This piece in the New York Times about "what drives Donald Trump" is a must-read. There's a lot of incredible stuff there, but this quote is just amazing: "I don't like to analyze myself because I might not like what I see." Welp.
DeRay McKesson has endorsed Hillary Clinton: "The next president will continue to shape the trajectory of justice and landscape of opportunity in this country. She will be responsible for how trillions of dollars in federal funding are spent, decide how to ensure both liberty and security in an increasingly interconnected world and determine the path forward on health care and Social Security. I am voting for Hillary Clinton."
[Content Note: Sexual assault; misogyny] Newt Gingrich continues to be terrible, talking to Fox anchor Megyn Kelly like she is a three-year-old he's in charge of disciplining for bad behavior.
[CN: Racism] Here is a real thing that Rudy Giuliani really said: "Racist? The last thing in the world Donald Trump is is a racist. I've known him for 28 years. The man likes white people. He likes black people. He likes Hispanic people. He plays golf with them. ...To say that Donald Trump is a racist is outrageous, and to call anyone a racist is outrageous." Uh, okay.
And finally! Please enjoy this video of a dog and a duck playing chase around a boulder!
Video Description: A dog that looks like a border collie mix and a black duck chase each other playfully around a boulder. When the duck gets too far behind, the dog sweetly waits for the duck to catch up, and then on the game goes!
Donald Trump went on an incredible tweetstorm this morning (even by his standards) and I am very excited about his cool new strategy of hastening the implosion of the Republican Party! 6:05am: "Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty." 7:00am: "It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to." (SHACKLES?! JFC.) 7:15am: "With the exception of cheating Bernie out of the nom the Dems have always proven to be far more loyal to each other than the Republicans!" 7:48am: "Disloyal R's are far more difficult than Crooked Hillary. They come at you from all sides. They don’t know how to win - I will teach them!" 9:52am: "The very foul mouthed Sen. John McCain begged for my support during his primary (I gave, he won), then dropped me over locker room remarks!" Wowwwwww.
[Content Note: Extreme weather; displacement; death; police killing] "The death toll from Hurricane Matthew in the United States climbed again on Tuesday as officials warned of a continuing threat from floodwaters still rising in several areas of North Carolina. Overnight, four more people were reported killed in the state, Governor Pat McCrory announced at a morning briefing, bringing the tally in North Carolina to 14. One victim was shot dead late on Monday after a 'confrontation' involving a state trooper and two deputies assisting with rescue efforts, McCrory said. Details of the incident, which took place during a 'high water situation,' were still being investigated. The three others killed were motorists, one by a falling tree and two found in submerged vehicles. Hurricane Matthew, which has killed at least 1,000 people in Haiti, has now accounted for at least 33 deaths in the US, including 12 in Florida, three each in South Carolina and Georgia, and one in Virginia."
[CN: Misogyny] Republican Illinois Senator Mark Kirk described the presidency as "kind of the national father," which is an extraordinary thing for a sitting U.S. Senator to say. No less a Senator who is running against a woman, speaking about a presidential candidate who is also running against a woman.
[Content Note: Sexual violence] Second-term Obama is nailing it: "A sweeping expansion of law enforcement's obligations to people who report their rape, which victims' advocates have hailed as groundbreaking, cleared a final hurdle in Congress late Wednesday evening and landed on the desk of Barack Obama, who is expected to sign. The bill, inspired by a 24-year-old survivor of sexual assault and introduced in February, extends numerous rights to people whose rape kits are being stored and processed by federal law enforcement agencies. It includes a right to have a rape kit stored, without charge, until the statute of limitations expires, and a right to be notified in writing 60 days before a rape kit is destroyed."
[CN: White supremacy; video may autoplay at link] This LA Times piece on how white supremacists are feeling empowered by Donald Trump's campaign is fucking rage-making. "'I love it,' said [David Duke, 66, former Klan leader and current Senate candidate in Louisiana] tearing into a chicken garlic pizza at a nearby restaurant later. 'The fact that Donald Trump's doing so well, it proves that I'm winning. I am winning.'"
This is a very fascinating interview with Greg Rucka on queer narrative and Wonder Woman. "I spent a lot of time thinking about this and talking to a lot of people about this. I wonder what would happen if you are a trans woman transitioning, and you go to Themyscira? Since they're not a heteronormative culture, I wonder if the concept of transgender life or gender confirmation process is one that they've ever even considered. These are the things I think about. I don't have an answer to that. Yet. But I know this: their society has to be the best possible paradise."
"One of the most audacious space missions ever undertaken is about to come to an end. The Rosetta probe that has been tracking a comet for the past two years is going to deliberately crash itself into the 4km-wide ball of ice and dust. European Space Agency scientists say the satellite has come to the end of its useful life and they want to get some final, ultra-close measurements. Rosetta is not expected to survive the impact with Comet 67P. But even if some of its systems remain functional, pre-loaded software on board will ensure everything is shut down on contact." RIP Rosetta. Geez, I've really become attached to this thing! I feel sad.
[Content Note: War; drones] "The United States has carried out airstrikes on positions of so-called Islamic State in Libya, following a request by the UN-backed government there, the Pentagon says. The strikes targeted positions in the port city of Sirte, an IS stronghold. Libyan PM Fayez al-Sarraj, in a televised address, said the strikes caused 'heavy losses.' ...The airstrikes are the first such US military intervention co-ordinated with the Libyan unity government."
[CN: Misogyny; violent imagery] I was just filthy angry about this headline in the New York Times today: "Hillary Clinton Hunts an Elusive Prey: White Male Voters." And so I wrote about it and tweeted about it and guess what? That ugly headline is no more. Now it reads: "Hillary Clinton Targets a Skeptical Crowd: White Male Voters." I'm going to guess a deserved apology to Hillary Clinton will not, however, be forthcoming.
[CN: Islamophobia; abuse] After Khizr and Ghazala Khan appeared at the Democratic convention, powerfully calling out Donald Trump's Islamophobia, Trump naturally went on the attack after them, because he is an abusive nightmare. And apparently there is nothing he does so egregious that Republicans won't withdraw their support for him. Many Republicans are hoping it will "blow over," despite the fact that the part of Trump so broken that he thinks and says such things will not "blow over." Senator Roy Blunt's hot advice is that Trump should just keep a lid on it. And Senator John McCain, whose service has been explicitly attacked by Trump, harshly criticized him, but still hasn't withdrawn his endorsement. The Republicans own this guy, and they will keep owning him. Period.
Relatedly, Sally Bradshaw, a senior adviser to Jeb Bush and one of the co-authors of the Republican Party's infamous "2013 autopsy report" examining why Mitt Romney lost, is leaving the Republican Party: "This is a time when country has to take priority over political parties. Donald Trump cannot be elected president. ...As much as I don't want another four years of Obama's policies, I can't look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump. I can't tell them to love their neighbor and treat others the way they wanted to be treated, and then vote for Donald Trump. I won't do it." Welp!
[CN: Misogyny; sexual harassment; coercion; rape culture; sexual assault] Eric Boehlert on "Roger Ailes and the Rampant Misogyny That Fuels Fox News." Difficult but important reading. "And no, it's not plausible that Fox News executives didn't know about this kind of rampant, illegal, workplace behavior. Fox News general counsel Dianne Brandi and Ailes' deputy Bill Shine have been accused of trying to cover up their former boss' behavior. But surprise! That demeaning view of women has also been a cornerstone of Fox News' programming for many, many years. The sexist themes relentlessly promulgated by Fox didn't spring from a vacuum. They sprang from inside Roger Ailes' corner office."
