In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Police brutality; death; racism] And again: "Another black man was shot and killed by police in Texas early Saturday morning. Houston Police said Alva Braziel was waving a gun around and pointed it at them when they opened fire. But surveillance footage from a nearby gas station suggests otherwise. The video, which began circulating Saturday night on Twitter, shows Braziel walk out toward an intersection. When the squad car arrives, he appears to put his hands in the air and turn around, standing still for a few seconds before police shoot him. Both officers involved reportedly had body cameras on them, but the footage has not yet been released. ...It's not yet clear whether or not Braziel had a gun or if he threatened police. Police protocol in most U.S. cities encourages officers to use lethal force if they feel someone is threatening them, but there are often many other tools and opportunities to de-escalate a situation. For example, in a majority-white neighborhood of Houston this weekend, an armed suspect fired seven rounds at police officers. Yet police managed to end the standoff with gas and other non-lethal means without killing the man."

[CN: Police brutality; racism] A must-read from Imani Gandy: "The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already announced it will be investigating the death of Sterling. No word yet on whether or not a similar investigation will be forthcoming in Castile's case. ...Both shootings certainly seem unjustified. Extrajudicial. Unlawful. But as bad as they may sound, they are unlikely to be enough to trigger a federal grand jury indictment. Because the truth of the matter is—as my colleague Jessica Mason Pieklo pointed out in the wake of the Mike Brown and Eric Garner killings—the grand jury system, which was originally designed to protect British colonists who had emigrated to the United States from abuses by the Crown, has become a tool that protects officers from accountability rather than protecting citizens from police brutality. And federal law, due to the way the statutes and system operate, doesn't provide a lot of help when it comes to individual police brutality cases, although it has proven to be quite useful in reforming entire police departments and forcing municipalities to take measures to stop over-policing of communities of color."

[CN: Conservatism; class warfare; misogyny] So, Britain is going to get its second female Prime Minister, when David Cameron steps down and Theresa May takes over. Good news for women's visibility aaaaaaaand that's about it. Because she's a Tory. And thus promotes garbage policies that harm vulnerable people, including and especially women with complex marginalized identities, e.g. women of color and disabled women. So she'll be shit for women, and simultaneously, the misogyny against her has already begun: She's not likeable, don'tcha know.

[CN: Misogyny; racism; economic injustice] Welp: "During their working years, women tend to earn less than men, and when they retire, they're more likely to live in poverty. These are women who raised children and cared for sick and elderly family members, often taking what savings and income they do have and spending it on things besides their own retirement security. The National Institute on Retirement Security, a nonprofit research center, reports that women are 80 percent more likely than men to be impoverished at age 65 and older. Women age 75 to 79 are three times more likely. ...For minorities and women of color, the number is much higher. 'If we are talking about a 65-year-old black woman, she was born before desegregation,' says Karen Lincoln, a professor at the University of Southern California and director of a center for geriatric social work. 'This has a huge impact on things like the quality of education they receive, the employment opportunities available to them, and their ability to accumulate wealth,' Lincoln says. Lincoln points to additional census data showing African-American women are paid 64 percent that of white men, compared with 54 percent for Hispanic and Latina women."

[CN: Disablism] This article about public transport not being safe for disabled people is so enraging and so terrifying. (And although it's about the DC Metro, it could be about virtually any city public transport system in the country.) And I totally get it: Because of my fucked-up back, there were many days during the decade I was commuting on the train in Chicago that I had to pull myself up to the street slowly, stair by stair, using my arms to yank myself up by the rail, and people would be rushing by me, practically knocking me over, shouting at me to move, and that was scary enough; I always thought, if there were an emergency, I'd just get fucking trampled. Understatement of the year, I know, but THIS ISN'T RIGHT. There is so much goddamn money in this country. There is enough to build safe and accessible public transport. For fuck's sake. We just, as per usual, lack the priorities to do it.

Bernie Sanders will appear with Hillary Clinton tomorrow. Huzzah. "On Saturday, Mrs. Clinton also inched closer to Mr. Sanders on the issue of health care, encouraging Congress to add a 'public option' to the Affordable Care Act and calling for additional support for community health clinics. 'I congratulate Secretary Clinton for this extremely important initiative,' Mr. Sanders said in a statement, referring to her expanded health care outline." I MEAN.

Donald Trump is reportedly close to choosing Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. LOLOLOLOLOL I didn't think I could possibly hate the Trump ticket any more, but THAT'LL DO IT.

Heh: "Pokémon Go Users Took Control of the Westboro Baptist Church and They're Not Pleased."

[CN: Racism; violence] In other Pokémon Go news: "Warning: Pokémon Go Is a Death Sentence if You Are a Black Man."

[CN: Misogynoir; sizism] "A few weeks back, Leslie Jones went public with the clothing issue she was having. It seems that despite starring in one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, Leslie Jones could not find any designer willing to dress her. ...Thankfully, one designer stepped up to make a custom dress for Leslie: designer Christian Siriano. And Leslie wore the custom gown at Saturday night's premiere of Ghostbusters in LA." And looks stunning, obvs.

[CN: Moving GIFs] And finally! I did a little Tom Hardy tweeting over the weekend, for anyone who needed some Tom Hardy. The thread starts here and you can scroll down from there. (You'll probably have to click "Show More" to see them all.) Enjoy!