Brexit

“The Scottish parliament has voted against Theresa May’s Brexit legislation by a large margin, putting the UK on the brink of a major constitutional dispute. Holyrood rejected the UK government’s EU withdrawal bill by 93 votes to 30 on Tuesday after Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Scottish Greens backed Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to oppose proposals on post-Brexit power sharing set out in clause 11 of the bill.” Scottish parliament decisively rejects EU withdrawal bill (by Severin Carrell for The Guardian)

Racism

“The sixth-grader told police after he got off the bus, a group of teenagers approached him and forced him into a four-door vehicle that had flames on the side, KTRK reported. An adult male was driving the vehicle and took Parker to a vacant house or building, where the boy allegedly was assaulted. Lee said she received threatening messages from her son’s phone and that her son said one suspect had a tattoo on his forearm that said, “I hate black people.”” Shoeless 13-year-old fled alleged kidnappers: Police (by Justin Doom for ABC News)

Maxine Waters is the hero we need right now: “I will not yield one second to you.”

“The incident unfolded after T.I. arrived at the entrance to the gated community to find the guard asleep in the guardhouse, Sadow said. After waking the guard up, T.I. “clearly identified himself and sought entry,” but the guard refused, even after the rapper got his wife Tiny on the phone to confirm, the attorney added. “Words were exchanged and apparently the guard and/or a supervisor called the police. When the police arrived, they were not interested in hearing T.I.’s side of the story and wrongfully chose to end the situation by arresting T.I.,” Sadow said.” Rapper T.I. Was Arrested While Trying To Get Into His Own Home (by Nidhi Prakash for BuzzFeed News)

“Lee sought advice from his mother, Twyla Lee, who told him to talk to the manager of the store. But the store’s manager reportedly never made an effort to speak with him or the others. Then, an elderly woman who had no prior involvement in the situation, called one of the young patrons a “punk.” The woman reportedly asked, “Are your parents proud of you for what you do?” Local news outlet CBS St. Louis affiliate KMOV-TV reports the woman and the group of young patrons got into a heated altercation, prompting the manager to finally step in. “When she called us a ‘punk,’ and she didn’t have anything to do with the situation, everyone in the store is against us looking at us crazy, (and) we didn’t do anything,” Lee said. “I was totally embarrassed, and we’re the only ones defending ourselves against everyone in the store.”” Nordstrom Rack Apologizes After Police Are Called On 3 Young Black Men Falsely Accused Of Stealing (by Ricky Riley for Blavity)

Fatphobia

“Clearly, we are far from ending this epidemic. But finally, for once, institutions are beginning to name the behavior of the men who make unwanted remarks and unwelcome ultimatums, who expose themselves, who demand our bodies. For once, we’re learning to believe women. The women coming forward are undeniably courageous: young and old, rich and poor, famous and unknown. And overwhelmingly, they’re thin. But 67% of American women are plus size. So where are the fat women?” Why Don’t We Hear Fat Women’s #MeToo Stories? (by Your Fat Friend for The Establishment)

Xenophobia

“Hadeel Louz, 25, is a Palestinian human rights activist in Gaza who has been attending the protests in recent weeks and on Monday. “We didn’t have anything with us but water, to drink,” she said. Along with her family, Louz was among tents roughly 500 meters (0.3 miles) away from the border fence when she saw people around her being shot. With her voice shaking, Louz said her 16-year-old neighbor, Nouh al Najr, was among those shot. “I just heard he will have to have his leg cut off,” she said, adding that Yaser Murtaja, a Palestinian journalist killed in April, was a close friend of hers. “He was only holding just his camera — so what was his fault?” she asked.” Israel kills at least 55 Palestinians for protesting in Gaza as new U.S. embassy opens (by D. Parvaz for Think Progress)

Ridiculously Inappropriate Law Enforcement Activities

“According to Bockholt, “The training and evaluation device[s]”—the books—”included an embedded recorder [and] allowed military training staff the ability to evaluate the students[‘] training.” Bockholt did not provide additional information about the other training exercises it conducted in Seattle in April. Library spokeswoman Andra Addison says the library was not informed in advance about the exercise.” Bomb Scare that Nearly Shut Down Central Library Was “Realistic” Army Exercise (C is for Crank)