[CN: Self-harm; carcerality; transphobia] Rage seethe boil: "After Suicide Attempt, Chelsea Manning Faces Indefinite Solitary Confinement: 'Now, while Chelsea is suffering the darkest depression she has experienced since her arrest, the government is taking actions to punish her for that pain. It is unconscionable and we hope that the investigation is immediately ended and that she is given the health care that she needs to recover,' said Chase Strangio, an ACLU staff attorney." I don't have anything to add to that. This is just the most unfathomably cruel way to respond to any attempt at self-harm. JFC.
Good: "Hillary Clinton will address the largest gathering of black and Latino journalists since 2008, multiple sources confirm to BuzzFeed News. This year, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists are holding a joint convention in Washington, D.C., and Clinton will make remarks Friday, sources said." In shocking news, Donald Trump's campaign has not responded to the invitation.
Fascinating: "New findings using data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show that gullies on modern Mars are likely not being formed by flowing liquid water. This new evidence will allow researchers to further narrow theories about how Martian gullies form, and reveal more details about Mars' recent geologic processes."
[Content Note: Death; violence; racism; police targeting; police brutality] President Obama has just given an address in Dallas at the memorial service for the five police officers killed in a mass shooting. People will certainly have varying opinions on whether he struck the right tone, but, irrespective of those assessments, this is another one of those days when I am glad he is our president.
[CN: Gun violence; injury] Fucking hell: "A gunman opened fire minutes into a vigil Monday evening for a homicide victim in West Baltimore, wounding five people. Four women and one man were shot, police said, before the gunman ran away. The crowd scattered into the North Avenue traffic; it was about 6:30 p.m. The five victims, shot in their legs and feet, one woman grazed in her stomach, were all expected to survive. ...The vigil was for Doreen Scofield's 24-year-old son, who was killed Sunday. 'We only wanted to celebrate my son, and they're shooting at us,' said Scofield, whose family escaped without injury. 'What else is it you want? What else do you want? You got my son ... and you're still shooting at us because we have a candlelight vigil? When will it end?' Her son, Jermaine, was shot to death in the 1800 block of W. North Ave. about 1:15 a.m. Sunday. He had two children. 'I'm tired. I'm tired,' his mother said after the vigil. 'It's innocent people being shot. Enough is enough.'" Sob.
[CN: Racism; death; police brutality; class warfare] This is such an important read in the New York Times by Christopher J. Tyson on Baton Rouge, its history and present, and how it "is essentially two cities. One is south Baton Rouge: a prosperous and amenity-filled, predominantly white and middle-class network of cul-de-sac neighborhoods and upscale shopping centers. The other is north Baton Rouge: a marginalized and forgotten collection of the city's older neighborhoods and neglected infrastructure. It is largely poor and black and it is where Mr. Sterling's life came to a tragic, unnecessary end."
[CN: Racism] What the absolute fuck: "On Saturday night, four off-duty Minneapolis police officers walked off their jobs working security at a WNBA Lynx game when the players wore T-shirts with the phrase 'Black Lives Matter' and held a press conference focusing on healing the divide between law enforcement and the black community. The president of the Minneapolis Police Federation, Lt. Bob Kroll, praised the action of the officers. 'I commend them for it,' he said, as reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune."
I just wish Ruth Bader Ginsburg would tell us what she really thinks about Donald Trump. She's so shy.
Today in Ghostbusters news! 1. This review's headline, lolyay: "Ghostbusters takes aim at misogyny and scores." 2. This is soooo amazing: "Let's get another look at that little girl's face, shall we? Yep, it's just as we thought. That awestruck smile. The hope shining in her eyes. Beyond repair." Her childhood RUINED! 3. And this! Paul Feig addresses whether Kate McKinnon's character is gay. (Spoiler alert: She is!)
"Astronomers discover distant dwarf planet beyond Neptune: A dwarf planet half the size of Britain has been found tumbling through space in the most distant reaches of the solar system. The giant ball of rock and ice lies nine billion kilometres away on an orbit that swings far beyond the realm of Neptune, the most remote of the fully-fledged planets in our cosmic vicinity." NEW HOME PLANET. Who's coming with me?
And finally! "A feral cat and a black bear are the best of friends at the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. For the past seven years, a bond has formed between Sequoia, a lumbering, aged bear, and a black cat with a clipped ear nicknamed 'Little Bear' by zookeepers. They lounge in the shade next to each other, wander together through the bear enclosure and even share a meal." Aww. ♥
Welp: "The European Union will not hold informal talks with the UK until it triggers Article 50 to leave, Germany, France, and Italy have insisted." As always, the Guardian has terrific live coverage of all the news regarding the Brexit fallout here.
If there's anyone you want to read on today's Supreme Court abortion decision, it's Jessica Mason Pieklo!
"Thousands of people, many waving paper fans to fend off the humidity and heat, gathered at Cocolí locks outside Panama City on Sunday to watch a colossal container ship bearing 9,472 containers become the first vessel to officially pass through the newly expanded Panama canal and, hopefully, usher in a new era of trading prosperity for the Central American country."
[CN: White supremacy; violence] Goddammit: "An alleged Nazi rally in downtown Sacramento turned violent Sunday, forcing riot gear-clad police to break up fights between the white supremacists and counter-protesters. According to ABC10, police were forced to use batons and pepper spray as they chased down suspects after wading into the crowd. ...According to the LA Times, multiple stabbings were reported with several victims rushed to the hospital with what were described as critical injuries."
[CN: Domestic violence; death; guns] Everything about this story is gutting me: "A mother fatally shot her two daughters on a public street near Houston, Texas, on Friday afternoon, before she too was shot dead by police. ...On her Facebook profile, Christy Sheats routinely praised her daughters. 'Happy Daughter's Day to my two amazing, sweet, kind, beautiful, intelligent girls,' she wrote in September last year. 'I love and treasure you both more than you could ever possibly know.' She also posted messages in support of the Second Amendment. 'It would be horribly tragic if my ability to protect myself or my family were to be taken away,' she wrote in March, 'but that's exactly what Democrats are determined to do by banning semi-automatic handguns.'"
"Bernie Sanders' national press secretary, one of the most prominent women of color and young people in presidential politics, said Sunday that she has left the campaign. Symone D. Sanders revealed the decision to Fusion before appearing on a panel of women in politics at Politicon, a convention in Los Angeles. She said that she was not let go and that leaving the campaign was her decision. On the panel, she identified herself as the former press secretary 'as of today.'" At this point, Sanders' fundraising may have dwindled to the point where he can't fund payroll, which will oblige high-level staffers to start leaving, irrespective of their feelings about the direction of the campaign.
Whooooooooops! "A slot at the Republican National Convention used to be a career-maker—a chance to make your name on the big stage and to catch the eye of the Republican donors and activists who make or break campaigns. In the year of Trump: Not so much. With the convention less than a month away, POLITICO contacted more than 50 prominent governors, senators, and House members to gauge their interest in speaking. Only a few said they were open to it, and everyone else said they weren't planning on it, didn't want to, or weren't going to Cleveland at all—or simply didn't respond."
[CN: White supremacy; racist violence] "Jesse Williams was honored Sunday night at the 2016 BET Awards with the Humanitarian Award. The actor/activist, best known for his role on Grey's Anatomy, has been a visible part of the Black Lives Matter movement since the 2014 events in Ferguson, Mo." He gave an incredible speech, the full text of which is at the link.
