We Resist: Day 490

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures (plus the occasional non-Republican who obliges us to resist their nonsense, too, like we don't have enough to worry about) is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

* * *

Earlier today by me: Trump Opens His Filthy Yapper About the NFL's Terrible New Anthem Policy and Trump Calls Off North Korea Summit with Vile Letter and Trump Straight-Up Lies About James Clapper.

Here are some more things in the news today...

While Trump was making a statement at the signing ceremony for the bill rolling back the financial protections of Dodd-Frank, he said this:

JUST IN: Pres. Trump says U.S. military is "ready if necessary," adding Japan and South Korea are "willing to shoulder much of the cost of any financial burden...by the United States in operations, if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us." https://t.co/aRUXu8ETIv pic.twitter.com/bfzmMDIDUd

— ABC News (@ABC) May 24, 2018

I've spoken to General Mattis and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and our military, which is by far the most powerful anywhere in the world, and has been greatly enhanced recently, as you all know, is ready, if necessary. Likewise, I've spoken to South Korea and Japan, and they are not only ready, should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea, but they are willing to shoulder much of the cost of any financial burden, any of the costs associated, by the United States in operations, if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us.

Remember what it was like when we had a president who wasn't just wantonly threatening and provoking war every goddamn day? That was nice.

BBC News: MH17 Missile Owned by Russian Brigade, Investigators Say. "The missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 belonged to a Russian brigade, international investigators say. For the first time, the Dutch-led team said the missile had come from a unit based in western Russia. All 298 people on board the Boeing 777 died when it broke apart in mid-air flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. It was hit by a missile fired from rebel-held territory in Ukraine. Russia says none of its weapons was used. But on Thursday Wilbert Paulissen, a Dutch official from the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), told reporters: 'All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces.'" Oh. That seems significant. Once upon a time, we had presidents who might have cared to make a comment on that.

Josh Dawsey at the Washington Post: In Reversal, Giuliani Now Says Trump Should Do Interview with Mueller Team. OF COURSE HE DOES. BECAUSE GIULIANI'S ENTIRE PURPOSE IS TO PUBLICLY CREATE ENDLESS CHAOS AND CONFUSION. Does everyone believe me now?!

Anyway. In that interview, buried far beneath the exact headline that Trumpworld wanted, is some real news: "Giuliani said he was concerned that the president would become a target or that the interview would be a perjury trap, because the 'truth is relative.' The president's legal team continues to try to set limitations on an interview, including the duration and questions posed, he said. 'They may have a different version of the truth than we do,' Giuliani said."

Alternative facts. Fake news. "A different version of the truth." This is what life under authoritarian rule looks like. This is what it feels like. A slow drip of gaslighting that becomes like the Chinese water torture, from which there is no escape. It feels like descending into madness.

* * *

[Content Note: War on agency] Ally Boguhn at Rewire.News: Trump Praises His War on Reproductive Rights at Anti-Choice Gala. "[Donald] Trump in his Tuesday address to the anti-choice Susan B. Anthony List's annual gala...lauded his administration for proposing a rule aimed at banning domestic family planning funding from going to health providers that provide separately-funded abortion care. ...[T]he Department of Health and Human Services officially announced that it had proposed the policy hours before the president joined the anti-choice event on Tuesday. Trump at the gala characterized the move as a 'new rule to prohibit Title X funding from going to any clinic that performs abortions,' and justified it by falsely claiming that federal funds were going to abortion care." Rage seethe boil.

"White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says it bugs her when people accuse of her lying to the press. 'It certainly bothers me... Because one of the few things you have are your integrity and reputation." Oh maybe stop lying then? https://t.co/oY1eZTd6Yn

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 24, 2018

Natasha Geiling at ThinkProgress: Trump Is About to Repeal One of Obama's Last Climate Rules. "The rule change, finalized by the Department of Transportation on Tuesday and set to be published to the Federal Register in the coming days where it will become official, removes the obligation for states and cities to measure greenhouse gas emissions from fuel use by vehicles on their roads that would be associated with new projects such as expanding highways. Targets for limiting greenhouse gas emissions will not be required either. ...This news comes after the Environmental Protection Agency announced the rollback of separate Obama-era vehicle emissions standards — a decision over which states are now suing the agency." JFC.

* * *

[CN: Sexual violence; abduction; misogyny; terrorism; starvation] Kate Hodal at the Guardian: Women Saved from Boko Haram Say Soldiers Made Them Trade Sex for Food.

Thousands of women and girls who believed they were being led to safety from Boko Haram by Nigerian security forces were instead systematically abused in exchange for food and assistance, an Amnesty International investigation has revealed.

The shocking claims were made by more than 250 people interviewed over a two-year period. Some allege they were raped by members of the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF), while others say they were starved. The troops ordered civilians out of their villages and into satellite camps, where thousands of people, including children, have died of hunger, the report claims.

"The soldiers, they betrayed us — they said that we should come out from our villages," said Yakura*, 35, who fled her home in December 2016, believing the government soldiers were delivering her and her family to safety. "They said it would be safer and that they would give us a secure place to stay. But when we came, they betrayed us. They detained our husbands and then they raped us women."

My god. That the international community has allowed this nightmare to go on endlessly is a shame on all of us. It truly is.

[CN: Sexual harassment] An Phung and Chloe Melas at CNN: Women Accuse Morgan Freeman of Inappropriate Behavior, Harassment. "In all, 16 people spoke to CNN about Freeman as part of this investigation, eight of whom said they were victims of what some called harassment and others called inappropriate behavior by Freeman. Eight said they witnessed Freeman's alleged conduct. These 16 people together described a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Freeman on set, while promoting his movies and at his production company Revelations Entertainment." Horrible.

[CN: Sexual assault] Gideon Resnick at the Daily Beast: Democrat Nate Boulton Ends His Iowa Gubernatorial Campaign over Sexual Misconduct Allegations. "Iowa State Sen. Nate Boulton, one of six candidates in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary, announced Thursday that he will suspend his campaign following accusations of sexual misconduct. On Wednesday, The Des Moines Register reported that [five women accused Boulton of nonconsensual sexual touching]. ...Boulton didn't deny the allegations to the Register but said: 'I don't have the same recollection. But I am not going to offer any additional context to this, other than to say if someone's perspective is that it was inappropriate and I crossed a line and I misread a situation in a social setting, I do apologize.'" Okay.

* * *

Let's end with some good resistance news...

"Black women are moving from winning elections for others to winning elections for themselves." 🔥 https://t.co/YISUG5b19B

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 24, 2018

YES!!!

And finally: Amanda Michelle Gomez at ThinkProgress: ADAPT Activists Put Their Bodies on the Line to Gain Support for Disability Integration Act. "Roughly 200 ADAPT activists last Tuesday surrounded the Washington, D.C. headquarters of AARP, the influential non-profit focused on older adults, barricading exits so no one could leave. Police eventually guided people out of the building. But they only made it as far as the end of the block before activists stopped them again with their bodies. ADAPT wouldn't let up until either AARP endorsed a critical civil rights bill, or they were arrested. ...ADAPT protested for six hours in humid, 90-degree heat before police successfully escorted every AARP employee out of the garage — but only after employees were forced to drive on a sidewalk they secured from activists." Powerful.

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

We Resist: Day 412

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures (plus the occasional non-Republican who obliges us to resist their nonsense, too, like we don't have enough to worry about) is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

* * *

Here are some things in the news today:

Earlier today by me: Joe Biden, What Are You Even Doing? and Gary Cohn Jumps Ship to Dogwhistled Anti-Semitism and On the Stormy Daniels Story.

Arelis R. Hernández at the Washington Post: Exodus from Puerto Rico Grows as Island Struggles to Rebound from Hurricane Maria.

Experts say the storm and its widespread devastation undoubtedly have sped up the pace of migration as residents have dealt with extended power outages, communication lapses, infrastructure failures and, in some cases, isolation. What already was the largest exodus in the island's history now includes people fleeing in droves simply to achieve some sense of normalcy.

