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I love you baby brother : Nick Carter pens emotional tribute for Aaron Carter
"My heart is broken.".....»»
My teenage self love you deeply : Hillary Duff, fans remember Aaron Carter
Carter, the younger brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, was reported to have passed away in his home in Lancaster, California. He was 34......»»
Singer Aaron Carter dead at 34 — TMZ
LOS ANGELES — Aaron Carter, the American singer who soared to fame at the turn of the millennium with his hit album “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” died Saturday, TMZ said. He was 34 years old. The entertainment outlet reported that the brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was found dead in his tub at […] The post Singer Aaron Carter dead at 34 — TMZ appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Aaron Carter s cause of death revealed, ruled as accident
The cause of death of Aaron Carter has been revealed by a medical examiner-coroner, five months after the singer was found dead in his home......»»
Indians Bieber strikes out 13 against Twins to tie record
By The Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland’s Shane Bieber tied the major league record for strikeouts in a pitcher’s first two starts of the season, punching out 13 Minnesota Twins over eight innings in the Indians’ 2-0 victory on Thursday night. Bieber (2-0) fanned 14 over six scoreless innings on Friday against Kansas City. His 27 strikeouts in the two games matched the record set by Karl Spooner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1954 during the first two starts of his short career. Facing a Twins team that came in with the second-best run differential in baseball, Bieber allowed three singles in his eight innings. Francisco Lindor supplied all the offense Cleveland needed with a two-run homer in the third inning off Jose Berríos (0-1). After Jose Ramirez singled with two outs, Berrios left an 0-2 pitch up over the plate, and Lindor drove it over the fence in right for his second homer of the season. YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 6 BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning after New York blew an early five-run lead, and the Yankees swept an impromptu two-game series. Luke Voit hit his first career grand slam for the Yankees, who stretched their winning streak against Baltimore to 18 games and notched their 17th consecutive victory at Camden Yards. New York has swept six straight series from the Orioles dating to early last year. Judge’s second homer in two games — a no-doubt shot to left off Cole Sulser (0-1) — came after Pedro Severino put Baltimore in front with a two-run drive in the eighth against Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0). Zack Britton worked the ninth for his second save. After Voit connected in a five-run first inning against John Means, Hanser Alberto hit a two-run drive in the bottom half off J.A. Happ. Rio Ruiz homered for the third time in five games with a man on in the second to cut the deficit to 5-4. RED SOX 4, METS 2 NEW YORK (AP) — Christian Vázquez hit two more homers and Martín Pérez gave Boston’s patchwork rotation a much-needed lift. Pérez (1-1) overcame four walks and some shaky defense behind him, allowing only two hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings for his first win with the Red Sox. Vázquez connected twice off Steven Matz (0-1), including a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch in the fourth that put Boston ahead 3-2. Boston loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth and added an insurance run when Edwin Díaz hit José Peraza with a pitch. Brandon Workman, on the mound for the third straight day after throwing 30 pitches Wednesday, got the last three outs for his second save — both in the last two nights. ROYALS 5, TIGERS 3 DETROIT (AP) — Trevor Rosenthal pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save since 2017 and Kansas City overcame Miguel Cabrera’s first multihomer game since 2016. Once a standout closer for St. Louis, Rosenthal has struggled with his health and his effectiveness in recent years, finishing 2019 with a 13.50 ERA in 22 appearances with the Nationals and Tigers. When he retired JaCoby Jones on a grounder