[CN: Video may autoplay at link] "NASA's Juno probe is only one week away from its arrival at Jupiter, where it will execute a daring maneuver in order to get closer to the giant planet than any other spacecraft in history. Getting up-close and personal with Jupiter is a serious challenge for space probes, because the Jovian giant is surrounded by a belt of very intense radiation that can quickly fry most spacecraft electronics. So rather than orbiting the planet, Juno will make a series of 37 loops between Jupiter and the radiation ring. On July 4, Juno's engines will burn for about 35 minutes to slow down the probe so it can enter into its loopy orbit in the Jupiter system. But if the maneuver doesn't go as planned, Juno could fly right past Jupiter, putting an end to the $1.1 billion mission." GOOD LUCK, JUNO!
And finally! "British photographer Christopher Swann captures stunning shots of cetaceans like whales and dolphins both above and beneath the surface of the ocean. With over 25 years of experience diving and running whale- and dolphin-watching holidays around the world, the photographer has become finely attuned to the behaviors of these majestic creatures, enabling him to venture close to them for intimate and eye-opening portraits." Amazing.
RIP Anton Yelchin, whose New York Times obituary is here. The young actor was killed in what was described in early reports as a freak auto accident, but it may not have been so "freak" after all, as the NYT reports that his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee "was a model that Fiat Chrysler has recalled for a gearshift issue that has confused drivers, leading them to accidentally leave the car in neutral when they think it is safely in park." So deeply sad. My condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and fans (among whom I count myself).
[Content Note: Racism] Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor brought the fire in a scathing dissent in Utah v. Strieff, a Fourth Amendment illegal-stop-and-search case: "By legitimizing the conduct that produces this double consciousness, this case tells everyone, white and black, guilty and innocent, that an officer can verify your legal status at any time. It says that your body is subject to invasion while courts excuse the violation of your rights. It implies that you are not a citizen of a democracy but the subject of a carceral state, just waiting to be cataloged. ...We must not pretend that the countless people who are routinely targeted by police are 'isolated.' They are the canaries in the coal mine whose deaths, civil and literal, warn us that no one can breathe in this atmosphere." Fuck yeah. Imagine listening to your colleague make this argument but deciding to rule the other way, as the majority of the court did. Unfathomable.
[CN: Guns] President Obama did not mince words on the Senate gun vote: "'Gun violence requires more than moments of silence,' President Barack Obama said on Twitter. 'It requires action. In failing that test, the Senate failed the American people.' Earlier, White House spokesman Josh Earnest appeared on morning television news shows excoriating the U.S. Senate for rejecting on Monday four gun bills aimed at keeping firearms away from people with suspected ties to militants. 'What we saw last night on the floor of the United States Senate was a shameful display of cowardice,' Earnest said on MSNBC." Yup.
Of course: "When Trump flies, he uses his airplane. When he campaigns, he often chooses his properties or his own Trump Tower in New York City, which serves as headquarters. His campaign even buys Trump bottled water and Trump wine. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has been on the campaign trail for a year now, and federal finance reports detail a campaign unafraid to co-mingle political and business endeavors in an unprecedented way—even as he is making appeals for donations. Through the end of May, Trump's campaign had plunged at least $6.2 million back into Trump corporate products and services, a review of Federal Election Commission filings shows. That's about 10 percent of his total campaign expenditures." So he's using campaign contributions as his own personal slush fund, basically. By which I presume exactly zero people are surprised.
[CN: Racism; disablist language; death penalty; sexual assault] Once upon a time, Donald Trump said "that if he were starting off in business at this point in time, he would 'love' to be 'a well-educated black.' He explained, 'I really believe they do have an actual advantage today.'" Oh.
[CN: Misogyny] This is one of the worst Politico articles I've seen this cycle, which is REALLY saying something. It's about how a bunch of dudes who won't go on record don't want Hillary Clinton to choose Elizabeth Warren as her running mate. An actual excerpt: All of the donors and senior Democrats interviewed for this story demanded that their names not be used both because they were not authorized to speak about the Clinton campaign's internal deliberations and because they feared Warren's wrath. 'There is no upside to my talking to you on the record,' one big donor said. 'Either I piss off the Clinton campaign or I piss off Warren, or both.'" WOMEN'S WRATH!!!
[CN: Death; video may autoplay at link] Ughhhhhhhh: "It was 100-plus degrees by 7 a.m. in parts of the Southwest today." Nope. And, naturally, there are dire consequences to a heatwave like this: "The record-setting heat that came in like an inferno on the first day of summer has killed at least five people, strained power demands, and helped fuel massive wildfires in several states." Damn.
This news just makes me ridiculously happy: Rick Astley has another hit album at age 50. And the first single is AMAZING!
[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Cool: "A distant, Neptune-size planet 500 light-years from Earth appears to be the youngest fully formed exoplanet ever found crossing its star, raising questions about how it formed so close, so quickly. Researchers first found the planet, which whisks around its star every five days, using the Kepler space telescope currently orbiting the sun alongside Earth. Its star is only 5 million to 10 million years old, suggesting that the planet is a similar age—incredibly young, on a cosmic scale."
Hillary Clinton just gave a speech responding to Donald Trump's heinous garbage speech yesterday. She got huge applause just for saying that candidates need to respond with decency. This is where we are. I'll have more on this later, time permitting.
[Content Note: Rape culture] More pushback on the heinous sentence handed down in the Stanford rape case: "[O]ne of the jurors who convicted Turner of sexual assault wrote a letter to [Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky]. The juror wrote of being 'absolutely shocked and appalled' at the sentence. 'After the guilty verdict I expected that this case would serve as a very strong deterrent to on-campus assaults, but with the ridiculously lenient sentence that Brock Turner received, I am afraid that it makes a mockery of the whole trial and the ability of the justice system to protect victims of assault and rape,' the juror wrote to Persky. 'Clearly there are few to no consequences for a rapist even if they are caught in the act of assaulting a defenseless, unconscious person,' the juror wrote in the letter, which was obtained by the Palo Alto Weekly."
"The White House is holding an event focusing on women's issues on Tuesday, and as part of the day-long summit it announced actions it is taking to try and reduce the gap in pay between men and women. One brand new step is calling on private sector companies to make a promise that they will look at their own internal gender wage gaps. Any company that signs up for this 'White House Equal Pay Pledge' agrees to conduct an analysis of pay by gender across its entire workforce, review its own hiring and promotion practices to reduce bias, and include equal pay in overall efforts to promote equality within its own ranks, as well as look for any other practices that can ensure women are paid equally with men. The pledge already has a number of high-profile companies signing on out the gate, from industries ranging from technology to consumer products. There are 28 signatories so far, among them Amazon, American Airlines, Dow Chemical, Gap Inc., Johnson & Johnson, L'Oréal USA, PepsiCo, and Staples." Well, let's hope this is the start of their actually doing something meaningful!
[CN: Anti-choice terrorism] Wonder when we are going to have a national conversation about this? Is it never? I bet it's never! "Eleven Months, Five Clinic Arson Attacks, One Arrest, and Countless Unanswered Questions: Arsonists have attacked five Planned Parenthood clinics around the country since last July, wreaking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, closing down the facilities, and sowing fear among staff and providers." And patients.