Just this week, a power outage put nearly 900,000 residents in and around the capital city of San Juan in the dark and without water — again. Tens of thousands in Puerto Rico have had no electricity since the hurricane struck five months ago, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that 1 in 10 customers still won't have it as of the end of March.

The island's bankrupt public utility has struggled to restore power amid contracting scandals, materiel shortages and intermittent blackouts, and the biggest restoration contractor, Fluor Corp., confirmed that it is pulling out of Puerto Rico in the next several weeks after reaching the funding limit of its $746 million contract.

The governor announced plans last month to privatize the electric utility, sparking standoffs with unionized workers and arousing suspicions from residents. Some municipalities such as San Sebastian, a town in the island's northwest corner, didn't wait and formed their own volunteer brigades to string up power lines and return electricity to thousands of residents.

Nearly 58,000 homes here have roofs made of blue tarps while they await federal assistance; more than 437,000 residents — about 2 of every 5 who applied so far — have received money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for home repairs.

For many, the future feels ominous.

It utterly guts me that so many Puerto Ricans are being forced to leave their homes in search of stability that the U.S. federal government should be able — and willing — to provide. This is a terrible shame, and I am stricken by the thought that Republicans are deliberately neglecting Puerto Rico to turn it into a profiteering opportunity for the wealthy. After all, the worse things get on the island, the lower the property values in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, just a short flight away from the continental U.S. That there are plans to privatize Puerto Rico's power because of lingering failures does not bode well. Just...fuck.

[Content Note: Genocide] Saphora Smith at NBC News: Rohingya Muslims Will Soon Face Cyclones, Monsoons in Bangladesh. "Refugees driven out of Myanmar by what the U.S. has called 'ethnic cleansing' now face a new threat: the looming monsoon and cyclone season. Authorities have warned that more than 100,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled into neighboring Bangladesh are at risk of losing their makeshift homes to the deadly floods and landslides that accompany seasonal rains. Workers are scrambling to reinforce shelters and dig drainage systems before the bad weather is expected next month. ...[The situation] is largely the same in other makeshift camps housing the refugees near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. 'It's a race against time,' said Caroline Gluck, a spokeswoman for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in the country. 'We're very alarmed, we're very concerned, we're doing what we can, but we're not sure it's going to be enough.'"

Goddammit. And where is the U.S. State Department during this? "Engaged vigorously in the diplomatic realm." Oh.

[CN: Terrorism; abductions; misogyny] Samuel Okocha at Rewire: Nigerians Continue #BringBackOurGirls Campaign Amid New Kidnappings, Violence. "Members of Nigeria's Bring Back Our Girls movement are vowing to continue the push to free girls who remain in Boko Haram's captivity amid news of another abduction of schoolgirls and increasing terror by the extremist group. Despite military and territorial gains against the terrorist group, Boko Haram has continued to unleash despair with the latest kidnapping of more than 100 schoolgirls in the northeast Nigerian town of Dapchi, believed to be the largest mass abduction since the 2014 notorious Chibok kidnappings. At least three aid workers died on March 1 in another Boko Haram attack in Borno's border town of Rann." Seethe.

* * *

Zeke Miller and Jonathan Lemire at the AP: West Wing Turmoil with Staff Exits; No Chaos, Trump Says. "Cohn's departure has sparked internal fears of an even larger exodus, raising concerns in Washington of a coming 'brain drain' around the president that will only make it more difficult for Trump to advance his already languishing policy agenda. Multiple White House officials said the president has been pushing anxious aides to stay on the job. 'Everyone wants to work in the White House,' Trump said during a news conference Tuesday. 'They all want a piece of the Oval Office.' The reality is far different."

Insert all the jokes here about a "brain drain" in Trump's White House, but, as I've said many times before, the fact that there aren't smart, competent, experienced, ethical people willing to work for the executive branch is not funny. It is terrifying. No one wants to live in a country being run by corrupt fools.

David Voreacos and Greg Farrell at Bloomberg: Trump Fundraiser's Email Breach Shows Risks Before Midterms. "A top Republican fundraiser for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign learned last week that his email accounts had been hacked, sowing concerns that document leaks could roil another national U.S. election cycle. Elliott Broidy, a deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, became aware of the problem when a reporter asked about some of his private messages, said his attorney, Christopher Clark. Broidy then alerted law-enforcement officials, who are now investigating the breach of his private and business emails. Some news organizations have cited Broidy's communications in articles over the past week, describing how he sought to use his political ties to advance his business interests and those of foreign leaders. More embarrassing revelations could follow. All the information will be released soon on 'the dark web,' according to a note accompanying emails sent to Bloomberg."

Hacked DNC and Clinton campaign emails were reported without regard for the fact that they were illegally obtained, and the Russians, who were behind the hacking, never faced any consequences, so of course it's going to happen again during the next election cycle. We have learned nothing and taken no precautions to prevent a repeat of election interference. If anything, meddlers will double-down, because they know nothing will be done to stop or punish them.

Meanwhile, the investigation of the 2016 clusterfuck continues...

Ah ha, there it is: “Mr. Nader’s presence at the Seychelles meeting appears to connect him to the primary focus of Mr. Mueller’s investigation: examining Russian interference during the 2016 presidential campaign.” Nader now cooperating: https://t.co/E9uV8iRGHw

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) March 7, 2018

George Nader, the U.A.E. adviser with ties to current and former Trump aides (including Kushner and Bannon), is cooperating with Mueller's investigation and gave testimony last week to a grand jury, two people familiar with the matter tell NYT. https://t.co/PoJWdQ3Dtn

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 7, 2018

Swapna Krishna at Engadget: Russians Used Fake Social Accounts to Gather Americans' Personal Data. "The Internet Research Agency, which is backed by the Russian government, used fake social media accounts to collect names, email addresses, and more. The activity continued after the 2016 election. Using social media, Russian accounts such as @Black4Black and @BlackMattersUS reached out to small business owners, asking for personal information in order to write profiles and promotional content. They promised to add these companies to a business directory as part of their activist outreach. But nothing ever happened. ...It's not fully clear why Russian operatives want this personal information, but it could be tied to either identity theft or a larger effort to influence US politics." COULD BE!

Everything that Putin says about Trump here is designed to assuage Trump's deepest insecurities, and keep Trump believing that he is Putin's friend instead of his mark. https://t.co/gJZVpnIqmU

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 7, 2018

Think about the things Trump has most relentlessly boasted about on Twitter:

Being a stable genius. "Putin praised Trump as a 'balanced' man."

Making the best deals. "'It's possible to negotiate with him, to search for compromises,' Putin added."

And Trump will eat it up.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 7, 2018

Trump will meanwhile ignore this: "Responding to a fawning question about Russia's growing global leverage, Putin responded: 'If we play strongly with weak cards, it means the others are just poor players, they aren't as strong as it seemed, they must be lacking something.'"

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 7, 2018

We are so fucked.

* * *

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Amanda Terkel at the Huffington Post: Ben Carson Removes Anti-Discrimination Language from HUD Mission Statement. "Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is changing the mission statement of his agency, removing promises of inclusive and discrimination-free communities. In a March 5 memo addressed to HUD political staff, Amy Thompson, the department's assistant secretary for public affairs, explained that the statement is being updated 'in an effort to align HUD's mission with the Secretary's priorities and that of the Administration.' The new mission statement reads: 'HUD's mission is to ensure Americans have access to fair, affordable housing and opportunities to achieve self-sufficiency, thereby strengthening our communities and nation.' ...The Carson mission statement is quite different from the current one, which is still up on HUD's website. That one promises 'strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.' It also says these communities will be 'free from discrimination'."

