Good Pesach, Happy Holy Week, Ramadan Kareem, Happy First Contact Day!
Wow, where did the day go? It's been a long day and busy night, so here's a quick wrap of what you may have missed and a look ahead to tomorrow!
It’s the last hour of Wednesday, April 5, 2023 and I have not had a moment to get this newsletter out all day, so here now the news that happened today, with a quick look ahead to tomorrow’s news. And I hope you’ll scroll down to find out about the exclusive bonus paid subscribers will receive tomorrow!
April’s Rare Alignment
PASSOVER, EASTER AND RAMADAN: My friend, Dr. David Mindich of Temple University, calls it “An Abrahamic trifecta!” These three religious observances rarely fall in the same month, just about once every 33 years. However, they did so last year, and although Ramadan started in March of this year, they will all end together this month, too. —Lees McRae College
FIRST CONTACT DAY: Click here to find out about this Star Trek holiday!
So… What Happened Today?
THE OTHER SHOE IS ABOUT TO DROP ON DONALD TRUMP, AND THE SHOE FITS MIKE PENCE: The former VP, who refused to stop the count of electoral votes on January 6, 2021, has been ordered to testify before the grand jury investigating the former president. Pence has revealed he will no longer fight the judge’s order. —Politico
JUDGE WILL ALLOW DOMINION TO FORCE RUPERT MURDOCH TO TESTIFY IN UPCOMING TRIAL: CNN
WIN IN WISCONSIN SHOWS STRENGTH OF REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS POLITICS: Janet Protasiewicz won a seat on the state Supreme Court by 11 percentage points, a staggering margin in an evenly divided battleground state that signaled just how much last summer’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has transformed American politics. —NYT
IT’S ALSO A HUGE VICTORY FOR TRANS RIGHTS! Opponents had spent $800M in anti-trans advertising. —Erin Reed’s Erin In The Morning
SPEAKER KEVIN McCARTHY HOSTS TAIWAN LEADER AND CHINA IS PISSED: NYT
CASHAPP FOUNDER’S MURDER REMAINS UNSOLVED: CBS News
FOUR CHILDREN KILLED IN AX ATTACK IN BRAZIL: CNN
THOUSANDS OF U.S. SCHOOL KIDS WALKOUT TO DEMAND GUN CONTROL LAWS: USA Today
Trans World
ANOTHER VICTORY FOR KANSAS TRANSPHOBES: GOP state lawmkers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s third veto in three years of a bill to ban transgender student-athletes. This came a day after state lawmakers passed a broad bathroom bill. Kansas joins 19 states that have imposed restrictions on transgender athletes, most recently Wyoming. —Associated Press
BuzzFeed News reports the new law could lead to invasive inspections of cisgender girls’ genitals if they are suspected of being transgender.
The Kansas law takes effect July 1 and is among several hundred proposals that Republican lawmakers across the U.S. have pursued this year to push back on LGBTQ+ rights. Kansas lawmakers who back the ban are also pursuing proposals to end gender-affirming care for minors and further restrict restroom use.
Florida bill gives the state “emergency jurisdiction” in custody cases if a child is suspected of being transgender. —Erin Reed’s Erin In The Morning
SUSPECT ARRESTED IN MURDER OF TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST: Washington Blade
LGBTQ+ Review
GAY SPORTS EDITOR EXPRESSES “REGRET” AFTER TWEETING SUPPORT FOR FLA. GOV. RON DeSANTIS: Los Angeles Blade
“I’ve done a lot of listening and sharing with a lot of people over the last few days, people I trust and perfect strangers. I appreciate everyone who’s reached out – I’ve learned something from all of you, and I regret I didn’t listen and educate myself more before I shared some of the tweets. I’m proud of my 24-year history supporting LGBTQ athletes and our community. That commitment will continue, even as I listen, share and do some evaluating. I look forward to engaging more sometime soon.” —Cyd Zeigler, author, editor and co-founder of Outsports.
RESPONSE FROM DR. VERONICA IVY: The Canadian cyclist and two-time world track cycling champion who is just one of the out trans athletes with whom Zeigler has privately sparred, said she had lost her “last shred of respect” for Zeigler when he tweeted on Thursday that he registered as a Republican in reaction to the indictment of former president Trump, and seemed to endorse DeSantis.
“REGRETS,” she DM’d me today in response to Zeigler’s Tuesday tweet, “regrets that he got called out,” Ivy wrote. “biggest BULLSHIT to him not having ‘educated himself’ enough lol.” And she concluded, on the record: “I'm not willing to call someone a trans ally who says they're cool with people supporting Republicans in this climate.”
Health Watch
SLEEP PROBLEMS LINKED TO FIVE-FOLD INCREASED RISK OF STROKE: CNN
Star Trek Corner
WILL CAPTAIN VADIC (PLAYED BY AMANDA PLUMMER) START KILLING MEMBERS OF THE TITAN CREW ON STAR TREK PICARD? Decider
I know the answer and you’ll find out yourself when you watch tomorrow’s Part Eight of Star Trek Picard, titled: Surrender
PICARD SHOWRUNNER HAVING FUN WITH VADIC’S BOSS REVEAL: Bleeding Cool News
HOW TO VIEW THE ENTIRE SEASON OF STAR TREK PICARD AND PAST STAR TREK EPISODES: Click here to subscribe to Paramount+
That’s all for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with AN EXCLUSIVE FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS! My First Contact Day one on one interview with Stephanie Czajkowski, “T’Veen” on Star Trek Picard!
Until we meet again: May your news be good news!
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