In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: War on agency] The "heartbeat" abortion ban bill has been reintroduced in Ohio. Because of course it has.

[CN: Homophobia; description of violence at link] Many members of Crimea's gay community are understandably anxious about the peninsula being annexed into Russia, where severe anti-gay legislation was passed last year.

[CN: War on agency; Christian Supremacy] If Hobby Lobby Wins, It Will Be Even Worse for Birth Control Access Than You Think: "The two plaintiffs in these cases object not just to covering specific types of birth control, but also to providing counseling about that birth control. ...[T]he second part threatens to have incredibly far-reaching ramifications for women and doctors in this country, too. Essentially, if Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood are successful, they'll win the right to refuse to extend coverage for doctor's visits that include discussion about certain forms of contraception, like IUDs or the morning after pill. 'It's frankly a rather radical idea—the idea that someone can say that if your visit to your doctor is going to receive payment from your insurance company, then your doctor can't talk to you about certain subjects,' Adam Sonfield, a senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, explained in an interview with ThinkProgress." Fuck. I wish I felt confident the Supreme Court was going to decide this one in our favor.

[CN: Food insecurity] This is such a good idea: "D.C. Council Member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) introduced a bill Tuesday that would require the District to provide free meals for poor children on days when schools are closed for snow or other inclement weather. Under Cheh's proposal, the Department of Parks and Recreation would be responsible for ensuring that meals are available to kids, with rec centers in low-income neighborhoods serving as distribution points."

[CN: Violence; guns; description of murder] The Pistorius trial continues, with testimony that Oscar Pistorius was probably not wearing his prosthetic legs when he fired the shots that killed Reeva Steenkamp, and that she was probably standing when the first shot was fired, and then slumped in a defensive position during subsequent shots. Pistorius also used a type of bullet designed for maximum damage: "It hits the target, it opens up, it creates six talons, and these talons are sharp. It cuts through the organs of a human being." The more I read about this trial, the more I'm just like I don't even give a fuck if he genuinely thought Steenkamp was an intruder. His choices and behavior are totally unjustified even if she had been.

The New York Times Public Editor introduces "AnonyWatch" to highlight "some of the more regrettable examples of anonymous quotations in The Times." LOL that sounds fun!

Do you remember when then-Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard gave a passionate speech to Parliament calling out then-opposition leader Tony Abbott's hypocrisy on misogyny? Well, composer Rob Davidson turned it into a song, and here is a video of The Australian Voices performing it.

Do you want to know who President Obama picked for his final four? (Something something bracket ballsports.) You'll never guess! (You might guess.)

Last night was the Game of Thrones Season 4 premiere in New York. Here is the newest trailer for Season 4. (OMG!) And here is a picture [via] of Lena Headey at the premiere looking fucking amazing. You're welcome.

image of actress Lena Headey, a tall, thin, white, brunette woman, wearing a flowing black dress and looking defiant

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