Manhattan grand jury considering Trump's hush money case will break for a month: report
March 29, 2023, 12:45 PM ET
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California Republicans sent running for assembly exit doors as Pride event honors trans legend: report
June 06, 2023
Republican members of the California Assembly walked off the floor on Monday after a Pride month celebration hosted by the house included members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. The group calls itself an order of queer and trans nuns.
The Sisters (also called the Order of Perpetual Indulgence) is an LGBTQ advocacy group that uses street performances to satirize issues of sex, gender and morality and raises money for charitable causes.
The Chronicle reports that as the GOP lawmakers headed for the exit doors, Sister Roma, an iconic San Francisco drag queen, blew kisses toward them and was hailed with a standing ovation on the Assembly floor.
The California Catholic Conference was among some of the religious groups that had joined Republican lawmakers in urging Democrats to disinvite the Sisters to the event. They argued that it was an “anti-Christian” group that derides religion, especially Catholicism.
Roma told reporters that the right-wing fueled protests over the group's appearance at the Pride event reflected the national rise of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
“They’re trying to other us, they’re trying to dehumanize us, they’re attempting to criminalize us and then eventually be free to eradicate us,” Roma said.
“There are people who would just like to pretend like we don’t exist when the fact is queer and trans people have always been here and we will always be here.”
Republican James Gallagher, the Assembly’s Minority Leader, led the walkout.
The Chronicle reported that “Outside the Capitol, a few hundred people joined in a prayer vigil to oppose the Pride Month ceremony because it featured a member of the order of drag nuns. The group prayed for the ‘salvation’ of the sisters.”
“I recognize that the Sisters have done charitable work in the community,” Gallagher said in a statement obtained by The Chronicle.
“But their vulgar mockery of our Christian faith is extremely insulting and disrespectful. We cannot condone this.”
Assembly member Scott Weiner, a San Francisco Democrat who earlier this year formed an exploratory committee to run for the congressional seat currently held by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, nominated Roma to be honored at the event.
Wiener, who is gay, noted the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have a long history of philanthropic work. The order was founded in San Francisco in 1979 largely to help the LGBTQ community as the HIV/AIDS epidemic killed tens of thousands of people.“I’m so proud of Sister Roma and her work in the community,” Wiener said.
“I’m proud of California for standing strong to support LGBTQ people as our community is under assault.”
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were at the center of a controversy last month over the Los Angeles Dodgers decision to disinvite the group from appearing at its June 16 Pride Night, a decision the team later reversed.
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DeSantis, delayed: GOP presidential hopeful wants 'additional time' to reveal his personal finances
June 06, 2023
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis requested — and the Federal Election Commission granted — more time for the newly minted presidential candidate to reveal details about his personal finances.
“We are requesting an extension to file Governor DeSantis' financial disclosure until July 1, 2023. The Governor has a financial disclosure due to the Florida Commission on Ethics on July 1, 2023 and the additional time will help ensure accuracy and consistency,” said a letter from Charlie Spies of Dickinson Wright PLLC, who is counsel for the governor and the DeSantis for President campaign.
Lisa J. Stevenson, acting general counsel at the FEC, granted him a 17-day extension through July 1, according to a June 6 letter.
At least as of last year, DeSantis wasn't known for his wealth — more so, his relative lack of it, especially when compared to his main presidential campaign foil, billionaire former President Donald Trump.
In 2022, DeSantis’ net worth was less than $319,000. He still had student loan debt, and he didn’t own property, according to Insider, citing Florida disclosure records.
Any spike in DeSantis’ wealth during the past year, when his national profile increased significantly as he breezed through a pricey re-election campaign and weighed whether to run for president amid fights with Walt Disney Co., would be notable.
DeSantis and Trump are two among a dozen candidates who have entered the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, which is expected to grow today with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement of his candidacy.
RELATED ARTICLE: Trump again pushes back deadline to reveal his finances
DeSantis joins several other members of a growing field of presidential candidates who requested extensions to file public financial disclosures, including Trump, environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and author Marianne Williamson, according to a Raw Story analysis of FEC records.
President Joe Biden, who announced his reelection campaign last month, submitted his disclosure report, and Republican candidate Nikki Haley also filed her disclosure on time, revealing the millions of dollars she earns from speaking engagements, consulting fees and revenue from her own company.
Such disclosures require presidential candidates to reveal details about their income, assets, stock trades, royalties, debts and certain contractual agreements, such as book deals with publishing houses.
DeSantis announced his presidential candidacy on May 15 and officially filed registration paperwork with the FEC on May 24. DeSantis initially had 30 days to file a public financial disclosure report with the federal government.
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Following a series of bombshell reports by ProPublica, the Senate Judiciary Committee has been investigating U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' relationship with billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow. In May, Crow declined an invitation to meet with Committee members. But according to Reuters, a letter released on Tuesday, June 6 shows that Crow's attorney, Michael Bopp, has offered to meet with them.
Thomas' relationship with Crow became a major controversy on April 6, when ProPublica reported that for "over 20 years," Thomas had "been treated to luxury vacations" by the Republican donor — and failed to disclose those trips. Then, on April 13, ProPublica reported that Crow had purchased property from Thomas, and the justice had not reported that either.
On May 4, ProPublica reported that Crow made tuition payments when Thomas' grandnephew attended a private boarding school.
In response to these reports, progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has been calling for Thomas' impeachment. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Thomas.
But Thomas and Crow have maintained that there is nothing inappropriate about their relationship.
Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, meanwhile, have said that the Thomas/Crow relationship underscores the need for a formal Supreme Court code of ethics. Their request to meet with Crow, however, was merely a request and not a subpoena.
In a letter dated Monday, June 5, Reuters reports, Bopp "reiterated that he does not think the Committee has the power to request information from Crow or to impose ethics standards on the nation's top judicial body, as it is considering pursuing."
Bopp said that "we respect the Senate Judiciary Committee's important role in formulating legislation concerning our federal courts system, and would welcome a discussion with your staff."
Reuters notes, "Unlike other federal judges, Supreme Court justices are not bound by the code of conduct adopted by the policymaking body for the broader U.S. judiciary that requires federal judges to avoid even the 'appearance of impropriety.'"
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