wrote homosexuals should embark on organized efforts to become comfortable with guns, learn to use them safely and carry them, suggesting they call themselves Pink Pistols task forces.Erin Palette, the organizations national coordinator, is a transgender lesbian who describes herself as pro-gun, pro-queer and libertarian. She also foundedOperation Blazing Sword, which connects anyone interested in firearms, primarily queer people, with licensed instructors. One of the goals is to demonstrate that gun owners do not hate LGBTQ people, and, in fact, want them able to protect themselves from violence.The Pink Pistols are the most explicitly LGBTQ+-aligned gun group. Others, like the leftistJohn Brown Gun Club (JBGC), a left-wing anti-fascist organization, and Socialist Rifle Association are LGBTQ-friendly.In 2023, members of theElm Fork chapterof the John Brown Gun Club stood outside ofTulips FTW, a music venue in the Near Southside neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas, because of a drag show. They werent there to protest the show but instead to counter far-right protestors, including Christian Nationalists, who had taken to bullying drag queens and alleging LGBTQ people are grooming kids.Each JBGC operates independently but share an ethos. As one JBGC membertoldRolling Stone, We are a response. We exist as a response to violence.Photo: Tanya Harper-ColucciTanya Harper-Colucci understands the need for self-defense. But she takes a different approach. Her wife wanted to get her concealed handgun license after a few uncomfortable experiences. She decided to accompany friend who was going to purchase a gun.But Harper-Colucci had no plan to get one.I wasnt anti-gun. I just didnt see the need for one, said the Bluffton, S.C., personal development coach and mindfulness expert.Then she got involved during training.I fell in love with shooting, she said. I found it meditative.Harper-Colucci eventually became a licensed instructor. Then she saw an opportunity to expand her practice. In February, she launchedSacred Warrior Movement, a business integrating her mindfulness practice, healing and firearms training for women and LGBTQ+ people new to shooting.The goal is to empower the community and take a holistic approach to firearms training, she said.She now owns five guns and regularly competes. And she hopes her students will eventually become like her: responsible gun owners who like to shoot, collect and compete.The post The rise of LGBTQ+ gun ownership: Safety, politics and identity appeared first on News Is Out.

The Trump White House has announced special guests at the address to Congress who will attempt to continue the administrations unprecedented campaign targeting transgender people. The facts are: Records show January Littlejohn of Tallahassee, Florida, worked with the school district to support her nonbinary child before Littlejohn sued the district with lawyers from a national [...]The post Fact Sheet: Opponents of Transgender People Invited as White House Special Guests Used to Further Spread Disinformation first appeared on GLAAD.

Its March, which means many states are well into their legislative sessions the dedicated time when state lawmakers make decisions about new statewide laws. More than 450 anti-LGBTQ bills have been proposed across the country already, and the GLAAD Weather Watch, hosted by RuPauls Drag Races Salina EsTitties, has all the tea on these [...]The post GLAAD Weather Watch Alert: Take Action first appeared on GLAAD.

Vice President JD Vance has been a meme since he first came on the political scene last year. First, people started roasting him for his seeming penchant for guy-liner, then for the rumor that he allegedly had sex with a couch, then because he was incapable of not acting like a robot or alien when talking to people on the campaign trail. But lately, the social media has been flooded with a brand new Vance meme.Vance has become the meme of the moment as people share thousands of pictures of the vice president where his face has been blown up, stretched, and distorted to turn him into everything from a swollen-faced man-child to a Minion-like egg man. While people on the right have been giving him a chiseled jawline, everyone else has been photoshopping him onto Kim Kardashians body, envisioning him as a chubby child holding a lollipop, styling him as an emo teen, giving him a fedora while he says Mlady, and combining him with Republican women like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Melania Trump. Truly terrifying and hilarious. Thousands of these memes have gone viral and been shared across the internet, to the point that now people are saying they have forgotten what Vance actually looks like. "In a hundred or a thousand years' time, historians will be unable to say for certain what JD Vance actually looked like, @Babygravy9 joked on X (formerly Twitter).Whether because we could all use a good laugh right now, or are angry with the current Republican administration, people cant stop messing with Vances face.Keep scrolling to see the funniest cursed JD Vance memes! (@) "Get in, we're making cursed Vances." (@) "Kim Jong-Vance" (@) (@) "JD Vance broke the internet." (@) "Velania" (@) "In a hundred or a thousand years' time, historians will be unable to say for certain what JD Vance actually looked like." (@) "You've heard of JD Vance? Well, here's 3D Vance." (@) (@) "before and after i shave" (@) "This one's not even photoshopped." (@) "At this point I really forgot how this man looks like. Please stop" (@) For the last time, Mr. Wonka, I did not try any experimental gum, and frankly I find this entire line of questioning insulting. (@) (@) "This is getting ridiculous." (@) "This is rare JD Vance it happens only once in a few decades. Like and share for 99 years of wealth. You will never lack money for travel or trips" (@) "You don't have the cawds, Zewenskyy." (@) "M'lady" (@) My Appalachia. My hillbillies. My America. (@) (@) (@) So what were you and Elon talking about?? (@) "Marjorie Taylor Vance" (@) (@) "STRATEGIC VANCE RESERVE" (@) (@) "On a JD Vance scale from 1 to 9, how are you feeling today?" (@) "FIELD OF JDs" (@) "It was requested by someone." (@) "game night" (@) "STOP IT!" (@) "Bad Luck Vance" (@) (@) "Pol Vance Pot" (@) "STOP IT!" (@) "I just spent 99 cents on the new JD Vance emoji pack and regret nothing"