Something Good

“If you don’t believe me, just stop and think and imagine, think and imagine, well, think and imagine a world where love is the way. Imagine our homes and families when love is the way. Imagine neighborhoods and communities where love is the way. Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce when love is the way. Imagine this tired old world when love is the way.” Read the Full Transcript of Bishop Michael Curry’s Wedding Sermon (via Town and Country)

Trump Embarrassing the Nation and Harming People

““But yeah, it ticks me off for this reason— I’m at a point where it’s like, you know what, if he doesn’t want to reach out to me, nobody has the obligation to offer condolence. To me, in his position, it would have been the right thing to do, but no one’s obligated. “However,” Guttenberg said, “don’t use my daughter’s life for a political moment, and that’s what he did, and that pisses me off.”” These Families Of Parkland Shooting Victims Are Still Waiting To Hear From Trump (by Remy Smidt and Brianna Sacks for BuzzFeed News)

“The manual also now includes language stating that when considering recommendations to transfer transgender inmates to facilities in line with their identified gender, officials will consider whether such placement would “threaten the management and security of the institution and/or pose a risk to other inmates.” The changes, which were first reported by BuzzFeed News, also include the addition of the word “necessary” to guidelines about when institutions will facilitate medical treatment.” Trump administration rolls back rules protecting transgender inmates in federal prisons (by Avery Anapol for The Hill)

The Ridiculousness of Brexit

“Like thousands of British retirees living in European Union countries, Barlow, 72, could lose access to his private pension unless U.K. and European negotiators reach a deal that allows the payments to continue after Brexit. With less than a year before the official exit date, the two sides haven’t even started discussing the issue of cross-border financial services, leaving pensioners like Barlow unsure about the future.” U.K.’s Retired Sun Seekers Risk Losing Pensions After Brexit (by Julie Edde for Bloomberg)

Ridiculous Immigration Decisions

“In 2016, Mohite applied for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), paying £2,500 for the premium, one-day service. At her interview, the Home Office pointed to a tax amendment she had made in 2013, after she discovered that her accountant had failed to declare both her pre-declared employment income – on which the taxes had already been paid – and her £15,300 income for self-employment of 2010 to 2011 on her self-assessment tax returns. “It was a very clear error – why would I choose not to declare an income on which I had already paid the tax? – and was picked up straight away by a new accountant I hired in 2013,” said Mohite. “I paid the sum right away.” Despite HMRC having accepted her £4,089.80 amendment without fines or sanctions, the Home Office used the same amendment to not only reject Mohite but serve her with a section 322(5).” Pharmaceutical specialist loses job and home due to tax error (by Amelia Hill for The Guardian)

Racism and Xenophobia

“Anne-Marie Waters of the For Britain Party (who had a very visible presence at the rally) shocked me with her claims of a New World Order, bringing out the old anti-semitic canard that big business and the Far Left are in cahoots to usher in a new authoritarian age. Personally, she seemed unhinged. Terrifyingly, she got a huge response.” A Day for Fear (by Mike Stuchbery)

“One or more people had broken in and spray-painted “Allah Scum,” a racial epithet and other slurs on various surfaces, including the master bedroom door upstairs, the wall of the master bathroom, the refrigerator and a counter top. Police suspect charcoal lighter fluid had been used to set fire to a staircase, according to a report.” ‘Allah Scum’: KC Muslim family leaves new home after hateful slurs, arson ruin it (by Max Londberg or The Kansas City Star)

Racism and White Fragility

“Braasch called the police when she saw Lolade Siyonbola sleeping, which resulted in Siyonbola being interrogated by police for nearly 20 minutes as they attempted to verify her student status. Despite demonstrating that she had a key to her room, a working Yale email address, and a student ID, the police questioned Siyonbola until they got confirmation of her student status in the school’s database. Apparently, her name was spelled wrong in the system, delaying their ability to definitively verify her student status.” ‘I Love Hate Speech’: Sarah Braasch, the white woman who called police on Black Yale grad student for napping in dorm, defends slavery and supports burqa ban in writings (from The Grio)