News: A top Trump health official - a long-time advocate of abstinence education - will have the final say on who gets Title X family planning funding https://t.co/AcSsRWMMVZ

— Jennifer Haberkorn (@jenhab) March 6, 2018

[CN: War on agency] Rebekah Entralgo at ThinkProgress: Mississippi Senate Passes the Most Restrictive Abortion Ban in the Country. "On Tuesday, the Mississippi state senate passed a bill 35-14 that would ban abortions after just 15 weeks of pregnancy. The senate vote brings the state one step closer to enacting the most restrictive abortion ban in the country. Current state law prohibits the procedure 20 weeks after a woman's last period. No other state has a 15-week restriction. State lawmakers have previously argued that a 20-week ban was necessary in order to prevent fetal pain; by moving the ban to 15 weeks, the Mississippi legislature is making clear that this bill isn't really about the fetus, but about a larger attack on Roe v. Wade."

"We're currently seeing the highest overdose death rates ever recorded in the United States." https://t.co/bhZjWPBGWW

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 6, 2018

[CN: Sexual assault] Nigel Jaquiss at Willamette Week: In 2011, Portland Police Investigated a Sexual Assault Complaint Against Billionaire Mark Cuban: He Wasn't Charged; Here's What Happened. "The woman, whom WW is not naming because she's the alleged victim of sexual assault, agreed to a brief interview after WW obtained the police report and contacted her. She says she never contacted the media or sought publicity or compensation from Cuban and has put the incident behind her. 'I really left it in the past,' she says. 'I haven't thought about it for seven years.' Now married and in her mid-30s, the woman works in the medical field and enjoys hiking with her yellow Lab. 'I have a wonderful life,' she says. 'I'm a happy person.' But she's sticking to her story. 'I filed the report because what he did was wrong,' she adds. 'I stand behind that report 1,000 percent.'"

As you may recall, Marc Cuban was recently SHOCKED! to discover that a number of women spent years being harassed in the corporate offices of the Dallas Mavericks, the basketball team he owns. Ahem.

And finally...

Cruz begins the general election accusing O’Rourke of changing his name from “Robert” to “Beto” to fit in. O’Rourke tells @ericbradner he’s been called “Beto” since he was born. https://t.co/Q4KspTf8vG

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 7, 2018

Um ... this is bizarre because Ted Cruz’s actual first name is Rafael. https://t.co/apBRdzuZVB

— Gabe #DreamActNow Ortíz (@TUSK81) March 7, 2018

Is there a single Republican who isn't a thoroughly hypocritical, ethically bankrupt, vile asshole?

That's rhetorical.

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here's some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: War; displacement; famine] This Washington Post piece on the famine in Nigeria is a must-read: "About a million and a half of the victims have fled the Islamist extremists and are living in makeshift camps, bombed-out buildings, and host communities, receiving minimal supplies from international organizations. An additional 2 million people, according to the United Nations, are still inaccessible because of the Boko Haram fighters, who control their villages or patrol the surrounding areas. 'We will see, I think, a famine unlike any we have ever seen anywhere,' unless immediate assistance is provided, said Toby Lanzer, the top U.N. official focused on humanitarian aid for the region."

[CN: Abduction; misogyny; video may autoplay at link] In related news: "Twenty-one of the Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014 have been released, according to the Nigerian government." Twenty-one. Out of hundreds who remain missing.

The Washington Post has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. That brings the grand total of major newspaper endorsements to: Hillary: ALL OF THEM and Trump: STILL ZERO.

Anne Holton, who is married to Tim Kaine, was asked during a CNN interview how her husband "courted" her. She replied: "I courted him." We have a fine, fine Democratic ticket this year, friends.

Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in literature. Okay!

Wow: "There are a dizzying two trillion galaxies in the Universe, up to 20 times more than previously thought, astronomers reported on Thursday. The surprising find, based on 3D modeling of images collected over 20 years by the Hubble Space Telescope, was published in the Astronomical Journal."

OMG LOLOLOL: "The officers began searching the house… And then, the burglar appeared. In fact, he was unapologetically staring at them right from the roof window! 'One of the deputies outside the house heard this scratching noise,' said Crum. 'He shined his light around the house... The deputy said, and I quote: At that point we ditched all tactics and died laughing.'"

What have you been reading?

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here are some things in the news today...

[Content Note: Terrorism; video may autoplay at link] Well, I have long feared that IS and Boko Haram would continue to get cozier, and so they have, or maybe there's an emergent third group of horrific nightmare terrorists: "The Islamic State militant group (ISIS) has reportedly announced a new leader for its West Africa branch, which is closely associated with the Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram. Abu Musab al-Barnawi [is named in an interview which] does not mention the fate of Abubakar Shekau, who has led Boko Haram in recent years... Shekau pledged allegiance to the ISIS caliph, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, in 2015, and Boko Haram renamed itself as the so-called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). But United States officials claim to have seen little evidence of operational links between Boko Haram and ISIS's main territorial base in Syria. ...According to Ryan Cummings, director of African security agency Signal Risk, it is wrong to equate Boko Haram with ISWAP, which includes other pockets of militants loyal to ISIS in West Africa. 'There could potentially be a situation where Shekau, for example, is head of Boko Haram and remains as the emir of the group, but that ISWAP is a more composite movement of which Boko Haram is just one of the factions, and they would effectively still be submissive to an [ISIS]-appointed emir,' says Cummings." Fucking hell.

[CN: Nuclear warfare] I don't even have words: "A stunning revelation on Morning Joe this morning. During an interview with former NSA director Michael Hayden, Joe Scarborough unleashed a frightening nugget of information. He quoted an unidentified foreign policy expert who told him that during a one-hour briefing, Donald asked him three times: If we have nuclear weapons, why can't we use them?"

[CN: War; injury] Damn: "Responding to Donald Trump's claim that he 'always wanted to get the Purple Heart,' Rep. Tammy Duckworth on Tuesday tweeted a picture of her injured self in a hospital with her own medal, adding: 'Nothing easy about it.' ...Duckworth was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while co-piloting a Black Hawk helicopter on Nov. 12, 2004, in Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the lower half of her body. The blast cost her both her legs and also caused serious damage to her right arm." I don't know how Trump lives with himself. I really don't.

[CN: Abortion stigma] "Six years ago, reproductive justice advocate and North Carolina resident Kelsea McLain put herself 'through hell' because she needed an abortion. McLain said she was ashamed she forgot to take her birth control pill after spending so many years educating her peers about safe sex and reproductive health. In the story she shares at We Testify, a new storytelling and leadership initiative launched by the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) Monday, McLain explains how she battled internalized stigma...one of more than a dozen individuals who make up We Testify's first cohort."

[CN: Transphobia; ciscentrism; choice policing] Julia Serano, who's just one of the best writers working today, has written another amazing piece: "Detransition, Desistance, and Disinformation: A Guide for Understanding Transgender Children Debates." Go read the whole thing.

For the stargazers among us: "Perseid meteor shower: Why, where, and when to see it."

In one bright spot in otherwise dire Olympics news: "In 2008, 12 [out] LGBT athletes participated in Beijing. In London in 2012, that number rose to 22. Now, in Rio, there are 43. And that number is expected to grow even higher in the future." It's good to remember that there have always been LGBT athletes competing at the Olympics. The progress is not necessarily their participation, but that they feel safe to be out.

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Whoa: "Cepheids [young stars which are only between 10 to 300 million years old], also referred to as pulsating stars for their ability to throb in brightness over a regular cycle, are monitored to gauge their precise brightness and the data is then compared with what is visible from Earth to work out a distance. Now, an international team of researchers from Japan, South Africa, and Italy have discovered a large area at the center of the Milky Way that is completely devoid of these pulsating stars. The lead author of the study, Noriyuki Matsunaga, from the University of Tokyo, said in a press release: 'We already found some while ago that there are Cepheids in the central heart of our Milky Way (in a region about 150 light years in radius). Now we find that outside this there is a huge Cepheid desert extending out to 8000 light years from the centre.'" Fascinating!

