In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: War] This is tentatively good news, provided the agreement lasts, which is no sure thing: "South Sudanese President Salva Kiir signed a peace deal to end a 20-month conflict with rebels on Wednesday after voicing reservations about the pact, according to a Reuters witness at the ceremony attended by African regional leaders. The presidents of Kenya and Uganda, and the prime minister of Ethiopia, who all helped mediate the negotiations, were at the signing event in the capital Juba. Rebel leader Riek Machar signed the accord in the Ethiopian capital last week." Also: Even a ceasefire does not guarantee safety for the people caught in the middle of this conflict.

[CN: Flooding; displacement; self-harm; racism; disablism] This is a powerful piece about one woman, Kathy Phipps, whose relocation story following Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago, became a media sensation, and what her life actually was like after the cameras left.

[CN: Clergy abuse] Stephen Pohl, a former priest at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Louisville, Kentucky, has been arrested for taking "erotic" (that is the legal term, because the children were clothed) images of "dozens of local children." He was arrested on a Friday, and resigned the following Thursday (because why would be fired jesus christ). The school apparently had no idea Pohl was taking images of the students, despite the fact they were taken at an after-school club, and it was only when one of the students, a 10-year-old boy, told his parents and the parents personally confronted the priest and demanded to see his phone and found the images did this come to light. Great job as always, Catholic Church.

[CN: Transphobia] An update on ending the military ban on transgender servicemembers: "The Pentagon is scheduled to end its ban on open transgender service next May according to an internal memo circulated among top personnel at the Defense Department. ...The memo also spells out how the Pentagon would handle servicemembers who wish to transition as well as what, if anything, to do regarding trans servicemembers who have been dishonorably discharged for being trans." Good momentum.

Hillary Clinton makes her pitch to rural USians, announcing "a multi-step plan on Wednesday to grow the economy and local services in rural areas."

[CN: Child sex abuse; fat hatred] Audra Williams makes a terrific point about how former Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle's highly celebrated weight loss created a narrative around him that he was a moral paragon, because we attach so much moral judgment to weight and weight loss.

Neat! A "University of Washington research team has found an extremely rare nautilus, Allonautilus scrobiculatus, after a gap of more than three decades. Professor Peter Ward had first time seen the elusive nautilus species in 1984. The nautilus with distinctive spiral shell has been recently spotted by biologist Peter Ward in the South Pacific."

If you love video games AND you love YouTube, then maybe you will love this item, or maybe not! "YouTube is to launch its spin-off platform for video gamers at 18:00 GMT on Wednesday evening. YouTube Gaming is a dedicated app and website focusing exclusively on gaming content, with a greater emphasis on live steams. The video sharing giant told the BBC it wanted tackle a 'fragmented' experience for the gaming genre. One expert said YouTube was 'fighting back' against rivals such as Twitch and Daily Motion."

And finally! This is a great story about veteran Army Specialist Tyler Roberts and his search for—and eventual reunion with—the bomb-sniffing dog named Donna whom he trained and with whom he served in Afghanistan. Best friends forever!