This is a truly weird story: "Russian government hackers penetrated the computer network of the Democratic National Committee and gained access to the entire database of opposition research on GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, according to committee officials and security experts who responded to the breach. The intruders so thoroughly compromised the DNC's system that they also were able to read all email and chat traffic, said DNC officials and the security experts. The intrusion into the DNC was one of several targeting American political organizations. The networks of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were also targeted by Russian spies, as were the computers of some GOP political action committees, U.S. officials said. But details on those cases were not available." Since Trump and Putin are besties after meeting backstage at 60 Minutes once, I presume the Russians will be giving the oppo dump to Trump. (That's a joke.) (Sort of.)
[CN: Climate change; animal harm] Fuck: "Human-caused climate change appears to have driven the Great Barrier Reef's only endemic mammal species into the history books, with the Bramble Cay melomys, a small rodent that lives on a tiny island in the eastern Torres Strait, being completely wiped-out from its only known location. It is also the first recorded extinction of a mammal anywhere in the world thought to be primarily due to human-caused climate change. An expert says this extinction is likely just the tip of the iceberg, with climate change exerting increasing pressures on species everywhere."
RIP Margaret Vinci Heldt, creator of the the beehive hairdo, who has died at age 98. "Heldt ran a salon in Chicago, where she was born, and first debuted the hairstyle for a magazine cover in 1960. According to the Chicago History Museum, Heldt attended the Columbia College of Hairdressing before opening her own salon. 'She had a zest for life, the most positive attitude,' her daughter Carlene Ziegler told Reuters. 'She was the life of the party right up to her last days.'"
Neat! "Astronomers say they have discovered the largest planet outside the solar system that orbits two suns. The newfound world, about the size of Jupiter, is 3,700 light-years from Earth. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles. It was detected by a team led by NASA and San Diego State University using the planet-hunting Kepler telescope. The discovery was announced Monday during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in San Diego." Insert your Tatooine jokes here.
Paul Feig on Ghostbusters: "I think you'll have a good time. We made this movie with such love and excitement. We made it big, action-packed and with tonnes of special effects." Yay! I think I'll have a good time, too!
[CN: Images of snails at link] If you love snails (I do!) then you will probably love this gallery of photographs of "the magical world of snails."
And finally! Baby lemurs! "Three curious and active Red Ruffed Lemur babies born at the Nashville Zoo are a boost to this critically endangered species. The two females and one male were born on May 24, the eighth birthday of their mother, Lyra." Aww.
[Content Note: War; terrorism] "A U.S. Navy SEAL was killed Tuesday in an attack by Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq, highlighting the evolving nature of the Pentagon's mission in Iraq and how American troops are serving closer than ever to the front lines. The SEAL, an enlisted petty officer first class whose identity was withheld until family members were notified, was killed by enemy fire about 9:30 a.m., said U.S. military officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information publicly. ...It marks the third time a U.S. service member has been killed in combat since the U.S. military campaign against the Islamic State began June 2014." My condolences to the SEAL's family, friends, and colleagues.
[CN: Misogyny] New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continues to be terrible: "New Jersey's lawmakers want to require employers to pay women the same as men for essentially the same work. But Gov. Chris Christie (R) thinks they went too far." Why? Because it actually addressed pay equity or comparable worth, i.e. requiring that women must be "paid equally if they're doing the same tasks in a different role," thus denying businesses the ability to pay women less by giving them a shittier job title, basically. "Christie specifically objected to this piece of the bill in his veto, calling it 'nonsensical' and saying that it 'makes New Jersey very business unfriendly.'" Of course he did.
[CN: Disablist language; discussion of bigotry] Donald Trump isn't actually "literally delusional" because he thinks beating Hillary Clinton will be "easy," but he is hilariously and aggressively wrong. And Greg Sargent makes a strong case for precisely why he is so hilariously and aggressively wrong.
In related news: Here's a story about Hillary Clinton addressing some of her critics and their criticisms. And apologizing for using imprecise and scary language. And promising, with regard to protests outside the venue: "I will do whatever I can regardless of whether people are yelling at me and whether people are misrepresenting me or whether people are not looking at everything I say and taking something out of context. That's part of it, I understand that. But I'm gonna get up every single day trying to figure out what to do to help you provide the kind of future for your children that they deserve to have." Somehow, I don't think Bernie Sanders taught her to do any of that.
[CN: Racism] Another company (Old Navy) features an akyriarchetypical family (interracial) in an advert, and bigots (racists) lose their shit over it, but love wins as many families who look like the family in the ad (interracial) post pictures of themselves and thank the company (Old Navy) for recognizing their existence, prompting the company (Old Navy) to vow their commitment to diversity. It's a MadLib at this point, because bigots are so infuriatingly predictable. Just fill in the blanks.
Congratulations to Hamilton and Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast and the crew and the fans and everyone !!! after the show made history by receiving 16 Tony nominations. Sixteen!!!
This is the most David Bowie thing ever: "David Bowie's final album, Blackstar, was a 'parting gift' to fans before his tragic death, according to his long-time producer Tony Visconti. ...Users of imgur, the image-sharing website, have discovered something quite touching about the vinyl edition of the album. If you leave take the gatefold sleeve, which contains the record (and which you'd be wise to remove first, lest you damage the record) and leave it in the sun, it transforms and depicts a different image. Instead of the titular black star, you're greeted by an entire galaxy." Blub.
Neat! "A Belgian-led team reported Monday that it's discovered three Earth-sized planets orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star less than 40 light-years away. It's the first time planets have been found around this type of star—and it opens up new, rich territory in the search for extraterrestrial life. Because this star is so close and so faint, astronomers can study the atmospheres of these three temperate exoplanets and, eventually, hunt for signs of possible life. They're already making atmospheric observations, in fact, using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope will join in next week. Altogether, it's a 'winning combination' for seeking chemical traces of life outside our solar system, said Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Julien de Wit, a co-author of the study, released by the journal Nature."
[Content Note: Terrorism; death] Fucking hell: "Two [redacted] car bombs claimed by ISIS killed at least 32 people and wounded 75 others in the center of the southern Iraqi city of Samawa on Sunday, police and medics said. The first blast was near a local government building and the second one about 65 yards away at a bus station, police sources said. The death toll was expected to keep rising. ...Meanwhile, two police officers were killed and 23 people wounded in a suicide car bomb attack on police headquarters in the south-eastern Turkish city of Gaziantep, the governor and police sources said, in one of two attacks on security forces on Sunday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but security sources said police raided the home of a suspected ISIS militant believed to have carried out the attack and detained his father for DNA tests and questioning." I am just so deeply sad and angry about the death and injury and terror and destruction wreaked by IS. And horrified by how little coverage this weekend's terrorist attacks in Iraq and Turkey have gotten in Western media.
[CN: Financial insecurity] "Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla announced that Puerto Rico's government will not make nearly $370m in bond payments due Monday after a failure to restructure or find a political solution to the US territory's spiralling public debt crisis. Garcia said Sunday that he had issued an executive order suspending payments on debt owed by the island's Government Development Bank, a default that will likely prompt lawsuits from creditors and could be a prelude to a deadline to a much larger payment due 1 July. The governor said Puerto Rico can't pay the bonds without cutting essential services." If you haven't already seen [CN: video autoplays] John Oliver's terrific segment on Puerto Rico, I highly recommend it.
[CN: Anti-choice terrorism] Jessica Mason Pieklo has another great piece on Robert Dear: "After a full day of testimony, which included an investigator's account that Dear had stopped at a crisis pregnancy center (CPC) before moving on to the Planned Parenthood, it was clear that neither the prosecution nor the defense wanted to talk about the central issue of Robert Lewis Dear Jr.'s case: anti-choice rhetoric and violence."