Do you want to see a video of some wild things that have happened on live TV this year? Well, here you go! But please be warned that there is one video of someone appearing to get hurt. The injury itself is not visibly graphic, but it definitely made my butt clench! (It may not be real? I can't tell if it's part of a gag. Either way: YIKES.)

[CN: Animal endangerment] The loris are beautiful and adorable animals, and it's understandable why we might want to cuddle them, but they are not pets!

And finally! "Glider Joey Gets Special Care at Taronga Zoo." Awwwww. Baby and mama were injured when they had a collision with a barbed wire fence, but they're both on the mend now. Yay!

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Natural disaster; death; displacement] So awful: "Rescuers in Sri Lanka are searching for scores of people missing after massive landslides following days of rain. The army told the BBC that 134 people remained unaccounted for after mudslides hit three villages in central Kegalle district. At least 14 bodies have been recovered so far. Another three bodies were found elsewhere in the district. Disaster officials say about 150 people have been rescued but more than 60 houses have been buried by mud. Landslides and flooding caused by three days of torrential rain in Sri Lanka have killed at least 37 people in total, according to official figures. Nearly 350,000 people have been displaced."

[CN: Misogyny; sexual violence; terrorism] "Nigerian soldiers have found one of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram from Chibok, making her the first freed from the Islamic extremists since the mass kidnapping more than two years ago. Her uncle describes her as pregnant and traumatized but otherwise fine. Amina Ali Nkeki is the first of the 219 Chibok girls to escape from her captors since their abduction grabbed worldwide attention more than two years ago. She was found wandering in the forest, uncle Yakubu Nkeki told The Associated Press. He said the 19-year-old—she was 17 when she was abducted—was brought to Chibok Tuesday night for her identity to be verified and to be reunited with her mother. ...Other Chibok girls may also have been rescued by soldiers hunting down Boko Haram in the remote northeastern Sambisa Forest on Tuesday night, said Chibok community leader Pogu Bitrus. He said he is working with officials to establish their identities." Presumably, the AP meant "physically unharmed," rather than "fine." Ahem. I desperately hope she will have the support she needs as she begins to rebuild her life after this horrendous experience. And, given that Boko Haram continues to terrorize the area and abduct people, I hope she remains safe.

[CN: War on agency] Terrific (by which I mean terrible): "South Carolina passes bill banning abortion after 19 weeks, becoming 17th state to do so; governor expected to sign." I'm pretty sure that abortion wasn't legal after 19 weeks in South Carolina, except in cases of fetal anomalies or risk to health, so, basically, all this law will do is prevent necessary therapeutic abortions. Rage seethe boil.

[CN: Racism; eliminationist violence; harassment] George Zimmerman is one of the most odious fuckers on the planet. Last week, he started trying to auction off the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin, saying he would use the proceeds to campaign against Hillary Clinton. Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother, has been campaigning with Clinton as a spokesperson against gun violence and for gun reform. So this piece of shit wants to sell the gun he used to kill her child and use the profits to defeat the candidate with whom she's campaigning. Now, in a new interview, he says "he has no remorse about shooting the 17-year-old boy to death in Sanford, Florida, and bears outright hostility for the parents whose son he took away forever. 'They didn't raise their son right. He attacked a complete stranger and attempted to kill him,' Zimmerman said of Martin." There is more, and it is absolute filth. Having been writing about this guy for four years now, nothing he does surprises me. Everything he does, however, makes me incandescently angry. And I cannot quite put into words how profoundly upsetting I find it that he continues to provoke Trayvon's family so publicly and so viciously. What a truly vile dirtbag.

"The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Eric Fanning as the new secretary of the Army—quietly making history by putting the first openly gay person in the post. Fanning was confirmed unanimously on a voice vote. He previously filled a number of senior positions in the Department of Defense, including acting undersecretary of the Army, special assistant to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, and undersecretary of the Air Force. President Barack Obama nominated Fanning in September, but his confirmation was delayed because of politics." Of course it was.

[CN: Violence; harassment] The Sacramento Bee isn't mincing any words about Bernie Sanders' abdication of leadership with regard to his out of control supporters: "One would think that Sanders, the man who continues to insist he's the only Democrat who can beat Trump, would speak up forcefully to condemn the actions of his supporters in Nevada. If nothing else, it's the right thing to do. Instead, much like Trump when pressed about the violent streak within his ranks, he has largely weaseled out of his responsibility to make it clear to his supporters that this is not acceptable behavior. ...Sanders can't be expected to control the behavior of every single supporter. But when violence breaks out in his name, when his supporters start making death threats and resorting to sexist taunts over social media, Sanders can and should be expected to condemn such behavior—swiftly, visibly and unequivocally. That is leadership, just as leadership also is standing up to the mob, not encouraging it. Doing anything else falls far short of the kind of president we need." Ouch.

[CN: Anti-feminism] "Bill O'Reilly: Feminists Should Not Be Allowed to Report on Trump 'Because Trump Is the Antithesis of' Feminism." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.

Sure: "North Carolina Rep. Renee Ellmers, a Republican who has endorsed Donald Trump, said Wednesday she doesn't condone the real estate mogul's past comments about women but still believes he is the best candidate for female voters. ...'Women are pragmatic and they want answers. They want solutions. They don't have time for the outside remarks and innuendo and the stories that are going to come out over time. They want to see results. They want to get their country back.'" Which is why this woman is voting for Hillary Clinton!

[CN: Rape culture; video may autoplay at link] What the everloving fuck: "Kesha Says She 'Won't Be Allowed' to Perform at Billboard Music Awards After Dr. Luke's Label Allegedly Rescinds Approval." Like, if there were ever any doubt about her allegations, the fact that this shitlord is still trying to have control over her should really clear them right the fuck up.

Set your DVRs! Hillary Clinton and the cast of Ghostbusters will all appear on Ellen Wednesday, May 25. *faints*

In case you didn't already love John Boyega, here he is talking about his new female costar in Star Wars: Episode VIII, Kelly Marie Tran: "I love her. I love her. I think she's fantastic. But she'll tell her own story. I feel it's always weird or wrong for someone the world hasn't met, for me to come and start talking about her. She's great. She's freaking great, and I love her. I freaking love her. She's fantastic. Seriously. She's changed a lot in terms of perspective on just chemistry and industry. She's a real cool girl. Yeah, yeah! Her outlook. It's a friendship thing in the sense of you meet someone and you're just like, 'I vibe with you. I feel like I've known you for years.' And that's a very, very good thing. I don't know what I can and can't say. But she's fully in the movie, she's a great character, and I can't wait for you guys to be introduced to her." LOVE. Also? Apparently Tom Hardy has a cameo. Dead.

And finally! Asian Small-clawed Otter pup!!! "Asian Small-clawed Otters have a vast but shrinking Southeast Asian range that spans from India to the Philippines, Taiwan, and parts of southern China. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is threatened by habitat loss and exploitation." So, you know, an important pup as well as a TOTES ADORBZ one!

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Misogyny; abduction; abuse; terrorism] Two years ago today, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from the Chibok Government Secondary School in Nigeria. Some of them were able to escape, but 219 remain missing. Of the ones who remain missing, it is almost a certainty that some of them have been killed, by being forced to participate in acts of violent terror or by other means. Many, or all, of the survivors have been subjected to unfathomable tortures and abuse. I feel utterly helpless to do anything meaningful, except to continue to write about this, and the ongoing abductions that Boko Haram continues to orchestrate. I take up space in solidarity with the girls who are missing, and with their families, who desperately want them home.

[CN: Earthquake] Oh no: "A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 has knocked over houses in southern Japan, and police said people could be trapped underneath the rubble. The Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto hospital said it had admitted or treated 45 people on Thursday, including five with serious injuries. The quake struck at 9.26pm (12.26pm GMT) near Kumamoto city on the island of Kyushu. There was no risk of a tsunami. ...Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, told a news conference that the damage was being assessed, but there were no abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities. The epicentre was 74 miles (120km) north-east of the Sendai nuclear plant, the only one operating in the country." I hope there are no fatalities. Still, there is a lot of damage, and, as of right now, the most profoundly affected areas have no water access. UPDATE: I see the linked story has been updated to reflect that two people have died. My condolences to their loved ones.

