In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

I live-tweeted Hillary Clinton's speech to Planned Parenthood today, and I've Storified those tweets, if you would like to read them.

[Content Note: Climate change] Damn: "The Paris floods, that saw extreme rainfall swell the river Seine to its highest level in decades, were made almost twice as likely because of the manmade emissions driving global warming, scientists have found. A three-day period of heavy rain at the end of May saw tens of thousands of people evacuated across France, and the capital's normally busy river closed to traffic because the water levels were so high under bridges. As artworks in the Louvre were moved to safety and Paris's cobbled walkways were submerged, the French president, François Hollande, blamed the floods on climate change. Now a preliminary analysis by a group of scientists, including the Dutch weather agency and the University of Oxford, has concluded the risk of the flooding event in Paris was almost doubled—multiplied by a factor of 1.8—by humanity's influence on the climate."

[CN: Rape culture] A couple of updates on the Stanford rape case: 1. "USA Swimming, the governing body for the sport in the United States, told USA Today that Turner was not a member of the organization at the time of the assault, hasn't been since, and would not be eligible for membership in the future." 2. "More than a million people have signed a petition calling for the judge in the controversial Stanford University sexual assault case to be sacked. Judge Aaron Persky has been heavily criticised for giving student Brock Turner six months for assaulting an unconscious woman last year. Two other petitions have reached 115,000 and 175,000 signatures each. The petitions have no legal force but organisers hope they will increase pressure on politicians to act." 3. "Judge Aaron Persky, who is under fire for his lenient sentencing of Brock Turner, a former Stanford swimmer convicted of sexual assault, made several controversial rulings in a 2011 civil trial stemming from the alleged gang rape by members of the baseball team at De Anza Community College in Cupertino, California. ...[He] allowed defendants accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old high school student to show the jury photographs of her wearing a revealing outfit when he presided over another controversial case involving college athletes."

[CN: Worker exploitation; video may autoplay at link] "Donald Trump casts himself as a protector of workers and jobs, but a USA TODAY NETWORK investigation found hundreds of people—carpenters, dishwashers, painters, even his own lawyers—who say he didn't pay them for their work." I'm not surprised, but I am angry.

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that Donald Trump needs to pick an experienced running mate because 'he doesn't know a lot about the issues' and strongly urged him to change course on his rhetoric." Maybe don't support him then?!

Republican Senator from Maine Susan Collins says she hasn't ruled out supporting Hillary Clinton, because Trump is such a dirtbag. Whoa.

Democratic Senator from Oregon Jeff Merkley, who was the lone member of the Senate to endorse Bernie Sanders, says he now supports Clinton.

Smart: The Clinton campaign "has hired Bernie Sanders' director of student organizing to serve as her national campus and student organizing director, a Clinton official confirmed to POLITICO. Kunoor Ojha is the Clinton campaign's first major hire from the Sanders campaign, and her move to a role where she will work with the state teams to mobilize young voters represents a significant step in the former secretary of state’s outreach to the Vermont senator's most ardent backers."

Do you want to read Melissa Harris-Perry interview Serena Williams?! Well, if you do, here you go! (P.S. It's great!)

And finally! "Bulldog Has Interesting Bridge Crossing Skills!" LOL! Indeed.