In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: War on agency; misogyny] Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus justifies the Republican hypocrisy on supporting deregulation until it comes to abortion clinics with this garbage: "The fact of the matter is we believe that any woman that's faced with unplanned pregnancy deserves compassion, respect, counseling." Yes. Which includes access to abortion, if the words "respect" and "compassion" are to have any meaning at all.

[CN: Disenfranchisement] Republicans are trying to make sure they win the midterms by disenfranchising as many likely Democratic voters as possible. DEMOCRACY!

[CN: Misogyny; homophobia] Pope Francis walked (instead of taking a car! because he's so cool!) to the first day of the two-week Extraordinary Synod on the Family, at which attendees will be debating "a variety of issues including cohabiting couples, teen mothers, and children from same-sex unions." Sounds like it'll be terrific. I hope we get breaking news on whether he got blisters from his stroll and what he has for lunch.

[CN: Illness; death; assisted death] Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman with terminal brain cancer "is using the last weeks of her life to advocate for expanding Americans' access to doctor-assisted death. Maynard, who "relocated to Portland so she could take advantage of Oregon's" physician-assisted death law, "says she wants patients across the country to have more control over decisions related to their end-of-life care." I think it's incredibly admirable that, even though she managed to get access to control over her end-of-life decisions by moving, she's using her time in order to try to expand access for others. That is a mighty and generous teaspoon.

Something something Clinton and liberal disenchantment. Rinse and repeat this story fully one million times for the next 3-24 months.

[CN: Misogyny] Actress Lizzy Caplan has interesting things to say about double-standards of promiscuity and the expectations on women around child-bearing and -rearing. It's great that young actresses feel they have more space to talk about these issues from a more feminist perspective now. That was not always the case.

[CN: Fat hatred] I don't even know, y'all: "Where the 'fat' tables are in restaurants." The fat tables. Meaning: The tables at which people tend to order/eat more food. For fuck's sake.

Do you want to read James Spader talking about movies and TV and theater and playing a baddie? Well, off you go then!

Welp, this might be the best thing you read all day: A dog saved six cats who had been dumped in the garbage. COME ON! That is too terrific for words!