[CN: Guns; death] Wow: "In a major blow to gun companies, a judge in Connecticut on Thursday decided the lawsuit brought by 10 families affected by the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School against the maker of the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle used in the shooting will continue. At issue is the 2005 federal law that provides gun businesses immunity from civil lawsuits, known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), or PLCAA for short. Connecticut State Judge Barbara Bellis on Thursday rejected the gun companies' motion to dismiss the case."

[CN: Carcerality; racism] "From Ferguson to Chicago to Newark, communities across the country are being called out for growing local justice systems planted in racist soil. Now, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation aims to help make over those systems. Today (April 13), the foundation announced that it will support justice system reform to the tune of $25 million as part of a larger $75 million commitment to transforming how America uses jails. It is issuing 11 grants of $1.5 to $3.5 million to 11 jurisdictions, plus another nine grants of $150,000 each. The money is earmarked to address racial and ethnic disparities and reduce jail populations. Each grantee had to submit a proposal that outlined a project that is meant to not only function locally, but act as a model for other locales. The projects cover everything from implicit bias training for law enforcement to community-based substance abuse treatment programs to alternatives to incarceration, and each emphasizes community engagement and collaboration."

This is very good news: "Small-time crime and arrest records will be sealed automatically for thousands of people [in Pennsylvania] under new legislation, dubbed the Clean Slate initiative, introduced by a large bipartisan group of lawmakers in Harrisburg. The Clean Slate initiative is the first of its kind in the nation. Several states from Ohio to Mississippi to California have reformed their recordkeeping laws in recent years as activists called attention to the lingering harms that even a simple arrest with no criminal charge can inflict. But Pennsylvania will be the first to automate the process, a significant step forward for people who don’t have the resources to petition the court for the kind of relief other states have made available." Good job, Pennsylvania!

[CN: Transphobia; homophobia] Of course: "Mat Staver and the Liberty Counsel, who served as lawyers for Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, are behind more than 20 anti-LGBT 'bathroom bills' around the nation, CBS News reports: ''It is only about being free to pursue your faith,' said Mathew Staver. 'We have no interest in discriminating against anyone.' Staver is the founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, which has affiliated attorneys in all 50 states—drafting bills, advising lawmakers and defending clients in what they believe to be the great cultural clash of our time…Lately, Liberty Counsel has been helping to draft legislation for conservative lawmakers in at least 20 states. 'There's certainly a thread of information that is similar and the same,' Staver said. 'They all have the same intent and that is to protect religious freedom.' But opponents say Liberty's handiwork actually protects those who, for religious reasons, decline to employ or serve gays, lesbians, or transgender people.'" Just because someone uses religion to try to justify their bigotry doesn't actually make their reason "religious."

[CN: Rape culture; victim-blaming] Rage seethe boil: "Brigham Young University students who are victims of sex crimes say they are investigated by the school and sometimes disciplined after reporting their abuse, a consequence that critics say silences victims and emboldens offenders. At colleges nationwide, student victims are encouraged to report sexual assaults to schools' Title IX officers, charged with enforcing a federal law that guarantees students don't face hostility on campus based on their gender. But multiple students say that at BYU—a private university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Title IX staff routinely alert the Honor Code Office. ...In a statement, BYU said a student 'will never be referred to the Honor Code Office for being a victim of sexual assault,' and that its Honor Code proceedings are 'independent and separate' from Title IX investigations. But multiple BYU students investigated by the school's Honor Code Office disagree, saying they were scrutinized as a result of reporting a sex crime. In some cases described by past and current students, Honor Code investigations were launched even when the accused assailants were not BYU students—the alleged victim being the sole possible target."

[CN: War on agency] Guess those assurances that Donald Trump is just "playing a role" and doesn't believe all the heinous shit he's saying aren't valid! What a shock! "Donald Trump's charitable giving includes donations to anti-choice organizations, along with a crisis pregnancy center (CPC), according to his charity's tax returns and a document provided by the Trump campaign and published by the Washington Post. In 2013, tax filings show the Donald J. Trump Foundation gave $25,000 to Justice for All, an anti-choice group targeting college campuses."

[CN: Nuclear war] Hillary Clinton has penned an op-ed excoriating Trump for his irresponsible rhetoric on nuclear proliferation and warfare: "Keeping America safe is the most solemn responsibility of any President. So when Donald Trump says 'we need unpredictability' when it comes to nuclear weapons, when he talks casually about actually using these weapons, and when he says he sees no problem in letting more countries develop nuclear weapons, he's not just wrong. This kind of loose talk is dangerous. These may be the most reckless statements on national security by any major presidential candidate in modern history. ...Our national security is too important to entrust to someone who hasn't thought long and hard about how to keep us safe. And remember: Loose cannons tend to misfire. That's a risk we just can't take."

[CN: Splaining; Christian Supremacy] John Kasich is still flying under the radar, but never forget that he is also extremely terrible: "Kasich's travels in New York brought him yesterday to a Jewish bookstore, where he met students of the Talmud. Having thus met people who spend their entire day scrutinizing religious texts, Kasich's reaction was to ask them if they were aware of facts about those texts that they probably knew as very small children. 'They sold [Joseph] into slavery, and that's how the Jews got to Egypt. Right? Did you know that?' For those who never attended Sunday school, this is a bit like visiting MIT, wandering into a physics lab, and asking people if they ever heard of this guy named Isaac Newton." There's video at the link.

No thank you! "AMC, the biggest movie theater chain in the United States, has a new CEO in Adam Aron, and he's up for some changes to the moviegoing experience. Granted, there are plenty of things that could be improved about theaters, but 'allowing texting in theaters' isn't one of them—despite his willingness to try it. This is it. This is the hill my youth dies on. I guess I'm glad it's a movie theater-shaped hill, anyway." LOL.

And finally! All the blubs forever: "A dog and kitten who lost their home were reunited in a heart-warming encounter caught on video at a California animal center recently. And there's more good news! Ami the dog and Mikaela the kitten have both been adopted by a loving family." ♥

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Misogyny; racism; pay gap] Kanya D'Almeida on the pay gap: "The gender wage gap is widest for Black and Latina women, who earn 60 cents and 55 cents, respectively, for each dollar paid to white men, according to new data from the National Partnership for Women and Families released ahead of Equal Pay Day. Based on an analysis of U.S. Census data, the national survey found that women who are employed full time earn, on average, 79 cents to every dollar paid to their male counterparts, amounting to an annual pay gap of roughly $10,762. This means that every year, women in the workforce are 'losing' nearly $500 billion to unfair payment practices that persist in every state and 98 percent of the country's 435 congressional districts. ...If women had received equal pay in the year 2015, they could have secured 83 more weeks of food for themselves and their families, 11 additional months' worth of rent, or nine more years of birth control, according to the survey." Damn.

[CN: Police brutality; racism] The Guardian continues their excellent coverage of Chicago police's "black site" Homan Square: "[A] Guardian transparency lawsuit has revealed [Jaime Galvan] as the second person known to have died in police custody at Homan Square. Internal police records show that between late 2004 and mid 2015, Chicago police detained more than 7,351 people at Homan Square, more than 6,000 of whom are black, but only permitted lawyers access 86 times. The records are still incomplete."

[CN: Racism] Yesterday, Hillary Clinton appeared with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and participated in a skit that contained a "joke" which played on the concept of "colored peole time." de Blasio, whose wife and children are black, attempted to defend the joke on the basis that it was intended to be satirical, but, as Imani Gandy noted, which I am sharing with her permission: "You gotta be Black to make jokes about CPT. You can't be married to a Black person or Black-adjacent. You have to actually be Black." Yup. And, you know, intent ain't magic. If Clinton has made any comment on it, I have not been able to find it.

