Erdogan Tries To Mend Bridges With LGBT Community And Iraq’s Un-truthisms

PNUT GALLERY

This time tomorrow the UK will vote on whether it remains or leaves the EU ending a long campaign that has stoked fears of immigration, weird boat battles on the Thames, music videos and even a John Oliver segment. 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

Erdogan Wines And Dines LGBT Community (Minus The Wine)

Just hours after police forcibly broke up an LGBT rally with rubber bullets and tear gas, Turkish President Erdogan tried to improve his image by breaking bread with Turkey’s best-known transgender celebrity. The right-wing president and his wife shared an iftar, the traditional Muslim meal at the end of a fasting day during Ramadan, with Bülent Ersoy, a Turkish artist who underwent sex reassignment surgery in London in the 1980s. The presumably awkward dinner date was meant to soften the blow of the recent violence involving 300 police.

Will it work?

Not a chance. Erdogan is at extreme odds with the country’s activists due to his conservative comments on sex and family planning, but he has generally steered clear of commenting on gay issues in the past. But the violent break up of an otherwise low-key rally sent a much louder message. Moreover, Istanbul authorities have already banned the upcoming LGBT Parade that was scheduled for June 26. It will take a lot more celebrity schmoozing to eclipse that. 

That Time Iraq Said They Took Back Falluja? Total Lie.

Despite Operation Fallujah’s glacial pace and the humanitarian disaster it has already caused, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was optimistic. He insisted that 80% of Fallujah was now under Iraq’s control and claimed that remaining ISIS fighters would be “cleaned out within hours.” Almost immediately, US Colonel Christopher Garver called bullshit. Throwing his ally under the bus, Garver openly contradicted the Prime Minister’s claim and instead reported that Iraqi forces had cleared only a third of the city. It looks like more than half of the city is still heavily contested and the operation – which has already driven out more than 80,000 civilians – is expected to drag on. 

Pnut Read: The Origins Of ISIS

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

Brussels Bomb Hoax More Delicious Than Dangerous

A man wearing a fake explosive belt on Tuesday sparked a major security alert in Brussels and even an emergency meeting of key government ministers. Panic spread quickly, as Belgium has been on high alert since the Brussels bombing this past March. The man claimed he had been kidnapped and fitted with the explosive belt, but when questioned later, he revealed that he fabricated the story and was an ISIS recruit. That, also, turned out to be a lie. The fake explosives were filled with salt and cookies. Prosecutors say the man has a history of psychiatric problems and will undergo psychological testing. The cookie recipe is still in question.

#pnut4prez: Nation Taunts With #TrumpSoPoor 

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump had a bad day. His fundraising totals for May were such a disaster, #TrumpSoPoor became a viral internet trend, taunting the reality star’s inability to handle money and balance a budget. In the 27 days as the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump only secured about $114,000. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton managed to pull in $27 million in the same timespan. Laughter aside, the poor fundraising results could cost him the nomination. The Republican National Committee collected $11 million in donations last month, which means plenty of Republicans are still giving, just not to Trump. The extra funds could be all the support the RNC needs to hold a convention and put their money on a different candidate. 

Pnut Read: Everything You Need To Know About A Brokered Convention

Amid Crisis, US Thinks Now Is The Perfect Time To Visit Venezuela 

Nothing like a rapidly crumbling economy to make tourism more affordable, and John Kerry looks like a guy who loves a sale. In the wake of Secretary of State Kerry’s announcement that he hopes to ease tensions between the US and Venezuela, veteran US diplomat Tom Shannon will meet with senior Venezuelan government and opposition officials in Caracas today. Venezuela’s economic crisis has resulted in electrical black outs across the country, a scarcity of basic resources, severe looting and bank shootings. Now that the Venezuelan government is on a five-day weekend to save on electricity, we hope they scheduled the meeting for when the lights are on.

Editorial: Standing Up For Democracy In Venezuela 

KEEPING OUR EYE ON…

Congo: Former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba was sentenced to 18 years in prison following a landmark conviction at the International Criminal Court. Bemba was convicted in March of crimes committed in the neighboring Central African Republic in 2002 to 2003.

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Chinese Bosses Caught Spanking Bad Employees

Here’s a great example of why offices need Human Resources. A video has surfaced online showing staff at a Chinese bank being publicly spanked for poor performance. In the uncomfortable footage, Jiang Yang asks his employees why they did not “exceed themselves” at training, only to loudly spank them with a stick in front of their 200 colleagues at Changzhi Zhangze Rural Commercial Bank. He then reportedly shaved their heads. Jiang apologized after the video sparked outrage, saying that his spanking and head shaving model was “a training model I have tried for years.” Maybe it’s time to rethink that training model.