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Paul Ryan's Brain-Twisting Rationales For Why You Should Be Ripped Off 

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Paul Ryan's Brain-Twisting Rationales For Why You Should Be Ripped Off 

Paul Ryan—the lovable Republican, who cares in theory about poverty. Right? My friends, I’m afraid that the only thing Paul Ryan demonstrably cares about is breathtaking levels of pro-Wall Street doublespeak.

Here’s a boring phrase: “the fiduciary standard.” Okay, fine. Many important things in life are “boring,” to small-minded people. What this fiduciary standard means is that people who give you advice about what to do with your money and what to invest in are required to advise you based on what is good for you. We can contrast that with financial advisors who advise you to do what is best for them, such as “buy a high-fee mutual fund product that will make me money but will make you less money than a cheaper product that would not make me as much money.”

The fiduciary standard essentially requires that your financial advisor does not rip you off. Many people assume that their advisor adheres to this standard already. In fact many are not required to do so! And so many Americans are taken advantage of by their financial advisors, in one way or another, because their financial advisors are not required by law to put their clients’ interests ahead of their own.

President Obama, via the Labor Department, has been working for years to expand the fiduciary rule so that it covers more advisors, like brokers and insurance agents. The effect of this would be that more advisors like brokers and insurance agents would be unable to rip off consumers (as much). They could still make money just fine; but, if part of their business plan for years has been “steer my unsuspecting clients into higher-priced options they don’t need because I personally will get some sort of kickback,” they would not be allowed to do that any more. This basic rule change would save you, the consumer, a whole lot of money, and is probably one of the most straightforward good rule changes that anyone with an ounce of common sense should be able to get behind, regardless of political ideology. It is a rule change that simply prevents people in positions of trust from ripping people off (as much).

Naturally, Republicans, as the primary paid representatives of the financial industry, oppose this rule. Investment News points out that the Number One opponent of this rule change is the main man, Paul Ryan himself, who has been ratcheting up his public statements against the rule. One thing about Very Simple Rules That Are Clearly Good For the Public is that the tortured reasons offered by people who oppose them are often hilarious! How many ways can you say “I want to protect the right of financial advisors to rip people off?” Here is one way, from Paul Ryan’s website: “Don’t be fooled. In reality, this rule would create more paperwork and record-keeping requirements for planners, meaning higher costs for consumers.” Haha. “We are determined to do everything possible to protect consumers and stop this rule.” HAHA. Literally the opposite of what is true. It is remarkable.

Ryan has also called this rule “an example of massive overkill by the federal government,” presumably in the same way that a rule against theft is massive overkill by the federal government against pickpockets.

In conclusion Paul Ryan is actively working to ensure that your financial advisors are free to continue ripping you off. He is a star on the rise.

[Photo: Getty]


NASCAR's Brian France Doesn't Understand His Own Trump Endorsement

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NASCAR's Brian France Doesn't Understand His Own Trump Endorsement
NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, right, speaks at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga. Photo: AP

NASCAR CEO Brian France’s endorsement of Donald Trump for president doesn’t say anything good about NASCAR’s future—or its present. After we published our piece on the subject, France did an interview with the AP where he basically admitted he has no idea what he’s doing.

http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/nascars-donald...

Really, he doesn’t (emphasis mine):

It’s into that cauldron that France inserted himself and his sport — admittedly without knowing all of what Trump has proposed.

“I don’t even know all their policies, truthfully,” France said. He said he likes Trump’s “business approach” and his status as a Washington outsider. He also cited the electricity around the Trump campaign and a friendship with one of Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr., that dates back nearly two decades.

France then went on to say that he had supported various candidates in the past through attendance at rallies and political donations, including Barack Obama in 2008 and then Mitt Romney four years later, and was “very surprised” that critics have called his diversity efforts into question

(Note: we mostly criticized NASCAR’s diversity efforts, not France’s diversity efforts, while also making the point that NASCAR’s supreme executive management is inseparable from the France family. France disputed that they were one and the same, but now, maybe not so much?)

I’m not sure I buy that France isn’t too familiar with Donald Trump’s political positions. Not only have they received extensive media coverage, but there have been 11 Republican presidential primary debates so far, of which Trump has appeared at 10, along with many more Trump rallies with which to familiarize oneself with his campaign’s policies. There’s even another Republican debate tonight, which France can watch at his leisure, should he wish to actually familiarize himself with what exactly he’s endorsing.

On the chance that France was spurred to talk to the AP based on our criticism, maybe we can give him a head start. From this point on, I’ll address him directly.

Hi Brian!

Before I start, I want you to understand that this is not a judgment upon your own character. I’m sure, if we were to meet, you’d be a nice guy. But when you endorsed Donald Trump the other week, it was unlike any other form of political support you may have given before, and I’ll explain why.

It doesn’t really matter, in the grand scheme of things, whom you endorse for President. You say you supported both Obama in 2008, and Romney in 2012. That’s fine! Really, it is. They had opposing political views, sure, but there’s nothing wrong with changing one’s stance on a political issue. Plenty of people voted for both men at different times.

But Trump, unlike any other presidential candidate since George Wallace (whom your grandfather endorsed, and who uttered the famous line of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,”) has built a platform based almost entirely upon racialist views, along with a long and disturbing history of racist statements. And you spent your first public endorsement—not your first political contribution, but public endorsement —on him, surrounded by NASCAR drivers.

He began his campaign by denouncing Mexican immigrants as “rapists.” He has said that “laziness is a trait in blacks.” He’s insulted Jews. He’s insulted Catholics. He’s insulted Muslims. He’s insulted women. He’s insulted pretty much anyone with a shred of human decency. And that’s not without even getting into his history as a pathological liar, which, whatever, he’s a politician, and the bar is pretty low on that one.

