Family say Dolezal not black
Dolezal’s parents, who say they are estranged from their daughter, accuse her of lying about her racial idenity. They say she began to “disguise herself” in 2006 or 2007, after the family had adopted four African-American children and Dolezal had shown an interest in portrait art. Mother:
It’s very sad that Rachel has not just been herself. Her effectiveness in the causes of the African-American community would have been so much more viable, and she would have been more effective if she had just been honest with everybody.
When asked about her racial identity by a local reporter, Dolezal responds:
That question is not as easy as it seems. There’s a lot of complexities … and I don’t know that everyone would understand that. We’re all from the African continent.
Tells friends he is going to kill
Roof tells his friends at a trailer park close to where he lives that he is “looking to kill a bunch of people on Wednesday” at the College of Charleston. However, they do not take him seriously due to his deadpan sense of humor. Friend:
He flat out told us he was going to do this stuff. He’s weird. You don’t know when to take him seriously and when not to.
No cellphone use before crash
Investigators say Bostian was not using his cellphone in the moments before the train derailed in Philadelphia last month. He also did not access the train’s wi-fi. NTSB:
[Analysis of phone records] does not indicate that any calls, texts or data usage occurred during the time the engineer was operating the train.
Deletes subreddits
Pao enrages the users of Reddit by deleting /r/fatpeoplehate, a major subreddit with over one hundred and fifty thousand users, as well as four smaller subreddits. Pao says the act is to stop harassment:
We want as little involvement as possible in managing these interactions but will be involved when needed to protect privacy and free expression, and to prevent harassment…It is not easy to balance these values, especially as the Internet evolves. We are learning and hopefully improving as we move forward. We want to be open about our involvement: We will ban subreddits that allow their communities to use the subreddit as a platform to harass individuals when moderators don’t take action. We’re banning behavior, not ideas.
Users accuse Pao for censorship, even those that don’t like the subreddit.
McGregor gives emotional interview about young fan who died of cancer
In the buildup to the UFC 189 fight against Mendes, McGregor tells the story of Brendan Malone, a young fan, who died of cancer.
I got a phone call from a person at the UFC, saying the Make a Wish Foundation has reached out to them, and this kid has cancer or leukemia. And this is going to be his last wish, and his last wish is going to be to talk on the phone to you, and I didn’t know what the…so I rang the kid and we talked for a long, long time. I talked with his friends in the hospital and his family. And today, or last night, he passed away. It f-cked my head up because this little kid is in Ireland, and I’m telling the kid ‘I’m gonna take this belt, and I’ll bring the belt to you’, and I was saying we’re going to raise the belt up together.
IDF retaliates
Israeli Defense Forces jets strike targets in a retaliatory attack for rockets fired into southern Israel from Palestine with at least one exploding. There are no reports of casualties thus far. Israel confirms the airstrike. Spokesperson:
The Israeli Air Force retaliated on Sunday for rockets fired at Israel from Gaza on Saturday night by striking terror sites in the northern Gaza Strip.
Delivers eulogy
President Obama delivers the eulogy at Biden’s funeral, speaking for 25 minutes at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church to about 1,000 mourners, including former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary.
He did in 46 years what most of us could not do in 146. He left nothing in the tank…He lived a life where the means were as important as the ends. He made you want to be a better daughter or son or a better brother or sister. And better at your job, a better soldier. He made you want to be a better person…Isn’t that finally the measure of a man, the way he lives, how he treats others no matter what life may throw at him? We do not know how long we’ve got here. We don’t know when fate will intervene. We cannot discern God’s plan.
About 200 people inside the parish gymnasium watch Obama and others speak on two monitors, while several hundred people listened to the service from loudspeakers outside on the church property. Joe Biden did not speak during the two-hour ceremony.
Plays at funeral
Martin plays the group’s 2005 song Til Kingdom Come at Biden’s funeral. Martin volunteered to perform at the service after hearing that Biden was a fan.
For you, I’d wait ’til kingdom come. Until my days, my days are done.
Claims sabotage
After the resignation of four staffers and articles claiming his campaign is in “turmoil,” Carson issues a statement claiming someone is purposely undermining his campaign.
