Quote of the Day

[Content Note: War on agency; misogyny; racism.]

"Republicans were more interested in attacking Planned Parenthood and flying the Confederate flag―can't make that stuff up; that's really the truth―than protecting women and babies from this awful virus."—Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, expressing his disgust that Republicans continue to play politics instead of offering a clean bill (sans garbage amendments) on Zika funding.

The Senate passed a $1.1 billion bipartisan compromise to fund Zika efforts ― which was about $800 million short of what Democrats and the White House wanted ― but Republicans in the House objected to the measure. But rather than change the funding or insist on a different response from the administration, Republicans added provisions targeting Planned Parenthood and the Clean Water Act, as well as ones that would make cuts to Obamacare and preserve the right to fly the Confederate flag.

Senate Democrats refused to accept those provisions, and Republicans refused to remove them.

Which, of course, are not equal positions. The Republicans are trying to hold people's health and lives hostage in exchange for provisions that harm people's health and lives in different ways. And the Democrats refused to agree to that. As well they should.

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Congratulations to Dr. Carla Hayden, who has been confirmed by the US Senate as the 14th Librarian of Congress. She is the first Black person and the first woman to hold the position!

[Content Note: War on agency] Welp: "Congress is about to leave for a seven-week vacation without giving the Obama administration any of the $1.9 billion it's seeking to battle the Zika virus." The House did manage to pass a sure-to-be-vetoed "dangerous, discriminatory" piece of anti-choice legislation on their way out the door.

[CN: Misogynoir; police brutality] "Black Lives Matter activists have held demonstrations this week in Waller County, Texas, to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Sandra Bland on Wednesday. Their message: 'Sandy still speaks.' ...Mirissa Tucker, a senior at Prairie View A&M University, told Rewire that the vigil was to give voice to Bland and other victims of racism and police brutality. 'Sandy still speaks,' Tucker said. 'Sandy speaks through us at the Waller County jail.' Activists played a recording of Bland speaking through a loudspeaker during the vigil. Bland had been outspoken about issues of racism and police brutality prior to her death. 'White people, if all lives mattered, would there need to be a hashtag for Black lives mattering?' Bland asks in a video she posted on Facebook, which was played at the vigil."

WOW: "As he heads for the Republican convention in Cleveland next week, Donald Trump's campaign infrastructure remains severely underdeveloped. In some places it appears to be non-existent. ...The Huffington Post attempted to call the contact phone numbers for the Trump campaign in all 50 states. A few of the state operations had no websites or no numbers listed. Many of the other numbers didn't work. When we left voicemails, we didn't get callbacks. On only six occasions did someone actually answer the phone. And in several of those instances, the person who picked up explained that a physical office would be opened up only after the convention. 'I'm sure the headquarters will open soon,' said the individual who answered Trump's Georgia number."

[CN: Racism; Islamophobia] Unfathomable: "During a CNN town hall last night, a student named Zachary Marcone asked House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) how he can morally justify his support for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. 'I cannot and will not support Donald Trump, and it concerns me when the Republican leadership is supporting somebody who is openly racist and has said Islamophobic statements, wants to shut down our borders,' Marcone said. 'Can you tell me, how can you morally justify your support for this kind of candidate, somebody who could be very destructive for our nation.' Ryan's response? Hillary Clinton is worse, and like it or not, voters face a 'binary choice' when casting their ballot for president. Not supporting Trump 'basically means you're going to help elect Hillary Clinton, and I don't think Hillary Clinton is going to support any of the things that you stand for if you're a Republican.'" Ryan just conceded that anti-racism isn't a Republican value, and it's met with a national shrug.

Meanwhile: "The vast majority of Americans say they are afraid of at least one of the two major candidates—Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump—winning the White House, a remarkable finding that reflects an unsettled nation unhappy with its choice. Eighty-one percent of Americans say they would feel afraid following the election of one of the two polarizing politicians, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. That includes a quarter who say it doesn't matter who wins: they're scared of both." Good job to every fucking Hillary Clinton hater who has helped turn her into History's Greatest Monster in America's dark imagination.

Y'all. The video of former President George W. Bush dancing like a complete wanker at the Dallas Memorial Service makes me not miss him all over again. Laura Bush: "Calgon, take me away." Michelle Obama: "Someone take him away."

Well played, Metro. Well played.

