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Gay Rights: Elizabeth Warren Announces Strong Support For LGBT Equality

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Elizabeth Warren, running for the Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Scott Brown, today posted a strong and unyielding op-ed announcing her full support for LGBT rights, families, and equality — including an end to DOMA, and passage of an inclusive ENDA.

“No one – no one – should be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or religion,” stated Warren, adding, “We’ve made extraordinary progress, but there is still much to do.”

“As other states grapple with whether to support marriage equality, I’m ready to move to the next step: End the two-tiered system created by the Defense of Marriage Act.”

In response to Warren’s op-ed, a Massachusetts Democratic operative told The New Civil Rights Movement:

“The fact that Scott Brown clings to the Republican Party’s anti-gay views even though the people of Massachusetts pride ourselves on embracing equality and fairness is a good indication that he has become just another Washington politician who forgot where he came from.”

Here is the complete text of her statement, titled, “Protecting and Promoting Equality,” which she posted at the progressive Blue Mass Group’s website, where Warren regularly posts.

I’ve had the chance to say it in living rooms and school auditoriums, but I’m glad to have the chance to say it here: No one – no one – should be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or religion.

I’m deeply proud to be from Massachusetts because the Commonwealth has been the nation’s leader in protecting and promoting equality – from marriage equality to the recently passed Transgender Equal Rights Bill. Congress and the President have also recently taken historic steps forward in promoting the cause of fairness and equality: the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hates Crimes Prevention Act and – after years of effort – the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

We’ve made extraordinary progress, but there is still much to do.

As other states grapple with whether to support marriage equality, I’m ready to move to the next step: End the two-tiered system created by the Defense of Marriage Act. Our federal government should not be in the business of selecting which married couples it supports and which it treats with contempt. States define marriage among couples, and, once married, all those couples and their families should have the same protections, the same benefits, and the same tax treatments. Fairness and equality are foundational values in our country, and nowhere is that more important than in our families.

In the workplace, people should be hired for what they can do and evaluated on their performance – period. I strongly support the fully inclusive Employee Non-Discrimination Act. Particularly in these uncertain times, people must have confidence that they will be judged on the merits. Again, this speaks to the fairness and equality that mark us as a people.

Finally, Massachusetts has been a leader in combating the rise of bullying. After college, I taught elementary school and saw first hand how important it is for kids to learn in a safe and welcoming environment. We need to help teachers and administrators create and foster an environment that welcomes students and their families, whether kids are being raised in a single parent household, by their grandparents, or by their lesbian moms or gay dads. All children – straight, questioning, perceived, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender – can thrive in school only when they are truly safe and secure.

This is our moment in history. From marriage equality to investing in public education, from sensible financial regulations to environmental protections, we must decide what kind of people we are and what kind of nation we are going to build. All across the Commonwealth and the country, people want to create a better future for their children and their grandchildren. They want an America in which every kid has the opportunity to succeed.

Note: Elizabeth Warren is a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in Massachusetts. To join her campaign, click www.elizabethwarren.com

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‘Damage Control’: Trump Mocked for New Weekly Barnstorming Blitz Months Ahead of Midterms

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January 21, 2026

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As his poll numbers continue to drop, the White House is announcing that President Donald Trump will begin a weekly barnstorming blitz of the country to rally supporters with stump speeches designed to change voters’ perceptions that high prices are Trump’s fault.

“Trump’s first stop will be on Tuesday in Iowa, where he will deliver a speech on the economy and energy, chief of staff Susie Wiles told reporters on the way to Davos, Switzerland,” Politico reported. “The travel blitz beginning in January is much earlier than during his first term, when he began traveling aggressively to support candidates just after Labor Day.”

“Trump has struggled to articulate an affordability message that moves the needle with voters, and a purposeful tack back to domestic matters could help that perception,” Politico noted, adding that “polling has regularly shown Trump’s popularity slipping and voters beginning to blame his policies for the high cost of living.”

According to Zeteo News’ Prem Thakker, Trump is running negative — and in some cases double-digit negative — in a dozen states that will hold elections for the U.S. Senate this November. Thakker cited data from The Economist, which also shows that the president’s net approval rating is now -19 percent, down two points from last week and “the lowest it has been this term.”

READ MORE: DOJ Delay Continues as Judge Denies Epstein Files Special Master

Some of those state ratings, Thakker noted, include:
Georgia: -18.6%
Maine: -18.4%
Texas: -17.2%
Michigan: -15.8%
N Carolina: -13.6%

Meanwhile, some appeared optimistic.

“As President Trump barnstorms the country to advance his America First agenda, Republicans are poised to defy history in the midterms,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Kiersten Pels told Politico.

Others took a different view.

The Bulwark’s Sarah Longwell rejected former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) spokesperson Katie Miller’s suggestion that Trump’s travel to Iowa means that he’s “running.”

