Politics

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyOver the weekend, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker gave a commencement speech at Benedictine College. He covered a remarkable amount of ground: in just 20 minutes, he attacked IVF, abortion, birth control, Pride Month, Biden, surrogacy, and—in the most viral clip— working women. As he said:“I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you, how many of you are sitting here now about to cross the stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you’re going to get in your career... But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”I can’t say I was fantasizing about motherhood as a 22-year-old; personally, I wanted to be the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Tom Williams/Getty ImagesThe Biden administration on Thursday announced its support for the Justice Department to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under federal law, loosening the currently strict regulations on the substance.Under the reclassification, marijuana would join the same category as prescription drugs including ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone. It would no longer be classified alongside Schedule I substances like heroin and LSD.In a video posted to X, President Biden called the move “important” for “reversing long-standing inequities.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty ImagesTexas Governor Greg Abbott pardoned a man Thursday who had been convicted of shooting and killing a protester at a 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstration.After a year-long investigation into the case, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended that Daniel Perry be pardoned on Thursday, a decision which Gov. Abbott immediately approved. In May 2023, Perry was found guilty of murdering Garrett Foster, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Leon Bennett/Getty ImagesEric Andre is moving with the tide. Just six months after joining with a slew of stars who signed an open letter to Joe Biden, thanking the President for his stance on Israel, the Jewish and Haitian comedian has posted a new Instagram video, “Stop weaponizing antisemitism,” in a new Instagram post. “As a self-loving Jew, let me just say: Permanent ceasefire, end the siege on Gaza,” he added.Andre has seemingly had a change of heart, according to his new Instagram video, which he posted in collaboration with If Not Now, a Jewish-American organization that aims to “end U.S. support for Israel's apartheid system and demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all.”“Let Gaza live, impeach Netanyahu,” Andre declares in the video. “Jewish and Palestinian safety is intertwined.”Read more at The Daily Beast.

Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty ImagesA pair of Las Vegas naturists claim they are being harassed by authorities for hosting fully-nude travelers at their home, accusing “authoritarian” local officials of trying to shut them down over their free-spirited ways.Max and Corinne Dufloo insist their three-bedroom B&B, known as the “No Tan Lines Republik,” is not a business, but a non-profit “spiritual” association welcoming nudists who are “seeking peace and protection from our consumerist society,” according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast.“NTLR dedicates its donations and contributions to collectively helping, exploring, practicing, and sharing joy and well-being in harmony with our bodies,” the Dufloos self-filed complaint states. “NTLR also offers and practices nude yoga, as well as sophrology and meditation in the nude. All NTLR members are fully aligned with these principles and practices and gather for this purpose. In this environment, Max, a recovering alcoholic (member of AA) sober for 18 years, shares the spiritual values of AA with other addicts who are still suffering, and wish to avoid the temptations of the Strip.”Read more at The Daily Beast.