
DeSantis campaign posts fake images of Trump hugging Fauci in social media video
The presidential campaign for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video on social media that appears to use images generated by artificial intelligence to depict former President Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci.
2023-06-09 03:58

Biden condemns ‘hysterical’ threats to LGBT+ Americans as White House pushes back on book bans
President Joe Biden has condemned the “hysterical” threats against LGBT+ communities across the US, following a historic surge in state-level legislation targeting LGBT+ people, particularly trans youth, and a rise in homophobic and transphobic rhetoric and abuse. His remarks alongside UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 8 June followed the announcement of a White House strategy to protect LGBT+ rights and safety, including the launch of a LGBTQI+ Community Safety Partnership with federal law enforcement agencies, and federal support for affirming mental healthcare and LGBT+ youth in foster care and LGBT+ youth experiencing homelessness. The Biden administration also is directing the US Department of Education to address the spike in book bans and challenges to library materials that are disproportionately by and about LGBT+ people. “Our fight is far from over, because we have some hysterical and I would argue prejudiced people who are engaged in all of what you see going on around the country,” the president said in remarks from the White House. “It’s an appeal to fear and it’s an appeal that is totally, thoroughly unjustified and ugly,” he said. The president also urged Congress to pass the Equality Act, which has languished in the US Senate after its passage, twice, in the US House of Representatives. “I’m not giving up on this,” Mr Biden added. That landmark legislation would extend discrimination protections to LGBT+ people in federal civil rights law by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity across federally protected public accommodations and facilities, including employment, education and housing. “It’s wrong that a person can be married in the morning in the United States and be fired in the afternoon by their employer because they’re gay,” Mr Biden said. “It’s wrong that the violence and hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people is rising. It’s wrong that extreme officials are pushing hateful bills, targeting transgender children, terrifying families, and criminalising doctors,” he added. “These are our kids. These are our neighbours. It’s cruel. It’s callous.” The president was set to announce the White House plan for federal LGBT+ protections at a Pride event on Thursday afternoon, but it was postponed due to air pollution from Canadian wildfires blanketing the East Coast. Over the last several years, Republican state lawmakers have introduced hundreds of state-level bills impacting LGBT+ people, including 220 bills specifically targeting trans and nonbinary Americans and their healthcare, according to the Human Rights Campaign’s analysis. More than 75 such bills have been signed into law. At least 19 states have enacted laws or policies banning affirming healthcare for young trans people against the guidance of health providers and major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. LGBT+ communities also have reported increased threats of violence, discrimination and harassment, parallel to volatile rhetoric that has consumed right-wing media, social media platforms and debate among Republican elected officials, including in the halls of Congress, where House Republicans have advanced legislation mirroring the anti-LGBT+ bills dominating state capitols. “You’re loved, you’re heard, and this administration has your back,” Mr Biden said in his remarks, addressing LGBT+ communities. “We are not relenting one single second to make sure you’re protected.” Read More Rachel Levine on Congress bigots, Don’t Say Gay and life as Biden’s top trans official: ‘Despair doesn’t motivate change’ Biden’s troubled journey on LGBT+ rights is a ‘beautiful thing’, top US diplomat says America’s largest LGBT+ civil rights group issues ‘state of emergency’ across US
2023-06-09 03:50

Trump braces for possible federal charges after being warned he's a target of documents probe
Former President Donald Trump and his aides are bracing for a potential indictment in the classified documents investigation as prosecutors handling the probe have been spotted at a Miami courthouse where a grand jury has been hearing from witnesses
2023-06-09 03:46

Supreme Court rules for nursing home patient's family, declines to limit civil rights lawsuits
The Supreme Court has ruled for the family of a nursing home resident with dementia that had sued over his care
2023-06-09 03:23

Swiatek returns to French Open final as Muchova shocks Sabalenka
Reigning champion and world number one Iga Swiatek swept into the French Open final on Thursday after unheralded Karolina Muchova saved a match point before...
2023-06-09 03:23

