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America Is Giving Out Free Data to Chipotle Today

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America Is Giving Out Free Data to Chipotle Today

Chipotle is closed this afternoon because the company gave a bunch of people E. coli and now must make a grand public showing of how serious they are about not poisoning us. As part of this savvy public relations gambit, the company announced today that we’re all entitled to a free burrito. In return, Chipotle only wants one thing.

Your cell phone number!

America Is Giving Out Free Data to Chipotle Today

A cynic might argue that Chipotle closing its stores nationwide for simultaneous food safety meetings is simply a mechanism to trigger a widespread data collection scheme, but it’s probably just that they really care about their customers.



Spotted: Jeb Bush and Donald Trump In Major Twitter Catfight

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Spotted: Jeb Bush and Donald Trump In Major Twitter Catfight

Major #drama between sad man Jeb Bush and off-brand Dr. Seuss villain Donald Trump! The pair have been feuding relentlessly since the start of the 2016 election, and now Jeb says Trump is a loser, a liar, AND a whiner. And we’ll tell you what Barbara Bush has to say about all of this—nothing. She could not possibly care less.

http://gawker.com/jeb-finally-ow...

The Twitter beef started earlier this morning, when Trump activated Jeb’s increasingly lukewarm to warmish temper.

Jeb, surprisingly, got in some sick Trump burns of his own at last weekend’s debate. And now that Jeb has mommy dearest back on his side, he was ready to hit Trump with some fighting words of his own.

Me-ow! Trump fired back:

Jeb has yet to respond to “The Donald’s” biting remarks, but it’s only a matter of time. After all, don’t forget who he’s got next to him these days:

A boy’s best friend is his mother.


Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com.

Contracts Show Police Misconduct Records Are Kept Hidden by Design

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Contracts Show Police Misconduct Records Are Kept Hidden by Design

Why does it seem like so few cops are taken to task for various abuses of their power? Maybe because their contracts are written to ensure that they get away with it.

After a hacker breached the nation’s largest police union servers and leaked dozens of contracts between departments and their municipalities, the Guardian analyzed those contracts and found that many of them contain clauses apparently designed to protect officers from misconduct allegations. About a third of the leaked contracts from departments across the country allow or order that records of internal investigations, civilian complaints and the like be destroyed from officers’ files.

Here are two examples, via the Guardian:

Other deals contained provisions focused on blocking public access to records that were preserved. A 2006-2008 contract from Burlington Township, NJ, for example, required the police department’s Investigations Commander to keep formal complaints and internal investigation documents “in a locked file”, barring access to all except the department’s investigations commander and chief law enforcement officer.

Similarly, in Ralston, Nebraska, the 2009-2012 FOP contract created a “Police Officers’ Bill of Rights”, which said: “Unless agreed to by the Officer, the City shall not divulge the reason for any disciplinary action that is not appealed to the Civil Service Commission.” The city was also bound to “make every reasonable effort” to prevent a photograph of the officer from being released to the public or news media.

This all means that even if an officer were investigated by his own department for beating people up or being a little too trigger-happy, the press would not be allowed access to the records implicating him. Worse yet, in some states, like New York, the destruction or sealing of records by police departments is kind of a moot point. Even if a department’s contract did not order that records be destroyed, and it decided to make them available, a notorious exemption in our state’s Freedom of Information Law would legally bar them from doing so.


Image via AP. Contact the author at andy@gawker.com.

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

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Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

The existence and meaning of the “Bernie Bro” will continue to be contested by a bored and desperate political media, but the Tinder Berners, women who attempted to “take over” Tinder with messages of support for Bernie Sanders are for real—real enough that they’re now being banned from the dating app. But what if a single-n-flirty gal decided to chat up horny men about Ohio governor John Kasich?

Historically for me it’s been hard enough to get earnest responses even when I’m not conducting an experiment for the blog that employs me, so I decided to pose as a woman with a fake name, Facebook profile, and Tinder account. I borrowed some photos from a mortified-but-cooperative coworker, who let me pretend I was her circa 2010 during sorority rush.

Still, I’d be attempting to canvass for a Republican politician from Ohio in Gay Liberal Islamic Jewish New York City, where support for Governor Kasich is relatively low. But if there’s any universal truth, it’s that Tinder is a cave habitat for garbage males—the sort of garbage males who might just be dumb enough to pledge allegiance to Kasich for the possibility of ass. So, on Friday, I got to work.

The volume of responses was overwhelming—at any given time of day there is a staggering volume of lonely men typing “hi” into Tinder, a sort of “million monkeys on a million typewriters” scenario, if the goal of the monkeys was to produce creepy trash instead of Hamlet. Unfortunately, dropping the K bomb made many of my first conversations non-starters:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

It seemed rude to not even decline my invitation to discuss the Kasich Action Plan, described as “A STRATEGY FOR DISMANTLING WASHINGTON & RECLAIMING OUR POWER, MONEY AND INFLUENCE” according to a page on Kasich’s website that I did not read.

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Bummer.

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Gross!

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Rude!

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

But some men were willing to at least hear me out—chivalry ain’t dead, it just has advanced leukemia:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

This was very sweet:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Some men were put off by my cocktail of sex appeal and Ohio centrism:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Come on!

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

It was clear some suitors were completely ignorant of my man John:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

This one quickly went south:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

NO THANK YOU. I was a Kasich Kutie, not a Kasich Kwhore.

There were many men whose political allegiance was essentially for sale:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

This fellow took a little more convincing:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

There were also, as expected, some hardcore partisans who immediately went on the counteroffensive once I brought up the flourishing Kasich campaign:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

This was devastating:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

I guess it wasn’t going to work anyway.

Then there was this fuckin’ guy:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

And THIS fuckin’ guy, a living, boner-ing embodiment of Vox.com:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

OK boring byeeeeeee.

Finally, against all odds, I was able to convince one guy, or at least goad him into pretending to take the Kasich campaign seriously in a bid to see a fake person on Tinder naked:

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Kuties for Kasich: A Tinder Experiment Gone Wrong

Wow. My takeaway: democracy works.