I understand you’re defensive of your record on NASCAR’s diversity program, and that you’ve already spent “millions” on it. Any amount of money spent is more commendable than no money at all, I suppose. But by endorsing Trump, you’ve drawn attention to your efforts, which would inevitably draw criticism of the same. And it’s not a huge leap to wonder why your efforts really aren’t working.

The reason why they’re so blatantly half-assed, for lack of a better term, is your strange notion of what is considered fair in the world of racing. “It would be a conflict of interest,” your spokesman said in 2009, for NASCAR to be supporting individual drivers in the name of diversity while also adjudicating the rule book.

And that’s not an invalid point! It would be a conflict of interest, of sorts, if not merely an appearance of one, for NASCAR to be financially supporting individual drivers. But NASCAR, and the world of racing in general, has never been about fairness. To say that NASCAR is “fair” is to live in a fantasy world. It’s anything but fair.

Do you actually believe that Dale Earnhardt, Jr., a NASCAR star, would’ve made it to the top level of the sport if his father was a middling accountant, instead of one of the greatest legends NASCAR has ever seen? What about Chase Elliott, who appeared at the rally with you, and who’s the son of 1988 Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott? What about Casey Mears, nephew of four-time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears? Or Brad Keselowski, son of former NASCAR driver Bob Keselowski? Or Austin Dillon, grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress?

Or Paul Menard, who has no real family history in NASCAR, but whose family name graces approximately 300 big-box hardware stores across more than 10 states, and whose logo graces his car? Or Michael Annett, whose father is the CEO of TMC Transportation services, which bills itself as the “nation’s largest employee-owned flatbed transportation company,” and has sponsored his race cars throughout his career, up to and including his ride in the NASCAR Sprint Cup?

Whether we like it or not, NASCAR success (and certainly racing is a whole!) seems to follow family connections and money to a degree unheard of in many other sports. Even Michael Jordan’s kid couldn’t hack it in college basketball. There is no fairness in racing.

So to pull the plug on NASCAR drivers from non-traditional backgrounds, right as they take their first big step into NASCAR’s third-highest racing series, is disingenuous at best.

But if we bring it back to why you endorsed Donald Trump to begin with, you said it was because you were a friend of the Trump family, and you don’t necessarily agree with all of his policies. I get that. There have been politicians I’ve voted for, and likely will vote for in the future, who have policies that I don’t agree with, either. And I get why you’d want to support your friends, too. That’s what friends do, right?

You don’t have to vocally endorse your friends’ political positions in the public sphere, though. I disagree with my friends here all the time on Jalopnik. It’s okay, no harm, no foul.

As I said yesterday, I am worried about the harm your endorsement will do to the future of NASCAR. Hopefully people will forget about it, and treat it as a momentary lapse of judgment.

And hopefully, we can all learn from this one.

Correction: This post originally said that Casey Mears was Rick Mears’ son. Casey Mears is Rick Mears’ nephew. We regret the error.


A California D.A. Investigator Just Beat the Shit Out of a Defense Lawyer Inside a Courthouse

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A California D.A. Investigator Just Beat the Shit Out of a Defense Lawyer Inside a Courthouse

The bruised and bloody gentleman in the photo above is James Crawford, a defense attorney who works in Orange County. The photo was taken today, after a brutal encounter Crawford had with an investigator with the Orange County District Attorney’s office.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Crawford was injured this morning in an altercation with an unnamed man inside a courthouse in Santa Ana. The Times cited a lieutenant in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department when it identified the other man as a DA’s investigator.

It is unclear whether the investigator suffered any injuries. According to Jerry Steering, an attorney representing Crawford, the altercation was one-sided. “It wasn’t a fight,” Steering told me over the phone this afternoon. “Do you mean when the investigator kicked my guy’s ass?”

The Times notes that Crawford recently won a victory in court over the DA’s use of jailhouse informants, an ongoing scandal in Orange County. Crawford represented Henry Rodriguez, an accused killer, who was recently given a new trial because prosecutors did not disclose that a key witness in his case was an inmate who had acted as an informant on several other cases.

According to Steering, the investigator remarked to Crawford that defense attorneys are “sleazy,” and Steering responded that Orange County prosecutors are no better. Then, the investigator flicked a paperclip at Crawford, which Crawford threw back.

Then, “He slammed me into a wood bench and punched me repeatedly. … I don’t remember if he was saying anything at the time,” Crawford told the Times. Steering tells the paper that the investigator punched Crawford “like 10 times in the face.”

I asked Steering whether he believed that Crawford’s win in the Rodriguez case had anything to do with the altercation.

“It was a pretty notorious case, and it was less than two weeks ago. And my guy was the guy who made the DA’s office look like criminals, like disgusting, horrible people. So they didn’t like that. I don’t know if that was the reason. Maybe the guy’s girlfriend dumped him, I don’t know,” he answered.

No arrests were made, according to the Times. The Orange County Sheriff’s department is investigating.


Elderly Man Who Sucker-Punched a Protestor at a Trump Rally Charged With Assault

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Elderly Man Who Sucker-Punched a Protestor at a Trump Rally Charged With Assault
mugshot via TMZ

John McGraw, the 78-year-old white man who punched a black protestor at a Donald Trump rally in North Carolina last night, has been booked on charges of misdemeanor assault and battery and disorderly conduct, reports WNCN in Fayetteville.

http://gawker.com/trump-supporte...

Per WNCN, McGraw’s bond was set at $2,500 and he’ll be in court again on April 6. Cumberland County Sheriff Earl “Moose” Butler released the following statement:

No one should be subjected to such a cowardly, unprovoked act as that committed by McGraw. Regardless of political affiliation, speech, race, national origin, color, gender, bad reputation, prior acts, or political demonstration, no other citizen has the right to assault another person or to act in such a way as this defendant did. I hope that the courts will handle this matter with the appropriate severity for McGraw’s severe and gross violation of this victim’s rights.