[CN: Breast cancer] This sounds encouraging: "Scientists say they now have a near-perfect picture of the genetic events that cause breast cancer. The study, published in Nature, has been described as a 'milestone' moment that could help unlock new ways of treating and preventing the disease. The largest study of its kind unpicked practically all the errors that cause healthy breast tissue to go rogue. Cancer Research UK said the findings were an important stepping-stone to new drugs for treating cancer. To understand the causes of the disease, scientists have to understand what goes wrong in our DNA that makes healthy tissue turn cancerous. The international team looked at all 3 billion letters of people's genetic code—their entire blueprint of life—in 560 breast cancers. They uncovered 93 sets of instructions, or genes, that if mutated, can cause tumours. Some have been discovered before, but scientists expect this to be the definitive list, barring a few rare mutations."
At Think Progress, Ian Millhiser details "Four Major Decisions to Expect from the Supreme Court Soon," on Affirmative Action (Fisher v. University of Texas), Birth Control (Zubik v. Burwell), Abortion (Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt), and Immigration (United States v. Texas).
[CN: Child abuse] Ted Cruz continues to be comprehensively awful: "A youthful protester who interrupted his rally late Sunday evening should get a spanking, Ted Cruz suggested to his audience in La Porte, Indiana. Such a punishment, he added, would have gone a long way in changing the behavior of Donald Trump. 'All right, apparently there's a young man who's having some problems,' Cruz said, as the young heckler shouted, 'You suck!' Cruz responded, 'Thank you, son.' 'Children should actually speak with respect,' he continued. 'Imagine what a different world it would be if someone told Donald Trump that years ago.'" This gross comment comes right on the heels of new research that finds " spanking is associated with troubling outcomes—like increased aggression, increased anti-social behavior, and mental health problems later in life."
[CN: Fat hatred; weight loss talk; disordered eating] I don't even know where to fucking begin with this article in the New York Times about "Biggest Loser" contestants gaining back weight. On the one hand, it's great that here is more evidence of what fat people have been saying about our own lived experiences. On the other hand, the abysmal language peppered throughout the piece! Like "what obesity research has consistently shown is that dieters are at the mercy of their own bodies" and "that shouldn't be interpreted to mean we are doomed to battle our biology or remain fat." As but two examples. I don't feel like I'm "at the mercy" of my body (as if I am somehow a separate thing from my body!) and I certainly don't feel "doomed to remain fat." For fuck's sake.
In better news, this is very neat: "The comet known as C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) has a lot going for it. For starters, it's the first comet ever detected without a tail—a trail of dust and ice that sublimates into space as the sun heats the frozen artifacts. It's also thought to have formed in the same time and place as Earth, meaning that the strange comet may contain the same building blocks that formed our planet, kept chilled and pristine and waiting for scientists to study them."
[Content Note: Drought; food insecurity] "Food shortage fears over a drought in southern Africa have prompted Malawi to declare a state of national disaster and Mozambique to issue a 'red alert.' The President of Malawi, Peter Mutharika, warned in a statement some people needed aid for all of this year. Mozambique raised alert levels for southern and central regions. Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Zambia are also suffering food shortages, while South Africa says its drought is the worst in a century. Over 10 million people across the region will need food aid in the coming year, according to the World Food Programme." This is exactly what was feared would happen because of the most powerful El Niño in 100 years, which was strengthened by climate change. Just devastating. Too much rain in many places; too little rain in others.
If you are able and would like to make a donation to the World Food Program (90% of whose donations go directly toward feeding people), you can make a donation here.
[CN: Transphobia; homophobia] Jordan Scruggs on how anti-trans "bathroom bills" are about much more than just access to bathrooms: "Anti-LGBTQ legislation did not start with having access to a bathroom, and it will not end with fighting for bathroom access either. This is about lives, and the discrimination that I still fear will prevent me and others from the pursuit of happiness, outlined in the Constitution, we are told about during our time in school."
[CN: Worker rights] Nearly 40,000 Verizon employees on the East Coast have gone on strike, following almost a year of failed negotiations: "The strike was called by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which complain that Verizon is seeking to move jobs offshore, outsource work to low-wage contractors, close call centers, and force technicians to go on months-long assignments away from home." Verizon, for its part, is sending in nonunion employees to do the unionized workers' jobs. But there will almost certainly be a deterioration in service for its customers in the region. And any ire about that should be directed at Verizon, not at the striking workers.
In presidential news today: "Hillary Clinton is set to announce plans to create a national Office of Immigrant Affairs that would coordinate government policy on the issue if she is elected president, a Clinton aide said. The announcement will be made on Wednesday in conjunction with an endorsement for Mrs. Clinton by the New York State Immigrant Action Fund, an immigrant rights group, the aide said. ...The Clinton aide said that the new federal office would work to coordinate programs and policies across federal, state, and local governments and would work to help integrate immigrants, refugees, and their children into their communities. The aide said the office would help undocumented immigrants as well as those here legally."
[CN: Islamophobia; anti-immigrationism] Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle: "In a lengthy interview with the NY Daily News released this week, Ohio Governor and presidential hopeful John Kasich said he's staying in the 2016 race because 'somebody's got to be the adult.' Yet the GOP candidate repeated to the editorial board a disproved myth floated by his rivals that there are neighborhoods in European cities where non-Muslims cannot enter. 'Europe, they need to get over all their hangups over there, which is all the political correctness,' Kasich said. 'I can't go into a neighborhood, because it's three o'clock in the afternoon, or these things that you read about and hear. And obviously, Europe has a big problem with integration…which they are gonna have to deal with.' When Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal—who has since dropped out of the 2016 race—made a similar claim last year, he was widely derided by European officials, who called it 'complete nonsense.' After Fox News made the same assertion, they were forced to admit their 'serious factual error' in multiple on-air apologies."
[CN: Violent white supremacy] Some of Donald Trump's supporters are among the most terrifying white supremacists in the nation. Not all of Trump's supporters are this extreme, of course, but the fact that these folks find his campaign to be largely in ideological alignment with their beliefs is truly chilling.
[CN: Death; exploitation] Meanwhile, Trump's BFF Roger Stone "is writing a book based on his conspiracy theory that the Clintons murdered John F. Kennedy, Jr." Sounds legit. If you imagine this guy is some fringe weirdo: Nope! He is a major conservative political player who appeared on CNN and MSNBC, until he was recently banned.
And in Cruz Nooz, here's a cool tweet from his college roommate: "Ted Cruz thinks people don't have a right to 'stimulate their genitals.' I was his college roommate. This would be a new belief of his." I AM SORRY but if I had to see it, you had to see it! In all seriousness, how much are we going to talk about Republican candidates' junk this election? This is truly a new low in presidential politics.
Well, this is probably the strangest story about Congress that you'll read today: "Bono was speaking in front of a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday 12 April, during a wide-ranging discussion on the Middle East and the refugee crisis. He said: 'Don't laugh. I think comedy should be deployed. It's like, you speak violence, you speak their language. But you laugh at them, when they're goose-stepping down the street, and it takes away their power. So, I'm suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer, and Chris Rock, and Sacha Baron Cohen, thank you.' The 55-year-old had to reassure the crowd at the Dirksen Senate Office Building that he was 'actually being serious' and in response he received a serious reply. 'Actually, that's not the first time I've heard experts on how do we counter violent extremism talk about that,' said senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat for New Hampshire. 'It's one of the things that we're looking at.'" And I haven't even gotten to the strange part! "The U2 singer had been invited to speak by Lindsey Graham, chairman of the subcommittee, Republican senator, and former 2016 presidential candidate." Okay.
