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Lady Gaga offers $500,000 reward after her dog walker is shot and two dogs stolen

Lady Gaga’s dog walker was shot and two of the singer’s French bulldogs were stolen in Hollywood during an armed robbery on Wednesday night. The dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and is expected to make a full recovery. Fischer was walking three of Lady Gaga’s dogs at the time, but one escaped and has been recovered safely.

The pop star “is offering half-a-million dollars to anyone who has her 2 dogs, no questions asked. Anyone who has the dogs can use this email — KojiandGustav@gmail.com — to retrieve the reward.” The dogs’ names are Koji and Gustav. Gaga is currently in Rome filming the movie “Gucci.”

According to Los Angeles police, the victim was walking the dogs when an unknown male shot him about 9:40 p.m. local time in the 1500 block of North Sierra Bonita Avenue.  Authorities are searching for the shooter, who they said used a semiautomatic gun and sped from the scene in a white vehicle. French bulldogs are small and known for their large, bat-like ears. They are the fourth most popular dog breed in the United States.

Lady Gaga’s dog walker shot, two of her French bulldogs stolen

Via rss.cnn.com
 

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House passes legislation protecting LGBTQ rights

On Thursday, the House passed legislation that would extend existing civil rights law to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. The bill would ensure equal treatment for LGBTQ individuals in areas including employment, education, housing, credit, public accommodations and others.

The House voted 224 to 206 to pass the legislation largely along party lines. All Democrats and three Republicans voted in favor of the bill. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where it will require at least 10 Republican votes to avoid a Senate filibuster and move the bill to a vote. As of now, no Senate Republicans have signed on to support the legislation.

The Equality Act passed in the House in 2019, but stalled in the Republican-led Senate when conservative opponents claimed the legislation would infringe on their religious freedom. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a press conference Thursday. “I will use my power as Majority Leader to put it on the floor and let’s see where everybody stands.” President Joe Biden also supports the bill, and listed it as a top priority during his presidential campaign.

House passes sweeping LGBTQ rights bill

Via www.nbcnews.com
 

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Ex-U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert dies by suicide after being charged with human trafficking

Former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert died by suicide Thursday after being charged with 24 crimes stemming from alleged sexual, physical and emotional abuse against gymnasts in his care. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement confirming that authorities found Geddert’s body late Thursday afternoon after the charges against him were announced.

Geddert, 63, was charged with 20 felony counts of human trafficking for allegedly subjecting his athletes to forced labor or services “under extreme conditions that contributed to them suffering injuries and harm.” He was also charged with individual felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct and continuing a criminal enterprise.

Geddert also faced one charge of lying to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation for false or misleading statements to authorities investigating former Team USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar who was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for sexually assaulting hundreds of girls. Nassar worked as Geddert’s team physician and in-house medical expert for 20 years and was the sole medical doctor whose advice he would accept.

Ex-Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert commits suicide after sexual assault charges

Via www.msn.com
 

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Post Malone debuts his cover of Hootie & The Blowfish’s “Only Wanna Be With You”

Post Malone has released a cover of Hootie & the Blowfish’s 1995 hit “Only Wanna Be With You” ahead of his performance at the Pokémon Day 25th-anniversary virtual concert, dubbed the “Pokémon 25 Version.”

Post Malone will debut his take on “Only Wanna Be With You” live on Feb. 27, as part of the singer’s setlist for the Pokémon anniversary concert, streaming at 7 p.m. EST / 4 p.m. PST on Feb. 27.  The event can be viewed for free on the official Pokémon YouTube and Twitch channels, and on Pokémon’s 25th-anniversary website.

You can take a listen to Post’s version of Only Wanna Be With You at the link – here.

Listen to Post Malone’s cover of “Only Wanna Be With You” by Hootie and the Blowfish

Via www.thefader.com

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Former aide of NY Governor Cuomo details harassment and misconduct claims against him

A former member of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration offered new details Wednesday of sexual harassment claims she made against him, saying he once kissed her on the lips without consent after a private meeting. Lindsey Boylan, an economic advisor in Cuomo’s administration, said that during her more than three years working for him Cuomo “would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs,” amongst other accusations.

Boylan wrote in a blog post on the website Medium that the kiss happened after she gave Cuomo a one-on-one briefing on economic and infrastructure projects in his New York City office. Boylan, a Democrat running for Manhattan borough president, confirmed that she had posted the blog and said decided to elaborate because she hoped it would empower other women to come forward. She said the governor created a culture of pervasive sexual harassment, and that two other former Cuomo staffers have privately confided in her that they were also sexually harassed by the governor in the workplace.

The new detailed account of Boylan’s allegations against Cuomo comes amid mounting criticism against the Governor. Boylan had tweeted back in December that Cuomo sexually harassed her, but she didn’t reveal details and declined interview requests. At the time, Cuomo denied that he did anything inappropriate. Cuomo’s spokesperson Caitlin Girouard said Wednesday that all of Boylan’s “claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false.”