I thought it was ridiculous, obviously someone is making an attempt to sabotage. I don’t know who this is, but there’s no truth to it whatsoever. I talked to my campaign and they said things are going as well as possible.
Four senior staffers leave
Carson loses four senior staff members leaving his campaign disorganized and andcreating problems at all levels. A campaign aide says Carson’s campaign chairman, national finance chairman, deputy campaign manager and general counsel have resigned since Carson formally launched his bid. They have not been replaced. Carson’s lawyer:
Every campaign goes through growing pains as it puts together a leadership team that has to work together and live together through the trying times of a presidential election.
Victim named
Reinboldt’s sister says she first learned of her late brother’s sexual abuse in 1979 when her brother revealed to her that he was gay and had been out of high school for eight years. The abuse lasted throughout Steve’s four years of high school as he served as team student manager.
I asked him, when was your first same sex experience. He looked at me and said, ‘It was with Dennis Hastert’. I was stunned.
She asked him why he never told anyone.
And he just turned around and kind of looked at me and said, ‘Who is ever going to believe me?’
She said she was angered when Hastert showed up at her brother’s funeral in 1995 (he had died of AIDS):
I followed him out into the parking lot of the funeral home. I said, ‘I want to know why you did what you did to my brother.’ And he just stood there and stared at me. He didn’t say, ‘What are you talking about?’ you know, [or], ‘What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He just stood there and stared at me. Then I just continued to say, ‘I want you to know your secret didn’t die in there with my brother. And I want you to remember that I’m out here and that I know.’ And again, he just stood there and he did not say a word.
She says she tried to contact the media and the authorities with no response, and had given up hope. Then, a few weeks ago, she received a call from the FBI:
I feel vindicated and that Steve’s vindicated, that Mr. Hastert can’t pull this wool over everybody’s eyes. Finally the truth comes out.
Artnet Interview
Sulkowicz talks about her sex tape project to the art site.
Question: One of the things that really struck me about the text accompanying the video is when you write “You might be wondering why I’ve made myself this vulnerable…I want to change the world.” Is it that thinking that made you want to become an artist?
I don’t know that it’s why I want to be an artist, but it’s why I’m forced to be an artist. It’s more that being an artist is the only way I know how.
Question: Do you think that making yourself vulnerable is what it takes to change the world these days?
Yes
Question: Are you concerned at all about being stigmatized or pigeon-holed byMattress Performance?
Yeah, I mean, when people call me “Mattress Girl” I find that really infuriating. It’s like, okay great, so you think that I’ll never progress beyond that point. That I’ll be a “Mattress Girl” rather than a living, breathing person who has the ability to change.
Calls Dunham ‘pedophile’
Palin criticizes what she sees as the double standard in media treatment of the Duggar case, compared to that of Dunham.
HEY LENA, WHY NOT LAUGH OFF EVERYONE’S SEXUAL ‘EXPERIMENTS’ AS YOU HAUGHTILY ENJOY REWARDS FOR YOUR OWN PERVERSION? YOU PEDOPHILE, YOU. I’m not defending the Duggar boy’s obvious wrongdoing over a decade ago. The main victim in any story like this isn’t the perpetrator, it’s the innocent ones so harmfully affected. I’m not an apologist for any sexual predator, but I’m sickened that the media gives their chosen ones a pass for any behavior as long as they share their leftwing politics. Case in point, they suggest Lena Dunham’s sexual assault on her sibling is cute, and she’s rewarded for it with fame and fortune. Meanwhile, they crucify another, along with an entire family.
Defends Christian bakers
Stewart says he supports the right of Christian bakers to refuse to make cakes they find offensive. Talking about a case in Ireland where Christian bakers were fined £500 after refusing to bake a cake that a carried the slogan “Support Gay Marriage”, alongside an image of Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie.:
I found myself on the side of the bakers. It was not because it was a gay couple that they objected, it was not because they were celebrating some sort of marriage or an agreement between them. It was the actual words on the cake they objected to. Because they found the words offensive. I would support their rights to say ‘no, this is personally offensive to my beliefs, I will not do it’.
$7million bounty
The Justice Department declares Shekau wanted and places a $7m bounty on his head.
