In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Homophobia] Last Thursday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld same-sex marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky, which will likely force the issue of same-sex marriage before the US Supreme Court, possibly as soon as this term. *bites nails*

[CN: Class warfare. Video may autoplay at link.] President Obama has asked the Federal Communications Commission "to set the 'strongest possible rules' to protect net neutrality as agency writes new Internet traffic regulations. ...He said the FCC should reclassify consumer broadband service to be regulated more like a public utility." GOOD. More here.

[CN: War] In not-good news: "President Barack Obama has authorized the doubling of US troop levels in Iraq for the war against Islamic State militants, further straining his pledge against 'boots on the ground'. Obama ordered an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq on Friday to bolster the performance of Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting Isis in ground combat. The training, the Pentagon said, is expected to last the better part of a year... The new troops, the Pentagon emphasized, will not be used in a combat role, similar to roughly the same number of 'advisers' who have been performing a similar role in Iraq since June. Troop levels in Iraq will soon stand at about 3,000."

Welp: Indiana, which has one of the strictest voter ID laws in the nation, ranked as the worst state in voter turnout in last week's midterm elections. "Only 1.35 million of the 4.8 million adults eligible to vote showed up to the polls on Tuesday, giving the state a horrifically low turnout rate of just 28 percent."

[CN: Class warfare] Hey, speaking of the Conservative Legislation Lab: Nearly half of Indiana's 76 charter schools are doing poorly or failing.

[CN: Racism; misogynoir] Two pictures of women breastfeeding their babies while wearing graduation caps and gowns. One of them is black, and one of them is white. See if you can guess which one of the two women was praised and which woman was criticized!

Are you watching the CW's new show Jane the Virgin? Because you should be! It is very good! I like it A LOT.

This week, the Rosetta spacecraft may finally land on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: "European scientists will this week make the first attempt to land a probe on the surface of a comet, the climax of a decade-long project to unlock some of the secrets of the universe. ...On Tuesday night, the team at the European Space Agency (ESA) will decide whether to give the final go-ahead to release a lander from the craft." Eeeeeee! So exciting!

And finally! Animals with majestic hair. Obviously.