In the News

Here is some other stuff in the news today...

The funeral for Rev. Clementa Pinckney has begun in Charleston, and thousands of people lined up today to pay their respects. President Obama is scheduled to give the eulogy. Letters to Rev. Pinckney from his wife and daughters were tucked into the program for the service. Blub.

[Content Note: Transphobia; anti-immigrationism; abuse] Jennicet Gutiérrez: "I interrupted Obama because we need to be heard." A must-read.

[CN: Terrorism; death] Fucking hell: "Terrorists attacked sites in France, Tunisia, and Kuwait on Friday, leaving a bloody toll on three continents and prompting new concerns about the spreading influence of jihadists. In France, attackers stormed an American-owned industrial chemical plant near Lyon, decapitated one person and tried unsuccessfully to blow up the factory. In Tunisia, gunmen opened fire at a beach resort, killing at least 27 people, officials said. At least one of the attackers was killed by security forces. And the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in one of the largest Shiite mosques in Kuwait City during Friday prayers. ...Local news reports said at least 24 people had been killed and wounded in the assault, which was extraordinary for Kuwait and appeared to be a deliberate attempt to incite strife between Shiites and Sunnis. ...There was no immediate indication that the attacks had been coordinated. But the three strikes came at roughly the same time, and just days after the Islamic State, the militant group also known as ISIS or ISIL, called for such operations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan."

As I mentioned yesterday, the Supreme Court also issued a terrific and major decision regarding a housing discrimination case, and Alice Ollstein explains how that decision could have an impact on voting rights: "The case hinged on whether victims of housing discrimination had to prove the government, banks or other entities consciously set out to discriminate against them—an often impossibly high legal bar—or whether they could simply prove they were disproportionately hurt by a certain policy." The Court decided for the latter. "Senior Attorney Kathy Culliton-Gonzalez with the Advancement Project, which is involved in several voting rights lawsuits around the country, said the ruling is 'very helpful' because it asserts that it's not necessary to prove intentional voter suppression based on race."

[CN: War; violence; sexual assault; torture; death] This is a difficult but important read: "For decades the terrible crimes perpetrated against women under the Khmer Rouge were hidden from view. BuzzFeed News' Jina Moore talked to the victims of the dictatorial regime who are now getting their day in court."

[CN: Police brutality; racism; misogyny; othering] There is a whole lot to unpack here fuhhhhhhhhk: "An interview with the Baltimore cop who's revealing all the horrible things he saw on the job." (In recommending this, by the way, I'm not at all suggesting it be read without scrutiny and skepticism. It absolutely should be!)

All right, Scotland! "New data from the Scottish government shows that the country generated 49.8 percent of its electricity from renewables in 2014, effectively meeting its target of generating half of electricity demand from clean sources by the end of this year."

Cool: "A Neptune-sized alien world about 30 light-years from Earth is unlike any exoplanet yet found. The bizarre planet, named Gliese 436b, has a huge comet-like tail of mostly hydrogen gas extending more than 9.3 million miles, computer models suggest. The cloud of gas around the planet has a circular head about 1.8 million miles in diameter. A planetary tail of that size had never before been seen around such a small exoplanet."

And finally! "Anna Paterek took her horse Magic to a murky river and attempted to coax him into the water. It takes a few tries before the horse finally makes his way to the edge of the water. Once he steps in, it only takes a few moments before..." I won't spoil it for you! *wink*