In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today!

Pew Research finds that Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's approval ratings have taken a hit recently. Huh!

[Content Note: Environmental disaster; injury] As I noted yesterday, hospital visits have risen sharply in West Virginia following the lifting of bans on drinking water after a chemical spill. During a press conference yesterday, Democratic West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin was asked about the safety of the water, to which he replied: "It's your decision. If you do not feel comfortable drinking or cooking with this water then use bottled water. ...We've been in this thing for 11 days. It's a very complicated issue. I'm not a scientist, you know. I have to rely on the best information that I have." ("Right back atcha!" said everyone in West Virginia, probably.)

President Obama will meet with Pope Francis in March: "The president looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality." And definitely not talking about how reproductive freedom is a central piece of that issue.

[CN: Racism] Richard Sherman's Blackness Will Take Center Stage at This Year's Super Bowl. I saw some tweets and headlines about this yesterday, but didn't see the actual clip of Sherman until right before I went to bed. Based on the OUTRAGE!!eleventy!, I did not anticipate how completely noncontroversial Sherman's post-game interview would be, even with my rock bottom expectations of what racists find alarming.

Actual Headline: "Hillary's No Slam Dunk in 2016." Actual lede: "Could Hillary Clinton be the next Richard Nixon?" Oh god. Save me from US presidential campaigns.

[CN: War on agency] Republican Kentucky state representative Joe Fischer "has added an amendment banning abortions at 20 weeks to a domestic violence bill, saying that 'the most brutal form of domestic violence is the violence against unborn children.' The bill, HB 8, would expand domestic violence protections and is strongly supported by Kentucky house Democrats." Of course it is.

[CN: Clergy sex abuse] The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has finally released documents detailing how the Archdiocese handled cases of sex abuse by priests. And, in news that will surprise no one, the documents reveal the shielding of predators and the failure to report abuse to authorities. Naturally, Cardinal Francis George made time to point out that he wasn't in charge at the time and brag about transparency.

[CN: Homophobia] The UN will challenge Malawi's anti-gay laws in court. "They will also challenge the convictions of three men jailed in 2011."

[CN: Racism] Madonna non-apologizes for using the n-word on Instagram, arguing intent and saying "I am not a racist." Cool.