[CN: Animal endangerment] Now this is a drone program I can get behind (provided it won't harm the birds!): "Scientists may have found the perfect weapon in the fight to save the critically endangered black-footed ferret: drones outfitted to shoot vaccine-spiked, peanut butter-flavored bait pellets. The vaccine snacks, however, aren't for the ferrets, but the burrowing rodents the animals rely on almost exclusively for food and shelter: prairie dogs. As it turns out, protecting their prey could prove key to recovering ferret populations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies have been experimenting for several years with a vaccine to protect prairie dogs from sylvatic plague, a devastating bacterial disease that fleas transmit. Now proven effective in small populations, the agency has turned its attention to management. It is exploring alternative delivery methods, including the use of all-terrain vehicles and unmanned aircraft."

"Mary Lambert Skips Work to Hang Out with Real-Life Girlfriend, Rescued Puppies in Uplifting New Video." AS ADVERTISED. Love it so much.

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] And finally! LOL WHUT: "The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Colorado got a call about the bear who managed to get into a Subaru wagon without breaking any windows. The car's owner even said all the doors were closed. The bear got trapped in the car, leaving a pair of deputies to find a way to get it out. One deputy, who recorded the escapade on his cellphone, decided to open the hatch, while the other stood guard nearby with a shotgun. The bear bounded out, leaving behind some snout marks on a window, a shredded interior and questions about how the animal got into the vehicle."

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How to Help West Virginia Flood Victims.

[Content Note: Death; exploitation] This interview with Dr. Anne Stevens, the sister of Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed at Benghazi, is so upsetting. His family has been saying for years now that he wouldn't want to be exploited this way; that he knew the risks; that they don't blame Hillary Clinton and neither would he. And the Republicans carry on, because his actual humanity isn't worth anything to them.

[CN: Homophobia] The hashtag "Heterosexual Pride Day" has been trending all day on Twitter. Here's what I have to say about that garbage:

"Heterosexual Pride Day" exemplifies the opposite of pride. It reflects a desperate, brittle insecurity about losing undeserved privilege.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) June 29, 2016

[CN: Carcerality; racism] Another strong argument for carceral reform/prison abolition: "Mass incarceration damages individuals and communities in ways that scholars are just starting to explore. New research that we've published with our colleague Mary Laske Bell shows that African American men who are former inmates are irrevocably harmed by time they spent behind bars. ...African Americans constitute nearly 1 million of the 2.3 million persons incarcerated and are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. One in three African American men will experience prison." Fucking hell.

Relatedly: "President Obama's administration is making a higher education much more convenient for inmates in U.S. prisons. A new plan was introduced that will provide $30 million in pell grants for up to 12,000 inmates to take college courses. 'We all agree that crime must have consequences, but the men and women who have done their time and paid their debt deserve the opportunity to break with the past and forge new lives in their homes, workplaces, and communities,' said Education Secretary John B. King Jr., according to the Washington Post. 'This belief in second chances is fundamental to who we are as Americans.' Inmates in 27 states will be able to take advantage of the pilot program which will enroll them in a variety of online courses or classes inside of prison facilities moving forward. This plan goes directly against a controversial 1994 congressional ban on federal funds being spent on prison inmates. However, a new initiative to actually prevent prisoners from becoming repeat offenders—and data that shows education lowers the likelihood of inmates returning—have turned the tide."

[CN: Torture] Donald Trump "has repeated calls for the return of waterboarding against Islamic State militants, saying: 'I like it a lot.' His comments at a rally in Ohio came hours after suicide bombers killed 41 people at an airport in Istanbul. 'You have to fight fire with fire,' said the Republican's likely nominee... 'We have to fight so viciously and violently because we're dealing with violent people,' Mr Trump said. At one point, he asked the crowd: 'What do you think about waterboarding?' They cheered as he gave his answer: 'I like it a lot. I don't think it's tough enough.'" Breathtaking. Terrifying. Indecent.

Congratulations, Misty Snow! "Utah voters picked a historic, and largely unknown, Democratic candidate to challenge Sen. Mike Lee this November. Misty K. Snow is the first transgender nominee from a major party to run for a U.S. Senate seat and she is among the first transgender people to run for Congress. Misty Plowright, a transgender woman, claimed the Democratic nomination in Colorado's conservative 5th House District on Tuesday."

And congratulations, Misty Plowright! "Misty Plowright won in Colorado's 5th congressional district, which Politico reports is 'the most conservative in the state,' and will challenge Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.)." Misty Plowright is also transgender.

[CN: Anti-atheism] Ian Millhiser on Justice Alito's Bizarre and Offensive Attack on Atheists. Spoiler Alert! Alito thinks religion is the only way to morals and ethics. Because of course he does.

Senate Democrats had to kill a Zika bill because their Republican colleagues fucked around with it so much that it became pointless. And now funding to combat Zika will be delayed even further. For fuck's sake.

