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Popular kids show Bluey praised for introducing same-sex couple in season finale
The 49th episode of Bluey Season 3 featured a subtle reference to the show's first-ever same-sex couple
Dylan Murray

Published Apr 18, 2024, 18:12:22 GMT+1
Last updated Apr 18, 2024, 18:12:20 GMT+1

https://www.unilad.com/film-and-tv/disney/bluey-praised-gay-couple-season-finale-the-sign-313539-20240418

The Australian kid’s TV show Bluey has become one of the most critically acclaimed shows of its genre since its debut in 2018.

Upon Bluey’s eventual arrival worldwide on Disney+ a year later in 2019, the show became incredibly popular among both children and adults.

The popular show details the life of Bluey, a seven-year-old blue healer, and her little sister Bingo, a five-year-old red healer, alongside a supporting cast featuring their friends and family


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The Israeli military has conducted missile strikes against Iran, a senior U.S. military official told NPR on Thursday. There are also reports of explosions in Iraq and Syria.

The strikes appear to be the response Israel vowed to carry out after an Iranian attack on Sunday, when Tehran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel. Most of Iran's volleys were intercepted or caused little damage. The U.S. military official spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday. Iran's Fars News Agency says explosions were heard in the central city of Isfahan, according to the Reuters News Agency.

The extent of Israel's strikes and the weapons used weren't clear. The U.S. and other western allies had been urging Israel to forego a military strike to avoid a regional conflict springing out of the Israel-Hamas war. Those concerns rose when an air strike – which Iran blamed on Israel – killed two Iranian military commanders in the country's consulate in Damascus, Syria, on April 1. Iran said Sunday's attack on Israel was in response to that.

The region has been on the edge of wider conflict since Hamas attacked Israel Oct. 7, which Israel says killed 1,200 people, and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza, which has killed more than 30,000 people according to Gaza health officials. Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have traded frequent fire over the northern Israel border. Houthi militants, also backed by Iran, have been going after international commercial vessels passing through the Red Sea in recent months. The group's leaders claim they're targeting ships with links to Israel in response to the country's ongoing invasion of Gaza.

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/18/1245763498/israel-iran-missile-strikes

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Washington blocks security council resolution supported by 12 member countries, with two abstentions including UK

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/18/us-veto-palestine-membership-request-united-nations-council

The US has vetoed a Palestinian request to the United Nations security council for full UN membership, blocking the world body’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote in the 15-member security council was 12 in favor, the US opposed and two abstentions, the UK and Switzerland.

US officials had been hoping Washington could avoid use of its veto if other states objected to a draft resolution before the council recommending the “State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations”.

Before the vote, diplomats said the US mission had been trying to convince one or two other council members to abstain, to mitigate Washington’s isolation on the issue, but American officials said they were resigned to having to wield the US veto once more in support of Israel.

Washington’s position is that the emergence of a Palestinian state had to be the outcome of negotiations on all aspects of a Middle East peace settlement.

“The United States continues to strongly support a two-state solution. This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties,” deputy US ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, told the council.

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Joe Biden is beating Donald Trump ahead of November's presidential election, according to a new poll.

The survey from Echelon Insights, which was cofounded by former Republican digital strategist Patrick Ruffini and pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson, found that 49 percent of respondents would either definitely, probably or lean to voting for Biden, while 46 percent said they would opt for Trump.

The poll surveyed 1,020 likely voters and was conducted from April 12-14. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points.

Newsweek contacted representatives for Trump and Biden by email to comment on this story.

https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-beating-donald-trump-republican-pollsters-presidential-election-1891113

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Only 2 years ago it was 20 percent. Most of it is the Bisexual/something else category. We all know its complete bullshit but who wants to risk losing their jobs over something so retarded?

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/us/gen-z-adults-lgbtq-identity-reaj

Nearly a third, or 28%, of Gen Z adults in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, a larger share than older generations, according to a new report by PRRI, a nonprofit that conducts research on religion, values and public policy.

The report, titled “A political and cultural glimpse into America’s future,” sought to highlight the cultural and political views of Gen Z adults, compared with older Americans.

Researchers surveyed more than 6,600 people ages 13 to over 65, with oversamples of Gen Z adults and teens between August 21 to September 15, 2023.

The report found about 16% of Millennials and 7% of Baby Boomers identify as LGBTQ. But among Gen Z adults ages 18–25, 72% identified as straight, 15% as bisexual, 5% as gay or lesbian and 8% as “something else,” according to the report.

About 20% of Americans are Gen Z, according to PRRI.