You tell ‘em, Moose.

The footage of the punch was captured from multiple angles, with this perhaps being the clearest one:

The victim, Rakeem Jones, said he was forcibly escorted out by police, despite being on the other end of the punch. Per the Wall Street Journal, Internal Affairs is looking into the cops’ zealous reactions.


Just Some Good Student Demands

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Just Some Good Student Demands

We’re always in the mood to hear some great college student demands.

Lots of college kids are protesting at lots of colleges these days. Lots of these kids have formed lots of groups that made lots of these demands. Some of them are just very fun to read, is all. And we happen to have some right here. Today: a few demands from the Student Assembly for Power and Liberation at Western Washington University.

  • “[We] call for the creation and full implementation of the College of Power and Liberation... In order to give the college, the resources it needs to be successful we demand a cluster hire of ten tenure track faculty to teach at the college. Until those searches are approved and complete, we demand faculty buy-outs to fulfill CPL class needs that will continue as part of the CPL budget once the cluster hire searches are completed. The Student Assembly for Power and Liberation will have direct input and decision-making power over the hiring of faculty for the College.”

The fact that we enjoy laying back and reading some nice strong student demands doesn’t mean the issues these students are concerned about isn’t real. It doesn’t mean that these issues should not be taken seriously It doesn’t mean that there are not real problems with the way that many institutions are run. It doesn’t mean that protest is bad, or that it is morally superior to scoff at these student movements. It just means that there is nothing more satisfying at the end of a long day than taking in some real student demands of the very highest caliber.

  • “Though many students, staff and faculty members are committed to doing the important yet difficult work of confronting racism, misogyny, trans- and homo-phobia on this campus, the reality is that students have continuously been expected to live in and address these systems of disempowerment while simultaneously being exploited in order to uphold this image of an ‘active mind changing lives’. This work is often done without recognition or compensation for labor, time, and effort. The College of Power and Liberation demands an annually dedicated revenue of $45,000 for compensation of students and faculty doing de-colonial work on campus.”

It’s just fun to read these and enjoyable overall.

  • “We demand the creation and implementation of a 15 persxn paid student committee, The Office for Social Transformation, to monitor, document, and archive all racist, anti- black, transphobic, cissexist, misogynistic, ablest, homophobic, islamophobic, xenophobic, anti-semitism, and otherwise oppressive behavior on campus... The committee will employ a three-strike disciplinary system that corresponds to citations that are processed.”

It’s good to see students getting involved.

[The full petition via Inside Higher Ed. Photo: WWU/ FB]


All the Evidence Suggests the Trump Campaign Is Lying About Manhandling a Reporter

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All the Evidence Suggests the Trump Campaign Is Lying About Manhandling a Reporter

On Tuesday, a conservative reporter accused a Trump campaign staffer of grabbing her arm so hard he left bruises, an allegation that appears to be borne out by photographic evidence. In response, the Trump campaign has been waging an obvious campaign to discredit her, insinuating she made the whole thing up and referring to her as an “attention-seeker” on Twitter—even though the staffer allegedly already admitted manhandling her.

Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, by her own account and that of an eyewitness, was trying to ask Trump a question after a press conference Tuesday when his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, grabbed her arm so hard he almost yanked her to the ground.

Breitbart—which enjoys a cozy relationship with the Trump campaign—responded that night with a subdued, skeptical statement suggesting that if the event had occurred as Fields claimed, Lewandowski should apologize.

One reason to doubt the story, Breitbart suggested, was because Fields initially believed she had been grabbed by a Secret Service agent; Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, who says he witnessed the incident, was the first to correct her.

“As security parted the masses to give him passage out of the chandelier-lit ballroom, Michelle Fields, a young reporter for Trump-friendly Breitbart News, pressed forward to ask the GOP front-runner a question. I watched as a man with short-cropped hair and a suit grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way. He was Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s 41-year-old campaign manager,” Terris wrote today in an article published by the Washington Post. “Fields stumbled. Finger-shaped bruises formed on her arm.”

But just hours after Terris’ report went live, the Trump press secretary Hope Hicks issued a statement claiming there were no witnesses to Fields’ alleged attack, which the statement strongly implied Fields was lying about.

Here’s the statement, emphasis ours:

The accusation, which has only been made in the media and never addressed directly with the campaign, is entirely false. As one of dozens of individuals present as Mr. Trump exited the press conference I did not witness any encounter. In addition to our staff, which had no knowledge of said situation, not a single camera or reporter of more than 100 in attendance captured the alleged incident.

This individual has never met Corey, nor had the only reporter that supposedly identified him. There are often large crowds aggressively seeking access to Mr. Trump and our staff would never do anything to harm another individual, while at the same time understanding that Mr. Trump and his personal space should never be invaded.

This person claims she does not want to be part of the news, and only report it, however if that was the case, any concerns, however unfounded they may be, should have been voiced directly first and not via twitter, especially since no other outlet or reporter witnessed or questioned anything that transpired that evening. We leave to others whether this part of a larger pattern of exaggerating incidents, but on multiple occasions she has become part of the news story as opposed to reporting it. Recall she also claimed to have been beaten by a New York City Police officer with a baton.

Doubling down on the campaign to discredit Fields’ account is Lewandowski himself, who sent out two tweets today accusing Fields of being an “attention seeker.”

Strangely enough, The Daily Beast reports Lewandowski admitted grabbing Fields to Breitbart Washington political editor Matthew Boyle, claiming he thought Fields was “an adversarial member of the mainstream media,” rather than a Breitbart reporter.