I welcome our future alien overlords or whatever: "Yesterday, Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner made the mind-blowing announcement that they want to build a fleet of interstellar spacecraft that can travel at relativistic speeds—up to 20 percent the speed of light. But it's not just about reaching our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, although that is the new Breakthrough project's moonshot. The technology Hawking and Milner are proposing could revolutionize the search for alien life within our solar system. 'This basically opens the door to missions that are much less expensive and cumbersome, that will allow us to get information currently not retrievable,' Avi Loeb, chair of the Harvard astronomy department and a collaborator on Breakthrough Starshot, told Gizmodo. That 'currently unretrievable' information could include the first solid evidence of extraterrestrial life."
Hot damn! This campaign advertisement featuring Shonda Rhimes, and the stars of three of her hugely successful shows—Viola Davis from How to Get Away with Murder, Kerry Washington from Scandal, and Ellen Pompeo from Grey's Anatomy—endorsing Hillary Clinton is pretty fucking cool. I can't even imagine how jazzed Clinton must be!
In other endorsement news, Dr. Ben Carson has endorsed Donald Trump. Sure.
On the other hand: "The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of labor unions, will launch digital attack ads targeting Republican front-runner Donald Trump next week as part of a multi-pronged effort to derail the New York billionaire's bid for the White House and dampen union workers' enthusiasm for him. Officials at the AFL-CIO, an umbrella group of 56 unions representing 12.5 million workers, told Reuters the ads will depict Trump as anti-union, and will appear on Facebook and Twitter. ...'Donald Trump has tapped into the very real and understandable anger of working people. But while he says he's with America's working people, when you look close, it's just hot air,' AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka told Reuters. 'Donald Trump is nothing but a house of cards, and once we educate people, the house of cards comes crashing down,' he said."
[Content Note: War; displacement; descriptions of rape, murder, and violence] The United Nations Office of Human Rights has published an incredibly difficult but equally important report on the vast scope of brutal human rights violations in South Sudan, in which a civil war between government and opposition forces has been waging since 2013. Women and children are especially singled out for vicious abuse and sexual violence, and UN investigators found that the South Sudanese army have allowed their affiliated militias "to rape women in lieu of wages while fighting rebels. ...According to the UN report, militias operated under a 'do what you can and take what you can' agreement that allowed them to rape and abduct women and girls as a form of payment. They also raided cattle and stole personal property, it added. The scale and type of sexual violence committed in South Sudan constitute some of the most horrendous human rights abuses in the world, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said." And still the world continues to refuse to meaningfully intervene.
[CN: War on agency] In Indiana, the state legislature is attempting to pass another abortion restriction so extreme that even some Republicans are objecting: "Under HB 1337, which both chambers of the legislature passed this week, women would be prohibited from seeking an abortion if they discover their fetus has genetic abnormalities. ...According to a Planned Parenthood statement, the legislation is 'particularly cruel in that it's designed to shame and demean a woman who is facing tragic circumstances with a lethal fetal anomaly.' Essentially, a grieving pregnant woman grappling with the news that her unborn child won't survive outside the womb would be required to receive information dissuading her from ending the doomed pregnancy. ...'The bill does nothing to save innocent lives. There's no education, there's no funding. It's just penalties,' Rep. Sharon Negele, a Republican who has sponsored anti-abortion legislation in the past, said this week at a hearing regarding HB 1337." When Sharon Negele says you've gone too far, you have truly derailed.
[CN: War on agency] Meanwhile, in Utah: "A Utah bill requiring doctors to administer anesthesia to a fetus at 20 weeks' gestation or later during an abortion procedure now heads to the governor's desk, after Republicans on Thursday pushed through the measure during the legislative session's final hours. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Provo), hinges on the unsubstantiated notion that a fetus at 20 weeks' gestation feels pain, despite an exhaustive scientific review saying that's simply not the case. SB 234 passed in the house in a 56-13 party line vote, after clearing the state senate this month over Democratic opposition. Republicans control both chambers of the Utah legislature."
[CN: Fat hatred; video may autoplay at link] Fucking hell: "A new commercial that is part of Lane Bryant's body positive campaign may never get a chance to air. A representative for the clothing company tells People it has been rejected by multiple TV networks including NBC and ABC. ...In a statement to People, a representative for NBC said, 'As part of the normal advertising standards process, we reviewed a rough cut of the ad and asked for minor edits to comply with broadcast indecency guidelines. The ad was not rejected and we welcome the updated creative.'" Um, okay. Let me guess: These "indecency" issues with fat female bodies would definitely not be a problem with thin female bodies.
[CN: Holocaust survival] Yisrael Kristal, an Auschwitz survivor, is now the world's oldest known man, at age 112 and 178 days. "As he received his Guinness World Records certificate, Mr Kristal said he did not know the 'secret for long life' and that he believed everything was 'determined from above.' 'There have been smarter, stronger, and better looking men then me who are no longer alive,' he added. 'All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost.'" Blub.
In case you didn't watch the Democratic debate last night, but want to see the very excellent moment in which Hillary Clinton mocked Donald Trump's incessant argle-bargling about how he's going to build a giant wall along the US-Mexico border, here it is:
He's talking about a very tall wall— [audience laughter] Right? A beautiful, tall wall— [laughter] Ah, the most beautiful, tall wall, better than the Great Wall of China [laughter] that would run the entire border, that he would somehow magically get the Mexican government to pay for [laughter] and, you know, it's just fantasy!
[Content Note: Climate change] "The US and Canada declared they would help lead the transition to a low-carbon global economy on Thursday, in a dramatic role reversal for two countries once derided as climate change villains. The shared vision unveiled by Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau ahead of a meeting at the White House commits the two countries to a range of actions to shore up the historic climate agreement reached in Paris last December. The two leaders committed to rally G20 countries behind the accord, promote North American carbon markets, cap emissions from hundreds of thousands of existing oil and gas wells, and protect indigenous communities in a region which is warming beyond the point of no return, according to a statement from the White House. The initiative announced on Thursday brings the US a big step closer to meeting its own Paris target by committing for the first time to cut emissions of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for about a quarter of warming—from existing oil and gas wells." Obama + Trudeau = WIN.
Speaking of President Obama: "President Barack Obama earned a 50% job approval rating for the week ending March 6, his highest weekly average since May 2013." Huh! It turns out that Democrats being progressive gets them higher approval ratings! I'm sure looking at Obama in comparison to the nightmare contingent of Republican candidates doesn't hurt, either.
[CN: Class warfare] Rage seethe boil: "On Wednesday, lawmakers in the West Virginia House overwhelmingly passed a bill that will drug test some of the poor who apply for state welfare benefits. ...The state Senate already approved the legislation, but will have to hold a vote of concurrence on the amendments added to it in the House. After that, it will head to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) for a signature. Once the bill arrives at the governor's desk, a spokeswoman for his office told ThinkProgress he will review it with his policy and legal teams and then make a decision about whether to sign it or veto." My thoughts on this garbage previously.
