In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Police brutality] Defense attorneys for the six officers who were charged in the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore have filed for a change of venue, arguing that "their clients can't get a 'fair and impartial trial' in Baltimore. In an 85-page document filed Wednesday with the court seeking a change of venue, the lawyers argued that a 'presumption of prejudice' exists in the city." Without a trace of irony.

[CN: Police brutality; misogynoir] Relatedly: The African American Policy Forum, the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia University, and Andrea Ritchie, Soros Justice Fellow and expert on policing of women and LGBT people of color, have released "#SayHerName: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women, a document highlighting stories of Black women who have been killed by police and shining a light on forms of police brutality often experienced by women such as sexual assault."

Whooooooooooops! "Samples of live anthrax were inadvertently shipped to private research laboratories in nine states and one in South Korea that were supposed to have received dead anthrax samples, the Pentagon confirmed." The Army says that procedure was followed, which isn't reassuring! So they're going to review "the procedures themselves." Good idea!

In good news, the Nebraska legislature has overruled Republican Governor Pete Ricketts' veto in order to outlaw the death penalty in the state. "After more than two hours of emotional speeches at the Capitol here, the Legislature, by a 30-to-19 vote that cut across party lines, overrode the governor's veto of a bill repealing the state's death penalty law. After the repeal measure passed, by just enough votes to overcome the veto, dozens of spectators in the balcony burst into celebration." Yay!

[CN: Sex abuse; misogyny] So, a bunch of advertisers have pulled their ads from TLC following the disclosure of Josh Duggar's sexual predation. Let us all note they were totally cool with the show when it was merely depicting religiously-justified misogynist abuse, and when the Duggars were already known to be aggressively homophobic and transphobic.

Neat! "A summer after Mo'ne Davis captured the sports world's attention by dominating the Little League World Series, a host of girls from across the country will get the chance to play baseball on a different national stage. On Saturday, Baseball For All, an organization aimed at advocating for increased girls' participation in America's pastime, will launch the first-ever national all-girls baseball tournament for young players. In all, 12 teams built regionally and nationally among girls who already play or want to start will descend on Orlando, Fla. for the event, which encompasses two age groups and hopes to 'provide a genuine opportunity for girls to play baseball,' according to Justine Siegal, the Baseball For All founder who has been working to build girls baseball for nearly two decades and dreamed up the tournament. Girls who wanted to play could sign up individually or as a team for a guaranteed six games at the tournament."

"A new species of ancient human has been unearthed in the Afar region of Ethiopia, scientists report. Researchers discovered jaw bones and teeth, which date to between 3.3m and 3.5m years old. It means this new hominin was alive at the same time as several other early human species, suggesting our family tree is more complicated than was thought." Every family tree is.

Here is a terrific picture of Melissa McCarthy looking fab at the London premiere of Spy.

And finally! This is a great dog adoption story: "He Was the Opposite of Everything We Wanted, and That's Exactly Why We Had to Have Him." Oh my heart.