In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Domestic violence] Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy has been suspended for 10 games following an investigation after Hardy's domestic violence case was dismissed in North Carolina state court. I like (ahem) how he was suspended because his "conduct [was] detrimental to the league." THE LEAGUE. "Detrimental to the league" essentially translates to: He wasn't suspended for committing domestic violence, but because it made the papers.

[CN: Police brutality; stalking; racism] The Baltimore police officer who chased Freddie Gray, who later died in police custody, has a history of violence and intimidation. "Lieutenant Brian Rice was ordered to stay away from the man [who sought a restraining order] after a series of alleged confrontations, including one armed standoff that led to a 911 call and officers from two police departments spending 90 minutes defusing the situation, according to court filings. 'I am seeking protection immediately,' the man wrote to a court in Carroll County, Maryland, in January 2013. He alleged Rice's behaviour had caused him 'to have constant fear for my personal safety' and a 'fear of imminent harm or death from Brian Rice.'" Whyyyyyy was this asshole still on the job?! (That question is, of course, rhetorical.)

[CN: Police brutality; racism] Michael Brown's family is suing the city of Ferguson: "The family of Michael Brown plans to file a civil lawsuit against the city of Ferguson, Mo., for his death last summer. Members of Brown's family will announce the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit on Thursday at the St. Louis County courthouse, attorneys for the Brown family said Wednesday night." There will be people who make all kinds of gross accusations against this family about attention- and money-seeking, without a single shred of regard that they were denied accountability by the criminal courts.

Clinton charities will have to refile tax returns: "Hillary Clinton's family's charities are refiling at least five annual tax returns after a Reuters review found errors in how they reported donations from governments, and said they may audit other Clinton Foundation returns in case of other errors. ...The charities' errors generally take the form of under-reporting or over-reporting, by millions of dollars, donations from foreign governments, or in other instances omitting to break out government donations entirely when reporting revenue, the charities confirmed to Reuters. ...The unsettled numbers on the tax returns are not evidence of wrongdoing but tend to undermine the 990s role as a form of public accountability, experts in charity law and transparency advocates interview told Reuters."

A vaccination bill in California may, if passed, influence vaccination laws across the nation: "Vaccine laws across the nation may be toughened, observers say, if California passes a fervently debated bill that would strip parents' rights to exempt kids from immunizations based on personal beliefs. A potential end to California's opt-out provision gained ground Wednesday when the state senate's education committee voted 7-2 to require full vaccinations for almost all public school students. ...'Other states will be looking carefully at the California experience if this goes through,' said Dr. Eric Kodish, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Ethics, Humanities and Spiritual Care. 'If they become a place where, as I would predict, fewer children get sick and die, it's something other states would want to look at.'"

[CN: Class warfare; environmental contamination] Every person in this country should have the right to safe drinking water: "Sherry Gobble has been wary of drinking the tap water in her neighborhood for more than a year. 'I feel like I've become very suspicious of all water,' she told ThinkProgress in November. 'When I go to a friend's house, and they offer coffee or tea, I don't drink it because I don't know where it came from.' On Monday, her fears were confirmed. Nineteen households and a church in her community of Dukeville, North Carolina were sent letters by the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warning them not to drink or cook with well water due to elevated levels of toxic heavy metals, the Associated Press reported. Like Gobble's home, each is located within a quarter mile of a coal ash pond owned by Duke Energy."

[CN: Fat hatred; death] Fat hatred kills: "A 21-year-old woman died recently after she ingested diet pills made with an 'extremely dangerous' industrial chemical. On April 12, Eloise Aimee Parry of Shrewsbury, England, took eight diet pills containing dinitrophenol or DNP, according to a statement from her mom, Fiona Parry, released Monday by the West Mercia Police. The pills were purchased online. 'She had taken even more of these 'slimming tablets' than recommended on the pack and had no idea just how dangerous they really were,' Fiona Parry said." My condolences to Eloise's family and friends.

[CN: Anti-feminism; misogyny] Soraya Chemaly with "50 Reasons Everyone Is Now an 'Offensive' Feminist," in response to an eighth-grade girl having her t-shirt reading "feminist" censored in the class photo.

Stunning: "The Hubble Space Telescope has celebrated its silver anniversary with a picture featuring a spectacular vista of young stars blazing across a dense cloud of gas and dust. The 'Westerlund 2' cluster of stars is located about 20,000 light-years away in the constellation Carina." Happy Birthday, Hubble!

Mattel has announced a new line of female action figures: "The toymaker announced today that it is partnering with DC Comics and Warner Bros. to launch a new franchise centered on teenage female superheroes. The initial lineup will include heroes such as Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl, as well as prominent female villains, including Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn (both of Batman fame)." Also in the line-up: Bumble Bee and Katana!

And finally! This is one the cutest rescue/adoption stories ever: A kitten left in a mailbox is rescued and eventually adopted by—wait for it!—a retired mail carrier. "Dan Shaw says, 'I took one look at her and I knew right away that I wanted her.'" Blub!