Your Lovable Trans Auntie is our go-to advice column for lifes biggest (and messiest) questionslove, work, identity, and everything in between. With a signature blend of warmth, wit, and just the right amount of sass, Auntie offers readers a uniquely trans perspective thats as affirming as it is entertaining. Whether dishing out heartfelt wisdom, practical advice, or a little tough love, Auntie is here to remind everyone that theyre never alone on this journey.Got a crush but dont know how to tell them youre trans? Wondering how to deal with that coworker who still forgets your pronouns? Trying to navigate family drama, dating dilemmas, or just figuring out who you are? Aunties got you. Submit your questions to voices@equalpride.com.As the weather warms up and the heaps of snow melt, stiletto weather has returned. And, with it comes the urge to go out.Whether with friends or by myself, I enjoy a semi-social night out. Some used to ponder why I "overdressed" when going out, but what else should I wear after 6 pm? Usually, it starts at a nearby LGBTQ+ bar, followed by spending the rest of the time at "straight" venues: cocktail lounges, dive bars, and the occasional club. When I first came out to these spaces many years ago, I fretted about whether I was passable. But over the years, maturing, hormones, and perhaps the right makeup and clothes have steeled my confidence. Still, there's an occasional chink in my armor, the worry and fear I would be clocked while enjoying a martini.Yes, my loves, Auntie comes with baggage heavier than my weekend tote. Passing can conjure feelings of safety, acceptance, or validation; clocking, however, dismantles the safety net we build. While stealth is a more covert experience, each concept is loaded with nuance, politics, and personal significance.What does passing, stealth, and clocking mean?In the trans community, "passing," "stealth," and "clocking" aren't just words you casually drop during brunch. They carry weight and often reflect deep-seated survival strategies.To make sure we're on the same page: Passing: When a trans person is perceived or recognized by others as cisgender (i.e., not "looking" trans).Stealth: When a trans person chooses to live in a way that does not disclose their trans identity. They might relocate, switch careers, or delete old social media accounts to avoid being outed. Clocking: The actintentional or notof identifying a person as trans. Essentially, noticing or calling out someone's trans identity, sometimes with harmful or dangerous consequences.For some, passing is a safety passport; for others, it's an unfair barometer that elevates cis-normative standards. Going stealth can be liberatingor suffocating, depending on how you approach it. Clocking, like outing, can happen anywhere, anytime, and often with zero regard for a person's right to privacy or emotional well-being.What does passing mean to trans people?Passing, or when people assume you're cis, allows a trans person to skip the awkward "Wait, did they just call me 'sir' or 'ma'am'?" fiasco and dodge the dreaded bathroom confrontations. But passing also brings up the question: Are we reinforcing the very norms that made our transness "taboo" in the first place? Much of society still clings to a narrow vision of "real" men and "real" womenlike we're all supposed to fit into one of two neatly labeled boxes. If your body, style, or mannerisms align with those boxes, you might pass with fewer hurdles. But plenty of trans folks don't. Should they be penalized or made to feel "less than" simply because they don't meet a cis gaze's demands? Absolutely not. Yet some trans folks internalize the idea that looking as cis as possible is the gold standard. It's like telling ourselves, "You're validbut only if no one can tell."Exhausting, right? What does it mean for a trans person to "go stealth"?To go stealth isn't a TikTok-age phenomenon. It dates back decades and centuries, shaped by social and legal realities. Living stealth was (and is) often the only way trans people could secure employment, housing, or even just keep breathing in societies where the penalty for being openly trans ranged from ostracization to violence. Or worse. The history also intersects with race and class in powerful ways. Black trans women in earlier decadesand even nowmight face compound layers of discrimination that make stealth more than just a preference but a life-or-death necessity. In some communities, clocking a Black or Brown trans person can lead to immediate danger. And, yes, colorism can and does impact the community; a trans person of lighter skin might find certain doors swing open more easily, from access to employment and healthcare to safer neighborhoods. These inequalities underscore why passing and stealth are not just personal milestones but often reflections of societal privilege. What does it mean to have "passing privilege"?Passing privilege, like any sort of privilege, can feel like an unexpected dinner guest who always has something to say. In the trans community, it shows up in myriad ways. Genetics can influence how readily you're read as cis, especially when you inherit more feminine features. Financial resources can fund hormone therapies, surgeries, and cosmetic procedures that tip the scales toward passing. Social capital, like supportive friends and family or living in a trans-friendly city, can also soften society's harsh edges. However, these privileges can create a hierarchy within the trans community itself. If we praise passing too lavishly, we inadvertently sideline those who can't or don't want to pass. A trans woman who doesn't conform to mainstream beauty standards, or a trans man who isn't built like a star quarterback, shouldn't be viewed as "less successfully" trans. Everyone's journey is different, and celebrating only one outcome can foster unhealthy competition and self-doubt. What does it mean to "clock" a trans