““‘Harassing’ is definitely the word I would use. He was verbally harassing her,” said Brown’s co-worker, Kevin Simmons, who was busy making drinks at the time of the incident. Moneta paid for his order and promptly left the store. Ten minutes later, Brown says she received a phone call from Joe Van Gogh owner Robbie Roberts, who told her he had been notified about the incident. Brown says she apologized again and “took full responsibility.” Three days after the incident, Brown and Simmons were called into a meeting with Joe Van Gogh human resources representative Amanda Wiley and told that they were being fired.” University official allegedly didn’t like the music in a coffee shop, forced firing of barista (by Melanie Schmitz for Think Progress)

“”I want to make it crystal clear today that it is not acceptable to use these words in print or aloud about African-Americans, especially not by elected officials. As representatives of this great state of Arizona, we are held to a higher standard,” Bolding asserted. He was joined on the floor by fellow Democratic Rep. Geraldine Peten, who stood in agreement and chimed in with Bolding’s statements. To no one’s surprise, their comments were interrupted by a fellow legislator, who said Bolding and Peten were “out of order” and violating House Rule 19. The legislator claimed Syms was “impugned” because she was “accused of using a racial slur.”” The Only Two Black State Representatives In Arizona Called Out White House Member For Using N-Word And Were Reprimanded For It (by Maya J. Boddie for Blavity)

“And then there is a type of trauma inflicted on women of colour that many of us find among the hardest to disclose, the one that few seem willing to admit really happens because it is so thoroughly normalised most people refuse to see it. It is what that writers’ festival audience member was demonstrating, and what blogger and author Luvvie Ajayi called the “weary weaponising of white women’s tears”. To put it less poetically, it is the trauma caused by the tactic many white women employ to muster sympathy and avoid accountability, by turning the tables and accusing their accuser.” How white women use strategic tears to silence women of colour (by Ruby Hamad for The Guardian)

“Video recorded by Michelle Snider on April 29 shows a white woman standing in the East Bay’s designated BBQ zone as she tells a group of black family and friends that they cannot hold a BBQ there using a charcoal grill. One of the men was accused of “trespassing” by the irate woman while on the phone with the police, Kenzie Smith told KRON-TV. The woman hurled several racial epithets at them and told them they’d soon be going to prison for their Sunday afternoon actions.” Video: White Woman Calls Police on Black Family’s BBQ for ‘Trespassing’ in Oakland Park (by Benjamin Fearnow for Newsweek)

“According to WFAA, the restaurant’s manager asked the couple to give up their table because a white “regular” wanted it. The Wimbreys refused. Wimbrey says that after that, the manager became angry and asked them to leave the establishment, before threatening to call the police on him and his wife. Wimbrey believes his race has something to do with the way he was treated that night. “I do believe it’s because of who I am and how I look that they asked me to move tables,” said Wimbrey.” The Manager Of A Texas Restaurant Told This Black Couple They Had To Leave ‘Because I Don’t Like You’ (by
Tonja Renée Stidhum for Blavity)

Equality

“First, I’ve just gotta tell you: If you’re making that argument to anyone who’s actually played any high-level basketball, you’re going to seem really ignorant. But I also have a simple response to it — which is that I’ve been in the NBA for 17 years. I’ve won two championships … I’ve played with some of the best players of this generation … and I’ve played under two of the sharpest minds in the history of sports, in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. And I’m telling you: Becky Hammon can coach. I’m not saying she can coach pretty well. I’m not saying she can coach enough to get by. I’m not saying she can coach almost at the level of the NBA’s male coaches. I’m saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period.” An Open Letter About Female Coaches (by Pau Gaso for The Players Tribune