My other takeaway: men are garbage, Tinder is bad, Sanders supporters are tediously bad, and John Kasich will not be the next president of the United States.

Photo of Kasich: Getty


Terrorist on Flight From Somalia Allegedly Hid Bomb in Laptop

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Terrorist on Flight From Somalia Allegedly Hid Bomb in Laptop

The alleged terrorist who blew himself up on a Daallo Airlines plane last week hid his bomb inside a laptop, according to Somali officials.

The man, identified as 55-year-old Abdullahi Abdisalam Borle, is believed to have been handed the laptop by two men posing as airline workers at the Mogadishu airport. The explosion in midair on the flight from Somalia to Djibouti caused Borle to be sucked out of the plane and injured two other passengers. The plane made a successful emergency landing.

The Wall Street Journal reports that more than twenty men believed to be connected to the attack have so far been arrested. The two men posing as airline workers were identified on security camera footage in the Somali airport and were seen handing Borle a package.

Early reports about the incident claimed that the terrorist had used a wheelchair to conceal his explosive device, but authorities have yet to confirm that scenario as accurate. Video of the plane making an emergency landing after the explosion immediately went viral:

“The suspects are cooperating, and we’re getting good information. We’re going to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible,” Somali government spokesperson Abdisalam Aato told the Wall Street Journal today.

Some believe that the terrorist act was connected to an Islamic group known as al-Shabaab. The group is affiliated with Al Qaeda and aims to overthrow the Somali government.

[Wall Street Journal]

Correction: This article originally identified the airline in question as Turkish Airlines. The suicide bomber had originally booked a Turkish Airlines ticket but that flight was canceled and he boarded a Daallo Airlines flight. Gizmodo regrets the error.

Image: AP

BREAKING: Old White People Find Beyoncé's Black Pride Distasteful

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On today’s episode of Fox & Friends, a bunch of white people gathered to, among things, lambast Beyoncé’s Super Bowl performance via the kind of partial assessment and narrow interpretation that’s crucial to the conservative critical rubric. One of these white people was former mayor of New York and failed Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.

Setting up the outrage, Friends host and friend to some Brian Kilmeade proclaimed that he “couldn’t really make out what Beyoncé was saying” during her performance of her new single “Formation.” He then doubled down: “The song, the lyrics, which I couldn’t make out a syllable, were basically telling cops to stop shooting blacks.”

If Kilmeade “couldn’t make out a syllable,” he may not be the authority on what this song is about. Actually, whitey, the lyrics are basically about Beyoncé describing (and correcting misconceptions about) her culture, AND what she loves about it and about being a black woman, which evidently is a different worldview than that of the white people on the show and thus, I guess, potentially intimidating. Don’t ignore Kilmeade’s implication that Beyoncé talks funny and can’t express herself adequately. The ignorance there is not just willful, it’s hypocritical, as Kilmeade exhibits the kind of thoughtlessness he’s accusing Beyoncé of.

Giuliani later joined the panel to smart at the very existence of a halftime show, like it’s something new or not the tremendous revenue and discourse-generator that it is. “I don’t even know why we have this,” he said. “This is football not Hollywood.” Then he turned his ire to Beyoncé and her backup dancers who wore afros, berets, and leather in the style of Black Panthers.

Said Giuliani:

I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers—the people who protect her and protect us and keep us alive, and what we should be doing in the African American community and all communities is build up respect for police officers. And focus on the fact that when something does go wrong, OK, well, we’ll work on that. But the vast majority of police officers risk their lives to keep us safe.

Beyoncé’s performance provided, among other things, an alternative to the blasé, “OK, well, we’ll work on that,” reaction to the police’s routine destruction of unarmed black bodies. Beyoncé’s performance asserted that, “OK, well, we’ll work on that,” is not enough. On a global platform in front of well over 100 million people, Beyoncé stole the show while rhapsodizing blackness in lyrics like, “I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros / I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils.” At a time when pop stars are so media trained and seemingly willing to say so little, Beyoncé said enough to make heads explode.

Giuliani understands this to an extent, he’s just the ideological opposition who seems to think that any critique of the police is inappropriate. He furthermore has no interest in the things Beyoncé is saying about herself, her culture and mobilizing black people, for whom disparity is a blatant fact of life that white people can conveniently choose to ignore. He’s not really engaging with the work, just exploiting a portion of it to use as a talking point.

He continued:

This is a political position and she’s probably going to take advantage of it. You’re talking to middle America when you have the Super Bowl. So if you’re going to have entertainment, let’s have decent, wholesome entertainment. And not use it as a platform to attack the people who put their lives at risk just to save us.

The use of the word “wholesome” is particularly chafing—though Giuliani uses it in the context of Beyoncé’s politics, that descriptor is generally reserved for G-rated asexuality. Beyoncé’s matter-of-fact sexuality exhibited during the halftime show, her agency over her body down to the tightly choreographed millimeter, makes it so that she has no business being this white man’s idea of “wholesome.” She explicitly and intentionally occupies a different cultural space. Is her body too bootylicious for ya, Rudy?

Increasingly, Beyoncé is a figure that white people selectively scorn to illustrate what’s wrong with culture. Take Mike Huckabee’s tone-deaf reading of what she should be doing with her career, or Annie Lennox’s inane assertion that “twerking isn’t feminism,” as if Beyoncé can easily be distilled down to a sexually explicit song or a dance to which she has devoted an infinitesimal portion of her movement. When people focus on minutiae, they negate their point as they make it immediately apparent that Beyoncé offers simply too much for them to grasp.

It’s so telling that her performance and militancy (so subtle it was silently presented in the form of costumes, an X formation, and a sign calling for “Justice 4 Mario Woods”) is intimidating. It’s, in fact, telling in the same manner as white people’s discomfort with the words “Black Lives Matter”—a simple and self-evident concept that nonetheless troubles people with the conflicting worldview that black lives, in fact, don’t matter. Those people are wrong, the white people on Fox & Friends are wrong, and their openly ignorant and selective discussion about it only underscores Beyoncé’s rightness. These people are shook and there’s more shaking to come.