[CN: Misogyny; fat hatred; bullying] Jane Sanders is increasingly playing a more visible role in Bernie Sanders' campaign. Last night alone, she did two different interviews on MSNBC, during which she made some curious comments about their tax returns which are getting a lot of scrutiny. That's fair enough. What isn't fair is that a number of people who don't support Sanders have not stuck to valid criticisms, but have begun to attack Jane Sanders' appearance. I'm not going to link to any of it; it's easy enough to find if you're so inclined. Jane Sanders' appearance is utterly irrelevant to this campaign. I can't put it any more plainly than that.

[CN: Terrorism; child abuse] Boko Haram continues to engage in some of the most heinous tactics anywhere around the globe: "Boko Haram's use of child bombers has increased over the last year with one in five [redacted] attacks now done by children, the UN's child agency says. Girls, who are often drugged, were behind three-quarters of such attacks committed by the militant Islamist group in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Chad. It is an 11-fold increase with four attacks in 2014 compared to 44 the next year, including January 2016. ...The seven-year insurgency, which has mainly affected north-eastern Nigeria as well as its neighbours around Lake Chad, has left some 17,000 people dead. Unicef says up to 1.3 million children have been forced from their homes across four countries: Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, and Niger." I continue to refuse to use the phrase "suicide bomber" to refer to children who are abducted, drugged, and forced to strap explosives to themselves. Fucking hell.

[CN: Homophobia] Haha welp! "Conservatives have long squawked that the studies showing positive outcomes for the children of same-sex couples are lacking methodologically, instead offering their own flawed studies to claim negative consequences. A new study, however, uses their preferred methods—minus the flaws—and proves what the medical community has already long known: same-sex couples make great parents." Does this mean we can put an end to the homophobic fearmongering? Probably not! Because homophobic fearmongers are terrible!

[CN: Sexual violence; abuse; hostility to marginalized people] Shut the fuck up, Stephen Fry. Just shut the fuck up.

[CN: Misogyny; harassment] The Guardian has done an analysis of its own comment threads and found (to the shock of absolutely no one reading this, I imagine) "that articles written by women attract more abuse and dismissive trolling than those written by men, regardless of what the article is about."

[CN: Misogynoir; sexual harassment] This interview with Anita Hill, ahead of HBO's Confirmation, a fictionalized account of her role in Clarence Thomas' SCOTUS confirmation hearings, is so terrific. I was so struck by the fact that Hill was only 35 at the time, because I was so young when it happened, and now I'm 6 years older than she was when she testified. She was so damn young. Not that being put through that at any time would have been easy, but still. She was so young.

Today, President Obama has made a presidential proclamation establishing the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument. There's a lot of interesting history at the link!

Woot! "Rihanna's 'Work,' featuring Drake, posts an eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated April 23). With her latest frame on top, Rihanna has now tied The Beatles for the second-most total weeks spent at No. 1 (59) and trails only Mariah Carey, the leader with 79." Congratulations, Rihanna!

And finally! I love dogs so much: "The researchers made several other interesting discoveries when analyzing the videos of how people interacted with their pets. They found that women touched dogs more during playtime, while half of all men in the study were completely hands-off. Humans were also happier the closer they were to their dog. 'I was surprised to see that different types of play (and different levels of activity and contact between person and dog) were correlated with different emotional experience for the persons: they had very positive affect in games like tug or wrestling play; much more neutral affect in fetch,' Horowitz told CBS News in an email. However, these distinctions did not appear to make much difference to the dogs themselves. 'Dog affect was overwhelmingly positive' the whole time, the study reported." Dog affect was overwhelmingly positive. IT'S A DAY!

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: White supremacy] Cliven Bundy is under arrest and the "remaining occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge were expected to surrender Thursday morning on the 41st day of the standoff." Insert all the contempt on the planet here for the evident racist double-standard that affords white seditionists a peaceful surrender. Fuck.

Albert Einstein's prediction was right: Researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory have detected gravitational waves! And naturally, Maddie Stone at Gizmodo has the best headline: "Holy Shit! Scientists Have Confirmed the Existence of Gravitational Waves." LOL! "Gravitational waves were observed on September 14th, 2015, at 5:51 am ET by both of the LIGO detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. The source? A supermassive black hole collision that took place 1.3 billion years ago. When it occurred, about three times the mass of the sun was converted to energy in a fraction of a second."

[CN: Terrorism; death; video may autoplay at link] Fucking hell: Two female [redacted] bombers blew themselves up this week in a camp in northeastern Nigeria set up to shelter people from terrorism, killing at least 58 people. But others were spared when a third intended bomber realized at the last minute that her family had taken shelter there, too, and refused to detonate her explosives, relief officials sad. Officials said 78 people were injured. The victims were staying in a camp for people who had been displaced by Boko Haram violence in Nigeria's Borno state." (I continue to find it inappropriate that young women and girls who detonate bombs strapped to them are called "suicide" bombers, which connotes an agency that the women and girls kidnapped and forcibly sacrificed by Boko Haram do not have. And while I don't want to strip women of their agency, even when they're committing atrocities, we do not know if the women who self-detonated had any meaningful agency to exercise.)

[CN: War on agency] These laws are heinous: "A Tennessee woman who was one of the first to be charged under the state's controversial fetal assault law accepted a plea deal that will keep her out of jail but on probation for almost a year. Brittany Nicole Hudson pleaded guilty to child abuse, or simple assault, stemming from an incident in October 2014 where Hudson allegedly gave birth to a baby girl in a car on the side of a Blount County, Tennessee road. The Blount County Sheriff's Office then opened an investigation and determined that Hudson had used illicit drugs during her pregnancy. Tennessee lawmakers in April 2014 passed the first-of-its-kind fetal assault bill, which enables prosecutors to charge pregnant patients with assault for actions patients took while pregnant that cause 'harm' to their fetus. SB 1391 allows a person to be prosecuted for the illegal use of a narcotic while pregnant, if the baby is born addicted to or harmed by the narcotic drug, and the addiction or harm is a result of illegal use of a narcotic drug taken while pregnant. This bill allows women to be charged with aggravated assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, if they have a pregnancy complication after illicit drug use. Hudson was one of the first women to be charged under the fetal assault law, passed by Tennessee's GOP-majority state legislature."

[CN: Carcerality; death] "Fifty-two people have been killed and 12 wounded in a prison riot in Monterrey, north-eastern Mexico, the state governor has confirmed, just days ahead of a planned visit by Pope Francis to another prison nearby. Jaime Rodríguez Calderón, the governor of Nuevo León, said the violence involved a brutal fight between rival factions, including one led by a member of the Zetas drug cartel. All 52 victims were male, Rodríguez said, adding that they had not yet all been identified. Five of the 12 wounded had serious injuries." Damn.

[CN: Racism] OMFG Meryl Streep: "The Berlin International Film Festival became embroiled in the debate about diversity in the movie industry Thursday, with jury president Meryl Streep dismissing questions about the all-white panel by telling reporters that 'we're all Africans really.' ...Asked by an Egyptian reporter whether she understood films from the Arab world and North Africa, Streep said that while she didn't know much about the region, 'I've played a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures. There is a core of humanity that travels right through every culture, and after all we're all from Africa originally,' she added. 'Berliners, we're all Africans really.'"

This is polite: "Moments after he placed second in the New Hampshire primary, John Kasich was transformed from a low-profile, under-the-radar candidate to the new face of compassionate conservatism in America. ...But behind the unassuming image is a track record in his home state of Ohio, where he is a second-term governor, that puts him a big step to the right of what many Americans would consider moderate." All he does is wear the mask.

"Sources: Jim Webb May Announce Presidential Candidacy Again." Oh.

"Wisdom, a Laysan albatross that researchers first tagged in 1956, has hatched what could be her 40th chick, leading the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to call her 'an iconic symbol of inspiration and hope.' Born at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (which is part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument), the new (adorable) chick has been named Kūkini—the Hawaiian word for messenger."