person?Clocking is best described as a moment when a cis person's spidey senses (read: biases) kick in, and they realizeor claim to realizethat a person they're interacting with is trans. For many trans folks, being clocked can feel like a record scratch in the middle of a carefully choreographed dance routine. One second, you're just existing and minding your business. Then there's this tension in the air and a glance to identify where it's coming from: a raised eyebrow, a double-take, or a whispered remark with a side-eye.The impact of being clocked can vary widely. Some trans people can shrug it off; others may experience fear, anger, or shame. The emotional stakes are high because being clocked can lead to harassment, discrimination, or violence. Some clocking episodes don't come from a place of malice. On rare occasions, it can be an honest mistake or a misguided attempt at connection; a person trying to break bread by saying, "Oh, I have a trans cousin, too!" is a misstep but not filled with malice. But even then, it can feel intrusive. Context, intent, and empathy matter. Here's a million-dollar question: Should clocking be our problem? Shouldn't it be on society to respect people's privacy and not reduce us to a "gotcha!" moment? Absolutely. The responsibility lies primarily with those who feel entitled to speculate about others' bodies or histories. Still, living in a culture that often pries into trans identities means we sometimes have to prepare ourselves mentally for that possibility. It's more complicated than you thinkPassing, stealthing, and clocking are not purely about how you look. Voice, mannerisms, cultural cues, and even your name play roles. Some trans folks may agonize over every detail, from vocal pitch to the angle at which they hold their phone, hoping to dodge that dreaded moment where someone goes, "Wait a minute" It's like when having to monitor the way you walked, talked, and gestured as a kid or teen to "hide" your true self from parents and peers.Imagine going through that as an adult. It can feel like life becomes an unending performance, and failure is misgendered or mistreatment. The emotional labor alone is monumental. Let's not forget that not everyone has the means or desire to maintain the work. Some people just want to live freely.And guess what? We deserve to.Finding community and solidarity as a trans personThank goodness for chosen families, right? Many of us take refuge in friend groups and community where passing is neither a requirement nor stealthing a conversation starter. In the comfort of these safe havens, no one clocks you with malicious intent or holds your stealth status against you.It's a giant relief, like slipping off your heels after a long night out. Still, internal biases about passing can bubble up within the community. We sometimes see trans folks who pass more easily receive better treatment and affirmation, even in queer spaces. Or we may see gatekeeping among those who believe you have to look, act, or speak a certain way to be "trans enough." Honest dialogue, empathy, and introspection can help us unlearn these habits so that we don't replicate the oppressive systems we're trying to escape. Are we more "valid" in public when we appear as cis? Does openly identifying as trans mean affirming authenticity or risking safety? There's no one-size-fits-all answer, my loves. Each person's journey is shaped by a mosaic of circumstances. But collectively, we should aim for a world where trans people can exist openly or privately, with or without disclosure, all while accessing respect, safety, and happiness.That's the dream. It's not about forcing everyone to be out or stealth but granting everyone the freedom to choose without life-altering consequences.How do I navigate my trans life?If you're grappling with questions, let me offer a few guiding thoughts:Prioritize safety: If being open about your trans status could threaten your life or livelihood, stealth might be the more viable routeat least temporarily. There's no shame in protecting yourself. Check your motivation: Are you trying to pass for self-affirmation or because you feel pressured to meet others' standards? Clarifying the "why" can be enlightening. Find your people: Seek out safe spaces where you can be authentically you. Practice self-compassion: Whether you pass or not, whether someone clocks you or not, you are no less valid. Cut yourself some slack.We allcis and transhave to ask if we're dressing ourselves and living our truths for the world we have or for a world we want to create. A world where authenticity isn't something to be policed or hidden away. A world where the trans journey isn't measured by how convincingly you blend in but by how beautifully you blossom in your skin.So consider this your permission slip to let go of anyone else's rules about who you ought to be. You can be stealth or loud and proud, or dabble in both depending on the day. You can strive to pass or embrace every aspect of your transness in full view of the world. Or shift your approach whenever and wherever you want. The only nonnegotiable is this: your worth isn't determined by other people's perceptions. And if someone tries to clock you, that's on them, not you. So here's to living our truth with style, sass, and a sprinkle of self-love. Remember, the most essential aspect of our journey is navigating a path as boldly or quietly as you wish.And Auntie can absolutely raise a martini to that. Til next time, Your Lovable Trans Auntie

Two public school districts and several parents are challenging Pennsylvanias expanded anti-discrimination regulations, which offer protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, in a lawsuit filed Thursday. The plaintiffs argue that the two-year-old regulation oversteps the intent of lawmakers and is therefore illegal. The lawsuit, submitted to Pennsylvanias Commonwealth Court, is part of a broaderSource