In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today!

RIP Shirley Temple Black.

The White House has relaxed the employer healthcare coverage mandate, pushing back required coverage for another year. Great news for businesses who aren't already covering their employees; terrible news for employees who were counting on mandated coverage to kick in this year.

[Content Note: Guns] The NRA is lobbying to expand Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, even as Michael Dunn stands trial for killing Jordan Davis because Dunn "felt threatened" after asking a car full of teenagers, including Davis, to turn down their music in public parking lot and they refused. Of course they are, because the NRA is a terrible organization led by terrible people. "The new bill has been dubbed a 'warning shot' bill, and now a 'threatened force' bill, and it would extend Stand Your Ground-like immunity from both criminal and civil charges to those who point a gun at an attacker or fire a gun as a self-defense threat or warning." The bill removes "mandatory minimum sentences for those who would be convicted of gun and violence-related crimes; it also removes all criminal and civil liability for those who successfully invoke the defense in as vague and sweeping a manner as the original Stand Your Ground law, potentially opening the door for more judicial rulings of the sort we have already seen that excuse fatal shootings of unarmed victims." Let's call this exactly what it is: A bill that will allow privileged people to kill marginalized people with absolutely impunity.

[CN: War on agency; violence; self-harm] Republican Tennessee Rep. Phil Roe, the colorful congressman who suggested Republican candidates be issued duct tape to prevent them from saying stupid things, is basically a Cool Quote Generator: "During a session devoted to a bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) that is designed to replace Obamacare, Roe suggested that the best way to 'tweak' the president's signature health-care reform law was with 'a nuclear bomb.' Then, addressing the topic of family planning, he veered into personal territory, noting, 'I have been 'fixed.' My wife has been 'fixed.'' He explained that after having three kids, if he'd had to raise another, he'd have thrown himself off the Capitol. (He didn't specify whether he meant the dome, a balcony, or down the steps.) These are interesting comments from a legislator who has supported defunding Planned Parenthood."

[CN: Racism. Video.] Samuel L. Jackson lets loose on an entertainment news anchor who gets him confused with Laurence Fishburne. Oof. (No, you do not need to let us know in comments that sometimes you confuse people and it's not because you're racist. Let us not ignore the context that this was a broadcast interview by a professional entertainment journalist, not a conversation with your mom about who was in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. and let us further not ignore the historical context of white people publicly misidentifying black men, sometimes to deadly consequences.)

[CN: Homophobia; affected misogyny. Video.] Kids in the Hall's Scott Thompson revives Buddy Cole to be a Sochi correspondent for The Colbert Report. "Are buttons gayer than zippers?" OMG.

"Fred Armisen is joining Seth Meyers at Late Night. The musician and Portlandia star and his 8G Band are joining his Saturday Night Live friend as the band leader for the revamped NBC talker. 'Fred will curate and lead the band, and continue to run it even when he's off shooting Portlandia,' Meyers tweeted Monday." Whut? Okay.