And just twenty minutes ago, Politico published a transcript from an audio recording that supports Fields’ and Terris’s accounts.

Terris: “You OK?”

Fields: “Holy sh*t.”

Terris: “Yea he just threw you down.”

Fields: “I can’t believe he just did that that was so hard. Was that Corey?”

Terris: “Yeah, like, what threat were you?”

Fields: “That was insane. You should have felt how hard he grabbed me. That’s insane. I’ve never had anyone do that to me from a campaign.”

Terris: “Can I put that in my story?”

Fields: “Yeah, go for it — that was really awful. That’s so unprofessional.”

Terris: “He really just almost threw you down on the ground.”

That the incident occurred seems certain. That the Trump campaign is lying about it by trying to discredit Fields also seems certain. That Breitbart would prefer to keep Trump on its good side, too, seems certain. But why anyone would work for a publication that would hang its bruised employee out to dry—that’s a question to think about.

http://gawker.com/breitbart-accu...


500 Days of Kristin, Day 411: Kristin The Fabulist

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500 Days of Kristin, Day 411: Kristin The Fabulist

Future published author Kristin Cavallari got her start on the mid-aughts MTV reality programs Laguna Beach and The Hills. She has attempted TV projects twice since then, first with the disastrous Get This Party Started, and later with The Fabulist.

Yes, Kristin Cavallari co-hosted an E! TV show about fashion trends called The Fabulist. It premiered on St. Patrick’s Day in 2014, and it was canceled in May, after eight episodes. Kristin didn’t even show up for the last two shows, according to TV Guide’s records. (She gave birth to her second child, Jaxon Wyatt Cutler, on May 7.)

The name of the show was never fully explained in promotional materials; as far as I can tell, E! execs just thought it sounded fun. Judging by YouTube clips of The Fabulist that still live online, however, the show itself was not. Here, for example, is a deeply confusing segment from the fifth episode in which Kristin, her co-host Orly Shani, chef Rocco DiSpirito, and a pained-looking Chrissy Teigen discuss the Sriracha “trend.” All agree, zombie-like, that Sriracha is “the little black dress of condiments” and “the Tom Ford of hot sauce.” Shani then reveals that Sriracha makes her husband’s “ass explode.”

She later added that co-hosting The Fabulist wasn’t too much work for her, in the grand scheme of things. “[For] the new show I just have to fly to New York once a week and film it, and I’m there only for a night or two, so it’s not too bad,” she said. “It’s an hour and a half flight from Chicago, and luckily the last couple of months that I’ve been busy my husband Jay, he’s been off work. It’s not the football season right now, so that’s actually worked out really well.”

Fabulist!


This has been 500 Days of Kristin.

[Photos via Getty]

Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

A gorgeous smart watch, Logitech surround sound speakers, and a versatile flashlight kick off today’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, and don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter.

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

If you’ve been waiting for a deal on Huawei’s excellent-but-expensive Android Wear smart watch, Amazon’s taking about $100 off the usual prices of several different models today. Just note that this is a Gold Box deal, so don’t waste any time locking in your order. [Huawei Watch, $270-$320]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

We love USB battery packs, and we love Bluetooth speakers, so you can only imagine how we feel about the JBL Charge 2, which combines both into a single product. Today only, you can pick one up for $80 in red or white, matching the best price we’ve ever seen. [JBL Charge 2 - Red, $80. Also available in white]


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Vacuuming is a miserable enough experience without dealing with a cord and all the tangles, trips, and accidental unplugs that come with it, so invest in these cordless 20V Hoover vacuums, marked down to all-time low prices today.

The hand vac is obviously perfect for furniture and your car, while the 2-in-1 upgright includes a hand vac, but also a wheeled base so it can act as your one true vacuum cleaner.

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Here’s your no brainer deal of the day: Buy a $25 Papa John’s gift card for full price, and Groupon will toss in a pair of free one topping pizzas to go with it. Enough said. [$25 Papa John’s Gift Card + 2 Free Pizzas, $25]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

If you hurry, here’s a rare opportunity to save 20% on PSN credit. While you can frequently find better deals on full games from other retailers, this would be a great deal if you like to buy DLC. [2x $50 PSN Gift Cards, $80. Add two to cart and use code CMADNESS10]


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Until very recently, if you wanted an external hard drive with more than 2TB of space, you had no choice but to plug in an external power cord. Now though, you can carry 4TB around in your pocket or bag, with nothing but a USB cable to connect it. [Seagate 4TB Expansion Portable External Hard Drive, $110]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

$18 for a rechargeable Cree LED flashlight would be a pretty good deal under any circumstances, but this one includes a seatbelt cutter, window hammer, and even a 10,400mAh USB battery charger. Plus, it includes IPX6 waterproofing, meaning you could even take it for a swim. [Suaoki 4-in-1 Rechargeable 10,400mAh Cree Led Flashlight, $18 with code SUAOKIA1]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Today you can grab a Fitbit Aria smart scale on Newegg Flash for an all-time low $58, as long as you don’t mind a refurb. The Aria will give you your weight, BMI, and body fat % and of course sync them to your Fitbit app to track changes over time. [Refurb Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Weight/Body Fat/BMI Digital Smart Scale, $58]


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

If you’re curious about the Fitbit ecosystem, you’d be hard pressed to find a better entry price than $45 for a Fitbit Flex. It’s a refurb, but you’re still saving more than $30 off its current price on Amazon. [Refurb Fitbit Flex, $45]

Update: The Fitbit Charge HR is also on sale for $100.