to end the game, he gave his glove a little celebratory tap. The Royals' offense came through late. Whit Merrifield scored on Salvador Perez’s grounder to break a 2-all tie in the seventh. Bubba Starling added a double the following inning that gave Kansas City two insurance runs it ended up needing. Cabrera hit solo homers in the first and eighth, and Jonathan Schoop added one for Detroit in the fourth. It was Cabrera’s first multihomer game since Sept. 30, 2016 at Atlanta, and he’s gone deep three times in the first seven games this year after hitting only 12 home runs in 2019. Greg Holland (1-0) won in relief for the Royals, and Jose Cisnero (1-1) took the loss. BRAVES 2, RAYS 1 ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried retired Tampa Bay’s first 14 batters and combined with three relievers on a four-hitter to lead Atlanta. Dansby Swanson had a run-scoring single in Atlanta’s two-run second inning. Fried (1-0) struck out seven and walked one while allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings. The left-hander improved to 4-0 in four interleague starts. Luke Jackson, and Shane Greene combined for four outs before Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his second save. Ryan Yarbrough (0-1) allowed two runs on only two hits with three walks in 6 1/3 innings. NATIONALS 6, BLUE JAYS 4 WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael A. Taylor’s second homer of the season helped the “visiting” Nationals knock around struggling Hyun-Jin Ryu and beat home-away-from-home Toronto before both teams head into a coronavirus-caused mini break. Kurt Suzuki delivered a two-run double and Asdrúbal Cabrera added an RBI double off Ryu (0-1), who gave up Taylor’s two-run shot to straightaway center that he celebrated with a socially distanced dugout dance in the fourth. Erick Fedde, making his second start in place of a sidelined Stephen Strasburg, gave up two runs in 3 1/3 innings. Ryne Harper (1-0) followed and got five outs for the win. Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth to earn his first save of the year. Nationals rookie third baseman Carter Kieboom reached base four times — two singles, two walks — and scored twice. Teoscar Hernández homered twice, giving him four during this four-game series at Washington, and Cavan Biggio hit a solo shot for Toronto. Neither team will play again until Tuesday, a four-day gap that is normally unheard of in baseball, where clubs can go weeks at a time without any respite......»»
Elmer Bartolo, Madelyn Carter rule 'Araw' Davao City Marathon 2024
Elmer Bartolo, Madelyn Carter rule 'Araw' Davao City Marathon 2024.....»»
Beyonce goes country, unveils upcoming album Cowboy Carter
Award-winning singer Beyonce revealed her next album is titled "Cowboy Carter" and due to come out on March 29......»»
Carter, Billups among Hall of Fame finalists
Carter, Billups among Hall of Fame finalists.....»»
Backstreet Boys Nick Carter to perform solo in Manila, Cebu for world tour
'90s pop icon Nick Carter of American boy band Backstreet Boys is bringing his solo “Who I Am” Tour to Asia with concerts scheduled in Manila on Friday, May 24 in New Frontier Theater; and in Cebu on Thursday, May 23, in Waterfront Hotel Ballroom......»»
Carter Hart Among Players Urged to Cooperate in Sexual Assault Probe, According to Reports
Flyers Goalie Carter Hart and Four Other Players Facing Sexual Assault Charges Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, along with four other players from the 2018.....»»
Drawn Near
Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place. — Leviticus 16:2.....»»
Paris Hilton welcomes second child, daughter named London
Socialite-television personality Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum have welcomed their second child together, a baby girl named London......»»
Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96
Rosalynn Carter, who in recent days had entered hospice care at home in Plains, Georgia, dies with her family by her side, according to a Carter Center statement.....»»
Rangers rookie Evan Carter batting third against Astros in ALCS Game 3 – The Daily Guardian
Texan baseball fans are in for an exciting Game 3 of the AL Championship Series between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros as Evan.....»»