Sex Work

“For many consensual sex workers, losing these free or low-cost advertising platforms means losing the ability to work indoors and the ability to screen clients ― two major factors that contribute to a sex worker’s overall safety. (People being forced or coerced into prostitution also benefit from client screening and not having to work on the streets, the bill’s opponents point out.) Sex workers also rely on the safety tool of communal “bad date lists” ― websites where sex workers share information on bad or dangerous clients. Sex workers say these too are being shut down in the wake of FOSTA’s passage.” ‘This Bill Is Killing Us’: 9 Sex Workers On Their Lives In The Wake Of FOSTA (by Emily McCombs for Huff Post)

Horrific US Government Action

“Over the next two years, the Trump administration will strip TPS from immigrants from six different countries — all but strangling the program. It’s doing so because it claims that Honduras has recovered enough from a 1998 hurricane to be safe to return to. The fact that, right now, Honduras is a place people are trying to flee due to systemic gang violence and civil unrest isn’t an argument in TPS holders’ favor, to this administration. If anything, it’s another strike against them.” Trump tells 57,000 Hondurans who’ve lived in the US for 20 years to get out (by Dara Lind for Vox)

Voting Rights

“An estimated 4,000 people were turned away from casting their vote in the five areas trialling controversial voter ID checks. Analysis of figures released by electoral observers suggests 3,981 people were denied a ballot paper in the local elections due to not being able to provide relevant identification documents. Local elections: 4,000 people turned away from casting their ballot in voter ID pilot (by May Bulman for The Independent)

Racism

“I honestly don’t know what could motivate a parent to exact such abuse on children. And I can’t tell whether these women were trying to, consciously or not, fulfill some deranged modern-day plantation narrative or live out a Blind Side fantasy, but regardless, their position as the racial superior, be it as the slave master or the white savior, was all but assured. They were raising young Black children to be beholden to them, to worship them, to submit to them.” Why Jennifer and Sarah Hart Killed Their Adopted Children (by Stacey Patton for Dame)

“Melanie Tomlinson, prosecuting, told the court Mrs Hamood, 30, was buying a meal for her family in the Kensington branch of the restaurant at around 8.20pm on March 27, when she encountered Cooke. She said: “As Mrs Hamood waited at the counter to order her food she became aware of the defendant laughing. “The defendant asked the complainant what a Frappucino was. The complainant pointed at a photo to show her, and the defendant continued to laugh and mock the way the complainant spoke.” Muslim mum knocked out in front of young children in vile racist attack at McDonald’s (by Jonathan Humphries for the Liverpool Echo)

“Barracoon is testament to her patient fieldwork. The book is based on three months of periodic interviews with a man named Cudjo Lewis — or Kossula, his original name — the last survivor of the last slave ship to land on American shores. Plying him with peaches and Virginia hams, watermelon and Bee Brand insect powder, Hurston drew out his story. Kossula had been captured at age 19 in an area now known as the country Benin by warriors from the neighboring Dahomian tribe, then marched to a stockade, or barracoon, on the West African coast. There, he and some 120 others were purchased and herded onto the Clotilda, captained by William Foster and commissioned by three Alabama brothers to make the 1860 voyage.” The Last Slave (Excerpted on Vulture)

“The family of 25-year-old Brittany Oswell is now suing the American Airlines, after reports indicate she went into cardiac arrest on a flight from Hawaii to Texas and died. When a doctor who was onboard rushed to help her, the Daily Mail reports, they urged the pilot to divert the plane because of Oswell’s critical condition. However, the pilots kept flying to Texas despite their urgent pleas.” Airplane Outrage: Husband sues after wife dies because pilot didn’t land during medical emergency (by Kia Morgan-Smith for The Grio)

“Now, Siwatu-Salama Ra is serving a two-year prison sentence at Huron Valley Correctional Facility for felonious assault and felony firearm convictions. She’s seven months pregnant, and according to her attorneys, she’s receiving insufficient medical care — including being shackled to her bed during a vaginal exam — even though her pregnancy is high-risk. The case is under appeal, but the judge deciding Ra’s fate, Thomas Hathaway, has already denied a request to postpone Ra’s sentence until she gives birth.” A pregnant black woman is in prison for defending herself. Mainstream gun groups are silent. (by Jane Coaston for Vox)