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Update: Sold out

It sounds too good to be true, but this entire 5.1 channel Logitech speaker set is only $50 brand new right now. That’s within a few cents of the popular set’s all time low price, and a fantastic price anyone who wants to experience 5.1 surround sound on a budget. [Logitech Surround Sound Speakers, $50 for Prime members only]


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Even if you’re not much of a photographer, a decent folding tripod is something that everyone should own, and this highly rated Dolica model is marked down to $40 on Amazon today, within $5 of its all-time low. [Dolica Proline Aluminum Ball Head Tripod, $40]

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If you want to use this with your smartphone, we recommend Studio Neat’s Glif.

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

You guys love these USB charging hubs, and Amazon’s discounting a 60W, 6-port model from Photive to $20, today only as part of a Gold Box deal. Go ahead and stock up; these are great for your office, your night stand, and really anywhere around your home. [Photive 60W 6 Port USB Rapid Charger, $20]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Today’s ultra-thin laptops have largely dispatched with ethernet ports, and possibly don’t have as many USB ports as you’d like. Luckily, this attractive and affordable hub will give you both, when you need them. [Inateck Unibody 3 Ports USB 3.0 Hub with Driver-Free RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter, $20 with code VK5JTT8L]

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Hands down, Nespresso is the easiest way to make decent espresso at home, and their Inissia model is on sale at eBay for just $90, if you hurry.

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We’ve seen this model slightly cheaper on rare occasions the past, but it’s still very uncommon to see it dip below $100. [Nespresso Inissia, $90]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Sewing is one of those things everyone should at least try to learn, and Amazon’s top-selling sewing machine is marked down to just $115 today as part of a Gold Box deal.

The Brother CS6000i includes 60 built in stitches, a fully automatic buttonhole mode, and typically sells for around $145. Today’s price is the lowest Amazon’s ever posted, so be sure to grab yours before this deal bursts at the seams. [Brother CS6000i Feature-Rich Sewing Machine With 60 Built-In Stitches, 7 styles of 1-Step Auto-Size Buttonholes, Quilting Table, and Hard Cover, $115]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

This unique measuring cup doubles as a kitchen scale, so you can work seamlessly with both volume and weight-based recipes. My mom had this when I went home for the holidays, and she said it worked great. [Etekcity 11lb/5kg Digital 6-cup Measuring Cup & Kitchen Food Scale, $13 with code YSHAOXED]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

It’s time to work off your winter blubber, and this $13 resistance band set can turn just about any room into a complete home gym. [Gonex Resistance Bands Set For Legs, Weight Loss Or Body Building, $13 with code AL243KDE]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

If buying a movie ticket in your town on Fandango costs more than $8 (including Fandango’s convenience fee), you stand to save money with this deal from Groupon. [Two Fandango Movie Tickets, $16. $26 maximum value.]

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Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

You can probably live without this aluminum phone stand on your desk or nightstand, but for $3, why would you want to? [Ecandy Solid Aluminum Desktop Smartphone Stand, $3 with code 6GZKNB8B]

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If you haven’t picked up a copy of Black Ops III yet, Amazon has the PS4 version down to an all-time low $33. Honestly, it’s probably worth it just for the zombies mode. [Call of Duty Black Ops III, $33]

http://www.amazon.com/Call-Duty-Blac...


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Simplehuman dominated the nominations in our recent kitchen trash cans Kinja Co-Op, and Amazon’s running rare discounts on several different models today, plus a handful of soap dispensers and kitchen accessories to match.

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

Simplehuman sales are pretty rare, so if you’ve had one of these on your wishlist, I wouldn’t hesistate. Head over to this post to see the full list of deals.

http://deals.kinja.com/class-up-your-...


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Uniqlo makes some of the most comfortable polo shirts out there, and a whole bunch of them are marked down to $20 today, with free shipping on orders of $99 or more. [Uniqlo Polo Sale]


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

If you still haven’t picked up a pair of Audio-Technica’s coveted Audio-ATH-M50x headphones, Groupon’s offering open box models for just $100 today, one of the best prices we’ve ever seen. Plus, new accounts can save an extra $10 with code WELCOME. [Audio-Technica M50x Headphones, $100]

http://co-op.kinja.com/the-best-headp...


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

USB ports are requisite inclusions on most surge protectors these days, but these Bestek models go the extra mile by including Quick Charge 2.0 support as well. The six-outlet one would be perfect for your desk at the office, while the two-outlet model looks idea for travel.

BESTEK 2-Outlet Portable Travel Surge Protector With Quick Charge 2.0 ($14) | Amazon | Promo code ZURTSRUI

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

BESTEK 6-Outlet Surge Protector With Quick Charge 2.0 ($19) | Amazon | Promo code CLUJ2N6T. Grey model available for the same price with code LKVGWIWW


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Today on Newegg’s eBay storefront, if you buy a 1TB Xbox One Holiday Bundle (which includes three games) for its $400 MSRP, you’ll get a copy of The Division, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and Rainbow Six Siege for free. That’s six games to start your collection! [Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle + The Division + Rainbow Six Siege + Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, $400]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3815615209...


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Amazon’s Fire HD 6 is a penny-pinching tablet buyer’s dream, and Amazon’s offering it for just $70 today, or $30 less than usual. While Amazon does offer a cheaper 7" Fire tablet for $50, the Fire HD has a sharper screen, a faster processor, and slightly better battery life. [Kindle Fire HD 6, $70]

http://gizmodo.com/amazon-fire-hd...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KC6I06S/...


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

If you want to dip your toes into the world of electric toothbrushes, Philips’ entry level Sonicare Essence line is a great value at $35. I’ve been using this brush for years, and I still love it. [Philips Sonicare Essence Toothbrush, $35 after $5 coupon]

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


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Nothing will ever make your cat love you, but if you buy her this heated cat bed, she might at least tolerate you. It only uses 4 watts of power, which means you can leave it on all day while you’re at work, and only pay a few extra pennies per month in electricity. We’ve seen this on sale a few times before, but it usually sells out fairly quickly. [K&H Thermo-Kitty Heated Cat Bed, $21]

http://jezebel.com/stupid-shit-iv...