[CN: Moving gifs at link] And finally! "17 Just Great Looking Dogs." LOLOLOL! (P.S. They're cats.)

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Video may autoplay at link] There is extreme weather on many parts of the globe right now, and some of it is making for uncharacteristically mild weather and some of it is making for dangerous weather. If you're in one of the latter spots, my sympathies and wishes for safety to you.

[CN: Terrorism] "Boko Haram militants struck the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Monday with rocket-propelled grenades and multiple [redacted] bombers, witnesses said. At least 50 people were killed and the death toll could go higher. Another twin [redacted] bombing killed at least 30 people in Madagali, a town 150 kilometers (95 miles) southeast of Maiduguri, witnesses said. ...'We are under siege,' [civil servant Yunusa Abdullahi] said. 'We don't know how many of these bombs or these female [redacted] bombers were sneaked into Maiduguri last night.' He said some residents have found undetonated bombs." (I continue to find it inappropriate that young women and girls who detonate bombs strapped to them are called "suicide" bombers, which connotes an agency that the women and girls kidnapped and forcibly sacrificed by Boko Haram do not have.)

[CN: War on agency] Goddammit: "A Tennessee woman accused of using a coat hanger to try to terminate her pregnancy pleaded not guilty to attempted first-degree murder charges Tuesday. Prosecutors indicted Anna Yocca this month for illegally attempting to end her pregnancy herself. Yocca in September allegedly filled a bathtub with water, sat in it, and then took a coat hanger and attempted to abort her pregnancy, prosecutors said. Yocca reportedly bled heavily during the attempt, at which point her boyfriend rushed her to the hospital. Medical professionals at Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital in Nashville delivered a 1.5-pound infant boy. The baby survived and will reportedly need extensive medical care. Hospital staff alerted law enforcement officials after, they said, Yocca made 'disturbing statements' to them about trying to terminate her pregnancy. Abortions must be performed by a physician under Tennessee law. The state has no abortion clinic providing care after 16 weeks."

[CN: Police brutality; racism; guns] Fucking hell: "Chicago police shot and killed two people early Saturday morning after responding to what they called a domestic disturbance call. According to NBC 5, police fatally shot Quintonio Legrier, a student at Northern Illinois University, after responding to a call from Legrier's father. Family at the scene say that police were called after Legrier threatened his father with a baseball bat. However, Janet Cookery, Legrier's mother, said her son suffered from mental illness. 'He was having a mental situation. Sometimes he will get loud, but not violent,' Cookery told WLS-TV in Chicago. ...The second victim in Chicago, Bettie Jones, was a mother of five who lived in the same apartment building as Legrier and his father." The police say that Jones was "accidentally struck." Rage. Seethe. Boil. And all of this while Chicagoans, led by black Chicagoans, protest police violence.

RIP Meadowlark Lemon. "Meadowlark Lemon, the court jester of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team who delighted audiences around the world for some 25 years with an array of trick shots, comedy routines, and pure charisma, has died at the age of 83, the team announced on Monday. ...Lemon was the undisputed master of the long-range hook shot, rubber-band ball, and other crowd-pleasing tricks during the years he wore the Globetrotters' star-spangled red, white and blue uniform. The team's website said he played in 7,500 consecutive games—the equivalent of more than 92 NBA seasons—in some 100 countries before audiences that included everyone from Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to three popes."

Dear David Spade: I can think of few things thirstier than calling the president thirsty for appearing on a reality show. I mean, not for nothing, but have you even seen what the actual news looks like these days? Bear Grylls' show is like a million times more respectable than CNN. I'm just saying. No Love, Liss.

Welp, this is my new favorite website: "The new year is almost here, and fans of arbitrary starting points tend to use it as a time to make resolutions for ways they want to change their lives. Do you need a little extra motivation to try and get yourself going in 2016? Or maybe do you just want to feel bad about yourself? Then the website supbowie.com is perfect for you. The ethos of the website is set up with the simple, yet garish, text that greets you: 'What did David Bowie do at your age?' You type in your age, and the website tells you something that Bowie did at said age. Sometimes, the entry includes helpful video and or photographic evidence of what weird, yet incredibly successful, thing Bowie did at the time." LOL!

And finally! "A Dog's Life in London." Awwwwww!

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

On the Boko Haram Attack in Nigeria

[Content Note: Terrorism; death.]

Yesterday, another explosive device placed in a market in the northeastern Nigerian city of Yola detonated, killing at least 32 people and wounding at least 80 others.

The Islamic extremist group Boko Haram has not yet claimed responsibility, but they will. Detonating bombs in markets is one of Boko Haram's signature strategies, which they use in order to maximize harm, death, and devastation.

If someone in the West has heard of Boko Haram at all, it is probably in association with their mass kidnapping of girls. But they routinely terrorize northern Nigeria and bordering areas with bombings, mass shootings, kidnappings, and associated war crimes. Though they are a distinct group from IS, they have pledged their fealty to the better-known group: "The suspected perpetrators, Boko Haram, have pledged allegiance to Islamic State and killed thousands of people in the northeastern part of the country during the last six years. The militant group is fighting for a state that would strictly adhere to Sharia law."

Their terrorist attacks were also, over the course of last year, more deadly than IS' terrorist attacks, although IS killed many more people in combat:

Fatalities from terrorism are at a record high now with just two groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State responsible for half of them, a new report showed. The Nigerian militants kill more people than their Iraqi-Syrian allies.

Two terrorist groups were responsible for over a half of the killings in 2014 – Nigeria-based Boko Haram and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), which aims to expand its influence from the powerbase in Iraq and Syria globally. Together they were responsible for 51 percent of all global fatalities in 2014 claimed by any group, and almost 40 percent of all fatalities, according to the Global Terrorism Index published by the Institute for Economic and Peace (IEP).

The Nigerian jihadists, who pledged allegiance to IS in March 2015, killed more people than their fellow Islamists, claiming 6,644 lives compared to 6,073. Nigeria accordingly experienced a staggering 300 percent rise in terrorism deaths in 2014, although other militant groups take partial blame for the increase. In particular the Fulani militants killed 1,229 in Nigeria.

IS killed more people in combat than in acts of terrorism in 2014. It was responsible for at least 20,000 battlefield deaths over the year in clashes with various state and non-state combatants.

Over the past year and a half, I have covered 30 separate attacks and multiple kidnappings by Boko Haram. I have noted the disparity in the coverage between the coverage of terrorist attacks in the West and the terrorism being perpetrated by Boko Haram, at one point observing that a bombing in which at least 17 people were killed warranted only two sentences from Reuters, and that was still more that most major news outlets gave it.

Like IS, Boko Haram's primarily targets and victims are other Muslims. They have killed thousands of people, injured thousands of people, kidnapped thousands of people, and displaced thousands of people.

And their latest attack, in which dozens died and scores were injured, has received virtually no news coverage in the mainstream Western media.

Because they are of no imminent risk to "us."

Because they explicitly target the women and children of a population mostly comprised of other black Muslims.

I feel very angry and very helpless to do anything meaningful in support of the Nigerian and neighboring people being terrorized on a daily basis by this despicable lot. I don't know what the US government, or any other government, should do to help; how to intervene or whether to intervene at all.

All I know is that not paying attention, not caring, abets Boko Haram. They flourish in a vacuum of concern.

Nigerians under siege have asked us to raise awareness. To talk about the grievous harm being done to them.

It is not enough, but it is what I can do: I am witnessing what is happening. I see what Boko Haram is doing. I am writing and talking about it. I take up space in solidarity with the people they terrorize, because their lives matter.

