The beloved longtime music director at a northern Michigan church was fired just a few months before his retirement after officials learned he was in a same-sex marriage. Fred Szczepanski said he was fired on October 18 from St. Francis Church in Traverse City for marrying his longtime partner Bill Thompson in a same-sex ceremony in Nevada in 2020. Szczepanski – who had been the church’s music director for 34 years – was confronted by Rev. Michael Lingaur after church leaders received a letter from an unnamed person, according to the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

You didn’t spend long in evangelical circles of the Church of England during the late 1970s without bumping into an outwardly charming young man named John Smyth. A famous barrister, who’d acted for morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse in blasphemy and pornography cases against Gay News, Channel 4 and the National Theatre, Smyth also chaired the Iwerne Trust, a charity which ran Christian summer camps in Dorset each year. His annual retreats, at which largely well-bred young men swam, played sports, and attended Bible study classes, were designed to attract ‘future leaders’ who might go on to greater things.

Donald Trump supporters surprisingly revealed how popular Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is actually very similar to the new president-elect. Ocasio-Cortez, 35, reached out to her supporters on Instagram Sunday, asking if any of her followers had voted for both her and 78-year-old Trump and why. ‘This is not a place of judgment. I’m not gonna like put your stuff on blast or anything like that or dunk on it… I actually want to learn from you,’ she said.

Billionaire Kamala Harris supporter Mark Cuban has quietly wiped some of his social media comments endorsing the Vice President. The Shark Tank entrepreneur was one of the first from Camp Kamala to publicly concede defeat on election night, sending a message of congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump by about 1.30am. In the message, he also congratulated X owner Elon Musk, who emerged as one of Trump’s most outspoken – and generous – supporters during his campaign.

When champion strongman Scott Maw was hurt in a car crash, he told his GP he struggled carrying shopping bags. As he claimed for a whiplash-style shoulder injury, he failed, however, to mention he was still a dab hand at lifting logs, concrete balls and even a Transit van. The decision to seek compensation for his accident injuries, in what solicitors said was a ‘blatantly dishonest’ insurance claim against the other driver, has left him £25,000 out-of-pocket.

Donald Trump’s second term as president will largely be shaped by the loyal allies who have stood by him during his four years outside of the White House. As the clock ticks down to his inauguration on January 20, all eyes will be on Mar-a-Lago as Republicans jostle for a cabinet spot or a senior role in the West Wing. And those are filling fast. In the past two-plus days, nine potential appointees have emerged for top Cabinet or West Wing roles and a handful of contenders for other vital positions have emerged.