Taylor Swift, Beyonce reporting jobs trigger controversy
It's rare for a news outlet to dedicate a reporter to one personality, but the publication USA Today has decided Taylor Swift and Beyonce are phenomena requiring their own beats. The recent announcement by Gannett, which owns USA Today, that it was seeking two journalists to cover the biggest names in music as if they were running for president triggered both excitement and eye rolls -- and broader conversation about coverage priorities in an increasingly fragmented and financially precarious news media environment. Gannett, which owns more than 200 daily newspapers, has slashed jobs across local markets over the past several years, laying off six percent of its news division in December. So news of the Tay and Bey positions struck a nerve. "I suppose now is a good time to remind Twitter that I'm the only full-time news reporter left at my newspaper that was sold by Gannett in December," said Brad Vidmar on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Vidmar, 41, works for The Hawk Eye, a newspaper in Burlington, Iowa that GateHouse, an investment firm-run publishing company, purchased in late 2016. In 2019 GateHouse acquired Gannett and took its name, becoming the largest newspaper company in the nation -- and one with a reputation for scooping newspapers before curtailing their resources. Gannett resold The Hawk Eye to a family-owned media company in late 2022 -- its staff a skeleton of what it once was. "They just kept cutting and cutting and cutting staff all across the board," Vidmar told AFP. "What you saw was a situation where there are fewer reporters, reporters forced to take on multiple beats." Losing local content meant filling the paper with wire stories or stories from the broader USA Today network, he explained. Vidmar said Gannett's announcement of the Swift job made "my eyes roll." "They've been downsizing newsrooms for years now, but of course, they need somebody dedicated to covering Taylor Swift," he said. Shaping a generation Gannett said the new positions will be employed by USA Today and The Tennessean, the company's Nashville-based paper. The aim of the new jobs -- which are in addition to three music reporters The Tennessean now employs -- will be to "capture the excitement around Swift's ongoing tour... while also providing thoughtful analysis of her music and career," Gannett said. Another position is aimed at similarly analyzing Beyonce's impact. The NewsGuild's New York branch was skeptical, writing on X: "Gannett's strategy to be profitable again: 1) Lay off hundreds of reporters 2) Destroy local news coverage 3) Hire a Taylor Swift reporter." Lark-Marie Anton, Gannett's chief communications officer, said in a statement to AFP that "these roles do not come at the expense of other jobs," noting that in Gannett's bid to "grow our audience," the company has hired 225 journalists since March and has more than 100 open roles. "Taylor Swift and Beyonce Knowles-Carter are artists and businesswomen. Their work has tremendous economic impact and societal significance influencing multiple industries and our culture -- they are shaping a generation," Anton said. Under pressure Robert Thompson, a media scholar at Syracuse University, said his initial reaction to the new jobs was questioning whether "this is a joke." But he said after more reflection "I think it would be silly to categorically dismiss this... There are so few things that everybody really kind of knows whether they're fans or not, and Beyonce and Taylor Swift are some of the very rare ones." The jobs have the potential to allow for "really insightful ways to tell the story of 21st-century America through the lens of its most popular personages," he said. On the other hand, Thompson acknowledged that the negative reaction to the new jobs in light of dwindling local news coverage is reasonable. "If you were to get a bunch of people together and say, 'We've got X number of dollars, how should they be spent?' Most of them would probably not say the Taylor Swift beat," he said. "But that doesn't mean that separate from that context there can't be some really good things to come of it." If performed correctly, the new jobs are not necessarily the "dream" careers some headlines have touted them as he said. The fan bases for both Swift and Beyonce are notoriously defensive -- music critics who make even the slightest negative comment about their idols can be doxxed or receive death threats. Along with the "organized wrath" of Swifties and the Beyhive, the worlds these artists have curated are famously guarded. Plus, Thompson noted, "The eyes of the profession are going to be on these poor folks when they finally get hired." "That first piece that they file -- it better be really good." The post Taylor Swift, Beyonce reporting jobs trigger controversy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Dangerous escalation: U.S. troops in Hormuz