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Terrorism; religious extremism; displacement; drowning; death] I honestly can't even begin to fathom what it is like to live as a target of Boko Haram: "The number of villagers massacred by Boko Haram jihadists in a remote village in northeastern Nigeria rose to 160 on Wednesday, according to locals, amid official denials over the attack. Residents of Kukuwa-Gari in Yobe State described how more than 150 of their relatives and neighbours drowned in a river fleeing militants who opened fire on the village on Thursday last week, while another eight were shot dead." Director of Defence Information Colonel Rabe Abubakar says locals' account is "untrue," possibly because: "The villagers' count of the dead in Kukuwa-Gari would constitute the largest loss of life in any single Boko Haram attack since President Muhammadu Buhari swept to power on May 29, vowing to crush the insurgency."

[CN: Rape culture; child sex abuse] The Duggars are absolutely shameless: "The Duggar family is reportedly pitching a new show to the TLC Network about providing Christian counseling to victims of childhood sexual abuse. ...A source close to the Duggars told Star magazine that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are desperate to keep some form of reality TV revenue coming in to support their outsized brood. 'The family can't afford to not have the show—it is their main source of income, and with a family of that size, without it they're in enormous trouble,' said the family friend. 'They know they have to at least pretend to be sorry about what happened, and now they want a spin-off where Jim Bob and Michelle would give advice to abuse victims—even though they're in denial about their culpability in Josh's crimes.'" Obviously a "family friend" who would admit the Duggars are "in denial" about their accountability probably isn't much of a friend, but I frankly have little doubt about the veracity of this tale, given that the Duggars are already participating in TLC's garbage special on childhood sexual abuse.

[CN: Rape culture; child exploitation] Former Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle "has agreed to plead guilty to allegations that he paid for sex acts with minors and received child abuse images that he knew had been secretly produced by the former director of his charitable foundation, federal prosecutors said in court documents released on Wednesday." This fucking guy. And Subway never heard a whisper about this until a month ago when agents raided his home? Bullshit.

[CN: Misogynoir; abuse; descriptions of violence] Dee Barnes, the journalist of whom Dr. Dre was convicted of assaulting in 1991, pens a terrific piece after viewing Straight Outta Compton: "Here's What's Missing from Straight Outta Compton: Me and the Other Women Dr. Dre Beat Up." Powerful stuff.

RIP Yvonne Craig: "Yvonne Craig began her theatrical career as the youngest member of The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and toured for three years when she was accidentally discovered by John Ford's son Patrick and cast for the lead in the movie The Young Land. This was quickly followed by many years of film and television including two movies with Elvis Presley (It Happened at the World's Fair and Kissin Cousins). However, she is probably best known for originating the role as Batgirl in the 1966 TV series of Batman."

So sweet: "Hailey Dawson was born without a fully formed right hand due to a genetic condition called Poland syndrome... But the die-hard Orioles fan was able to get a special treat to throw out the first pitch after students from the University of Nevada Las Vegas created a specially designed prosthetic hand for Hailey. The hand was printed on a 3-D printer and custom made in orange and black to reflect Hailey's love for all things Orioles." Hailey got to throw "to her favorite All-Star player Manny Machado across the plate."

Lolsob forever: "Fox News wants to know if Hillary Clinton is her own 'worst enemy.' Fox News. Fox. News."

Um. "US health officials have closed a portion of Yosemite National Park after it emerged that a second tourist might have contracted plague. Authorities believe the disease, which is treatable with antibiotics, was spread by squirrels and fleas. The tourist's camp site—the Tuolumne Meadows Campground—will be closed until Friday as workers treat the area with insecticide." Blech.

Neat! "Until now, the general consensus was that hummingbirds used capillary action to sip tiny bursts of nectar. Capillary action is a force you can observe by putting a long, thin tube in a glass of water: The water will travel up through the narrow space without any suction. Scientists thought that the long, narrow grooves they saw on hummingbird tongues accomplished the same feat. In a study published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, researchers uncovered the truth: Their tongues work like tiny mechanical pumps."

And finally! "Endangered Wallaby Joeys Emerge at Taronga Zoo." Oh mah gawd. THE CUTE!!!

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Anti-choice terrorism] Today in anti-choice terrorism: "An unidentified person poured gasoline on a recently laid foundation and a security guard's car early Saturday morning at the construction site of the Planned Parenthood facility in New Orleans. ...Video surveillance reportedly captured the incident and law enforcement is investigating. ...Planned Parenthood cleared an administrative hurdle last month toward the construction of the facility, the Center for Choice, which would expand access to abortion in the New Orleans area, after the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals rescinded regulations that may have prevented it from opening such a facility."

[CN: Terrorism; abduction] Goddammit: "At least seven people were killed and about 20 others were kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram militants in an overnight raid on a village near Cameroon's northern border, a senior military officer said Tuesday." In better news: "The Nigerian army has freed 178 people being held hostage by Boko Haram jihadists including more than 100 children, it said late Sunday, as it carries out a regional offensive aimed at rooting out the insurgency."

[CN: Police misconduct; misogynoir] Sandra Bland's family has filed a civil rights lawsuit against state trooper Brian Encinia, who arrested and assaulted her, "and against other officials they believe contributed to her death in a small-town Texas jail on 13 July. The suit, filed on Tuesday, claims that Bland wrongfully died. 'Her constitutional rights were violated,' Cannon Lambert, the family's attorney, said. He said that the legal action is an attempt to force more transparency from officials."

[CN: Wildfires] More than 13,000 California residents have been evacuated "as firefighters struggle to contain some 20 wildfires. Some 9,000 firefighters worked throughout Monday in steep terrain and rugged conditions, officials said. The biggest blaze—the so-called Rocky fire north of San Francisco—has already consumed more than 90 square miles (233 sq km) of land." Fuck.

[CN: Police misconduct; racist violence; racist slurs] What the everloving shit: "A police officer in Alabama proposed murdering a black resident and creating bogus evidence to suggest the killing was in self-defence, the Guardian has learned. Officer Troy Middlebrooks kept his job and continues to patrol Alexander City after authorities there paid the man $35,000 to avoid being publicly sued over the incident. ...The payment was made to the black resident, Vincent Bias, after a secret recording of Middlebrooks's remarks was played to police chiefs and the mayor. Elected city councillors said they were not consulted. A copy of the recording was obtained by the Guardian. 'This town is ridiculous,' Bias, 49, said in an interview. 'The police here feel they can do what they want, and often they do.' Alexander City police chief Willie Robinson defended Middlebrooks. 'He was just talking. He didn't really mean that,' he said in an interview."

[CN: Homophobia] Speaking of Alabama: "An Alabama state senate committee approved a bill on Monday that would get the state's probate judges out of the marriage license business. ...'Sen. Greg Albritton, the bill's sponsor, says the bill could be a solution to lingering disputes over gay marriage.'" Of course.

[CN: Animal abuse] This is good news: "A federal judge on Monday struck down an Idaho law that banned documentation of animal abuse at livestock operations, ruling that it violated freedom of speech and other constitutionally guaranteed rights. The measure, approved by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed into law by Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter in 2014, was crafted in response to a video released by animal-rights activists showing workers at an Idaho dairy [abusing cows]. But U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and other groups that sued to overturn the statute in finding that the so-called ag gag law violated protections of free speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

[CN: Religious Supremacy; child abuse] I would say this is unbelievable, but of course it's totally, rage-makingly believable: "A lawsuit recently filed against a teacher at Forest Park Elementary School in Indiana alleged that a 7-year-old student was 'banished' from sitting with other students at lunch after he revealed that he did not believe in God. ...The lawsuit is seeking damages and attorneys' fees. In a statement, the school district suggested that the teacher had been wrong to single out the child." Ya think?!

Whaaaaat: "In a world first, the US Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for a 3D-printed pill to be produced. The FDA has previously approved medical devices—including prosthetics—that have been 3D printed. The new drug, dubbed Spritam, was developed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals to control seizures brought on by epilepsy. The company said that it planned to develop other medications using its 3D platform. Printing the drugs allows layers of medication to be packaged more tightly in precise dosages." Wow.

And finally! "Watch the Best Puppy Sneeze of All Time." I can't even argue. That is definitely the best puppy sneeze of all time!

Open Wide...

Shut Up!