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


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

The next wave of discounted Nintendo Selects Wii U and 3DS titles come out later this week, but if you’re a Prime member and you preorder from Amazon, you can save an additional 20%. Discount shown at checkout.

Wii U

3DS

The same 20% discount applies to all preorder and newly released games on Amazon; check out our gaming release calendar for the full list.

http://deals.kinja.com/calendar-of-up...


Today's Best Deals: Android Wear, Surround Sound Speakers, Simplehuman, and More

Warm weather is on the horizon, which means it’s nearly iced coffee season. This $17 Takeya can brew four servings of the good stuff in your refrigerator overnight, and boasts a solid 4.4 star review average on Amazon. [Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker, 1-Quart, $17]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFLY64U/...

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Tiny Trump Supporter Burned Hard Live on CNN: "You're Sitting in a Booster Chair Right Now"

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Racism, xenophobia, and jokes about killing political protestors are not funny, but sick-burning a Trump booster on national television because he’s sitting in a booster seat is VERY funny. That’s just the way it is.

Andy Dean (above, left) is a former contestant on The Apprentice, where he groveled before the man whom he would later work for as president of Trump Productions. Now, he’s a professional stooge who bickers with TV hosts like Anderson Cooper.

He’s also, according to former Jeb Bush campaign worker Tim Miller, the kind of guy who requests a booster seat on CNN so that he will appear taller than he really is.

Does laughing at this great dis somehow debase us, dragging us to the same degraded level of cruelty that Trump inhabits, as the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent suggests?

No. It is completely OK to laugh at this burn.

h/t Greg Sargent who is not so great at analogies


Turns Out Mysteriously Dead Russian Guy Was Murdered

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Turns Out Mysteriously Dead Russian Guy Was Murdered
Still: YouTube

Mikhail Lesin, the co-founder of the state-funded television network RT and ex-Vladimir Putin confidant who was discovered dead in Washington D.C. last November, was killed by blunt force trauma to his head and torso, a medical examiner announced today.

http://gawker.com/russian-media-...

This finding runs counter to the originally stated reason for Lesin’s death, which was that he died of a “heart stroke.” As Buzzfeed’s Miriam Elder points out, Russian media—including Lesin’s old network, RT—quoted only “a family member” in reporting that Lesin had died of natural causes. Further, RT, citing the state-owned news agency TASS, stated that “police found no signs of foul play,” which seems like it can’t possibly have been true.

Before founding RT (formerly known as Russia Today), Lesin was a press minister in Putin’s cabinet and also ran Gazprom-Media, Russia’s largest state-owned media property. Putin, of course, has long been suspected in the high-profile poisonings of ex-secret agent Alexander Litvinenko, who died, and Viktor Yushchenko, a Ukrainian politician who survived his attempted assassination, to say nothing of the several journalists who have wound up dead during Putin’s presidency.


Contact the author at jordan@gawker.com.

6 Killed, Including Pregnant Woman, After Gunmen Open Fire on Pennsylvania Cookout

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6 Killed, Including Pregnant Woman, After Gunmen Open Fire on Pennsylvania Cookout
Screenshot: AP

Eight people were shot—five fatally, including a pregnant woman—in a shooting at a backyard cookout in Wilkinsburg, Pennslyvania, on Wednesday night. According to the Associated Press, the medical examiner ruled the death of the fetus a homicide on Thursday, bringing the number of those killed to six.

Authorities believe there were two gunmen, targeting one or two of the victims. Three men and one woman were found dead on the back porch, NBC News reports, and one woman was pronounced dead at a hospital. Two men were described as being in critical condition, and a woman who had been wounded was released from the hospital.

“It looks like, right now, they were all fleeing toward the back door of the residence when the second gunman fired from the side of the yard, and they all seemed to get caught on the back porch,” Allegheny County police Lt. Andrew Schurman said at a press conference.

“The murders were planned. They were calculated, brutal,” District Attorney Stephen Zappala said. From the AP:

Four women, one of them eight months’ pregnant, and a man were killed as they rushed toward the back porch to seek cover as a gunman fired a .40-caliber pistol at as many as 15 adults who were playing cards and having a late-night cookout.

That steered the victims toward the rear porch and door of the house, where an accomplice armed with a 7.62 mm rifle similar to an AK-47 shot them from behind a chain-link fence less than 10 feet from the porch, Zappala said.

Neither weapon has been found.

The man with the rifle aimed high throughout the barrage of bullets. Four of the dead were found on the tiny back porch.

“They were all head shots,” Zappala said.

Three of those killed were siblings: Brittany Powell, 27, whose home was the site of the shooting; Jerry Shelton, 35; and the pregnant Chanetta Powell, 25. “My whole family was massacred,” their mother, Jessica Shelton, said. Also killed were Tina Shelton, 37, and Shada Mahone, 26.

Wilkinsburg, a poorer suburb of Pittsburgh, has a reputation for drug trafficking and violence, but locals said that this particular neighborhood was usually quiet. The gunmen are still at large, and police have not determined a motive.


Trump Supporter Who Sucker-Punched Protestor: “We Might Have to Kill Him” 

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Trump Supporter Who Sucker-Punched Protestor: “We Might Have to Kill Him” 
Image: Inside Edition

On Wednesday, John McGraw, the Trump supporter who sucker-punched a black protestor, Rakeem Jones, told Inside Edition after the Fayetteville, North Carolina, rally that Jones deserved it. “The next time we see him, we might have to kill him,” McGraw said.

The 78-year-old, who was booked today on charges of misdemeanor assault and battery and disorderly conduct, said he had enjoyed the campaign event: “You bet I liked it. Knocking the hell out of that big mouth.”

