The White House said on Monday it wasn’t behind a Defense Department decision to cancel drag events at US military bases. Late last week, DoD announced that drag events, which have been performed at US military installations for decades, wouldn’t continue because they aren’t a “suitable use” of military resources. The Pentagon said in a statement that “certain criteria must be met for persons or organizations acting in nonfederal capacity.” Biden administration press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday at a press conference that the White House supports LGBTQ+ members of the military. “The Biden-Harris administration will celebrate LGBTQI plus service members’ contributions with pride across federal agencies, including at the Department of Defense,” she said. The Pentagon decision has already led to the cancellation of at least one planned drag show, a family-friendly event at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada featuring performer Coco Montrese, a former contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The base has hosted drag events in 2021 and 2022, planned by the facility’s Pride committee. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Monday on CNN canceling the events was the “absolute right thing to do” and said drag events “were never part of DOD policy to begin with and they’re certainly not funded by federal funds.” Capitol Hill Republicans questioned Mr Milley and other military leaders in March at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in March, and have since raised inquiries about potential funds going to such events. US military members have performed in drag at bases since at least World War I, including during the famed USO shows of WWII, according to the New York Times “Ensuring our ranks reflect the diversity of the American people is essential to morale and cohesion,” the Modern Military Association of America, a nonprofit representing LGBTQ+ servicemembers, told the paper. “It affects recruiting and retention of service members who do not feel welcome due to their sexual and gender identities.” Across the country, Republican-led legislatures have passed laws targeting drag shows, and drag events have been the subject of armed threats, part of a wider wave of GOP attacks on LGBTQ+ people. Read More David Furnish hits out at Ron DeSantis for ‘diabolically anti-Christian’ policies against LGBTQ+ people The Independent Pride List 2023: The LGBT+ people making change happen Tennessee drag ban is struck down by federal judge: ‘Unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad’

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Four men have been arrested after a hearse was driven on to the pitch during a pre-season football match, forcing officials to abandon the game. The friendly between non-league teams Gateshead and Dunston was called off on Friday at half-time after the hearse was driven on to the pitch at Dunston’s UTS Stadium, Tyne and Wear, along with a Subaru, shortly before 8.20pm. Both vehicles were spun around in circles while leaflets were thrown from one of the cars at the club on Wellington Road. Men wearing balaclavas left the hearse and joined the second car, which was driven off the pitch and out of the stadium. Disorder will not be tolerated in the community, and anyone found to be involved will be dealt with robustly Northumbria Police statement The hearse was left on the pitch. Northumbria Police said on Saturday that three men – two aged 19 and one aged 32 – had been arrested on suspicion of affray, while a 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage. They remain in police custody. A statement from Northumbria Police said: “Disorder will not be tolerated in the community, and anyone found to be involved will be dealt with robustly. “Officers would like to thank members of the public who have come forward to assist the investigation to date. People are also reminded to continue to avoid any speculation online and on social media as enquiries continue. “Police will remain in the area throughout the weekend – and those with concerns and information are encouraged to speak with an officer on duty.” Anyone with information or footage of the incident is asked to get in contact with Northumbria Police through the force’s website, or by calling 101 quoting reference number NP-20230721-1154.

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Ukraine will be armed with depleted uranium anti-tank rounds that can aid its troops in piercing Russian tanks, the Pentagon has said, as Russia warns of “very sad consequences”. The controversial 120mm anti-tanks shells will be used to boost the performance of 31 M1A1 Abram tanks the US will also give Ukraine. The rounds, developed by the US during the Cold War, have previously destroyed Soviet tanks, including the decades old T-72 tanks dispatched by Moscow in the continuing war. The Kremlin said the United States would have to answer for the “very sad” consequences of its decision to provide depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine. Opponents of the weapons, such as the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons, say the dust created by such weapons can be breathed in, while munitions which miss their target can poison groundwater and soil. It comes as Ukrainian drones heading to three Russian cities were shot down overnight, including Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and the Bryansk region. A Ukrainian drone targeted Moscow, but was shot down southeast of the city without causing any damage or injuries, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Read More From Challenger to Leopard: How Ukraine’s tanks compare to Russia’s A look at the uranium-based ammo the US is sending to Ukraine NATO member Romania says it has found drone pieces from Russian attacks in Ukraine on its territory Russian commander ‘used two military helicopters to transport his pet cat’

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