US President Joe Biden sent 3,000 soldiers to the Red Sea last 6 August in what TV Vantage News viewed as a step towards responding to “Iranian aggression.” Washington justified the move by saying Iran had captured around 20 tankers in the Gulf in the last 20 years. The US fears that continued “Iranian aggression” will worsen with the currently high global price of oil. The US soldiers are aboard two warships, the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship, and the USS Carter Hall, used for docking. The goal is for the rapid deployment of troops on oil tankers which are considered potential targets for capture by the Iranian navy. The idea is for the presence of US soldiers to act as a “deterrence” against an Iranian assault. They are thus being placed up front as possible sacrificial lambs if Iran insists on assaulting the troop-laden tankers. Biden’s move is essentially a psychological tactic. It is similar to terrorists using civilians as shields against an assault. Soldiers have no value or role in a naval confrontation of missiles and drones. In fact, Iran’s undeterred response to the US troop initiative is to arm its warships with the new Abu Mehdi missiles, which have a range of 1,000 kilometers. How can soldiers face missiles? It is like the children sent by the Church as crusaders, in the hope the Muslims would not harm children. They were instantly massacred without hesitation. Who drew first blood? Actually, the original aggressor, the one that drew first blood, was the US, consistently capturing Iranian vessels, prior to the troop initiative, on the pretext of its almighty sanctions. For a long time, Iran had no response for fear of derailing the ongoing nuclear deal negotiations, which was a thorn in its throat, until finally they could not take it anymore. They also must have felt that the negotiations were not going anywhere. Iran’s Defense Minister Nasser Kenaani, in response to the US troop initiative, said the US troops were not necessary and that the region can handle local security by themselves without foreign interference. Indeed, the US move may be seen as an invitation to a confrontation rather than a “deterrence.” The presence of US troops in Hormuz has “massive implications both for the US and for the rest of the world,” according to Vantage. The US, in its military initiative in Hormuz, is actually a multi-tentacled octopus spreading itself too thin across the planet, such as in the protracted war in Ukraine, and in the Taiwan Strait. The US is worried that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are shifting towards relations with China. US carriers are tied down in the West Philippine Sea, especially following the recent Philippine diplomatic protests over China harassing its Coast Guard. The Philippines may invoke mutual defense if push comes to shove. The US maintains 17 military bases throughout the breadth and length of the Philippine archipelago. The Hormuz chokepoint, where about 20 percent of global oil supplies pass through, is a mere 39 kilometers wide between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. It is considered one of the most dangerous powder kegs in the entire Middle East, capable of evolving into a full-scale war in the blink of an eye. History of US-Iran conflict In 1988, a tanker war ensued wherein the US attacked Iranian oil rigs and sank many Iranian vessels. All these happened after the US lost control of Iranian oil and gas with the fall of the Shah, the greatest single tragedy of the US in its search of gulf energy. Since then, the Pentagon had been planning the future invasion of Iran, staging the most expensive and ambitious $250-million war game called 2002 Millennium Challenge. In 2011, the sinking of the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was predicted by military experts. Admiral William Fallon, ex-US Centcom Commander and head of the Fifth Fleet, in fear of Iranian underground hypersonic missiles, said, “There will be no attack on Iran on my watch.” He was sacked instantly and replaced by Gen. David Petreaus. Pentagon initiatives are deterred by 1) an Iranian underground air force with hypersonic missiles and killer drones (now being used by Russia in Ukraine); 2) Iran being an ally of Russia (an attack on Iran instantly involves Russia), and 3) a more sober civilian government opposing Pentagon brinkmanship. In his frustration, Biden, worried about his reelection and his dwindling charisma, is sending US troops to Hormuz, a dangerous catalyst to all-out war. The post Dangerous escalation: U.S. troops in Hormuz appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Succession’ star Cox leads UK actors’ fight against AI
"Succession" star Brian Cox on Friday spearheaded a protest by hundreds of UK actors in support of striking US colleagues walking out over low pay and the "existential threat" posed by artificial intelligence. A-listers Imelda Staunton, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, and Downton Abbey's Jim Carter turned out for the rally in London's Leicester Square, where the premiere of the new "Barbie" film was held last week. Actors chanted "Luvvies united will never be defeated" and waved UK acting union Equity banners in solidarity with the US Screen Actors Guild. Some 160,000 US movie and television actors walked off the job last week, joining writers who have been on strike for weeks. The union's demands have focused on dwindling pay in the streaming era and the threat posed by artificial intelligence. The industrial action is the first US industry-wide walkout for 63 years and has effectively shut down Hollywood. Scottish actor Cox, 77, who stars as media mogul Logan Roy in the HBO hit drama "Succession", told AFP the use of AI in the entertainment industry poses a "really serious" threat that must be halted. "It's the thin end of a horrible wedge... because our image is so strong and they capture those images and they can do what they like with them," he said. "Well, they cannot do what they like with them and they shouldn't be allowed to. We are going to stop it," he added. The last time the US actors union went on strike, in 1980 over the advent of pay television and home video, the walkout lasted more than three months. This time, the union says their pay has been "severely eroded" by streaming and has warned that AI poses "an existential threat". The post ‘Succession’ star Cox leads UK actors’ fight against AI appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Enrile to ICC: ‘No surrender’
