In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today!

[Content Note: Guns; terrorism] Of course: "On Saturday, nearly 40 armed men, women, and children waited outside a Dallas, Texas area restaurant to protest a membership meeting for the state chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a gun safety advocacy group formed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting." And lest anyone thing that calling this terrorism is hyperbole: "[A spokeswoman for MDA] said that the restaurant manager did not want to call 911, for fear of 'inciting a riot' and waited for the gun advocates to leave." When you make someone so fearful they are scared to call police, you are officially a fucking terrorist.

[CN: Guns; disablism] Speaking of Sandy Hook, a police officer suffering PTSD has been threatened with termination: "I'm hoping that the town's going to keep a promise that they made to us. They promised us—all of us, all the police officers—that if we do our job, and something happens, they're going to take care of us. And they're not holding up their word and that's all we want them to do."

Wow: A baby girl was born at the Tacloban airport after her mother swam for her life and clung to a post to survive. It's neat how women are still called "the weaker sex," huh?

Former President Jimmy Carter calls for a moratorium on the death penalty in the US: "My preference would be for the court to rule that it is cruel and unusual punishment, which would make it prohibitive under the US constitution." Yes, please.

60 Minutes apologized last night for its Benghazi report. Sort of. "[Lara Logan] said that Dylan Davies, one of the main sources for a two-week-old piece about the attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, had misled the program's staff... The apology lasted only 90 seconds and revealed nothing new about why CBS had trusted Mr. Davies, who appeared on the program under the pseudonym Morgan Jones."

[CN: Medical malfeasance] ProPublica has an interesting and infuriating report on "Why Doctors Stay Mum About Mistakes Their Colleagues Make."

[CN: Violence] A new study has found that today's PG-13 movies contain more violence than 1980s' R-rated movies. "In particular, gun violence in PG-13 films has tripled since 1985, the year the PG-13 rating was first introduced. And overall, violence in movies has nearly quadrupled since the 1950s."

LOL: "Conservative U.S. Catholics Feel Left Out of the Pope's Embrace." And I love the caption on the photo even more: "Some American Catholics in the church's conservative wing say Pope Francis has left them feeling abandoned and deeply unsettled." Awwwwww. Welp, welcome to how lots of progressive Catholics have felt forever! The thing I find the most amazing about this is that it's based on little more than a fairly mendacious PR blitz: The new pope hasn't changed any doctrine or made meaningful changes to its application. He just asked people to be a wee bit quieter about some of the more hateful shit. If that alienates you: Whoooooooooops your life.

Zambian First Lady Dr. Christine Kaseba-Sata Back spoke out in favor of LGBT rights, which is genuinely momentous.

And finally: Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Is Being Turned into a Broadway Musical. Sure—why not?!