“This is a hilarious tweet,” Longwell wrote. “Trump isn’t going to Iowa because he is running. He’s going for damage control because his tariffs have made the state a pickup for Democrats.”

The Lincoln Project added, “Trump’s ‘Affordability Hoax’ heads to Iowa to tell Iowans that everything’s fine, despite their worst-in-the-country economy.”

On Tuesday, CNN’s John King reported that while Democrats understand that Iowa will be an uphill battle, they see opportunity.

“Democrats have a huge opportunity and Republicans acknowledge it,” King also told Anderson Cooper. “If the election were tomorrow, the Democrats would take back the House without question. The only part is the margin.”

READ MORE: ‘Can Barely Keep His Eyes Open’: Trump Mocked Over ‘Ramblefest’ Davos Speech

 

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DOJ Delay Continues as Judge Denies Epstein Files Special Master

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January 21, 2026

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Thirty-three days after the Trump Department of Justice was required by law to release the Epstein Files — but failed to produce even one percent of them — a federal judge has rejected a bipartisan effort to appoint a special master to oversee production of the documents.

U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), went to court to make their request. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer declined that request, stating that he does not have the authority to appoint a special master.

“Their request is ‘important’ and ‘timely,’ but the appropriate vehicle may be a lawsuit or Congress, the judge says,” according to All Rise News editor-in-chief Adam Klasfeld.

“This criminal case does not give the Court any charter to supervise DOJ’s compliance with the EFTA,” Judge Engelmayer wrote, as New York Daily News reporter Molly Crane-Newman reported. “And the motion exceeds the bounds of permissible amici participation. This decision is without prejudice to the Representatives’ right to initiate a separate lawsuit. The Representatives are also, of course, at liberty to pursue oversight of DOJ via the tools available to Congress.”

READ MORE: ‘Can Barely Keep His Eyes Open’: Trump Mocked Over ‘Ramblefest’ Davos Speech

On Tuesday, Crane-Newman reported that attorneys for the two congressmen had renewed “their push to seek a special master to oversee the Epstein files release, saying the government ‘cannot be relied upon to act with disinterest and objectively to do what is best for the survivors. It has its own conflicting interests.'”

Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, earlier on Wednesday, told MSNOW, “I don’t think we’ll see the entire file until Trump is out of office.”

“I think part of the problem here for Congressmen Khanna and Massie is that the law that they wrote is riddled with loopholes. It does not have an enforcement mechanism. So they’re trying to figure out how to get the DOJ to turn over all the documents, but there’s nothing in the law that forces them to do so under penalty of whatever,” he explained.

Aronberg called it “a real big question whether or not they, as members of Congress, have the standing to get this judge in a closed case to force the DOJ to turn over the documents.”

READ MORE: Canadian Prime Minister Warns World Order Has Ruptured

 

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‘Can Barely Keep His Eyes Open’: Trump Mocked Over ‘Ramblefest’ Davos Speech

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4 hours ago

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January 21, 2026

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President Donald Trump drew sharp criticism at home as he delivered a widely panned speech to world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Perhaps never before has Trump given a major speech with so many immediate national and international crises at stake, including the future of Greenland, the future of NATO and Western alliances, global trade, inflation and the cost of living, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and the rise of China and authoritarianism.

Much of the reaction to Trump’s remarks focused on his delivery and the audience’s response.

“Trump can barely keep his eyes open during this speech,” mocked The Bulwark’s publisher Sarah Longwell.

“Trump’s on the Davos stage right now and the room feels like a waiting room. Low energy delivery. Zero reaction,” observed political commentator Brian Allen. “The room is so silent for Trump’s lie-fest at Davos you could hear a pin drop,” he added.

READ MORE: Canadian Prime Minister Warns World Order Has Ruptured

“Incredibly low energy performance today by Donald,” remarked The Lincoln Project.

Several commenters used strong language to express their criticism.

“‘Oh, no, this is going great,’ said no one watching Trump at Davos. Senile, mentally ill, reckless, and practically drooling on his speech, this is a ramblefest of grievance and revisionism,” commented The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson.

Others observed how his speech was being received.

“The throngs for Trump at Davos were nothing like I’ve seen before. I’m watching his speech in a packed overflow room. His rhetoric draws periodic chortles from the crowd,” commented Washington Post global affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor.

And still others remarked on the validity of his remarks.

“Trump’s delusion is eclipsed only by the disrespect and insults and lies he is telling in Davos right now,” remarked Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Maria Cardona.

Journalist Ahmed Baba commented on the “contrast between Trump’s delusional Davos speech lying about his accomplishments,” and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “grounded Davos speech eloquently depicting the world as it is as a result of Trump’s unhinged foreign policy could not be starker.”

READ MORE: ‘Enemy Is Within’: Trump Boosts Post Casting NATO as a ‘Threat’ in Social Media Spree

 

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