So long as Juan Ponce Enrile is President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s top lawyer, the International Criminal Court will not stand a chance of conducting its intrusive probe into the war on drugs. “I will not agree to surrender the sovereignty of the Philippines to anybody, not even to the United Nations,” Enrile, the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, said. The ICC had conducted a preliminary examination into the alleged extrajudicial killings or EJK during the term of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan recently said there could be probable cause to proceed with a full-blown inquiry into the alleged summary deaths. The ICC will decide this week on the Department of Justice’s appeal to an earlier ruling that authorized the resumption of the international tribunal’s investigation into the alleged crimes related to the war on drugs. The ICC Appeals Chamber said its judgment on the government’s appeal “will be delivered in open court on Tuesday, 18 July 2023” at 10 a.m., local time, in The Hague, the Netherlands. The order was signed by Appeals Chamber Presiding Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra had questioned the 26 January decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber I in a submission to the international court. “I will not give up the prerogative of our government to enforce the laws to protect our society from the evils of drug addiction. That is precisely the reason why there is a government,” Enrile asserted during his weekly Bayan ni Juan program. Who enforces the ICC ruling? “My question: Whenever a court makes a decision, there is somebody to enforce it like the police but who would the ICC order to enforce its directive? Does it have an armada to carry the arresting officers?” Enrile asked. He wondered if the ICC could even rule a country in contempt if the court’s decision was not followed. “Maybe they can put pressure on other countries to impose economic sanctions [on us] but I doubt it because among those likely to lend the ICC a hand is the United States which at the moment needs the Philippines so it is even expected to come to the country’s succor,” Enrile said, of a possible outcome if the tribunal insisted on its probe. “The US can do several things to aid the Philippines in case of a deadlock with the ICC. For instance, it can withhold its contributions to the United Nations,” he pointed out. The ICC is an adjunct tribunal of the UN. Enrile revealed there have been frequent discussions on the ICC proceedings in the Cabinet. “We’ve discussed that (in the regular Cabinet meetings), and that is my position, that since the country has withdrawn from the ICC, it does not need to be subjected to its processes.” Enrile recalled that during his tenure as defense secretary under President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., “we were threatened” by the administration of Democratic US President Jimmy Carter. In response, the government expelled one of the US officials who had made several demands regarding human rights protection in the country. Enrile was referring to Patricia Murphy Derian, who was an American civil rights activist who had fought racism in Mississippi and went on to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs from 1977 to 1981. “She was told, ‘Get the hell out of this country. You can’t dictate to us,’” Enrile recounted. Moreover, Enrile cited the need to differentiate between law enforcement according to the Philippine Constitution and complying with the wishes of the ICC, “or the UN for that matter.” “We have to recognize that the ICC is exerting efforts against the country because the prosecutors have to earn a living by going after us,” Enrile said. “It is according to each’s self-interest,” the veteran public servant stressed. The post Enrile to ICC: ‘No surrender’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
TAKE A PEEK INTO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ‘WONKA’
Find out how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today in “Wonka,” opening in Philippine cinemas on 8 January 2024 and starring Timothée Chalamet. Based on the extraordinary character at the center of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the bestselling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” is an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. This vivid and inventive big-screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible. Starring alongside Chalamet are Calah Lane (“The Day Shall Come”), Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key (“The Prom,” “Schmigadoon”), Paterson Joseph (“Vigil,” “Noughts + Crosses”), Matt Lucas (“Paddington,” “Little Britain”), Mathew Baynton (“The Wrong Mans,” “Ghosts”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water,” the “Paddington” films, “Spencer”), Rowan Atkinson (the “Johnny English” and “Mr. Bean” films, “Love Actually”), Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”), with Oscar winner Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”). The film, directed by Paul King, is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company. The post TAKE A PEEK INTO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ‘WONKA’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pat Robertson, who made Christian right a political force, dead at 93