Note: This story originally identified Steve Doocy as the Fox & Friends host who “couldn’t really make out what Beyoncé was saying,” but upon further review, it was Brian Kilmeade who said that.

[h/t: Raw Story]

An Interview With a Man Who Was Campaigned at By Bernie Sanders Fans on Dating Apps

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An Interview With a Man Who Was Campaigned at By Bernie Sanders Fans on Dating Apps

“Talk Bernie to me,” shouted no one ever on a dating app, and yet that is happening: a very small army of self-motivated young women are using Tinder, Bumble, and all the other hellish, spiritually depleting find-love-quick programs on your telephone to campaign for Bernie Sanders. What’s it like to be on the receiving end of that, we wondered?

It’s tough to tell exactly how many people are using Tinder to stump for Sanders; from initial reports, it seems to be entirely women in major cities, corresponding with men. Fewer of them all the time, too, since Tinder locked the accounts of two women over the weekend who were sending pro-Sanders spam, instead of using Tinder as the good Lord intended it: to facilitate a profoundly depressing round of after-work drinks with someone who really wants you to know his ex was a model.

We reached out to one man who had been Bernied at on Bumble to get his impressions — only to have the same thing happen on Tinder while we were mid-interview. We’ll call him Luke, which is his name. Here, in brief, are Luke’s impressions.

Jezebel: This seems like a weird phenomenon, right?

Luke: It definitely seems like a weird phenomenon, although I was unaware of it being one until Emma [Jezebel’s editor, you know her] contacted me today... In recounting the story, I have to say that the circumstances through which she exhorted me were just as strange, but I will focus on the campaign.

From here, Luke explained that he’d mutually swiped with a lady on Bumble, and that she messaged him first (as are the rules in that app). They had what Luke characterizes as “a pleasant conversation,” at the end of which Luke asked for her number. She declined, asking to stick to Gchat. Luke asked if she wanted to have a drink; she “tentatively agreed,” he says, but only after a video chat. Luke said he was free right now, but that didn’t work for her.

Luke: She said she’s too engrossed in the democratic debate, “Vote Bernie.”

Eventually, the two did manage to video chat, but Luke said he wound down the conversation after it became clear she wasn’t interested in meeting IRL. The following day, to his surprise, he received further Gchat messages. They offer a fascinating window into how this whole thing works.

An Interview With a Man Who Was Campaigned at By Bernie Sanders Fans on Dating Apps


An Interview With a Man Who Was Campaigned at By Bernie Sanders Fans on Dating Apps


Jezebel: Did you feel bummed out that you were essentially the subject of a one-woman voter drive? Amused? Totally confused?

Luke: [Did not immediately respond because he was in the middle of having it happen to him again]

Luke: This just in. The campaign is getting stronger.

An Interview With a Man Who Was Campaigned at By Bernie Sanders Fans on Dating Apps

That’s very similar to the wording that got a Tinder user in New Jersey kicked off the service, as Reuters reported. That’s probably because the horny and disgruntled Tinder users she’d swiped upon were reporting her. Luke didn’t do that, but nor was he all that pleased.

Luke: This one is quite different than the last. Far less personal, far more spammy, far less convincing. That being said, I think there’s a lot of “weird” shit that is facilitated through the use of dating apps, the least of which is campaigning. However, it definitely does feel out of the ordinary to use it as a tool for canvasing political beliefs. In my experience there is plenty of ideology pushed on dating apps, but never quite to this extent. While it still feels a tad deceptive, I respect that these women care enough about something important for the demographic that uses these apps that they are using it to push their agenda. And if I end up voting for Hillary, I can appreciate that they cared about the race that much because it is important.

Jezebel: Yes, but are you bummed?

Luke: Am I bummed that I have now been the subject of this twice? No. Amused? Absolutely. I think a lot of people use dating apps out of boredom so it’s definitely interesting and hilarious to see it turned into an outlet for something like politics rather than mindless swiping.

Jezebel: While we have [your Tinder non-date] on the line, can you ask her a couple things for me? Like if she ever uses Tinder for non-Bernie purposes?

Luke: Sure.

An Interview With a Man Who Was Campaigned at By Bernie Sanders Fans on Dating Apps

Jezebel: Huh. OK. Can you ask her if she thinks she’s won some votes this way? (She has definitely not won any votes this way)

Luke:

An Interview With a Man Who Was Campaigned at By Bernie Sanders Fans on Dating Apps

Jezebel: What an interesting thing to take it upon yourself to do!

Luke: I definitely agree. So I asked her how she decided to do it. She said she saw an article and wanted to be a part of it.

Well, all right! This has been an interview with a man who was campaigned at by Bernie Sanders fans in dating apps. If you have any experience with this phenomenon—if someone used OKCupid to persuade you to vote Trump, even—please let us know in the comments.


Sanders in New Hampshire, February 6, 2016. Photo via AP Images, heart image via Shutterstock, lovingly added by staff male Bobby Finger.

Waris Ahluwalia Was Barred From a Flight to New York Because of His Turban

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Waris Ahluwalia Was Barred From a Flight to New York Because of His Turban

Waris Ahluwalia, an actor and fashion designer who you may recognize from his appearances in the films of Wes Anderson, was pulled from an Aero Mexico flight just before takeoff today. It was not because he forgot to place his liquids in a quart-sized ziploc bag.

It was because, as a Sikh, Ahluwalia wears a turban, and to certain confused xenophobes, turbans are very scary. Ahluwalia told the New York Daily News that he was held in line as every other passenger boarded, then told he would be subjected to additional searches. From the News:

Ahluwalia, who has appeared in 17 films, including “Inside Man,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The Darjeeling Limited,” said he complied with the “annoying” security measures, but drew the line when he was asked to remove his turban.

