TGIF! Nobody gets much done on Fridays anyway, so wake up slowly with these news headlines.
1. Combative Pinocchios
The GOP candidates for president held a debate last night in South Carolina, which will be the third state to cast its primary votes. It was basically Trump vs. Cruz, and some other guys were up there too. With the Iowa caucuses three weeks away, the gloves came off as the two front-runners duked it out over the Islamic State, tariffs on Chinese goods and basic matters of honesty and integrity. The New York Times ran a fact-check on some of the candidates’ statements: It seems like whether the sky is blue might be a tough one to answer truthfully. — The New York Times
More: 18 Kids’ toys that prove girls start paying the ‘pink tax’ early
2. Lily white awards ceremony
The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, and once again there were no minority nominees in any of the acting categories. Within hours the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite began trending (again) on Twitter, as many questioned why not a single actor of color was among the 20 nominees. — Entertainment Weekly
More: Birkin bags are actually a wise investment, says study
3. Chicago again
A Chicago judge has released a video of a police officer shooting an unarmed black teen in the back as he ran away. Activists who organized protests over early shootings, like the highly publicized death of Laquan McDonald, are mobilizing again. A former police investigator, Lorenzo Davis, who was fired after he concluded that Officer Kevin Fry’s shooting of 17-year-old Cedrick Chatman was unjustified, has called for changing how these kinds of shootings are investigated. — CNN
4. Horror in Madaya
Using starvation as a weapon is a war crime, says U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, referring to conditions in the Syrian city of Madaya. Workers for UNICEF, tending to civilians in a makeshift hospital, found 22 children under 5 suffering from malnutrition and six children between 6 and 18 suffering from severe malnutrition. A skeletal 16-year-old died in front of their eyes. Ban condemned both sides of the conflict for inflicting these conditions on innocent people. The civil war in Syria has been going on for nearly five years. — CNN
More: Should parents hide their politics from the kids?
5. At least pack some Off
The CDC is considering issuing a travel warning to pregnant women about the Zika virus. The virus, which is carried by mosquitos, is spreading across Latin America and the Caribbean. The virus may cause a birth defect called microcephaly, which often results in mental retardation. Dr. Lyle Petersen, speaking for the CDC, said they are in the process of creating a travel warning for everyone, not just pregnant women. Like mamas-to-be don’t have enough to worry about. — Today
6. Let’s stay together
The Anglican Communion, the organizing body of Anglican churches, has suspended the Episcopal Church over its position on same-sex marriages. The Episcopal Church permits clergy to perform same-sex ceremonies and recently decided to include the rite in its laws. Conservative Anglicans, especially those in Africa, are not on board. The Archbishop of Canterbury, hoping to stop a schism within the church, has summoned Anglican leaders to a meeting and has scheduled a press conference for Friday. — The Washington Post
7. Despicable
The father of a boy killed at the Sandy Hook massacre has been getting death threats. Larry Pozner, whose son Noah was killed with his first-grade classmates in 2013, wrote an op-ed last year in a Florida newspaper saying that he and his wife had been harassed by a Florida Atlantic University professor who claimed that Noah never existed. The professor was fired. Pozner has since received death threats from other Sandy Hook “truthers.” — The Daily Mail
More: Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist loses his job for his views
Leave a Comment