In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: War; drones] "The United States has carried out airstrikes on positions of so-called Islamic State in Libya, following a request by the UN-backed government there, the Pentagon says. The strikes targeted positions in the port city of Sirte, an IS stronghold. Libyan PM Fayez al-Sarraj, in a televised address, said the strikes caused 'heavy losses.' ...The airstrikes are the first such US military intervention co-ordinated with the Libyan unity government."

[CN: Misogyny; violent imagery] I was just filthy angry about this headline in the New York Times today: "Hillary Clinton Hunts an Elusive Prey: White Male Voters." And so I wrote about it and tweeted about it and guess what? That ugly headline is no more. Now it reads: "Hillary Clinton Targets a Skeptical Crowd: White Male Voters." I'm going to guess a deserved apology to Hillary Clinton will not, however, be forthcoming.

[CN: Islamophobia; abuse] After Khizr and Ghazala Khan appeared at the Democratic convention, powerfully calling out Donald Trump's Islamophobia, Trump naturally went on the attack after them, because he is an abusive nightmare. And apparently there is nothing he does so egregious that Republicans won't withdraw their support for him. Many Republicans are hoping it will "blow over," despite the fact that the part of Trump so broken that he thinks and says such things will not "blow over." Senator Roy Blunt's hot advice is that Trump should just keep a lid on it. And Senator John McCain, whose service has been explicitly attacked by Trump, harshly criticized him, but still hasn't withdrawn his endorsement. The Republicans own this guy, and they will keep owning him. Period.

Relatedly, Sally Bradshaw, a senior adviser to Jeb Bush and one of the co-authors of the Republican Party's infamous "2013 autopsy report" examining why Mitt Romney lost, is leaving the Republican Party: "This is a time when country has to take priority over political parties. Donald Trump cannot be elected president. ...As much as I don't want another four years of Obama's policies, I can't look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump. I can't tell them to love their neighbor and treat others the way they wanted to be treated, and then vote for Donald Trump. I won't do it." Welp!

[CN: Misogyny; sexual harassment; coercion; rape culture; sexual assault] Eric Boehlert on "Roger Ailes and the Rampant Misogyny That Fuels Fox News." Difficult but important reading. "And no, it's not plausible that Fox News executives didn't know about this kind of rampant, illegal, workplace behavior. Fox News general counsel Dianne Brandi and Ailes' deputy Bill Shine have been accused of trying to cover up their former boss' behavior. But surprise! That demeaning view of women has also been a cornerstone of Fox News' programming for many, many years. The sexist themes relentlessly promulgated by Fox didn't spring from a vacuum. They sprang from inside Roger Ailes' corner office."

[CN: Self-harm; carcerality; transphobia] Rage seethe boil: "After Suicide Attempt, Chelsea Manning Faces Indefinite Solitary Confinement: 'Now, while Chelsea is suffering the darkest depression she has experienced since her arrest, the government is taking actions to punish her for that pain. It is unconscionable and we hope that the investigation is immediately ended and that she is given the health care that she needs to recover,' said Chase Strangio, an ACLU staff attorney." I don't have anything to add to that. This is just the most unfathomably cruel way to respond to any attempt at self-harm. JFC.

[CN: Disenfranchisement] "Voting rights rulings could deal blow to Republicans in 2016 elections." Well, that's one way of putting it! Another ways is: "Voting rights rulings will curb disenfranchisement that has been dealing a blow to voters' rights."

Good: "Hillary Clinton will address the largest gathering of black and Latino journalists since 2008, multiple sources confirm to BuzzFeed News. This year, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists are holding a joint convention in Washington, D.C., and Clinton will make remarks Friday, sources said." In shocking news, Donald Trump's campaign has not responded to the invitation.

Fascinating: "New findings using data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show that gullies on modern Mars are likely not being formed by flowing liquid water. This new evidence will allow researchers to further narrow theories about how Martian gullies form, and reveal more details about Mars' recent geologic processes."

And finally! "Baby Kangaroo Snuggles Baby Emus and It's Too Cute." AS ADVERTISED!