Tornado Stirs Up Washington Winds Of Controversy

Open thread below read more

Day 10 of the Donald Trump criminal trial wrapped up today and it featured a new nickname for Trump: Don VonShitzenpants. Ok, so here is the recap. The day started with Trump's second gag order violation hearing. This one addressed 4 new violations, but they were filed BEFORE the ruling on the first set of gag order violations, so jail is not an option.

PHOENIX — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has relegated a Civil War-era ban on most abortions to the past by signing a repeal bill Thursday. Hobbs says the move is just the beginning of a fight to protect reproductive health care in Arizona. But the repeal may not take effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, in June or July.

WASHINGTON — The IRS said Thursday that it has taken steps to address a wide disparity in audit rates between Black taxpayers and others filers, and is more closely examining the returns of larger numbers of wealthy people and major companies. “We are overhauling compliance efforts to advance our commitment to fair, equitable, and effective tax administration and hold ourselves accountable to taxpayers we serve,” according to an annual update from the agency. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] A study from January 2023 involving university researchers and the Treasury Department found that IRS data-driven algorithms selected Black taxpayers for auditing at up to 4.7 times the rate of non-Black taxpayers.

(BRUNSWICK, Ga.) — A Pennsylvania man who credits an alligator named Wally for helping relieve his depression for nearly a decade says he is searching for the reptile after it went missing during a vacation to the coast of Georgia. Joie Henney has thousands of social media users following his pages devoted to Wally, the cold-blooded companion that he calls his emotional support alligator.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute benefit, better known as the Met Gala, is widely known as fashion’s biggest night—and one of the most coveted social invites to score. Held every year on the first Monday in May, the glitzy affair commemorates the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibit, with the party’s theme often taking inspiration from the show. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Though the black-tie event is ostensibly a fundraiser, earning money for the museum’s extensive fashion collection (which consists of over 33,000 dress and accessory objects from the past seven centuries), it’s also become a cultural touchpoint, largely due to the influence of Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who has helmed the event as its chairwoman for nearly three decades, transforming the charity event into a pop culture phenomenon. Read more: Everything You Need to Know About the 2024 Met Gala Under Wintour’s exacting leadership, the Met Gala has become a night for celebrities, fashion insiders, art enthusiasts, and society’s most powerful and influential figures to vie for the chance to strut their sartorial stuff on the steps of the Met.