[CN: Assault; misogyny] Another reporter has been assaulted at a Trump rally: "The Breitbart News reporter who was allegedly assaulted by Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski at a campaign news conference Tuesday night is speaking out about the incident for the first time in a new op-ed posted to the news outlet's website overnight. Michelle Fields, who covers politics for Breitbart, says she was 'jolted backwards' after she posed a question to the Republican front-runner. 'Trump acknowledged the question, but before he could answer I was jolted backwards. Someone had grabbed me tightly by the arm and yanked me down. I almost fell to the ground, but was able to maintain my balance. Nonetheless, I was shaken,' Fields writes in the post. Fields did not see who pulled her but said The Washington Post's Ben Terris allegedly identified the aggressor as Lewandowski. 'I quickly turned around and saw Lewandowski and Trump exiting the building together. No apology. No explanation for why he did this,' Fields says." Breitbart News is a deeply conservative outlet, so it's unlikely the motivation was ideological. Trump routinely blasts the press at his events.
[CN: Assault; racism] Another black protester was also assaulted at a Trump rally: "The now-common violent outbreaks at Donald Trump rallies escalated further at an event in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Wednesday. Footage that surfaced Thursday morning showed a black man getting punched in the face by a white rally attendee and then wrestled to the ground by police officers. The protesters were being led out of the rally by men who were wearing sheriff's uniforms when Rakeem Jones flipped his middle fingers to the crowd. In the video, he's punched in the face by a white man in a cowboy hat. The crowd cheers, and Jones is pushed to the ground by the officers and handcuffed." Fucking hell.
Also some dudes apparently ate some nachos at a Trump rally.
[CN: Sexual assault; Christian Supremacy; video may autoplay at link] Josh Duggar has left his "rehabilitation program," which was some untherapeutic religious bullshit promoted by a serial sexual abuser, and is now home with his family. I desperately hope that his children and the women around him will be safe, and fear that they won't be.
[CN: Video may autoplay at second link] Wow: "A NASA Mars spacecraft celebrates a major milestone today—a decade circling the Red Planet. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) arrived at the Red Planet on March 10, 2006 and has done yeoman's work in the decade since. To mark the occasion, NASA created this video celebrating the MRO's 10 years at Mars."
And finally! "Puppies or Food?" LOL!!! We'd better just NOM NOM NOM all of them to be safe.
[Content Note: Murder] So, allegedly, almost two decades ago, a construction worker found a knife buried on a property owned by O.J. Simpson and turned it over to a police officer, who only now has handed it over to investigators. Whut? LAPD spokesman Andrew Neiman says "the knife would be tested for DNA evidence, but added it was possible that 'the whole story is bogus from the get-go.'" Oh ya think?
[CN: Privilege] BERNIE SANDERS, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU EVEN DOING? "Fox News is not usually the destination of choice for Democratic candidates seeking to spread their message, but Bernie Sanders has agreed to participate in an hour-long town hall hosted by the network here on Monday. ...Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said there had also been discussions about having Republican front-runner Donald Trump appear at the same forum, an idea Sanders welcomed." (Clinton was also invited, but declined citing a scheduling conflict, which is the polite way of saying FUCK YOU, FOX NEWS.) Rinse and repeat everything I said about Sanders' visit to Liberty University. I'm frankly even more annoyed that Sanders "welcomes" the idea of a town hall with Trump. Sure, let's bolster that shitlord's candidacy even more. Between this crap and Jane Sanders having said on CNN yesterday that running against Trump would be "fun," I am beyond the beyond with this campaign at this point.
Former Republican turned failed Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb says that he won't vote for Hillary Clinton if she's the Democratic nominee, but might vote for Donald Trump if he's the Republican nominee. "'I would not vote for Hillary Clinton,' Webb said on MSBNC's Morning Joe. When asked whether he'd vote for Trump, Webb said he wasn't closed to the idea. 'I'm not sure yet. I don't know who I'm going to vote for,' he said. ...'If you're voting for Donald Trump, you may get something very good or very bad,' Webb said. 'If you're voting for Hillary Clinton, you're going to be getting the same thing.'" This fucking guy.
[CN: War on agency] Meanwhile, while abortion hardly figures in the public conversation during this presidential election: "West Virginia Republicans this week passed a bill that would criminalize a medical procedure often used after a miscarriage and during second-trimester abortions. SB 10, sponsored by state Sen. Dave Sypolt (R-Preston), would prohibit someone from performing or attempting to perform a 'dismemberment abortion' unless it is necessary to prevent serious health risk to the pregnant person. The bill targets the dilation and evacuation (D and E) procedure, commonly used in second-trimester abortion care. During the procedure, a physician dilates the patient's cervix and removes the fetus using forceps, clamps, or other instruments. ...D and E bans are the latest chapter in a decades-old strategy by the anti-choice movement to target specific abortion procedures. Health and medical professionals criticize these bans as substituting politicians' agendas for the judgment and expertise of doctors." Any physician who violates the West Virginia law would be "guilty of a felony and may be fined $10,000 and imprisoned for up to two years. The physician may also face injunction and civil damages." You know—to protect "women's health."
[CN: Child neglect and abuse] I don't even have words: "Immigrant children trying to stay in the United States are often left to defend themselves against a team of skilled government lawyers in court proceedings because they are not entitled to legal counsel. Now, one immigration judge is claiming that three and four-year-olds can learn immigration law well enough to represent themselves, the Washington Post reported. 'I've taught immigration law literally to 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds,' Jack H. Weil, an immigration judge, said in sworn testimony in a deposition in Seattle, Washington federal court, according to the publication. 'It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of patience. They get it. It's not the most efficient, but it can be done.' He made the claim twice more in the deposition, stating, 'I've told you I have trained 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds in immigration law. You can do a fair hearing. It's going to take you a lot of time.' Weil's statement are part of a lawsuit spearheaded by the American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrant advocacy groups calling on the government to provide appointed legal counsel for children who are unable to afford one themselves in court proceedings. He insisted that the comments were taken out of context in a follow-up email with the Washington Post." Of course he did.
[CN: Police misconduct; misogynoir] GOOD: "Nearly eight months after he violently arrested Sandra Bland—who subsequently died in police custody—Brian Encinia is now jobless. Former trooper Encinia was indicted for perjury on January 6, when a grand jury decided that he made false statements about his actions while arresting Bland. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) immediately announced that it would 'begin termination proceedings to discharge him.' Encinia challenged the decision, but DPS announced yesterday (March 2) that his termination is now final, effective immediately."
"Mark Hamill is very keen on the idea that Luke Skywalker could be gay. It's a notion he's brought up before. But his thoughts are being given new legitimacy given director JJ Abrams recent remarks that 'it seems insanely narrow-minded and counterintuitive to say that there wouldn't be a homosexual character' in the Star Wars universe. Said Hamill, according to a new report in The Sun: 'I just read online that JJ is very much open to that. In the old days you would get fan mail. But now fans are writing and ask all these questions, 'I'm bullied in school… I'm afraid to come out.' They say to me, 'Could Luke be gay?' I'd say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer. If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.'" ♥
Neat! "The Hubble Space Telescope just calculated the distance to the most far-out galaxy ever measured, providing scientists with a look deep into the history of the universe. The far-away galaxy, named GN-z11, existed a mere 400 million years after the Big Bang, or about 13.3 billion years ago. Because the light from such a distant galaxy must travel huge distances to reach Earth, scientists are seeing the galaxy as it looked over 13 billion years ago."
Oh nooooo, lol! "Wading birds in the Everglades prefer to nest near resident gators for protection. And the arrangement appears to be mutually beneficial." But: "There is one drawback for adult birds who stray too close to their bodyguard: Gators are not discriminating diners. 'I liken it less to a bodyguard situation, more like keeping some psychopathic murderer in your yard, to keep out cat burglars.'"