In other Senate news: "A rescue package for cash-strapped Puerto Rico is likely to clear the final hurdle this week after the bill passed a test vote in the US Senate on Wednesday, by 68 votes to 32. An official vote is likely to take place later on Wednesday or Thursday. The bill would provide emergency debt relief to Puerto Rico, which is expected to default on a $2bn debt payment on Friday. But it was strongly opposed by Bernie Sanders and several other Senate Democrats. Sanders called the bill 'disastrous' and a victory for hedge funds. ...The Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, said he would vote for the legislation, though he criticized [Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader] for not allowing amendments to the bill. The House is out of session until 5 July, so the Senate will have to pass the House bill unchanged for it to head to the president's desk for his signature before the Friday deadline."

I love this so much: "A university professor in Ivory Coast baby seats for his student [a new mum] who was taking her exams."

"This skeleton robot salamander just wiggled its way into my heart." Seconded!

And finally! "American Bulldog Who Used to Fear Men Now Has 2 Daddies Who Adore Her." BLUB FOREVERRRRRRR.

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[Content Note: Police brutality; racism] Goddammit: "A Baltimore police officer has been acquitted of assault and other charges in the arrest of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died a week after he was critically injured in police custody. A judge found Officer Edward Nero not guilty of misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. The judge announced his verdict on Monday. Nero was one of six Baltimore police officers charged in the case. He waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead to argue his case before Circuit Judge Barry Williams. An earlier trial for an officer charged with manslaughter in the case ended in a hung jury in December." So is anyone going to be held accountable for Freddie Gray's death? Anyone? At any point? Fucking hell.

[CN: Racism; murder] "The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a black Georgia death row inmate convicted in 1987 of murdering an elderly white woman, finding that prosecutors unlawfully excluded black potential jurors in selecting an all-white jury. In a 7-1 ruling, the court handed a victory to inmate Timothy Foster, 48, who asserted prosecutorial misconduct after he was convicted and sentenced to death in the 1986 murder of Queen White, a 79-year-old retired schoolteacher. The justices threw out Foster's conviction after decades on death row. He could still potentially face a retrial. During jury selection, all four black members of the pool of potential jurors were removed by prosecutors, who gave reasons not related to race for their decision to exclude them. Only white jurors were selected for the panel that ended up convicting Foster and sentencing him to death. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court's majority, wrote that prosecution notes introduced into evidence 'plainly belie the state's claim that it exercised its strikes (removing a potential juror) in a 'color blind' manner.' At the time of the trial, Foster's legal arguments over jury selection failed. It was only in 2006 that his lawyers obtained access to the prosecution's jury selection notes, which showed that the race of the black potential jurors was highlighted, indicating 'an explicit reliance on race,' according to Foster's attorneys."

In other SCOTUS news: "One of the Most Aggressive Gerrymanders in the Country Just Lost in the Supreme Court."

[CN: Racism; carcerality] This is a really important bit of investigative work, analysis, and reporting on "risk assessment" algorithms that are used "to inform decisions about who can be set free at every stage of the criminal justice system, from assigning bond amounts—as is the case in Fort Lauderdale—to even more fundamental decisions about defendants' freedom." In case you haven't already guessed, they assess higher risks for black people accused of crimes than they do white people accused of crimes. But that is a simplification of the complex problems with risk assessment software. I strongly urge you to settle in and read the whole thing.

[CN: War; terrorism; death and injury] Awful, just awful: "A pair of bombings carried out by Islamic State militants killed at least 45 people in Yemen's southern city of Aden on Monday, targeting young men seeking to join the army who gathered at two recruitment centers, security officials said. One suicide car bomber killed at least 20, while a second bomber on foot detonated an explosives vest at the other recruitment center, killing at least 25. Scores of others were wounded, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. The local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility for two attacks in a statement posted on social media networks by sympathizers... Monday's blasts underline the precarious security situation in Aden, the country's main port on the Arabian Sea, several months after government forces and allied militiamen backed by a Saudi-led coalition retook the city from the Shiite rebels, also known as the Houthis. The city has in recent months seen a series of suicide bombings and assassinations mainly targeting army and security forces."

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] "President Barack Obama announced Monday that the United States is fully lifting a decades-long ban on the sale of military equipment to Vietnam. In a joint news conference in Hanoi with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Obama said that the removal of the ban on lethal weapons was part of a deeper defense cooperation with the country and dismissed suggestions it was aimed at countering China's growing strength in the region. Instead, it was the desire to continue normalizing relations between the United States and Vietnam and to do away with a ban 'based on ideological division between our two countries,' he said."