Asked why he had punched Jones, McGraw said: “Number one, we don’t know if he’s ISIS. We don’t know who he is, but we know he’s not acting like an American, cussing me...If he wants it laid out, I laid it out.”

“He deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.”

According to the New York Times, police said that McGraw makes holsters and puts on firearms demonstrations. His nickname is “Quick Draw.”

Later at the same rally, the Times reports, Trump mourned the passing of “the good old days” when “this doesn’t happen,” as other protestors were removed. “They used to treat them very, very rough, and when they protested once, they would not do it again so easily.”

A campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, said that the campaign had “no control” over what Trump’s supporters do. “We obviously discourage any kind of physical contact or engagement with protesters,” she said.

Obviously.


Another Victim of Trump’s Bullying Lines Up to Support Him

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Another Victim of Trump’s Bullying Lines Up to Support Him

According the Washington Post, Dr. Ben Carson plans to endorse his good friend Donald Trump, who once compared him to a pedophile. Carson joins New Jersey Governor Chris Christie among the hostages Trump has taken.

Carson will announce his endorsement on Friday morning, the Post reports, citing two people “familiar with his thinking.” This comes as a bit of a surprise, as Trump spent much of the fall casting doubt on the tales Carson has told about himself.

http://gawker.com/why-wont-anyon...

However, the two reportedly set aside their differences in a private meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida—not far from Carson’s home in West Palm Beach.

“There’s two Donald Trumps. There’s the Donald Trump that you see on television and who gets out in front of big audiences, and there’s the Donald Trump behind the scenes,” Carson said in an appearance on Fox News radio later on Thursday.

“They’re not the same person. One’s very much an entertainer, and one is actually a thinking individual.”

Could the Dream Ticket finally be in the offing? Maybe. Or maybe this just a way of getting back at Ted Cruz for his Iowa fuckery.

Update – 9:18 pm

Trump confirmed during tonight’s debate that Carson will endorse him tomorrow morning.


Yale Men's Basketball Captain Reportedly Expelled for Sexual Misconduct 

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Yale Men's Basketball Captain Reportedly Expelled for Sexual Misconduct 

For the better part of a month, rumors have been churning through Yale’s campus on the absence of men’s basketball captain Jack Montague, whose expulsion was confirmed by his father last week. On Wednesday evening, the New York Times reported that the expulsion was in connection to a sexual misconduct case; Thursday morning, the Yale Daily News also reported that Montague was expelled for sexual misconduct following a decision by the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC).

According to the YDN, whose report includes an in-depth explanation of UWC procedures, the complaint was filed in November, and Montague was expelled in early February.

A formal complaint was filed against Montague with the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct in November of 2015, several months after an incident of alleged misconduct occurred. The decision to expel him was made on Feb. 10, 2016, and a week later the UWC chose not to hear Montague’s appeal of the decision, according to sources familiar with the facts of the case. It remains unclear if the November formal complaint was the only complaint brought before the UWC.

No other details are publicly available, but, according to Yale’s fall sexual misconduct report, which provides a summary of sexual misconduct complaints brought forward between July and December of 2015, four formal complaints were brought to the UWC against Yale college students during that time period; all were categorized under “sexual assault.”

Both the student who filed the complaint and Montague declined to comment to the YDN; Yale dean Jonathan Holloway declined to confirm the reasons for Montague’s expulsion to the YDN. Last week, Montague’s father characterized the reasons behind his son’s expulsion as “ridiculous.”

Over the past week and a half, posters have appeared on Yale’s campus accusing the men’s basketball team of “supporting a rapist”; prior to the first wave of posters, the basketball team wore t-shirts bearing Montague’s nickname “Gucci” and his number, as well as “Yale” spelled backwards (the university claims to have had no knowledge of the shirts beforehand). At the end of a high-profile game against Columbia this past weekend, members of the basketball team put up four fingers to represent Montague; guard Khaliq Ghani had “Gucci” written on his wrist tape and told Sports Illustrated that Montague is “still the captain of our team.”

More posters sprang up around campus this week, and on Wednesday the men’s basketball team released a statement:

“Yale Men’s Basketball fully supports a healthy, safe and respectful campus climate where all students can flourish. Our recent actions to show our support for one of our former teammates were not intended to suggest otherwise, but we understand that to many students they did. We apologize for the hurt we have caused and we look forward to learning and growing from these recent incidents. As student representatives of Yale we hope to use our positions on and off the court in a way that can make everyone proud.”

Also on Wednesday, prior to the release of the statement, a “chalk-in” was organized by several groups on campus to support survivors of sexual violence. Clarifying to the YDN on Thursday that the event was not specifically in response to Montague’s expulsion but rather a space to broaden the discussion into Yale’s overall sexual climate, USAY co-director Helen Price said: “Rape culture didn’t just suddenly emerge in the last month, and people have been negatively affected by Yale’s sexual climate for a long time.”

Yale, like many, many schools around the country, has in the past struggled to properly address sexual misconduct on campus.

In 2011, on the heels of the Yale chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon’s infamous “No means yes, yes means anal” chant, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation into Yale’s handling of sexual violence; the school also established the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Assault that year to better handle complaints. In 2013, the university was also fined $155,000 for failing to report all sexual violence crimes on campus between 2001 and 2002, which is a violation of the Clery Act. That same year, Jezebel reported that six Yale students were found guilty of “nonconsensual sex” and none were expelled.

More recently, in April 2015, the Yale Daily News launched a lengthy investigation into a sexual harassment verdict against the SAE fraternity and found a number of issues with the school’s approach, including Yale’s reported reluctance to enforce punishments or hold the fraternity publicly accountable. “Confidentiality protected the identities of the individuals involved, but it hindered the administration in providing a timely and accurate portrayal of what happened as a means of educating the Yale community,” the report claimed.