RIP Harper Lee. "Harper Lee, whose 1961 novel To Kill a Mockingbird became a national institution and the defining text on the racial troubles of the American deep south, has died at the age of 89. ...Within minutes of the announcement of the novelist's death, encomiums began to flow. Her literary agent Andrew Nurnberg said in a statement: 'We have lost a great writer, a great friend and a beacon of integrity.' He added: 'Knowing Nelle these past few years has been not just an utter delight but an extraordinary privilege.'" My condolences to everyone who knew and loved her and/or her work.
[Content Note: War; terrorism; child abuse; death] Fucking hell: "Islamic State has been dispatching children and teenagers into battle and sending them as [redacted] bombers at an unprecedented rate, analysis by US researchers has found. Examining Isis death notices of 89 children and youths on Twitter and the encrypted communications app Telegram, a study by Georgia State University found that the minors came from at least 14 nationalities, with just under two-thirds aged between 12 and 16. According to the analysis, which ran from the start of 2015 until the end of January this year, the death rate has doubled for those aged 18 and under being used by Isis. Overall, 39% of them were used to drive cars or trucks laden with explosives at the enemy. A further 33% died as foot soldiers. ...'The Islamic State has so heavily championed the mobilisation of children—on a scale rarely associated even with violent extremist organisations—that it suggests organisational concerns that far outweigh short-term propaganda benefits,' the report said."
[CN: War on agency] Damn: "A clinic that has provided abortion services in New Orleans for nearly four decades closed its doors this week after its primary physician retired, according to advocates, leaving pregnant people in the state with one less option for reproductive health care. ...A Planned Parenthood facility that will provide surgical abortion care has been under construction in New Orleans, but it is unknown when that clinic will open. There are three other clinics that provide abortion services in the state, located in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Bossier City." This is another way that anti-choicers are eroding abortion access: By intimidating doctors so that there are fewer and fewer of them who are willing and able to provide abortions.
[CN: Homophobia] This girl is so brave and tenacious, although I deeply resent that she was obliged to be by homophobia: "Taylor Victor will now be allowed to wear a T-shirt that identifies her as a lesbian, after reaching a settlement with her school district that resulted in an update to the student dress code. Last fall, Victor wore a shirt to her Northern California school that read, 'Nobody knows I'm a lesbian.' She said she wore it ironically because she is open about her sexuality. The administration reprimanded her and gave a slew of defenses for that decision, saying the T-shirt was 'disruptive' an 'open invitation to sex,' could be 'gang-related,' and that students couldn't wear shirts that stated their 'personal choices and beliefs.' In response, Victor sued two administration officials with the representation of the ACLU. The Manteca Unified School District reached a settlement with the ACLU this week. Although the school district denied wrongdoing, it agreed to change its dress code to make it clear that students can wear clothes that support either their own identities on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, and other identities, or support their classmates identities, without retribution from the administration."
Wow: "It's time to add another item to the list of Black firsts: Yesterday (February 17), ABC announced that Channing Dungey is the television network's new entertainment president. Variety reports that she is the first Black person to control programming for a major broadcast network. You might not know Dungey's name, but you know the shows she developed during her tenure as senior vice president of drama development. They include Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, Quantico and American Crime."
YES: "Scalia was not a great judge: he was a bad one. And his badness consisted precisely in his contempt for the rule of law, if by 'the rule of law' one means the consistent application of legal principles, without regard to the political consequences of applying those principles in a consistent way. One of Scalia's many obnoxious qualities as a jurist was his remarkably pompous, pedantic, and obsessive insistence that the legal principles he (supposedly) preferred—textualism in statutory interpretation, originalism when reading the Constitution, and judicial restraint when dealing with democratically-enacted legal rules—were not merely his preferences, but simply 'the law.' ...[T]he truth is that, far more than the average judge, Scalia had no real fidelity to the legal principles he claimed were synonymous with a faithful interpretation of the law. Over and over during Scalia's three decades on the Supreme Court, if one of his cherished interpretive principles got in the way of his political preferences, that principle got thrown overboard in a New York minute."
Neat! "The Hubble Space Telescope has given scientists their sharpest-ever look at a known galaxy containing an enormous black hole. The supermassive black hole is in a galaxy called NGC 4889, one of several in the Coma Cluster, officials said Thursday. ...Even though NGC 4889's black hole measures 130 billion kilometers in diameter, you can't see it in the picture. Black holes are invisible because light can't escape their gravitational pull, according to NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). But scientists were able to measure NGC 4889's black hole by using the velocity of the stars moving around it and found it to be one of the largest known black holes."
Aww precious wee beastie: "Also known as Limacina helicina, the sea butterfly navigates cold ocean waters in the northern Atlantic and Pacific. Its shell measures about 1 to 4 millimeters (0.04 to 0.16 inches) in diameter, and it swims using a pair of winglike appendages. It can retract these into its shell when threatened. Many types of zooplankton, tiny ocean animals, have structures like the sea butterfly's, which they use as paddles to propel themselves through the water. But when researchers conducted the first-ever analysis of how the sea butterfly's appendages move, the scientists found that the creature swam in a completely unexpected way. ...'The more we looked into it, the more we found that the sea butterfly is an honorary insect,' said study co-author David Murphy, from the Georgia Institute of Technology. 'We looked at the wing kinematics—how it moves its wings in a figure-eight pattern—and it's very similar to how a fruit fly beats its wings.'"
Using radio telescopes to peer through the dense plane of the Milky Way, researchers have spotted huge galactic gatherings that have long been obscured from view. These galaxies lie a mere 250 million light-years away—and they will only get closer, because they appear to be pulling us towards them at breakneck speed.
Scientists had suspected that galaxies existed in this region, says study co-author Renée C. Kraan-Korteweg of the University of Cape Town, South Africa. But seeing them with traditional telescopes presents a challenge.
"It was not really not that surprising, because the stars and dust in our own Milky Way block a not insignificant part of the sky from our view, in optical light that is," she says. "So yes, we did expect that many galaxies would be lying behind the plane of the Milky Way, or the so-called Zone of Avoidance. However, we did not know anything about their distribution in space."
...The effort identified 883 total galaxies, 240 of which hadn't been seen before, the team reports this week in the Astronomical Journal.
This galactic cornucopia represents a huge amount of mass, which makes the team suspect that the objects play a role in the intergalactic draw of a strange region called the Great Attractor.
...The authors suggest that the previously unseen galaxies may help explain where a lot of that mysterious mass comes from—hundreds of galaxies, each containing perhaps 100 billion stars, can exert a lot of pull.
"It seems that the Great Attractor consists of many galaxies and clusters of galaxies lying in a very large region of space," says Lister Staveley-Smith of the University of Western Australia. "Just why such a large overdensity of galaxies lies in that region is a mystery, although cosmological theory does seem to confirm that, occasionally, such large mass concentrations should occur."
The mystery isn't entirely solved, notes Kraan-Korteweg, but her team thinks they are on to something.
"Further follow-up studies are still required to quantify the mass that these galaxies seem to trace and see if this is in full agreement with what the Great Attractor suggested. But we are a major step closer in this endeavor."
Sometimes, when god-believers find out I'm atheist, they ask me a question like, "Don't you want or need to feel like there's something bigger than you?" or "Don't you sense that there's something bigger out there?"
I personally don't need a deity to experience the feeling of something bigger. I look at images and stories like these and I feel impossibly, wondrously tiny.
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