In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: War; terrorism] "The US is to deploy a specialised force to Iraq to build pressure on Islamic State militants, US defence secretary Ashton Carter has said. 'In full co-ordination with the government of Iraq, we're deploying a specialised expeditionary targeting force to assist Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces,' Mr Carter said. He made the remarks to a congressional committee in Washington. The force would also be able to conduct 'unilateral operations' in Syria." Welp.

[CN: Anti-choice terrorism] Working at Planned Parenthood means that death threats are a daily occurrence: "'Abortion providers have to take security measures that, you ask someone at any other healthcare location, and they would laugh,' said David Cohen, a Drexel University law professor and co-author of Living in the Crosshairs, a recent dive into the dangers many abortion providers say they face. 'Some just live with it. For others, it's highly consuming of their mental energy. They're traumatized by it. They have a constant state of fear.' Cohen said actions such as carrying a gun or wearing a protective vest are not extraordinary."

[CN: War on agency] Meanwhile: "Senate Republicans are prepared to forge ahead this week with a legislative tactic to fast track a bill to dismantle Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood. ...Senate Republicans concluded a conference meeting on Monday evening feeling 'enthused' about their plan to push the legislation toward President Obama's desk as early as Thursday. Although the president is expected to veto the bill, it could set the stage for a bigger fight as Congress negotiates a funding bill to avert a government shutdown later this month."

[CN: Police brutality; racism] Andrea Plaid on the facts we know about the Jamar Clark shooting in Minneapolis and the subsequent protests, and on why the #Justice4Jamar protests are a reproductive justice issue. "Where reproductive justice is manifesting itself, however, is in the coalitions—which are deeper and broader than BLM-Minn and the local NAACP—that have come to support the #Justice4Jamar protests, with individuals across the racial and religious spectrums within and around North Minneapolis attending the protests and representatives from Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI), and Muslim and Arab communities, among others, coming down to show support."

[CN: War on agency] Good grief Ted Cruz is a nightmare: "Cruz, calling Republican opposition to contraception a 'made up, nonsense example,' then [said] 'When the 'war on women' came up, the Republicans would curl up in a ball and say 'don't hurt me.' Jiminy cricket! This is a made up, nonsense example. Last I checked, we don't have a rubber shortage in America. Look, when I was in college, we had a machine in the bathroom. You put 50 cents in and voila!'" Shut up.

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] In other GOP candidate news, Donald Trump "proposed demanding $5 million from CNN in order for him to participate in the next Republican presidential debate during a rally in Macon, Ga. on Monday. Trump felt the payment—which he promised to donate to 'Wounded Warriors or the vets'—was in order because CNN 'doesn't treat me properly' and because he felt he was responsible for the high ratings CNN got during the GOP debate it hosted in September." This fucking guy.

[CN: Transphobic violence] US Marines Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton has been found guilty of killing Jennifer Laude, "a Filipino transgender woman last year in a Philippines motel room—a case that has ignited an uproar in the region and reintroduced a debate over U.S. military presence there." Good.

Um, whut. "Emma Watson 'was encouraged not to use the word feminism' in her UN speech." I am not surprised, but I am nonetheless annoyed!

[CN: Murder] Perfect headline is perfect: "Just a Hunch, But Robert Durst Probably Regrets Participating in The Jinx."

Here's just a story about John Legend and his extraordinary duet with the vibration of a star. Amazing.

And finally! "My 26-Pound Main Coon Owns My Heart." LOVE. ♥