In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Anti-immigrationism] Who cares about people's lives when there's an election to win? "Both political parties are in a state of high anxiety about the possibility that President Obama will allow millions of illegal immigrants to remain in the country, fearing that White House action on the issue could change the course of November's midterm elections. In the past few days, Democratic candidates in nearly every closely fought Senate race have criticized the idea of aggressive action by Obama. Some strategists say privately that it would signal that he has written off the Democrats' prospects for retaining control of the chamber, deciding to focus on securing his legacy instead. Senior Republicans, meanwhile, have their own worries about a 'September surprise' on immigration. They know their volatile party's tendency to erupt at such moments—including government shutdowns and impeachment threats—and that the GOP brand is even more tattered than the Democratic one."

[CN: Harassment; threats; misogyny] Anita Sarkeesian, the creator of the Tropes vs. Women series in which she provides feminist critiques of video games, was driven from her home by threats of violence this week. This shit has got to stop.

[CN: War on agency; misogyny; racism] In Indiana, another woman of color is facing decades in prison after trying to self-terminate a pregnancy, then allegedly giving birth prematurely and disposing of the body. Now Purvi Patel "is being charged with both neglect and feticide, allegations that actually conflict with each other. She was initially charged with 'neglect of a dependent' after prosecutors learned she left her baby in in a dumpster, a charge that won't apply if the baby was already dead. But she's now also being charged with 'fetal murder of an unborn child'—a charge that an Indiana judge allowed to stand this week—for taking drugs that could have illegally ended her pregnancy. ...As the Daily Beast's Sally Kohn points out, the logic doesn't exactly hold up. 'The State of Indiana intends to convict and incarcerate Purvi Patel one way or another, whether the fetus she delivered was alive or not—never mind the fact that the facts necessary for filing the one charge (that the fetus have been alive) entirely contradict the facts necessary for filing the other (that the fetus have been dead) and vice versa,' Kohn writes."

[CN: Guns; death] A crew member of the show Cops was killed when police opened fire on a robbery suspect, who was also killed. According to police, the suspect fired at officers, who then fired back. It was only after both suspect and crew member were dead that police discovered the suspect was holding a plastic pellet gun.

[CN: Guns; death] Just days after a firearms instructor in Arizona died after his 9-year-old student lost control of the 9mm Uzi he was teaching her to use, the NRA Women's Twitter account "blasted out suggestions for making practice at the shooting range fun for kids." Of course they did.

In the biggest news that ever newsed, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt got married last weekend. This is perfect: "Jolie and Pitt's wedding caps years of rampant speculation on when the couple would officially tie the knot." That is hilarious, even though it was not intended to be.

And finally! Here is just a terrific video of a juvenile bald eagle playing in a sprinkler.