[CN: White supremacy] Phew: "Alexander Van der Bellen has won Austria's presidential election, preventing Norbert Hofer from becoming the EU's first far-right head of state. Mr Hofer led narrowly after Sunday's election but postal votes gave Mr Van der Bellen victory by 50.3% to 49.7%. Mr Van der Bellen campaigned on a pro-EU platform backed by the Greens Party. Mr Hofer, of the Freedom Party, tapped into anti-EU sentiment and fears about rising numbers of asylum seekers. ...At his swearing-in as Freedom Party candidate, Mr Hofer wore a cornflower in his lapel, which was a Nazi symbol in the 1930s. French PM Manuel Valls said in a Twitter post: 'It's a relief to see the Austrians reject populism and extremism. Everyone in Europe must draw lessons from this.'"

[CN: Misogyny; racism; war on agency] "In July 2013, an Indiana woman named Purvi Patel sought treatment at a hospital emergency room for heavy vaginal bleeding, telling doctors she'd had a miscarriage. That set off a chain of events, which eventually led in February 2015 to a jury convicting Patel of one count of feticide and one count of felony neglect of a dependent. Patel was ordered in March to serve 20 years in prison for that conviction. On Monday, attorneys for Patel will argue to the Indiana Court of Appeals that Patel's conviction of feticide and felony neglect is contradictory, and thus should be overturned. Furthermore, they will say, it opens the door to wide-scale prosecution of pregnancy terminations in the state."

[CN: Zika] This is a must-read: "Zika is coming, but we're far from ready." It's important not only because Ronald Klain details the problem, but also because he proposes an eminently reasonable solution.

From the Wall Street Journal: "Though Donald Trump dispensed with his last primary opponent months before Hillary Clinton will, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee trails far behind the leading Democrat in organizing in key general-election states." And yet, virtually every headline I'm reading today says it's a DEAD HEAT, because POLLS. Polls are not all that matters. Especially because the average person isn't tapped into little things (ahem) like how one candidate's organization makes the other's look like a broken-down clown show.

And finally! "Bearded Dragon and Cat Become Two Unlikely Best Friends." Awwwwww lol. I sure wouldn't recommend assuming that cats and lizards will get along (!!!) but this is pretty darn cute.

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[Content Note: Airline disaster; death] "Egypt said on Friday its navy had found human remains, wreckage and the personal belongings of passengers floating in the Mediterranean, confirmation that an EgyptAir jet had plunged into the sea with 66 people on board. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered condolences for those on board, amounting to Egypt's official acknowledgement of their deaths, although there was still no explanation of why the Airbus had crashed. ...The navy was searching an area about 290 km (180 miles) north of the port city of Alexandria, just south of where the signal from the plane was lost early on Thursday.There was no sign of the bulk of the wreckage, or of a location signal from the 'black box' flight recorders." My condolences once again to the people who lost loved ones. I hope they will get some answers soon.

[CN: Extreme heat; death] My god: "A city in India's Rajasthan state has broken the country's temperature records after registering 51C, the highest since records began, the weather office says." That's 124 degrees Fahrenheit. "The heatwave has hit much of northern India, where temperatures have exceeded 40C for weeks. The run-up to the Indian monsoon season is always characterised by weeks of strong sunshine and increasing heat but life-threatening temperature levels topping 50C are unusual. Murari Lal Thanvi, an eyewitness in Phalodi, told the BBC he had struggled to stay outdoors on Friday. 'Even my mobile phone gave up and stopped working when I was trying to take pictures today,' he said." Dozens of people have already died in the heatwave. Absolutely awful.

[CN: Illness] Fuck: "More than 270 pregnant women in the U.S. are infected with the Zika virus and worry about whether their babies will be born with birth defects, federal health officials announced Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the way it reports Zika-affected pregnancies, and said the new numbers show 279 women who tested positive for the virus. This includes 157 women in the 50 states and Washington, D.C, plus 122 in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other U.S. territories. So far, fewer than a dozen have had an 'adverse event,' such as a miscarriage or evidence that the fetus has a birth defect, CDC officials said." Still, the CDC continues to encourage pregnant people who have themselves or whose partners have traveled to Zika-affected areas to get tested for the virus.

[CN: Anti-immigrationism; doxxing] "A federal judge with a history of anti-immigrant sentiment ordered the federal government to turn over the names, addresses and 'all available contact information' of over 100,000 immigrants living within the United States. He does so in a strange order that quotes extensively from movie scripts and that alleges a conspiracy of attorneys 'somewhere in the halls of the Justice Department whose identities are unknown to this Court.' It appears to be, as several immigration advocates noted shortly after the order was handed down, an effort to intimidate immigrants who benefit from certain Obama administration programs from participating in those programs, lest their personal information be turned over to people who wish them harm. As Greisa Martinez, Advocacy Director for United We Dream, said in a statement, the judge is 'asking for the personal information of young people just to whip up fear'—fear, no doubt, of what could happen if anti-immigrant state officials got their hands on this information. Or if the information became public." I don't even have words. What the fuck.