Abubakar Shekau is the leader of Jama’atu Ahl as-Sunnah il-Da’awati wal-Jihad, more commonly known as Boko Haram…There are reported communications, training, and weapons links between Boko Haram, al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al-Shabaab, and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which may strengthen Boko Haram’s capacity to conduct terrorist attacks.
Shekau was previously the group’s second-in-command. In July 2010, Shekau publicly claimed leadership of Boko Haram and threatened to attack Western interests in Nigeria. Later that month, Shekau issued a second statement expressing solidarity with al-Qaida and threatening the United States. Under Shekau’s leadership, Boko Haram’s operational capabilities have grown.
Tightens regulations after leak
BBC Administrators review and tighten regulations on staff tweeting stories about sensitive news after a rogue tweet causing news organizations to wrongly report Queen Elizabeth II is dead or in the hospital. Updated guidelines for “category one” public figures including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge state:
It is essential that those responsible for the coverage in the hour or so immediately after the announcement of death, especially of the Monarch and, assuming the death is a natural one, understand that this is NOT a “breaking story” in the normally accepted sense. If the death was sudden and/or unexpected, the circumstances of the death, as a news story, might well take precedence, at least in the initial coverage. However, it would be expected that the tone would become more reflective as the coverage unfolds.
Sex tape art project
Sulkowicz releases a website and video entitled, Ceci N’est Pas Un Viol (link). The eight-minute video, which is dated August 27, 2012 (the same day as her alleged rape) features Sulkowicz’s and an unidentified man, whose face is blurred, engaging in what appears to be consensual sex that turns violent. The man open-palm slaps Sulkowicz, chokes her, removes the condom, then continues to have rough sex with Sulkowicz, who whimpers and protests from pain.
Ceci N’est Pas Un Viol is not about one night in August, 2012. It’s about your decisions, starting now. It’s only a reenactment if you disregard my words. It’s about you, not him. Do not watch this video if your motives would upset me, my desires are unclear to you, or my nuances are indecipherable. You might be wondering why I’ve made myself this vulnerable. Look—I want to change the world, and that begins with you, seeing yourself. If you watch this video without my consent, then I hope you reflect on your reasons for objectifying me and participating in my rape, for, in that case, you were the one who couldn’t resist the urge to make Ceci N’est Pas Un Viol about what you wanted to make it about: rape. Please, don’t participate in my rape. Watch kindly.
Laid in honor
Beau Biden is laid in honor in the Delaware Senate Chamber, attended by politicians and local officials, as well as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power. Governor Markell:
[He] was a model for what a public servant should be as well as a model husband, father and son…He cared deeply about the people of Delaware. We, the people of Delaware, loved Beau, if possible, even more.
On Beau’s relationship with his father:
Your dad beamed with pride and love for you. Never has a son’s love been so genuine and so deep.
Details warrantless hacker targeting
Snowden releases National Security Agency documents showing that in 2012 the Justice Department authorized the NSA to search Internet cables on American soil without a warrant for evidence of computer hacking schemes originating abroad, as well as targeting hackers even when it could not establish any links to foreign powers. The secret memos from 2012 say the NSA could watch Internet traffic flowing to suspicious addresses or containing malware, as well as monitor addresses and cyber signatures.
Discloses 12th crash
At a shareholder’s meeting, Brin discloses that one of Google’s self-driving cars was rear-ended at a traffic signal during the past week. The cars have been involved in 12 accidents while covering more than 1.7 million miles over the past six years.
I’m very proud of the record of our cars. Our goal is to beat human drivers.
In response to a request by Consumer Watchdog’s Simpson that the company release the self-driving cars’ accident reports filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and other government agencies to give the public a better understanding of the risks posed by the vehicles, Brin says the documents wouldn’t disclose anything different from a summary that the company posted online three weeks ago. Google says its self-driving cars have been rear-ended eight times (including the most-recent accident), side-swiped twice and hit by another vehicle rolling through a stop sign. Simpson says the records would shed more light by at least revealing the dates, times and precise locations of each accident. Brin:
I suppose we could give more detail and we are open to that, but you are not going to learn anymore.