Far-right members of Congress rebel against McCarthy and hold up House votes
Far-right members of Congress are blocking legislation in the House of Representatives in retaliation after the passage of a bipartisan agreement to lift the debt ceiling. The rebellion began earlier this week, when members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus voted against a rule to advance a bill that would prevent government action on gas stoves. Every Democrat voted against the bill, along with 12 Republicans, making it the first time a rule to pass a piece of legislation had failed to pass on the House floor since 2002. Many of the Republicans who opposed the rule also opposed the agreement to lift the debt limit, such as Reps Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Chip Roy (R-TX) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO). Mr Gaetz said the blockade came in retaliation for the bipartisan debt ceiling agreement that House Republican leadership brokered with the White House that passed last week. “When Speaker McCarthy and House GOP Leadership couldn’t hold the line on spending, they surrendered the ability to exclusively hold the floor,” Mr Gaetz tweeted. “We are going to #HoldTheFloor and refuse to allow their failure theater to continue to play out.” “All we are asking is that Speaker McCarthy abide by the spending commitments he previously made,” Rep Ken Buck (R-CO) tweeted. “That’s not an unreasonable ask.” As a result, the House dismissed itself for the rest of the week and will not convene until Monday 12 June for votes. The logjam led to House Republican leadership blaming each other. “We’ve been through this before; you know we’re in a small majority,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, The New York Times reported, also taking a swipe at House Majority Leader Steve Scalise for the failure to control procedure. “The majority leader runs the floor,” he told reporters. Many House conservatives said that Mr McCarthy broke a series of promises he made to them in January of this year, when they forced the House to go into 15 rounds before he became speaker. Mr Scalise said he was not privy to those negotiations with conservatives in an interview with Punchbowl News. “So I still don’t know what those agreements were,” he said. “Whatever they are, [conservatives] feel that the agreements were broken. That’s got to get resolved. Hopefully it does.” Read More Gaetz and Boebert vow to force McCarthy into ‘monogamous relationship’ Lauren Boebert claims she missed vote on debt ceiling deal because it was a ‘c**p sandwich’ Richard Snyder, ‘warrior-king’ of publishing who presided over rise of Simon & Schuster, dead at 90 Senators call on TikTok CEO to explain 'inaccurate' statements about how company manages US data Judge rules to release names of Rep. Santos bond cosigners, will say secret for now as appeal mulled
2023-06-09 03:19

Biden, Sunak vow to stick together on Ukraine, deepen cooperation on clean energy transition, AI
President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are reiterating their commitment to help Ukraine repel Russia’s ongoing invasion, while agreeing to step up cooperation on the clean energy transition and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence
2023-06-09 03:19

Mexico president puts unity first to broker compromise in succession race
By Dave Graham MEXICO CITY Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador this week intervened in the increasingly fractious
2023-06-09 03:17

Bipartisan group to introduce bill banning bump stocks
A bipartisan group of lawmakers will introduce a bill on Thursday to ban the sale of bump stocks and other devices that enable semi-automatic firearms to increase their rate of fire and effectively operate as fully automatic weapons, the bill's lead sponsor told CNN.
2023-06-09 02:55

Cuba gives China permission to build spying facility on island, US intel says
Cuba has agreed to allow China to build a spying facility on the island that could allow the Chinese to eavesdrop on electronic communications across the southeastern US, a source familiar with the intelligence told CNN.
2023-06-09 02:52

UAE's al-Jaber promises young activists he'll listen; says nothing about fossil fuel ties
The United Arab Emirates official tapped to head the next global climate summit pledged Thursday to listen to young people demanding a place at the table when negotiators gather in the Gulf nation this fall
2023-06-09 02:47

South Africa’s Ramaphosa Plans Call With China’s Xi Amid Furor Over Putin Warrant
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as Pretoria considers switching the
2023-06-09 02:24