Boy Culture Links: AOC Underscores Trump Hypocrisy Over 2nd Amendment, Alex Pretti's Mentee Speaks, 'Heated Rivalry' Meets the Olympics, Rhyheim Shabazz Wins Big + More
JANUARY 26, 2026
NEW YORK TIMES: RIP to Floyd Vivino, known to East Coast Gen Xers as “Uncle Floyd,” a comic whose show featured everyone from Cyndi Lauper to Jon Bon Jovi.
ADVOCATE: In spite of each being described as “textbook asylum cases,” two gay men seeking help from the U.S. are expected to be deported back to Iran — where they face the prospect of execution. This is what gay Republicans are overlooking — among many, many other things. (Speaking of asshole gay Republicans — hi, Scott Bessent.)
EXTRATV: Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams of Heated Rivalry overnight-fame appeared in Italy to carry the Olympic torch ahead of the Winter Games, which kick off February 6.
HUFFINGTON POST: AG Pam Bondi is openly blackmailing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in the wake of the murder of protester Alex Pretti:
“I'm not going to be intimidated by them. My father always told me never to be scared of a person that believes as much as you do. Everybody in this world believes as much as I do, and that's my sense of security right now.”
CBS NEWS: A Minnesotan going by just “Javier” contends he was held by ICE for hours after witnessing Pretti’s killing.
NBC NEWS: Well, well, well — the Trump Administration is now criticizing Pretti’s Second Amendment right to carry a licensed firearm, saying if he had a gun, that means he was dangerous.
TWITTER: California Gov. Gavin Newsom called VP Vance a “psychopath” for his unhinged take on Minnesota.
TWITTER: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) offered an impassioned take-down of Kristi Noem’s hypocritical claim that protesters should never carry arms:
FACEBOOK: Alex Pretti’s mentee wrote the following tribute to him in the wake of his killing:
“I was Alex Pretti’s final nursing student. He was my friend and my nursing mentor. For the past four months, I stood shoulder to shoulder with him during my capstone preceptorship at the Minneapolis VA Hospital. There he trained me to care for the sickest of the sick as an ICU nurse. He taught me how to care for arterial and central lines, the intricacies of managing multiple IVs filled with lifesaving solutions, and how to watch over every heartbeat, every breath, and every flicker of life, ready to act the moment they wavered. Techniques intended to heal.
“Alex carried patience, compassion and calm as a steady light within him. Even at the very end, that light was there. I recognized his familiar stillness and signature calm composure shining through during those unbearable final moments captured on camera.
“It does not surprise me that his final words were, “Are you okay?” Caring for people was at the core of who he was. He was incapable of causing harm. He lived a life of healing, and he lived it well.
“Alex believed strongly in the Second Amendment and in the rights rooted in our Constitution and its amendments. He spoke out for justice and peace whenever he could, not only out of obligation, but out of a belief that we are more connected than divided, and that communication would bring us together.
“I want his family to know his legacy lives on. I am a better nurse because of the wisdom and skills he instilled in me. I carry his light with me into every room, letting it guide and steady my hands as I heal and care for those in need.
“Please honor my friend by standing up for peace, preferably with a cup of black coffee in hand and a couple of pieces of candy in your pocket, just as he would. He would remind you that caring for others is hard work, and we must do whatever it takes to get through the long shifts. Step outside with your dog, breathe in the world, hike or bike as he loved to do, and let yourself find peace in the quiet moments within nature. Stand up for justice and speak with those whose views differ from your own. Hold your beliefs with strength, but always extend love outward, even in the face of adversity.
“Take one step, no matter how small, to help heal our world. Through these acts, carry his light forward in his name. Let his legacy continue to heal.”
POLITICO: Eighty-eight-year-old Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who had been running for another term in spite of obvious cognitive issues, has filed to end her campaign.
DEADLINE: Kanye West has taken out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal (why there?) to admit he had a four-year manic streak and was not himself, is not a Nazi and is sorry. Now what about all the fans who supported his Nazism and minimized or even accepted and agreed with the insane shit he did?
I predict he’ll become Mr. Goody Two-Shoes now and judge every else.
ABC7: Family and friends gathered this weekend to say goodbye to Rick Garcia, longtime Chicago LGBTQ+ advocate, who died at 69.
WASHINGTON BLADE: In D.C., Clue: On Stage is running January 27-February 1, and Thomas Netter is the show’s swing — he has to be ready at any moment to cover FIVE of the parts.
OUT: Rhyheim Shabazz was among the year’s big winners at the AVNs.
GLAAD: Hubbies Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett were among the names attending GLAAD’s 4th annual celebration at Sundance.
OMG, Pam Bondi is trying to get Minnesota to turn over its voter registration files so that Trump can try to rig the election, again!