“The positioning of the officers and where they shot Clark became an important point in the furor over his death. Omalu has previously said that the officers shot Clark in the back six times, which many took to indicate that he was fleeing rather than confronting the officers, as they claimed. Omalu said that during his examination, which took place after the county’s initial autopsy, he found to his “utter dismay” that none of Clark’s gunshot wounds had been removed for examination. He subsequently did so and submitted them for analysis.” A Forensic Expert Has Released A Photo That He Says Proves Stephon Clark’s Official Autopsy Is “Inaccurate” (by Hazel Shearing for BuzzFeed)

“Vasillios Pistolis had come to the now infamous Unite the Right rally eager for such violence. He belonged to a white supremacist group known as Atomwaffen Division, a secretive neo-Nazi organization whose members say they are preparing for a coming race war in the U.S. In online chats leading up to the rally, Pistolis had been encouraged to be vicious with any counterprotestors, maybe even sodomize someone with a knife. He’d responded by saying he was prepared to kill someone “if shit goes down.”” Ranks of Notorious Hate Group Include Active-Duty Military (by A.C. Thompson, Ali Winston, and Jake Hanrahan for Pro-Publica)

“Four days later on April 18 Moore County police found their dismembered bodies in a pond. The same day police arrested 22-year-old Kevin Garcia-Boettler, 43-year-old Johnny Shane Barker and the 16-year-old brother of Garcia-Boettler, who police say is the suspected shooter. Their mother, Crystal Rachelle Boettler, 40, has also been charged with accessory after the fact.” 3 white men arrested in connection with the murder and dismemberment of 2 young black men (by Deniz Kofteci and Micheal Cadenhead for WJLA)

“The principals in the district and some parents have come out in support of the plan. Many have seen the value of leading the way to diversify schools in the city. If the plan comes to fruition, the Upper West Side district would become the first in the city to enact such a policy. “There are kids that are tremendously disadvantaged,” Henry Zymeck, the principal of The Computer School, said. “And to compare these students and say, ‘My already advantaged kid needs more advantage; they need to be kept away from those kids,’ is tremendously offensive to me.”” Wealthy White New York City Parents Are Fighting To Keep Their Local Public Schools Segregated (by Rickey Riley for Blavity)

Sexual Assault

“The investigation into Cosby was reopened in July 2015 after a federal judge, acting on a request from The Associated Press, unsealed portions of Cosby’s deposition testimony from a civil lawsuit he settled with Constand in 2006 for $3.4 million. In the testimony, which was read to jurors at both trials, he described giving quaaludes to women before sex in the 1970s and his encounters with Constand, a Temple University women’s basketball administrator.” Cosby juror: Comedian’s talk of quaaludes led to conviction (by Michael R. Sisak for the AP)

“But suddenly, I had to reevaluate my anger towards Clemmons and examine why I wanted—for even a brief second—to justify Díaz’s actions. I told my mom about wanting to write about my reaction; she metaphorically clutched her pearls and said “No. Don’t do that! If you do, you better say he was very respectful towards you. Don’t add flames to the fire.” That’s when it clicked: The root of the issue is in the way women are wired to think. It is a systematic modus operandi that has been passed down to us from generation to generation.” The Reckoning: What Junot Díaz Teaches Us About Internalized Misogyny (by Karina Maria Cabreja for The Glow Up)

“Now a third woman has come forward with similar accusations against Brokaw. Mary Reinholz, a veteran reporter, claims that Brokaw, who was married at the time, attempted to kiss her 50 years ago after assisting her with a story. “We talked and then, abruptly, he was embracing me and giving me a French kiss,” Reinholz wrote in The Villager. “I pulled away, reminding him that he was married and a tryst was out of the question,” she wrote. “He said, ‘Yes, it would be unfair to Meredith,’ meaning his wife.”” Third woman accuses Tom Brokaw of sexual misconduct (by Rebekah Entralgo for Think Progress)

Sexism

“To challenge herself, she also tried to win a place on the Calgary Foothills FC men’s soccer team this spring. She earned that spot — but the league refused to let her play due to her gender. “What year is it and why are we still talking about these issues?” Labbé said in an interview with the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday. “That’s the most frustrating thing for me, is just the lack of openmindedness.”” Men’s soccer league refuses top Canadian goaltender because she’s a woman (by Rachel Ward for CBC)

