Trump Sues Univision For $500M, Mexico And Thomas Roberts Pull Out Of Pageant

For once Donald Trump has followed through with a lawsuit threat:

Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, is suing Univision. The Spanish-language TV network dropped its coverage of Miss USA and Miss Universe — two beauty pageants that Trump co-owns — because of Trump's remarks about Mexican immigrants during his presidential campaign announcement on June 16. NBCUniversal also dropped the pageant programming. NPR's Andrew Limbong reports that Trump is seeking $500 million, and that in the suit, Trump claims Univision is attempting to suppress his freedom of speech. Here's an excerpt from The Trump Organization's statement: "Under the contract, Univision is required to broadcast the pageant live on television in Spanish. While Univision claims its decision came solely in response to comments by Mr. Trump during a June 16 campaign speech announcing his candidacy for President of the United States, the decision was, in reality, a politically motivated attempt to suppress Mr. Trump's freedom of speech under the First Amendment as he begins to campaign for the nation's presidency."

Mexico has pulled out of the pageant.

The Mexican media company Televisa said it will not have a representative in the next Miss Universe pageant. Trump is a partial owner of the Miss Universe Organization, which oversees both the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants. Televisa and former Miss Universe Lupita Jones help run Nuestra Belleza Mexico, a national pageant that determines the country's contestant for Miss Universe. Jones lashed out at Trump for his "racist comments." "As a Mexican I feel very offended and outraged, like everyone else - as Miss Universe I think Donald Trump is harming the organization," she wrote on Twitter.

Pageant host Thomas Roberts, who was heavily criticized for hosting the 2013 pageant when it was held in Russia, has also pulled out as has co-host Cheryl Burke. On Monday NBC announced it will not air either Miss Universe or Miss USA, which takes place in Baton Rouge on July 11th despite the lack of a broadcasting partner.

Caitlyn Jenner Invited To Judge Miss USA

Via USA Today:

Will Caitlyn Jenner help decide the next Miss USA? The pageant organization has made her an offer, USA TODAY confirms. "While she is not yet confirmed to judge, the organization would indeed love to have her and are reaching out to make an offer," the Miss USA organization says in a statement, adding that they are the only pageant system that allows transgender contestants – as of 2011. Notably, Jenner's stepson Rob Kardashian served as a "Twitter judge" for the Miss USA pageant in 2011. During the broadcast, he received a final question for (ultimate winner) Olivia Culpo on whether or not she thinks it is fair for a transgender woman to win the title over a naturally born woman. The beauty queen's response? Culpo said it would be fair and, "it's a free country."

The Miss USA pageant is owned by Donald Trump.

Some People Don't Have Maps, Part II

At last night's Miss USA pageant, Miss Utah came close to rivaling the answer famously given by Miss Teen South Carolina a few years ago.

Anti-Trans Beauty Queen Ordered To Pay Pageant $5M For Defamation

Back in July, Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin abruptly quit the Miss USA pageant, declaring that the parent organization was "fraudulent, lacking in morals, inconsistent, and in many ways trashy" because they had allowed a "natural born male" to compete in Canada. Both would have represented their respective nations at Miss Universe had they won. Monnin went on to claim that Miss USA had been rigged and that another contestant had seen the names of the five finalists in advance of the show. That's when the Trump-owned pageant filed suit for defamation. Today we learn this:

A beauty queen who claimed this year's Miss USA contest was fixed has been ordered to pay the pageant organization $5 million for defamation. In a decision signed last week, an arbitrator found that the comments from Miss Pennsylvania USA Sheena Monnin were false, harmful and malicious. Monnin had alleged that the five finalists had been selected in advance of the pageant's live telecast. The arbitrator, Theodore Katz, said Monnin had two motives: "She was a disgruntled contestant who failed to make it past the preliminary competition" and she objected to the pageant's decision to allow transgender contestants. He wrote that the way the contest is judged "precludes any reasonable possibility that the judging was rigged." Monnin, of Cranberry, Pa., resigned her state title after the pageant. Her allegations on Facebook and NBC's "Today" show cost the pageant a $5 million fee from a potential 2013 sponsor, Katz said.

Monnin will doubtlessly appeal, but you may now snicker in satisfaction. (Tipped by JMG reader Lindoro)

RELATED: The transgender Miss Canada contestant, Jenna Talackova, finished in the top twelve.  The winner of Miss USA, Miss Rhode Island, announced her support for trans beauty queens shortly before her crowning. Last night she was crowned Miss Universe.

Rhode Island Wins Miss USA Pageant After Expressing Support For Trans Contestants

Moments after expressing support for transgender beauty pageant contestants, Miss Rhode Island was crowned Miss USA last night. GLAAD reports:

When asked "Would it be fair if a transgender woman won the Miss USA title," Culpo responded, "I do think it would be fair..." because "there are so many people who have a need to change for a happier life. I do accept that because I believe it's a free country." The crowd erupted with cheers.

Miss USA Contestants On Evolution

Arab Immigrant Wins Miss USA Pageant

Lebanese immigrant Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA in Las Vegas last night, becoming what may be both the first immigrant and first Muslim to win the 60 year-old pageant.

Fakih was born into a powerful Shiite family in a village in southern Lebanon that was heavily bombed during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. But she and her sister said the family celebrates both Muslim and Christian faiths and prefer to be referred to as Lebanese, Arabs or Arab-Americans. She moved to the United States with her family in 1993 and attended a Catholic school in New York. Her family moved to Michigan in 2003. Her sister, Rana Faqih, who moved back to Lebanon a few months ago for a new job, said she spent the night exchanging messages with her father, Hussein, and another sister, Ruba, who were attending the competition. "It was a beautiful surprise," she told the Associated Press from the family's native village of Srifa in southern Lebanon. "It was not easy for Rima to reach this title."

Predictably, wingnuts and teabaggers are claiming that the contest was rigged. (Probably by our Kenyan president.) Noted loon Debbie Shlussel is already screaming that Fakih is a supporter of Hezbollah. First Carrie Prejean, now this. Beauty pageants used to be so boring!

Rep. Louis Gohmert: Skimpy Beauty Pageant Outfits Lead To Economic Chaos!

"And if a guy was to dress like that, he's covered under the Hate Crimes Act." Uh, what?

She Personally Believes That U.S. Americans In Like, Such As, In the Iraq And Like South Africa, For Our Children, Have The Right To Choose

At tonight's Miss USA pageant, Miss California was asked if she supported same-sex marriage. Her answer:

"Well, I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or another. Um, we live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And, you know what? In my country and in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think that it should be—between a man and a woman. Thank you!"

It's "great that Americans are able to choose one or another"? What planet does this intelligence-deprived child live on? Her answer was to say the least homophobic and only slightly more coherent than the South Carolina Miss Teen USA 2007 contestant's infamous quote. Upside: Miss California didn't win tonight.

(Via - Boy Culture)

UPDATE: Perez Hilton responds.