“That is not something that I would do in public,” he explained. “That’s akin to asking someone to take off their clothes.”

Ahluwalia said he would remove his turban if he were taken to a private screening room, he told the News, but that request was denied. Then, an employee told him he would “need to book another flight.”

The irony here is that the airline employees didn’t even get their boneheaded racist stereotype right. If you’re a close-minded coward, it’s Muslims you’re supposed to be have an irrational fear of, not Sikhs.

As nycsouthpaw notes, Ahluwalia’s role as a bank employee in Inside Man includes exactly the kind of discrimination he faced today. As NYPD officers circle him with rifles, one says “Oh shit, a fucking Arab,” to which Ahluwalia’s character replies, “I’m a Sikh!” Then the officers grab him, throw him to the ground, and forcibly remove his turban.


Image via Getty. Contact the author at andy@gawker.com.


FT: Michael Bloomberg May Try to Buy One More Election

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For voters who wish there were a presidential candidate with close ties to Wall Street, the Financial Times has good news: “the founder of the eponymous financial information group criticised the quality of the debate in the ​presidential ​race. He said ​that ​he was ‘looking at all the options’ when asked whether he was considering putting his name forward.”


500 Days of Kristin, Day 380: Which Presidential Candidate Does Kristin Support? 

Unlike Bernie, Hillary Went to Flint Instead of SNL (Because She Already Did SNL)

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Unlike Bernie, Hillary Went to Flint Instead of SNL (Because She Already Did SNL)

Recent Flint visitor Hillary Clinton really wants you to know that Hillary Clinton (who was recently in Flint) cares a lot about the fact that she was, quite recently, in Flint (Michigan). More specifically, she wants you to know that she was not off mugging it up for SNL like some other candidates we know.

Speaking at a Dunkin’ Donuts, Clinton was ostensibly trying to assure potential voters that her detour to Flint didn’t mean she was giving up on New Hampshire entirely—where she is, incidentally, doing very, very poorly.

As she told The LA Times, “Occasionally you go off the campaign trail. I know Sen. Sanders went to New York to be on ‘SNL,’ and I’m going to Flint to see if we can help with the kids. That’s part of it. But my commitment to this primary and to this state is absolutely rock solid.”

The supposedly off-the-cuff remark sounds an awful lot like a premeditated jab meant to contrast her own, selfless use of human props against visions of Bernie off galavanting in New York City. Except that, if you’ll recall, Hillary was on SNL herself just over a month ago. A month ago!

Anyway, let’s see what our serious humanitarian candidate is up to today.

It’s selfie time.


Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com. Photo of Hillary Clinton (who was recently in flint) via Getty.

Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

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Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

One of your favorite mechanical keyboards, versatile flash drives, and a $40 Amazon tablet kick off Monday’s best deals. Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more.

http://deals.kinja.com/todays-best-ap...


Top Deals


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Corsair’s K-series mechanical keyboards are some of your favorites for gaming, and for general use as well, and the popular K70 is down to an all-time low $91 on Amazon right now.

http://co-op.kinja.com/your-favorite-...

http://co-op.kinja.com/your-favorite-...

The Corsair K70's smooth Cherry MX Red switches are great for both work and play, its aluminum chassis lends it a premium feel, and its key-by-key customizable backlighting is just plain cool. For under $100, you really can’t go wrong here. [Corsair K70 Mechanical Keyboard, $91]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014W1Z43U/...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

To celebrate Chinese New Year, Uniqlo is shipping everything for free today, with absolutely no minimum order. Plus, you can take an extra $18 off any $108 order with promo code LUCKY18. If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a Uniqlo in your town (or even if you do), you should definitely give this a look. [Uniqlo]



You want a drone. Everyone wants a drone. Now, your tax refund is on the way, and the best drones are on sale...how fortuitous.

Amazon has the 4K-shooting DJI Phantom 3 Professional marked down to $1,129 right now, an all-time low. Short of shelling out thousands of dollars for a Hollywood-caliber rig, this is the best photography drone you can buy right now.

http://gizmodo.com/dji-phantom-3-...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

If your pockets aren’t quite that deep, there are a few cheaper options. The 2.7K Phantom 3 Advanced and Phantom 3 Standard are also still available for $799 and $499 respectively right now, continuing a deal that began last month. The Advanced is basically no different than the Professional, but with a (slightly) downgraded camera. The Standard actually has the same camera as the Advanced, but lacks its indoor positioning system and LightBridge HD live preview ability. Confused? Here’s a chart to help you out.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

You spend a good chunk of your computing time on phones and tablets these days, so why should your desktop be the only one that can use external storage? These flash drives include a microUSB connector to interface with your Android phones and tablets, and you can pick one up for just $12-$17.

These would be perfect if you were on vacation, and didn’t have enough free space on your phone to store all the photos you wanted to take. Or if you wanted to store some HD movies to watch on your tablet during a long plane ride. And of course, it never hurts to have an easy, offline way to move files back and forth between different devices. These prices are right in line with what you’d expect to see on normal flash drives, so if you own any microUSB devices, there’s really no downside to picking one up.

SanDisk Ultra 64GB USB 3.0 OTG Flash Drive With micro USB Connector ($17) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RBGYGPG/...

Samsung 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Duo (USB / MicroUSB) ($12) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013UHK1M6/...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Like the idea of a Belkin WeMo Switch, but not willing to spend $40 to try one out. This TP-Link alternative has a nearly identical feature set for half the price.

Just like a WeMo switch, TP-Link’s Smart Plug will let you turn appliances on and off from your smartphone, and set schedules to toggle them automatically. The only major feature it’s lacking is IFTTT support, but it will integrate with an Amazon Echo for voice control. [TP-Link Smart Plug, $20]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

I’m guessing that most of you already own an external battery pack or two, but if your new phone includes Quick Charge 2.0 support, you’ll want to upgrade your portable charger to take advantage.