[CN: Misogyny; harassment; threats; abuse] "When Will the Internet Be Safe for Women?" The opening of that story details the swatting of a Massachusetts state congresswoman in retribution for introducing legislation to try to address swatting and online harassment. Which pretty much sums up the state of affairs.

[CN: Threats; harassment] Krystal Lake, a black woman from Long Island, "said she received death threats after photos of her wearing a cap with the message 'America Was Never Great' were posted widely on social media." Obviously, this was a response to Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan, and, the truth is, the country has not been great (and still isn't) for lots and lots of people. And the fact that a black woman got death threats for expressing that opinion really kind of proves her point.

[CN: Fat hatred; bullying] I mean, this is how Donald Trump treats his friends: "Donald Trump teased New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie about his weight while speaking at a fundraiser to pay off Christie's presidential campaign debt. Trump, when mentioning that the Nabisco cookie plant was leaving Chicago for Mexico, pointed to Christie and told the crowd the governor would stop eating Nabisco cookies. 'I'm not eating Oreos anymore, you know that—but neither is Chris,' Trump said. 'You're not eating Oreos anymore. No more Oreos. For either of us, Chris. Don't feel bad.'" This fucking guy.

[CN: Fat hatred; bullying] Hey, speaking of Trump and his disgusting fat hatred, remember the former Miss Universe who said that Trump had called her Miss Piggy? Well, she just got her US citizenship, and Hillary Clinton tweeted at her: "Congratulations on becoming a U.S. citizen, Alicia. Enjoy casting that vote." HAHA YES!

No kidding: "The last time information from Donald Trump's income-tax returns was made public, the bottom line was striking: He had paid the federal government $0 in income taxes." Which is exactly what I predicted his current tax returns will show.

RIP John Berry: "John Berry, an original member of hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, died Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. at a hospice in Danvers, Massachusetts. He was 52."

Trees sleep? "In research both charming and groundbreaking (sorry for the pun), scientists from Austria, Finland and Hungary used lasers to measure the overnight movements of birch trees. Their unexpected finding: During the hours of darkness, the trees appeared to relax, or droop, their branches at the tips by as much as four inches." Oh trees. You are a delightful mystery!

And finally! Big man and tiny dog! LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!

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"Zika is an urgent problem and we need to act now."

[Content Note: Illness.]

Zika, the virus which has been linked to microcephaly in infants, has largely been associated with Brazil, but it's also a serious problem in Puerto Rico, and getting worse.

In Puerto Rico, there are some 400 confirmed cases of Zika, which is spread by mosquitoes and through sexual contact, and public health experts predict that eventually as many as 80 percent of the island's 3.5 million residents could become infected.

...U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which now has confirmed more than 1,100 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in mothers.

CDC director Tom Frieden visited Puerto Rico last month to assess the situation on the island, which is known to have the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species linked to repeated outbreaks of dengue and now Zika. It is present in about 30 U.S. states.

Basically, the next US president is going to have take Zika very seriously. And there is one candidate who seems to realize that.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is dispatching two top aides to Puerto Rico this weekend for a fact-finding trip to learn more about the Zika virus, her campaign said on Tuesday.

Clinton aides Amanda Renteria and Ann O'Leary will meet with officials on the island territory, which has become a breeding ground for the virus in the United States.

...Clinton said in a statement provided by her campaign to Reuters that more must be done to combat the spread of Zika in Puerto Rico, which has an abundant mosquito population and also a decades-long recession that has made curbing that population difficult.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking this threat seriously and it has been working closely with Puerto Rico. But I want to be sure that we are truly doing all we can to fight the Zika virus from spreading," Clinton said.

"Zika is an urgent problem and we need to act now," Clinton added.

I did search to see if any of the other remaining candidates were zeroing in on Zika, but I could not find anything. If I'm leaving anyone out, it's not intentional.

As I have said previously, one of the ways in which I assess candidates is "look[ing] for examples, on the campaign trail, of how a candidate might respond to something if they were president."

Once again, I am pleased to see the candidate I support responding like someone who is president. Or will be. And needs to know what's going on so she's ready on Day One.

Because the people of Puerto Rico, along with an increasingly large number of US states, are going to have to depend on a president who knows what's happening and is prepared to take action.

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