In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: War posturing] Following North Korea's threat to use nuclear weapons to "annihilate" the United States and South Korea, whose annual joint military exercise began on Monday with increased maneuvers following North Korea's fourth nuclear test and rocket launch earlier this year, "Russia has warned North Korea that threats to deliver 'preventive nuclear strikes' could create a legal basis for the use of military force against the country, suggesting that even Pyongyang's few remaining friends are growing concerned about its increasingly confrontational stance. ...'We consider it to be absolutely impermissible to make public statements containing threats to deliver some 'preventive nuclear strikes' against opponents,' the Russian foreign ministry said in response to North Korea's threats. 'Pyongyang should be aware of the fact that in this way the DPRK will become fully opposed to the international community and will create international legal grounds for using military force against itself in accordance with the right of a state to self-defense enshrined in the United Nations Charter,' continued the statement, translated by Itar Tass news agency. ...But while the statement said Moscow was opposed to the tone of North Korea's response, it also said the scale of the American-South Korean joint exercise put 'unprecedented … military and political pressure on Pyongyang.' 'Naturally, as a state, which is directly named as an object of this kind of military activities, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) cannot but feel reasonably concerned for its security,' the statement said."

[CN: Homophobia; Christian Supremacy] Well, fuck: "The Missouri Senate has passed SJR 39 21-11 after a record-breaking 39.5 hour filibuster that Democrats had hoped would block the legislation. The bill amends the state's constitution to 'protect' religious organizations and individuals who oppose same-sex marriage because of their religious beliefs, providing same-sex marriage opponents a 'license to discriminate' against LGBT Missourians. ...'After a 39-hour filibuster by Missouri Democrats, Republicans turned to a rarely-used procedural maneuver to cut off debate and force a vote.'" Of course. Good effort, Missouri Democrats. And it ain't quite over yet: "After debate was cut off, the legislation was granted initial approval on a 23-9 vote. It still must be approved by the Senate one more time before going to the Missouri House."

[CN: Police brutality; disablism; racism; fat hatred] "Researchers have uncovered a commonly missing factor in police brutality stories: A victim's disability. According to an in-depth study published this week by the Ruderman Family Foundation, a disabled advocacy group, up to half of all people killed by law enforcement are living with a disability. This is the case for the majority of the high-profile incidents in the last few years, many of which have become the face of the Black Lives Matter movement, the study finds."

[CN: Transphobia; harassment] The second sibling of the filmmakers known as The Wachowskis has disclosed to the public that she is transgender. To say that she has "come out" is not quite right, because she's been "out" to her family, friends, and colleagues for quite some time. She is now disclosing her transition to the public, and doing so under duress because the Daily Mail threatened to expose her. Fucking assholes.

"Bernie Sanders's campaign has filed a lawsuit against Ohio's secretary of state to allow 17-year olds to vote in the Democratic primary on March 15, according to a CNN report. Sanders's campaign manager told reporters in Michigan on Tuesday that Republican Jon Husted, who is Ohio's secretary of State, has changed the rules to make it so that those who are currently 17, but will be 18 by the time of the November general election, cannot vote in the state's primaries." I know that Sanders' interest in this is largely because younger voters support him, but who cares. I totally support his pushback on this encroachment of voting rights.

This is just incredible: "All the lies Donald Trump told in his election night infomercial."

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] In case you were waiting to find out who Carly Fiorina would endorse before making your final decision, your wait is over! She has endorsed Ted Cruz.

RIP Sir George Martin, the "Fifth Beatle." My condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and fans.

"In Case You Missed It: Stunning Photos of Rare Solar Eclipse." Neat!

And finally! This is a story about 7-year-old Luke Nuttall and his certified diabetic alert dog Jedi, who helps Luke navigate his healthcare and saves his life. Blub.