News
Pence to do ‘very little,’ won’t invoke 25th Amendment to oust Trump: source
Existing ‘guardrails’ in place to stop nat’l security mishap, source says
Vice President Mike Pence, despite hopes he’d invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump for instigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol, won’t draw on the never-before used power and instead will do “very little” until Trump is out of office, a senior Republican insider close to Pence told the Washington Blade.
The insider, speaking to the Blade on Monday evening, said instead Pence will seek to “run down the clock” until Trump’s term expires on Jan. 20 amid House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) threats to move forward with impeachment if Trump doesn’t resign and Pence doesn’t invoke the 25th Amendment.
The reasoning behind Pence refraining from using the 25th Amendment, the source told the Blade, was on process grounds and belief it would take longer to complete than the eight days remaining in Trump’s term before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Trump and Pence, the insider said, hadn’t spoken since the assault on the U.S. Capitol as of Monday morning. (The Associated Press reported Monday evening the two finally broke their silence and had a talk described as a “good conversation” in the Oval Office.)
Trump has faulted Pence, who had been loyal to him during his presidency, for not seeking to overturn the 2020 election results when they were counted at the U.S. Capitol, despite an utter lack of authority for Pence to single-handedly overturn the will of the voters.
The 25th Amendment allows the vice president and executive officials to declare the president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” but the president can contest that claim and say “no inability exists,” requiring Congress to intercede. It would take a two-thirds vote in both chambers to reject the president’s claim and remove him from office.
Trump, after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, is “angry,” “sullen” and still “believes he won” the election, despite no factual basis for that position, the insider told the Blade.
The insider said the remainder of Trump’s days in office will consist of “pardons” and “medals,” but didn’t mention who would be among Trump’s pardons or whether he would seek to pardon himself.
Amid concerns over a possible national security crisis with Trump still in office, the insider said existing “guardrails,” including Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, are in place. Trump would “not want” to destroy or harm his own country, the source said.
National
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
It was a historic night at the 79th annual Tony Awards on Sunday as Queen Jean won the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, making her the first out transgender person to win a Tony.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” she said. “We are taking up space in ways we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm. So I just want to say, thank you all so much for this incredible honor. The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change.”
She won the award for her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and was also nominated for best costume design of a play for “Liberation.”
In addition to her stage work, Queen Jean is the founder of Black Trans Liberation, an organization that supports trans and gender-nonconforming people in New York City.
Maryland
‘Girlfriends’ wanted for murder in Silver Spring, Md.
Montgomery County police say two charged with killing mother of one of them
The Montgomery County, Md., Department of Police announced on June 4 that it is seeking the public’s help in locating two women, who they identify as a couple, who are charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing the mother of one of them.
In a statement police identified the two women as Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson of Clarksburg, Md., and her girlfriend Samantha Raebel of Phoenix, Ariz. The statement says the two are charged with the murder of Hilde Henderson, 67, the mother of Vanessa.
According to the statement, officers with the department’s 3rd District found Hilde Henderson deceased on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at her home at the Charter House apartments in the 1300 block of Fenwick Lane in Silver Spring after being called to check on the resident’s welfare.
“Henderson was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where an autopsy was conducted,” the statement says. “The cause of death was ruled a homicide.”
It adds, “Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Henderson’s daughter, Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson and Vanessa’s girlfriend, Raeble, as the suspects.” It says detectives obtained an arrest warrant against the two women, charging both with first-degree murder.
“Anyone with information regarding the location of these suspects or this crime is asked to call 911 or to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, Md. website at crimesolversmcmd.org,” the statement says, or to call the tip line at 1-866-411-8477.
“Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000,” it says, adding that tips may remain anonymous.
A spokesperson for Montgomery County police didn’t immediately respond to a request from the Washington Blade for information not disclosed in the police statement, including the physical-medical cause of death for Hilde Henderson and whether detectives have determined a motive for the murder.
National
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Pop icon celebrates Pride month with surprise performance
Pop icon Madonna celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday to the delight of 50,000 fans.
She performed for about 15 minutes high above street level, including several songs from her new album “Confessions II” due on July 3, along with a trio of songs from the first “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
In addition to the brand new “Love Sensation,” she performed “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love,” plus “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York.” She wished the crowd a happy Pride season; the event was shared with audiences through Grindr’s first-ever livestream.
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