‘Pervasive harassment’: Former Cuomo adviser says governor ‘kissed me on the lips’

Via www.nbcnews.com
 

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Postmaster General DeJoy calls mail delays ‘unacceptable’ calling for urgent reform

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday to answer lawmakers’ questions on how to put the USPS on a better financial footing. The service came under scrutiny in the fall after DeJoy ordered certain service cuts.

DeJoy said that recent postal delays were “unacceptable” and suggested officially slowing first-class mail to accommodate the U.S. Postal Service’s difficulties making on-time deliveries. Mail delivery times became unreliable in 2020 amid an increased use due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a greater use of mail-in voting for the presidential election.

DeJoy said to account for those delays and manage costs, the USPS may need to reduce the amount of mail transported by plane, thereby increasing the amount of time it may take for some mail to be delivered.  He told the panel the USPS is losing some $10 billion a year in what he described as a “death spiral.” Part of the blame for the large losses is a change in 2006 requiring the USPS to pre-fund about $120 billion in retiree healthcare benefits.

U.S. Postal Service on ‘death spiral’ without urgent reform: chief

Via news.yahoo.com
 

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Postmaster General DeJoy says mail delays are ‘unacceptable’ and calls for urgent reform

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday to answer lawmakers’ questions on how to put the USPS on a better financial footing. The service came under scrutiny in the fall after DeJoy ordered certain service cuts.

DeJoy said that recent postal delays were “unacceptable” and suggested officially slowing first-class mail to accommodate the U.S. Postal Service’s difficulties making on-time deliveries. Mail delivery times became unreliable in 2020 amid an increased use due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a greater use of mail-in voting for the presidential election.

DeJoy said to account for those delays and manage costs, the USPS may need to reduce the amount of mail transported by plane, thereby increasing the amount of time it may take for some mail to be delivered.  He told the panel the USPS is losing some $10 billion a year in what he described as a “death spiral.” Part of the blame for the large losses is a change in 2006 requiring the USPS to pre-fund about $120 billion in retiree healthcare benefits.

U.S. Postal Service on ‘death spiral’ without urgent reform: chief

Via news.yahoo.com

Editorial credit: eclecticworks / Shutterstock.com

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Nick Jonas to host and perform new solo music on “Saturday Night Live”

Nick Jonas will perform double duty on this week’s Saturday Night Live. Jonas will make his hosting debut and second solo musical guest appearance on Feb. 27.

The 28-year-old Jonas will be performing his newly-announced single, “Spaceman,” which will drop this Friday, Feb. 25 at 12pm ET. He shared the cover art with his fans on his social media, writing, “Spaceman launches February 25th. The countdown begins now… ” He also wrote, “A dream come true. Let’s get it @nbcsnl!! See you February 27th!,” announcing his SNL gig.

“Spaceman” is Jonas’ first solo single since his 2018 hit “Right Now.” In 2019. he reunited with brothers Joe and Kevin Jonas to release The Jonas Brothers album Happiness Begins.

Nick Jonas Teases New Single ‘Spaceman’ Ahead of ‘SNL’ Hosting and Performance Gig

Via www.billboard.com
 

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Selena Gomez & DJ Snake tease collaboration in new video

New music is on the way from Selena Gomez and DJ Snake! The two teased a new collaboration in a text exchange shared to social media by DJ Snake, which was retweeted by Gomez.

In the text message, DJ Snake sent a picture of his 4X Platinum plaque that had just arrived for his previous Selena collab, “Taki Taki.”  Selena replied that she had already received hers, and the producer said, “I think it’s time we gave them another one,” and added, “Hold on I have an idea” along with an audio note. Selena agreed, and replied, “OMG I love this! Let’s do it!”

See DJ Snake and Selena’s text exchange at the link here.

DJ Snake Reveals A New Collaboration With Selena Gomez

Via www.youredm.com
 

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Texas energy board members resign after crisis due to winter storm power outages

Four board members of Texas’ power grid operator will resign after last week’s blackouts left millions of people without electricity after a winter storm hit the area. More than 3 million people and businesses were left without power after a major winter cold front swept Texas last week, leaving Texans without power in below-freezing temperatures. Residents struggled to stay warm, and the lack of heating froze pipes, contributing to a water crisis in the state.

The board chairwoman and vice chairman of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (“ERCOT”) along with two other board members, issued a joint statement announcing their intention to resign at a meeting Wednesday. Their statement read: “To allow state leaders a free hand with future direction and to eliminate distractions, we are resigning from the board effective after our urgent board teleconference meeting adjourns on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.” The four members said in the letter that they have heard the concerns about “out-of-state” board leadership and want to acknowledge Texans’ “pain and suffering” during the past week. 

Gov. Greg Abbott said he welcomed the resignations, issuing a statement which read: “When Texans were in desperate need of electricity, ERCOT failed to do its job and Texans were left shivering in their homes without power,” Abbott said. “ERCOT leadership made assurances that Texas’ power infrastructure was prepared for the winter storm, but those assurances proved to be devastatingly false.”

4 ERCOT board members to resign amid backlash over Texas storm

Via www.cbsnews.com
 

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