When asked about their political ideology, the report found 43% of Gen Z adults identified as liberal – a larger share than all other generational groups.

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He wouldn't have done it if she were a white woman
An 81-year-old Ohio man has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting an Uber driver who thought she was picking up a package from the man's house. Both appeared to have been victims of scam phone calls, the Clark County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

The Uber driver, Loletha Hall, was found shot multiple times near 81-year-old William Brock's South Charleston home on March 25.

Hall, a Black woman, was taken to a hospital in Dayton, where she died of her injuries.

Investigators discovered that Brock had earlier received a scam call about an incarcerated relative, which had involved threats and demands for money.

An unknown man told Brock over the phone he needed to pay $12,000 to get his nephew out of jail, according to a police report. Brock told police the caller threatened to kill him and his nephew if he didn't pay the ransom, the report said.

The same caller, or an accomplice, later hired Hall using the Uber app to pick up a package from Brock's residence, according to investigators. Hall was not aware that Brock had been threatened, the sheriff's office. said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3ut__kV3KE

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uber-driver-killed-scam-phone-call-william-brock-loletha-hall-clark-county-ohio/

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I am happy susan's kid died
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/04/18/youtube-issues-new-ad-blocker-warning-as-crackdown-ramps-up/
YouTube Issues New Ad Blocker Warning As Crackdown Ramps Up
Kate O'Flaherty
Senior Contributor
Cybersecurity and privacy journalist
Follow

0
Apr 18, 2024,04:10am EDT
Google’s YouTube is ramping up its crackdown on privacy-preserving ad blockers to include third party apps. It comes after a YouTube ad blocking crackdown that started last year when users started receiving a pop up encouraging them to disable ad blockers or pay for Premium. YouTube also started disabling videos when users had enabled an ad blocking extension.

Now, YouTube has issued a new warning to anyone using a third party app on the video streaming platform. “We’re strengthening our enforcement on third party apps that violate YouTube’s Terms of Service, specifically ad blocking apps,” Google said in an announcement on its support page.

In this photo illustration, a silhouetted woman holds a...

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The “Hitler Pig” sobriquet is used frequently to describe Trump and generally by younger, tech-savvy, aides to President Biden, according to Politico.

White House staffers and campaign aides first started using the term after Trump dined with rapper Kanye West and notorious Holocaust skeptic and white nationalist Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Some on social media mocked the nickname.

“White House nickname for Trump is ‘Hitler Pig.’ How humorless and pathetic is that?” Marc Thiessen, former President George W. Bush’s speechwriter, wrote on X.

“‘Pig Hitler’ is funnier though,” another user chimed in.

“[Politico] thinks this is funny it’s actually more a representation of what a rag they’ve become and the level of shit that works in the White House ‘Hitler Pig,’” he wrote on X.

As West Wing Playbook reported earlier this year, President JOE BIDEN is often far saltier about Trump behind closed doors than he is in public, even as his willingness to publicly attack his predecessor and likely 2024 challenger in speeches and offhand comments has grown.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2024/04/17/hitler-pig-00152899


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https://www.nola.com/news/politics/legislature/la-lawmakers-vote-to-remove-lunch-breaks-for-child-workers/article_ef234692-fd9e-11ee-99f5-771c7366107a.html

A Louisiana House committee voted Thursday to repeal a law requiring employers to give child workers lunch breaks and to cut unemployment benefits — part of a push by Republicans to remove constraints on employers and reduce aid for injured and unemployed workers.

The House Labor and Industrial Relations panel advanced the child labor legislation, House Bill 156, along with House Bill 119, which would slash the amount of time for which people can collect unemployment aid. A third bill the committee approved, House Bill 529, would change how workers' compensation wages are calculated in ways that could reduce benefits received by some injured laborers.

The bills, which head to the full House, are part of a broad effort by Republicans to weaken labor unions and strengthen employers' hands in Louisiana. They are aligned with steps other Republican-led legislatures have taken in recent years, and on Thursday, GOP lawmakers attributed the moves to Gov. Jeff Landry's directive to "reform" the business environment and remove bureaucratic red tape.

First-term state Rep. Roger Wilder, R-Denham Springs, who sponsored the child labor measure and owns Smoothie King franchises across the Deep South, said he filed the bill in part because children want to work without having to take lunch breaks. He questioned why Louisiana has the requirement while other states where he owns Smoothie King locations, such as Mississippi, don't have them, and criticized people who have questioned the bill's purpose.

“The wording is ‘We’re here to harm children.’ Give me a break," he said. "These are young adults.”