$19 is a pretty solid price for any 15,000mAh battery pack; the Quick Charge port is just a cherry on top. [Aukey 15000mAh Portable External Battery Power Bank with Quick Charge 2.0, $19 with code JWRHH5I9]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Want Bluetooth audio and handsfree calling in your older car? This Wirecutter-recommended dongle takes the Bluetooth signal from your phone, and retransmits it to the FM radio station of your choice. The sound quality will take a hit, but if you don’t have an AUX jack, this is probably your best option short of buying an entirely new stereo.

We’ve seen deals on a few similar products before, but this one can actually pair with two separately phones simultaneously, if you want to trade off DJ duties with your travel companion. [GOgroove FlexSMART X2 Bluetooth In-Car FM Transmitter, $30 with code X2SAVE10]

http://www.amazon.com/GOgroove-FlexS...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Logitech’s new(ish) MX Anywhere 2 wireless mouse works on any surface, can run for two months on a charge, and will only set you back $63 (or less) on Amazon today. [Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mouse, $63]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

Note: $63 is Amazon’s current price, which is the lowest they’ve ever offered. As of this writing though, there are a few third party sellers offering it for even less, though we aren’t sure how long those will stay in stock.


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

I was hoping Amazon would have a deal on the Echo today in light of its Super Bowl commercial appearances, but alas, we’ll have to settle for a $40 Fire tablet and $20 off Kindle e-readers.

Amazon Fire 7" ($40) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Display-W...

Amazon Kindle ($60) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I15SB16/...

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite ($100) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OQVZDJM/...

Amazon Kindle For Kids Bundle ($80) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XIV00EO/...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Today only, Amazon’s running a Gold Box sale on select “indoor activities” from Hasbro. Most of the included products are geared towards kids, if you have some, but Risk, Magic The Gathering, Star Wars Chess, and Trivial Pursuit could appeal to adults as well. [Board Games and Indoor Activities Sale at Amazon]

Bonus: An American-centric Settlers of Catan spin-off is also on sale for $35. It’s not part of that Gold Box deal, but we figured you would want to know. [Catan Histories: Settlers of America Trails to Rails, $35]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NX73F6/...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

If you’re in the market for a new Xbox One, Microsoft’s giving out $75 gift credits, plus an extra game of your choice with the purchase of select bundles. That’s in addition to any games you get with the bundle anyway, so you’ll be starting out with a solid little library. [Xbox One Bundles + Free Game + $75 Gift Credit]


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Just Cause 3 is thrilling, massive, and (thankfully) starting to receive patches to improve performance. If you’re ready to give it a shot, Amazon will sell you a copy for $45 today, matching an all-time low. [Just Cause 3, $45]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PE1KNPC/...

http://www.amazon.com/Just-Cause-3-X...

http://kotaku.com/just-cause-3-t...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Smartphone armbands and Bluetooth headphones get along even better than Peyton Manning and Papa John, and you can get both today for just $16. [Aukey Universal Waterproof Case Bag Pouch with Armband and Aukey Wireless Stereo Sport Bluetooth Headphones, $16. Add both to cart and use code TMOG2Y8Z]

Note: The code only works with the blue earbuds.

http://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Waterpro...

http://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Bluetoot...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Most knife sets include a ton of extraneous knives that you don’t really need, but that’s not really the case with this discounted Chicago Cutlery set.

Sure, you might not need a chef’s knife and a santoku, but that’s not too egregious. Today only, the whole block is marked down to $100 as part of a Gold Box deal, which is an all-time low price. [Chicago Cutlery 1109176 DesignPro 13-Piece Block Knife Set, $100]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CK8UG1S/...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Apple’s 15" Retina MacBook Pro isn’t for everybody, but if you demand a lot from your laptop, it’s one of the best options on the market. The newest model comes complete with a 256GB SSD and 16GB of RAM, and you can save a whopping $400 on yours today, with no sales tax for most buyers. [Apple 15" MacBook Pro 256GB/16GB, $1600]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-MacB...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Monoprice is taking up to 40% dozens of popular items for its annual Valentine’s Day sale, including everything from action cams to bookshelf speakers. A few of our favorite picks are below, but head over to Monoprice to see all of your options. [Monoprice Valentine’s Day Sale]


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Stick-anywhere LED night lights are great for dark hallways, sure, but a lot of our readers like to add them to dim closets and cabinets as well. We’ve got two great options on sale today; a BOGO tap light, and a three-pack of motion sensing models.

[BOGO free] OxyLED® T-01S Super bright DIY Stick-on Anywhere 4-LED Touch Tap Light ($13) | Amazon | Add two to cart and use code EKNRLEI6

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011NS38AG

[3 Pack] OxyLED Stick-on Anywhere Portable LED Wireless Motion Sensing LED Night Light ($17) | Amazon | Use code ETLKGUZ6

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014P7G4PS


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

If the thought of a $15 rice cooker isn’t enough to wet your whistle (and really, what’s more exciting than rice?), consider that it also includes a steaming tray that can cook your meats and vegetables simultaneously. [Aroma 6-Cup (Cooked) Pot Style Rice Cooker and Food Steamer, $15]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O83YVQ/...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Aeration is an important part of any healthy lawn, and these strap-on shoe spikes make it easy (and cheap). Also great for combat! [Ohuhu Lawn Aerator Shoes, $20 with code KKPJADB2]

http://www.amazon.com/Ohuhu-Aerator-...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Today at Best Buy, if you buy one gift card to PSN, Xbox Live, Nintendo’s eShop, and more, you can get a second for 20% off. Buying digitally usually isn’t the cheapest way to buy full games, but this deal should pay off when it comes to DLC. [Gaming Gift Card Sale]

Protip: Xbox Owners can use the discount on this particular gift card pack, which includes a $5 free bonus credit. That means you can get $100 of credit for $81.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/microsoft...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Breaking Bad, the best television show humanity has ever created, is just $60 on Blu-ray today. It was $10 cheaper during a Gold Box deal a few months back, but otherwise, this is the best price Amazon’s ever listed. [Breaking Bad: The Complete Series, $60]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I9PDXP2/...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