Pat Robertson, the soft-spoken televangelist who helped make America's Christians a powerful political force while demonizing liberals, feminists, and gays as sinners, died Thursday at the age of 93, his organization announced. The longtime host of "The 700 Club" on his huge Christian Broadcasting Network and one-time presidential candidate died at his home in Virginia Beach, according to a network statement. Robertson promoted "a worldview that believes in the inerrancy of the Bible," CBN said. "Today, his influence and legacy crisscross interests and industries that have broken barriers for countless Christian leaders and laypeople." Broadcasting "The 700 Club" daily since 1966, the avuncular Robertson promoted a literal belief in "end of times" prophecies of the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel that forecast the destruction of the world to become a Christian paradise. In practice, he advocated for an extremely conservative Christianity focused on "traditional" families and a country founded on the Bible, rejecting the longstanding US principle of separation of church and state. He defined the world as riven by an epochal fight between Islam and Christianity, and meanwhile spearheaded US Christian support for Israel as the land of the "chosen" Jewish people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once called Robertson "a tremendous friend of Israel and a tremendous friend of mine." But he also drew loathing from progressives with his condemnations of feminism and LQBTQ culture as destroying America. His powerful support in 2016 for Donald Trump -- arguably helping seal Trump's presidential victory -- further widened the cultural chasm dividing the country. Marine, lawyer, minister Robertson was born on 22 March 1930 in Lexington, Virginia, the son of a conservative Democratic member of the US House of Representatives and then the Senate for 34 years. After graduating from Virginia's Washington and Lee University, in 1948 he joined the US Marines, serving in Korea. He then graduated from Yale Law School, was ordained a Baptist minister, and in short order launched in 1961 what became the massive CBN empire from a small television station in Tidewater Virginia. After CBN's early financial struggles, he named "The 700 Club" for an early core of 70 supporters who pledged $10 each month. The program mixed news, spiritual and lifestyle stories along with interviews of public figures, and became a hit, especially in rural communities across the country. That made it a mainstream stop for political candidates courting Christian voters: guests included Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Jimmy Carter. Robertson expanded into other media businesses, launching what became the popular, conservative "Family Channel" on cable television, and the influential Christian-based Regent University in Virginia Beach. Push into politics In 1987, he launched the Christian Coalition, seeking to bring together different Christian denominations as a force for the conservative values he espoused. Ever since, the organization has been at the forefront of the US culture wars, pressuring Congress and the White House on moral and religious issues such as abortion and the separation of church and state. In 1990, he launched the American Center for Law and Justice, a legal lobby to advance Christian religious rights against secularism in the courts. Robertson himself sought political office, running unsuccessfully in the Republican presidential primary in 1988. But what he built had a lasting impact: a conservative Christian voter bloc instrumental in bringing Trump to power and still exercising enormous influence over the Republican Party. "He shattered the stained glass window," TD Jakes, a Dallas pastor said in CBN's statement. "People of faith were taken seriously beyond the church house and into the White House." Controversies But there were controversies along the way. He courted Democratic Republic of the Congo dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, hoping to convert their countries to Christian states where gay people were banned -- while investing in diamond mining in a deal with Mobutu. In 2001, as America reeled from the September 11 attacks, Robertson endorsed the view that tolerance for lesbians, gays, and doctors carrying out abortions had drawn God's wrath on the country. In 2005, he called for the United States to assassinate then-Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war," he quipped on "The 700 Club." And last year, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "compelled by God" to attack Ukraine because it was predicted in the Book of Ezekiel as a step toward the end of times. Washington's political establishment was remarkably quiet Thursday in response to Robertson's death. Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, said Robertson "touched so many lives and changed so many hearts." "He stood for America -- and more importantly, for truth and faith," she said. But on the left, there was little sympathy. "Robertson's death doesn't mean we must overlook his long record of extremist rhetoric," wrote Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "Robertson spent most of his time spreading hate, conspiracy theories, and lies," he said. The post Pat Robertson, who made Christian right a political force, dead at 93 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»