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Democrats dismiss charges against themselves
Ignoring 200 years of precedent they table an impeachment motion against mayorkas instead of allowing a trial, effectively meaning the Senate can ignore the House when they impeach someone, something that's never been done before
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/live-blog/senators-begin-dhs-secretary-mayorkas-impeachment-trial-live-updates-rcna147038
The House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in February and, on Tuesday, formally referred the issue to the Senate for a trial.
Democrats voted to rule both impeachment articles unconstitutional because they did not rise to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors." They then adjourned the trial.
The first impeachment article had accused Mayorkas of “willfully and systemically” refusing to comply with federal immigration laws. The second charged him with making false statements to Congress.

In the end, Sen. Eric Schmitt’s, R-Mo., objection to allowing for debate and procedural votes ahead of the Democrats’ motions to dispense with the two articles of impeachment precluded Republicans from putting Democrats in a tough spot with substantive votes.

Republicans had planned to force Democrats to take tough votes, like on the constitutionality of not holding a trial. But because Schmitt objected to a debate agreement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, immediately moved to question the constitutionality of the articles of impeachment. And that meant Republican senators could only force votes on procedural questions like adjourning or going into closed session.

Schmitt was pressed on his decision by reporters and responded by saying, “Impeachments aren’t debatable. So if you have an impeachment trial, we don’t debate that we listen, we hear evidence. All we were asking for is something that has happened every single time articles of impeachment have ever come over the United States Senate.”

https://apnews.com/article/florida-ron-desantis-education-book-bans-65daf4420318a837487976c10bb75d86

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Two years ago, Democrats repeatedly and forcefully warned Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis that a new law making it easier to challenge school books was so broadly worded that it would create havoc across the state.

Now they can say, “I told you so.”

DeSantis backtracked on the 2022 law on Tuesday when he signed a bill narrowing its focus. He blamed liberal activists for abusing the law, not the citizens whose objections to certain books account for the majority of book removals from school libraries and classrooms.

“The idea that someone can use the parents rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book to try to make a mockery of this is just wrong,” DeSantis said the day before the bill signing. “That’s performative. That’s political.”

Coincidentally, PEN America, a group that fights book bans, issued a report Tuesday saying Florida is responsible for 72% of the books that have been pulled from the nation’s schools in the first half of the current school year.

The organization said liberal activists are not the ones who should be blamed for abusing the law.

“The majority of books that we see being removed are books that talk about LBTQ+ identities, that include characters of color, that talk about race and racism, that include depictions of sexual experiences in the most broadest interpretation of that understanding,” said Kasey Meehan, Pen America’s Freedom to Read program director.

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https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-commission-issues-warning-against-all-elite-wrestling-after-transgender-match

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Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/putin-tells-middle-east-pull-back-catastrophic-clash-2024-04-16/

>MOSCOW/DUBAI, April 16 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday urged all sides in the Middle East to refrain from action that would trigger a new confrontation which he warned would be fraught with catastrophic consequences for the region, the Kremlin said.

>Putin, who has forged much closer ties with the Islamic Republic since sending troops into Ukraine in 2022, spoke to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi by phone about what the Kremlin called "retaliatory measures taken by Iran."

>Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel late on Saturday in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1 that killed seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two senior commanders.

>Putin, in his first publicly aired comments on Iran's attack, said the root cause of the current instability in the Middle East was the unresolved conflict between Palestinians and Israel.

>"Vladimir Putin expressed hope that all sides would show reasonable restraint and prevent a new round of confrontation fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region," the Kremlin said.

>"Ebrahim Raisi noted that Iran's actions were forced and limited in nature," the Kremlin said. "At the same time, he stressed Tehran's disinterest in further escalation of tensions."

>Tehran gave a slightly different readout of the call, with state media quoting Raisi as declaring that Iran would respond more severely, extensively, and painfully than ever to any action against Iran's interests.

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MPs to vote on smoking ban for those born after 2009

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68816566.amp
Plans to stop young people born since 2009 ever smoking are being debated and will be voted on later.

Rishi Sunak's bill aims to create the UK's first smoke-free generation in a major public health intervention.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would ensure anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettes, and also aims to make vapes less appealing to children.

A number of Tory MPs have told the BBC they won't back the bill.

The BBC understands that Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is considering voting against the plans.

Conservative MPs will get a free vote on it so they won't be ordered to vote with the government, but the bill is likely to pass as it has Labour support.


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https://nypost.com/2024/04/17/business/google-fires-28-employees-involved-in-sit-in-protest-over-1-2b-israel-contract/