If you didn’t pull the trigger on Black Friday, Target’s giving you another chance today to save $100 on almost any Apple Watch model, plus an extra 5% for REDCard holders. [$100 off Select Apple Watch Models]


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

We’ve seen slightly better deals on 2TB external drives in the past, but if your computer’s running low on space (or heaven forbid, not backed up), then this is a solid discount. [WD Elements 2TB External Drive, $70]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3913748338...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

While Anker’s bestselling Astro battery packs have been replaced by newer PowerCore models, they’re still some of the fastest and most well-built portable chargers you can buy. [Anker Astro E4 Classic 13000mAh Portable Charger, $23]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQ5KHJW/...

http://deals.kinja.com/bestsellers-an...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Today you can grab a Fitbit Aria smart scale on eBay for an all-time low $85, and with no tax for most. The Aria will give you your weight, BMI, and body fat percentage and of course sync them to your Fitbit app to track changes over time. [Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Weight/Body Fat/BMI Digital Smart Scale, $85]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Fitbit...


Today's Best Deals: Free Chipotle, Clicky Keyboard, $40 Tablet, and More

Closet feeling a little bare? Amazon’s running some great deals jeans, jackets, and a lot more from Carhartt and Levi’s.


Tech


Storage

Power

Audio

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQUO5RI/...

Home Theater

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VVOCSOU/...

Computers & Accessories

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012AQI6HU/...

PC Parts

Mobile Devices

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010OTFZBU/...


Home


Kitchen

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014GPH7LE

Fitness

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HD4QM76/...

Apparel

Camping & Outdoors

Tools & Auto


Media


Movies & TV

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PT3AUYO/...

Books & Magazines


Gaming


Peripherals

PC

PlayStation 4

Xbox One

PlayStation 3

Xbox 360

Wii U

Vita

3DS

Board Games

Toys


Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more. We want your feedback.

Send deal submissions to Deals@Gawker and all other inquiries to Shane@Gawker

Your Tax Dollars Paid for This Awful FBI Site That Teaches Teens to Spot Violent Extremists

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Your Tax Dollars Paid for This Awful FBI Site That Teaches Teens to Spot Violent Extremists

I’m not saying the FBI’s heart isn’t in the right place. Making sure children know the difference between healthy political discourse and attempts to sway them into extremism is a laudable goal. But the agency’s execution in a new website is just embarrassing.

The FBI just announced the launch of its “Don’t Be a Puppet” program. The too-interactive website is designed to create awareness of the problem of extremism among teens. “Don’t Be a Puppet” includes five stages where teens can get answers to questions like “What is violent extremism?” and “How do violent extremists make contact?”

It’s just all done in that “Yo kids, what’s up? I’m a cool adult” tone that government committee adopt too often. There’s a sense that the who.e thing was made in 1996:

Your Tax Dollars Paid for This Awful FBI Site That Teaches Teens to Spot Violent Extremists

You know how teens today love their first generation Game Boys in the year 2016? That’s actually a game called the “Slippery Slope to Extremism,” in which you guide a fast moving animal out of the way of obstacles that are—I think—meant to represent extremists. I tried to play and died a lot. And I think the animal is a sheep because, you know, sheeple.

Oh, and here’s a quiz about how violent extremists try to recruit you. It’s also a chance for the FBI to tell teens both that they know what they’re doing on the internet and that this great nation’s federal law enforcement agency doesn’t understand the internet one bit.

Your Tax Dollars Paid for This Awful FBI Site That Teaches Teens to Spot Violent Extremists

Or how about this game about the language violent extremists use? In this level, you’re supposed to match the statement to the rhetorical technique. I am still baffled, because some of them match more than one answer.

Your Tax Dollars Paid for This Awful FBI Site That Teaches Teens to Spot Violent Extremists

Because we live in America, there’s also a lot of time devoted to the First Amendment. Before you can enter the game, there’s a line of text that reminds you:

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees free speech and religious liberty. People living in America are free to disagree with each other and with the government, but no one has the right to resort to violence as a means of expressing disagreement.

Inside the site, is this:

Your Tax Dollars Paid for This Awful FBI Site That Teaches Teens to Spot Violent Extremists

I guess I’m glad they’re not pretending free speech doesn’t exist? I just wish they weren’t so bad at making me take this thing seriously.

Everything about this site screams awful, out-of-touch 90s educational game—down to the hulkingly giant PCs, complete with blue screens of death. I think I played a bunch of point-and-click games just like this in elementary school, actually. Only they were trying to teach me math and not how to spot a terrorist.

Try again, FBI.

[6:24] I am now in a torture bunker with a projector and slides. What is this website?

[Thanks @pbump]

Vice Social Media Editor Appears To Get Cozy With Martin Shkreli

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Vice Social Media Editor Appears To Get Cozy With Martin Shkreli

A little after 1 a.m. this past Saturday morning, Martin Shkreli did what he does more or less all the time now: he turned on his computer and began livestreaming on YouTube to his small but feverish fanbase. Normally Shkreli might strum his guitar or engage in inane conversations with his viewers, but this time, at least at first, something was different: a woman was sitting on his lap, and later she would use several needles in an attempt to drain a cyst above his elbow.

That woman appears to be Helen Donahue, a social media editor at Vice. The evidence, such as it is, connecting Donahue and Shkreli was first collected by a blog called Webcam Woodshed, but Donahue doesn’t really appear to be hiding her relationship with the pharmaceutical industry’s walking publicity stunt.

This was taken at 11 p.m. on Friday, about two hours before Shkreli began a livestream with a faceless woman in a black-and-white striped shirt dangling off his knee. Though YouTube doesn’t say when an archived livestream began, a Chrome extension that feeds you YouTube videos from your subscribed channels shows that this livestream was posted to Shkreli’s channel when it concluded at 1:19 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The livestream is 11 hours long, and the woman appears at the very beginning.

