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New Marco Rubio: Christians Must Love LGBT People While Still Discriminating Against Them (Video)

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Same as Old Marco Rubio, but Now in Race of His Life

Marco Rubio Friday addressed attendees of an evangelical Christian conference hosted by an anti-LGBT extremist whose funding comes from an anti-gay hate group. The failed Republican presidential candidate who had promised he would not seek re-election even if he lost his White House bid is now seeking re-election and is in a tight race, just a few points away from his Democratic rival, Rep. Patrick E. Murphy. Donald Trump addressed the group Thursday.

Rubio on Friday spoke to hundreds attending the “Rediscovering God in America” conference, hosted by anti-gay activist and religious extremist David Lane, whose American Renewal Project is funded by the American Family Association.

“I support the traditional definition of marriage because I believe the union of one man and one woman is a special relationship with an extraordinary record of success of raising children into strong and successful people,” Rubio told evangelicals, reinforcing his often-stated positions against same-sex marriage.

He also repeated portions of his stump speech in which he denounces those who call people who oppose same-sex marriage “bigots” and remarks against marriage equality as “hate speech,” but Rubio surprised the audience by appearing to denounce those who have denounced LGBT people for being LGBT.

“To love our neighbors we must recognize that many have experienced sometimes severe condemnation and judgment from some Christians,” Rubio told the audience. The Florida Republican in June used the anti-gay hate crime mass shooting terror attack at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub as a reason to seek re-election. Today’s conference is the two-month anniversary of that tragedy in which 49 people were targeted and massacred for being LGBT.

“They have heard some say that the reason God will bring condemnation on America is because of them — as if somehow God was willing to put up with adultery and gluttony and greed and pride, but now this is the last straw,” Rubio said, not once admitting his own attacks on the LGBT community nor asking forgiveness.

The Republican Senator who has repeatedly said same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry or raise children – or even be foster parents to the most needy of all children, told evangelicals that American history “has been marred by discrimination against and rejection of gays and lesbians,” whom he called “our brothers and our sisters, our fellow Americans, our neighbors in the LGBT community.” 

But Rubio also told his audience that “we should recognize that even as we stand firm in the belief that marriage is the union between one man and one woman, there are those in that community in same-sex relationships whose love for one another is real and feel angry and humiliated that the law did not recognize their relationship as a marriage.”

“To love our neighbors we must recognize that many have experienced — sometimes — severe condemnation and judgment from some Christians.”

Among those Christians are Rubio’s fellow speakers, hosts, and organizers of the event, including David Lane, who has called homosexuality “debauchery,” suggested that Christians should be prepared to martyr themselves in order to prevent marriage equality, and has said that homosexuality is a moral crisis that “threatened our utter destruction,” as NCRM reported last month.

Lane also wrote a 2013 op-ed calling for a “war to restore a Christian America.” 

HRC President Chad Griffin posted this to Twitter in response to Rubio’s remarks:

Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith, who has been at the center of organizing support for the families and friends of victims of the Pulse terror attack, issued a statement saying Senator Rubio’s “hypocrisy is appalling,” and denouncing Rubio’s attendance and speech at today’s conference, and attacked him for his positions on LGBT civil rights and opposition to common sense gun control reforms.

“Two months ago 49 people were murdered by yet another angry young man embracing a hateful ideology who targeted an LGBT nightclub,” Smith said in a statement sent to NCRM. “Our gun laws are so appalling, this madman was able to purchase weapons capable of mass slaughter. Rubio wants to invoke the names of the victims to deflect criticism of him sharing the stage with notorious bigots. He used this platform to gin up anti-Muslim hatred while opposing the most basic LGBT protections and gun safety measures that have been shown to dramatically reduce gun deaths.”

“If Rubio truly wanted to make discrimination against LGBT people a thing of the past, he would support the passage of state and federal legislation that prohibits discrimination against LGBT people,” which the Florida Republican first elected to the Senate in the Tea Party wave of 2010 does not.

“If Rubio truly represented Florida’s constituents, he would have voted for legislation requiring universal background checks on all gun purchases, instead of voting it down just a few weeks after the Pulse massacre,” Smith charged, which is true. “If Rubio truly wanted the American church to ‘abandon the spirit of judgement,’ he would not share a stage with those who use hate speech as a weapon and call on people to martyr themselves to oppose equal protection for LGBT people.”

Smith charged Sen. Rubio with supporting “laws that treat LGBT people as his inferiors and deny us the same protections he demands for himself and his family. His statement at today’s extremist conference was tone-deaf and spineless, and we do not need his hollow thoughts and prayers. His cruel actions, not his pandering words, define his character.”

Watch Rubio’s speech below:

Posted by Marco Rubio on Friday, August 12, 2016

Democratic Rep. Murphy, who is challenging Rubio for his Senate seat, posted this to Twitter Friday afternoon:

 

Image by Florida Democrats via Twitter

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News

Fox News Host Suggests Trump ‘Force’ Court to Throw Him in Jail – by Quoting Him

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April 19, 2024

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The Fox News host who targeted a juror serving on Donald Trump’s criminal New York trial is now suggesting the ex-president should violate his gag order and “force” the court to throw him in jail, by quoting the Fox News host.

Jesse Watters came under fire earlier this week for profiling juror number two, sharing possibly identifying information published by a myriad of reporters but then using that information to pass judgment on her ability to serve.