“A number of cheerleaders told the Times that they had been required to pose topless or only wearing body paint for a calendar shoot on a 2013 trip to Costa Rica, and that a group of all male sponsors and FedExField suite holders were there to watch the photo shoot. After a 14-hour day of unpaid work shooting for the calendar and practices, some of the women were told they had been “chosen” by men to be their escorts to a nightclub that night. When they were told to get ready, some reportedly broke down and cried.” NFL cheerleaders reportedly had to pose topless, escort men out to a nightclub (by Addy Baird for Think Progress)

“The attacker had been radicalized online, spending time in forums that served as an echo chamber for his increasingly violent thoughts. Before embarking on his rampage, he left a message publicly expressing allegiance to one of those groups, admiration for its spiritual leader, and hate for those who did not adhere to his ideology. Within hours of the mass murder making headlines, members of that same group were publicly rejoicing that innocent lives were lost and bemoaning that more people hadn’t died.” Get Serious About Online Misogyny Before More Women Are Killed (by Toula Drimonis for Huff Post)

“One described an issue raised by others at some Noble campuses, regarding girls not having time to use the bathroom when they get their menstrual periods. “We have (bathroom) escorts, and they rarely come so we end up walking out (of class) and that gets us in trouble,” she texted. “But who wants to walk around knowing there’s blood on them? It can still stain the seats. They just need to be more understanding.”” Feedback: Noble Charter Schools Story Hit A Nerve (by Dusty Rhodes for NPR)

“Despite a great deal of evidence that connects the dots between these mass killers and radical misogynist groups, we still largely refer to the attackers as “lone wolves” — a mistake that ignores the preventable way these men’s fear and anger are deliberately cultivated and fed online. Here’s the term we should all use instead: misogynist terrorism. Until we grapple with the disdain for women that drives these mass murderers, and the way that the killers are increasingly radicalized on the internet, there will be no stopping future tragedies.” When Misogynists Become Terrorists (by Jessica Valenti for The New York Times)

Corporate Malfeasance

“The appeals court upheld a federal district judge’s ruling that the discs Eric Lundgren made to restore Microsoft operating systems had a value of $25 apiece, even though the software they contained could be downloaded free and the discs could only be used on computers that already had a valid Microsoft license. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals initially granted Lundgren an emergency stay of his prison sentence, shortly before he was to surrender, but then affirmed his original 15-month sentence and $50,000 fine without hearing oral argument in a ruling issued April 11.” Electronics-recycling innovator is going to prison for trying to extend computers’ lives (from the Washington Post)

“Mouctar Diallo’s nighttime job had been as an informal helper on garbage trucks owned by Sanitation Salvage, and the truck he’d been working on that night had killed him. Then, she learned, the truck’s driver and main helper — men who’d known him for more than a year and paid him off-the-books for his help hauling trash to the curb — had claimed not to know him. The rest of the city now knew her son only as a homeless person. “He is my son, and I want the truth for him,” Hadiatou Barry said in a recent interview. “In order for it to not happen to somebody else.”” Treated Like Trash (by Kiera Feldman for ProPublica)

Radio hour from Seattle exploring Amazon’s impact on the city. May Day protests were a walk in the park compared to this week’s news

Self-Care

“The results weren’t exactly uplifting: Nearly half of respondents said they sometimes or always felt alone, more than 40 percent said they sometimes or often feel that their relationships aren’t meaningful, and only slightly more than half said they have a meaningful in-person social interaction each day. A score of 43 or above was considered a marker of loneliness (the scale ranges from 20 to 80); the average was 44, with Generation Z as the hardest-hit age group. But while public-health experts continue to grapple with how to tackle the problem of loneliness on a larger scale, there are smaller things you can do in your everyday life to combat it. Here, seven therapists offer their advice on concrete steps you can take when you’re feeling especially lonely.” 7 Therapists on What to Do When You Feel Lonely (by Cari Romm for The Cut)