Though she hides her face, tattoos on the woman’s arms appear to correspond with those visible in photos posted to Donahue’s social media feeds. An old Twitter avatar also showed Donahue in the same Commes Des Garcon shirt—with its distinctive red heart—being worn by the woman in the livestream, who 10 minutes or so into the recording starts poking at Shkreli’s cyst as Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” plays.

When reached via DM, Shkreli didn’t deny that Donahue is the woman in the livestream. (He also confirmed that they were trying to get rid of a cyst and not, as the eventual hypodermic needle might insinuate, shooting drugs.) When I asked Donahue via email if she could elaborate on their relationship she asked if I was inquiring “for an article or curiosity’s sake,” and when I said it was for an article she replied “what kind of article...”

The thing that complicates whatever is going on between Shkreli and Donahue is that Vice recently ran a long packaged story on Shkreli. Shkreli has given plenty of interviews but Vice was the first to receive access to his apartment, to interview him on camera, and to hear his multi-million dollar Wu-Tang album. Vice, as you would expect, has pushed the story hard on its social media feeds.

If you think that Vice might be concerned about one of its editorially-adjacent employees subsequently, and publicly, showing up in Shkreli’s bedroom, it doesn’t appear to be. In an emailed statement, a Vice spokesperson said:

The vice.com profile of Martin Shkreli and the accompanying video piece were conceived and created by a small number of our editorial staffers—and the individual whose name you brought to us, who is not a writer or producer, had no involvement in the piece. As a matter of policy, we don’t keep tabs on the social lives of our employees, or comment on them in the press.

Vice fancies itself as the company carrying the baton of ambitious journalism into our brave new media future. The profile of Shkreli was thorough—writer Allie Conti gave Shkreli his ink, but also talked to those whose lives were severely complicated by his price-gouging schemes—and Vice does plenty of other good reporting, especially in the relatively expensive realm of video. But it is a specific function of Vice that an employee who works closely with editorial could carry on a public flirtation with Shkreli, down to showing up in his feted livestreams, apparently without anyone there batting an eye. It is acutely Vice-y to publicly canoodle with one of the most notorious men in the country, but when that man is also a very recent subject of your company’s serious journalism, the calculation involved gets especially tricky.

Anyway, this is the defining internal tension of today’s deeply influential, investment-rich Vice. Vice wants to maintain its edginess, and with good reason. The company attracts billion dollar investments specifically because the fusty corporations with that money desperately need to glom onto the sort of (young) people that Vice’s attitude attracts (or at least says it attracts). But as the company gets ever-more-serious, that spirit of rebellion will continue to rub up against its high-minded, traditionally-legislated journalism.

Even more to the point: If Vice suddenly decides that it no longer desires the residual benefits it receives when its millennial employees publicly perform the edginess they have made integral to the company’s brand, it won’t be Vice that’s left holding the bag.


People Can't Stop Fainting at Bernie Sanders Rallies

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For at least the second time in less than a week, someone has collapsed on stage at a Bernie Sanders rally. This time, a woman nearly missed smashing her head directly into the podium. So we must ask, Bernie, what exactly are you doing to your breathless supporters?

http://gawker.com/bernie-sanders...

According to our own Hamilton Nolan, who is currently on the scene in New Hampshire where the incident took place just minutes ago, “It was very dramatic” and “[Bernie] said, ‘Oh my god.’” Thank you, Hamilton. I feel like I was there.

There was no need for Bernie to run to his unconscious supporter’s aid this time, though, as the woman landed directly next to him after falling off the stands at the back of the stage. The woman was, thankfully, able to walk off, and Bernie apparently has gone right back to speaking.

Still, it’s bizarre that these fainting spells only seem to be targeting likely Bernie voters. Are they just “feeling the Bern” so intensely to the point that they literally can’t take it? Or is someone else trying to take them out one-by-one (not that another candidate would do that of course that’s not what we’re suggesting)?

If you have any information at all about this highly suspicious pattern, please do let us know. Any and all wild theories are, as always, welcome.


Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com.


Officer Peter Liang Takes Stand in Akai Gurley Shooting Trial

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Officer Peter Liang Takes Stand in Akai Gurley Shooting Trial

Rookie NYPD officer Peter Liang, who is charged with manslaughter and official misconduct in the November 2014 shooting death of Akai Gurley, testified in his own defense on Monday. “His eyes were rolled back,” Liang said of the mortally wounded Gurley. “He was just laying there very still.”

On November 20, 2014, Liang and his partner Peter Landau—who testified against Liang last week (in exchange for immunity)—were on vertical patrol in the darkened stairwells of East New York’s Louis H. Pink Houses. Gurley was fatally struck by a ricocheting bullet that Liang accidentally fired.

Prosecutors allege that it was reckless for Liang to have his weapon out in the first place. From the New York Times:

Officer Liang said that before entering the stairwell, he had seen bullet holes on the roof. “I feel the need to take my gun out,” he said.

Struggling to keep his composure, he described the moment he fired his weapon — the result of a combination of dread and confusion.

“I heard something on my left side; it was a quick sound and it just startled me, and the gun just went off after I tensed up,” he said.

Officer Liang was relatively new to the force. The dangers of the kind of patrol he was on were underscored last week when two officers, Diara E. Cruz and Patrick Espeut, were shot in a housing project in the Bronx.

As a lawyer for the defense asked Officer Liang to recall the shooting, he became overwhelmed with emotion.

“I said, ‘Oh my god, someone is hit!’” he said, as his mother watched in the packed courtroom. “I went over the radio, ‘Pink Post One, male shot, call a bus.’”

Transcripts from the radio calls Liang made that night, however, do not include a call for an ambulance. What is more, multiple witnesses have testified that neither Liang nor Landau performed CPR on Gurley, as is required by NYPD rules. “Peter was in shock,” Landau told the jury last week. “He couldn’t believe he just shot someone.”

http://gawker.com/witness-nypd-c...

“He was standing up and he was staring into space, staring upward at the fifth floor,” Lt. Vitaliy Zelikov testified. “He was shaken up, he was pale, he became unsteady on his feet.”