“I’m not so sure about juror number two,” Watters concluded on Fox News.

Jurors, at the judge’s direction, were to remain anonymous, for their protection and the protection of the trial.

The judge excused her, after she said she felt she was not able to be impartial because friends and family were calling her asking if she had been chosen to serve on the Trump trial, after the media blitz.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan admonished the press for reporting the information, but some news outlets appeared to ignore his warning.

Watters on Wednesday “did a segment with a jury consultant, revealing details about people who had been seated on the jury and questioning whether some were ‘stealth liberals’ who would be out to convict Trump,” the Associated Press reported.

READ MORE: Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

Trump later posted Watters’ quote on his Truth Social platform, leading some, including New York prosecutors, to ask the judge to cite him for allegedly breaking his gag order.

Judge Merchan ordered Trump to not mention witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, or the family members of prosecutors and court staff, CNN has reported.

New York prosecutors told Juge Merchan Trump has violated the gag order at least ten times.

“Prosecutor Christopher Conroy described the ‘most disturbing’ example as a social media message Trump posted on Wednesday evening quoting a Fox News host as saying, ‘They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury,'” Politico reports.

That host was Jesse Watters.

RELATED: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

Friday afternoon, Watters appeared to egg Trump on, urging the ex-president to violate the gag order.

“I would make them put me in jail,” Watters said on Fox News. “I would have a tweet about something perhaps I said on ‘The Five’ or ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,’ and I would force them to throw me in jail.”

Watch Watters’ remark below or at this link.

 

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Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

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8 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says some of his fellow House Republicans would “take a bribe” to throw the razor-thin GOP majority to the Democrats if a far-right faction calls up a motion to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, allowing Democrats to hand the gavel to the Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. he warned if that happens, Democrats would immediately declare Trump ineligible to be President, pack the U.S. Supreme Court, and pass numerous laws like the American Rescue Plan.

“I do believe in a one seat majority there could be one or two or three of my colleagues who would take a bribe in one form or another in order to deprive the Republicans of a majority at all,” Gaetz said Friday on his podcast (video below.)

He added, “the risk that one or two of my corrupt Republican colleagues might take a bribe, take a walk, feign an ailment and flip this thing to the Democrats is a risk that is too high for me at this time.”

Gaetz’s fellow far-right Florida Republican member of Congress, Anna Paulina Luna, told listeners, “I heard that when, if and when the motion vacate is introduced, that there will be immediate resignations of a couple of more moderate members of Congress. And in the event that that happens, that ultimately means it does go to a Democrat speaker.”

RELATED: Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) last month filed a “motion to vacate,” which she can use at any time to force a vote to oust the GOP Speaker, Mike Johnson. U.S. Rep. Tim Massie (R-KY) and just today, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has signed on as co-sponsors.

Congressman Gaetz told listeners if Democrats do take the House through a force vote to remove Johnson, Democrats would “be declaring Donald Trump an insurrectionist and setting up a barrier to him being able to become the president United States.”

“That’ll be their leadoff hitter, and then the chaser to that shot will be a massive spending package that looks a lot more like the American Rescue Plan. They will blow past every concept of every cap ever imagined. You’ll be looking at Universal Basic Income, you could be looking at packing the Supreme Court.”

Watch a short clip of Gaetz’s remarks below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

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Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

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11 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed Friday the majority of Democrats will support Republicans’ Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and Gaza foreign aid legislation as Republican Speaker Mike Johnson lost support of another member of his conference to a faction determined to oust him.

“Democrats will provide a majority of our majority as it relates to funding Israel, humanitarian assistance, Ukraine, and our allies in the Indo Pacific,” Minority Leader Jeffries said. “It remains to be seen what Republicans will do in terms of meeting the national security needs of the American people, but it was important for House Democrats to ensure that the national security bills are going to be considered.”

Despite Republicans having a one-vote majority, more Democrats on Friday voted to move the critical and long-awaited foreign aid bills forward than did Republicans.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

The 316-94 vote included 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans voting yes, and 55 Republicans and 39 Democrats voting no.

Axios’ Juliegrace Brufke posted the list of Republicans voting against their party’s legislation.

Calling it a “rare” moment in modern congressional history to have to rely on opposition party votes to pass legislation, BBC News reports Speaker Johnson’s “hold on power is tenuous, and the legislators who oppose him – and his bid to provide aid to Ukraine – occupy some key positions within the House’s power structure.”

Amid the procedural vote to move the foreign aid funding bills forward, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, a far-right Republican of Arizona, announced he is joining Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Congressman Tim Massie (R-KY) in formally announcing their will vote to oust Speaker Johnson.

Gosar, like Greene, is reportedly a Christian nationalist. In 2022 CNN reported his “lengthy ties to White nationalists, [a] pro-Nazi blogger and far-right fringe received little pushback for years.”

RELATED: ‘Repercussions’: Democrats and Republicans Stand Against ‘Pro-Putin’ House GOP Faction

“We’ve been very honest in our assessment of the situation from the beginning,” Jeffries on Friday also declared. “At the appropriate time as House Democrats, we will have a conversation about how to deal with any hypothetical motion to vacate.”

“Moscow Marjorie Taylor Greene, Massie, and Gosar are quite a group. But central to our conversation is to make sure that the national security legislation in totality is passed by the House of Representatives.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

 

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