On Monday, Liang offered a similar account. “I got to the hallway of that floor,” he said. “Everything just sunk in, I was thinking about everything that happened. I just couldn’t believe someone was hit. I just broke down.”

Liang also testified, however, that he did not receive proper CPR training at the police academy—instructors fed cadets the right answers, he said. Landau said the same thing under cross-examination last week.

Both the prosecution and the defense rested Monday. Closing statements are scheduled for Tuesday.


Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

Good Job, Guys: Yet Another Anti-Abortion Sting Video Shows Nothing At All 

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Good Job, Guys: Yet Another Anti-Abortion Sting Video Shows Nothing At All 

The anti-abortion Center for Medical Progress, whose founder is under indictment, released a new undercover video Monday of conversations with people who work for the National Abortion Federation. The CMP claims the video shows a NAF employee agreeing to a “kickback arrangement to split the money from fetal parts,” which is not what their video actually shows.

On Friday, San Francisco federal judge William Orrick ordered the CMP not to release footage they shot undercover at an NAF annual meeting, pointing in part to the “documented, dramatic increase” in harassment and threats against abortion providers after the CMP started releasing its videos. The judge also said the tapes had “limited public interest” and showed “no evidence of criminal activity” by NAF members. The injunction ordered by the judge will stand until a lawsuit brought by the NAF against the Center for Medical Progress is decided.

Apparently upset, Daleiden and the CMP released a new video today. It accuses the NAF and Planned Parenthood of orchestrating “an attack on the First Amendment” and purports to show a very damning conversation that isn’t at all. More than anything, it seems to show how the CMP is spinning their wheels as the shaky case they’ve tried to build against Planned Parenthood and its affiliates begins to fall apart.

The new video wasn’t taken at the NAF’s annual meeting, but at a conference held by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. (That means the CMP isn’t violating the injunction).

The video was shot by the “actor” working for the CMP, wearing a hidden camera (it is likely Sandra Merritt, the other CMP person who has been criminally indicted). In it, she says that her fake fetal tissue company, BioMax Procurement Services, donates money back to the abortion clinics they work with:

Actor: We do donate the fees that we get from our researchers, we give a portion back to the clinics as just a thank you for letting us come in.

NAF employee: Oh wow, yeah, it definitely sounds like something some of our members would be interested in.

A donation from a private company to an abortion clinic would be perfectly legal, actually. Reimbursement for expenses would also legal. A direct “kickback” scheme—BioMax paying clinics for fetal tissue beyond reimbursement costs—would be illegal. But again, the only person suggesting anything that would even come close to that is the person working undercover for the CMP.

The NAF employee she’s talking to responds noncommittally that some members might be interested, and then invites BioMax to set up a table at the NAF Conference:

“We have an exhibit hall and then we also have the general conference. But I mean, this is a very great way to talk to our members. We have a group purchasing program through our membership. So it seems like this would be a really great option to be able to offer our members as well.”

The CMP is desperately trying to spin this as evidence of criminal wrongdoing— the abortionists have conferences!— but it looks a little silly.

National Abortion Federation President Vicki Saporta tells Jezebel she’s kind of baffled; the beginning of the same video also shows her accepting an award from the ACLU in July. In that speech, which is also on the NAF’s website, Saporta talks about working with the ACLU to fight a federal abortion ban. The CMP video is edited in such a way to suggest that she’s talking about Daleiden and the CMP.

“The fact that he cut it in such a way to make it sound like I’m talking about him instead of a court case in the early 2000s is another example of how misleading of what he does is,” Saporta says.

“There’s no criminal activity to uncover,” she adds, pointing out that not a single state that’s investigated the CMP’s claims of baby part sales has been able to come up with anything. “The sooner politicians realize they’ve been misled by these people, and perhaps they don’t want to stay in bed with them, the better it will be for everybody.”

Beyond that, Saporta adds, “I don’t know what the point of this tape was.”


Contact the author at anna.merlan@jezebel.com.

Merritt leaving the courthouse in Houston after posting her bond, February 3, 2016. Photo via AP.

Cliven Bundy Is Going to Oregon

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Cliven Bundy Is Going to Oregon

Cliven Bundy will travel to Oregon to demonstrate against Ammon and Ryan Bundy’s incarceration, OPB reports. Last week, Cliven urged those militia members still occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to stand their ground—thereby contradicting Ammon’s wishes.

Four armed militants remain at the wildlife refuge. Ammon, Ryan, and 14 others were charged last week with one count each of federal conspiracy to impede federal officers. Cliven will travel to Burns and Portland, about which some residents are apprehensive. From OPB:

A local group called the Harney County Committee of Safety formed initially under the guidance of Ammon Bundy with the intent of “safeguarding individual rights.” The committee supported some of the aims of the refuge occupiers, like turning over federal land to local control, but did not condone the occupation.

Committee member Tim Smith expressed ambivalence at the prospect of the elder Bundy’s visit.

“I don’t know what it would mean to us,” said Smith. “We’re going to continue on with our process and our goals and our committee and not get distracted by other things.”

“There is a Nevadan [Ryan Bundy] sitting in jail, and as an office holder, I will be there to demand his release,” Nevada State Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, a Bundy ally, said. “If that Nevadan can’t leave Oregon, we will bring Nevada to him. Peaceful, of course.”


Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

Donald Trump (Sort Of) Just Called Ted Cruz a "Pussy" 

Beeb Boop Robot Marco Rubio Malfunctioning in New Hampshire

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Whatever frantic hackathon Marco Rubio’s programmers conducted after Chris Christie demagnetized their creation on Saturday night seems only to have made the existing problems worse, as the junior senator from Florida stumbled through his stump speech on Monday. Maybe try turning it off and turning it back on again?

http://gawker.com/chris-christie...

Then again, when the words coming out of one’s vocabulator speech/sound system are so utterly meaningless, it would be difficult for all but the most advanced artificial intelligence to recall what even the most recent were.


Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

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