A few months after the SAE investigation, which was based on confidential UWC documents leaked by a student, the Yale Daily News reported in October that UWC procedures had been updated to strengthen their confidentiality clause.

A footnote in the procedures document reads:

Modified the procedures to require the parties to a UWC proceeding, and all members of the Yale community, to maintain the confidentiality of the documents prepared by, prepared for, or received from the UWC. Confidentiality of the UWC proceedings is essential to the effective discharge of the UWC’s functions and allows the UWC to make decisions free of external influence of any sort. (Section 3)

Yale’s general statement on the confidentiality of UWC proceedings reads, in part:

If parties or witnesses fear that their participation or testimony in a UWC proceeding could be revealed, then concerns about reputation, social tension, or retaliation may cause them to keep silent. Every member of the University community should recognize that breaches of confidentiality hurt the participants and have the potential to erode respect for the UWC process.

Adam Goldstein, attorney advocate for the Student Press Law Center, told Jezebel in an interview that confidentiality policies surrounding sexual misconduct adjudication are notoriously thorny at universities around the country—“They say that everything about this process has to be secret, including the thing where we require you to agree to the secrecy.”

Goldstein continued: “The way the Clery Act is written, it requires schools to have the process available, and they can’t make access to that process conditional on a willingness to maintain confidentiality. The accuser always has the right to walk out of that process and say, ‘this is what happened to me.’” According to S. Daniel Carter, an independent consultant who filed both the UVA and Georgetown complaints as a victim advocate with the organization Security on Campus, such statements have not historically tended to spur legal action from the accused; however, “it is possible.”

In cases over the past 12 years, including those at Georgetown, UVA, and Otterbein, the Department of Education has consistently ruled that, under the terms of the Clery Act, schools cannot require sexual assault victims to keep the results of disciplinary hearings confidential as a precondition of their ability to access those proceedings (this is reiterated on page 144 of the 2011 DOE Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting).

In Yale’s case, however, the school specifically requires that documents from the proceedings remain confidential, a matter the DOE has not appeared to address. Yale is also among schools that cite the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prohibits the improper disclosure of personally identifiable information taken from education records, as a reason they don’t comment on sexual misconduct cases.

When asked for comment on Yale’s confidentiality policy, questioned as to whether Yale has students entering UWC proceedings sign nondisclosure forms, and asked for comment on the reported reasons behind Montague’s expulsion, press secretary Tom Conroy replied with a link to this May 2015 statement on Yale’s confidentiality policy. (UPDATE: An Education Department spokesperson also responded to a request for comment on UWC confidentiality policies, saying that the department cannot provide an advisory opinion, that there are exceptions to FERPA’s provisions, and that the department will investigate and act upon potential violations of the Clery Act.)

Broad Recognition, a feminist magazine at Yale, published an op-ed on March 3 titled “Frustrating Silence” that, while applauding the “noble intentions” of Yale’s confidentiality rules, questioned their effect in an environment overwhelmed by then-unsubstantiated rumors.

On a campus where students share information using methods from Yik Yak posts to signs and T-Shirts, are expectations of confidentiality realistic? Furthermore, at a time when victims of sexual misconduct increasingly feel comfortable fighting back against the victim-shaming associated with reporting, and many students decry the lack of public information on verified campus rapists, who does secrecy protect?

The answer to that question remains unclear. In their current iteration, do these policies really protect students’ confidentiality, or do they simply serve to protect the reputations of universities—while implicitly encouraging students to believe whatever unverified narrative aligns with their preexisting views on sexual violence?

The procedure of adjudicating sexual assault claims remains fraught, but Montague’s expulsion seems to represent an important shift in the power dynamic on campus. In the past, Yale has appeared reluctant to expel students for any reason, and just one student was expelled for sexual misconduct in 2015. And, according to a recent survey of 27 colleges, 23 percent of Yale undergraduate women have been victims of sexual misconduct as a result of force, threats of force or incapacitation. The fact that a senior team captain was reportedly expelled for sexual misconduct, right in the middle of a potentially historic season for the Yale basketball team, could be taken as a sign that meaningful change is underway.


Image via Getty.

Reported Brooklyn Building Collapse Possibly a Hoax 

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The FDNY responded to a reported partial building collapse at 901 Myrtle Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, near Marcy Avenue, tonight, according to NBC 4 New York. However, ABC News’ Bill Ritter reported on Twitter that the apparent collapse was a “hoax.”

Fire officials told NBC 4 that one person was being treated for minor injuries at the scene—a vacant building under construction.



Marco Rubio Doesn't Care About Florida—or Anyone

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Marco Rubio, junior senator from Florida, which is sinking in to the sea, glibly dismissed a direct question tonight about legislative measures he would take to ameliorate climate change. Marco Rubio is a climate-change denier.

According to Newsweek, rising waters in South Florida will overtake about $69 billion worth of property in less than 15 years:

About 2.4 million people in the Miami area live less than 4 feet above the high-tide line, and the ocean is expected to rise between 6.6 and 30 feet by 2100. Eighty-four years is a long time, but water doesn’t rise like that all at once. It is already happening. Inch by inch, the slow inundation of Miami has begun, affecting infrastructure and life in one of the world’s sexiest cities.

A very small group of people—one of whom may be president—pose an active, existential threat not only to those whose interests they claim to represent but the entire human race.


Trump Says His Goon Supporters Beat Up Protesters Because They Deserve It

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Asked tonight whether he uses rhetoric that might encourage violence at his campaign rallies, Donald Trump said, “I hope not. I truly hope not.” He also seemed to imply that any protestors who are on the receiving end of Trump-supporter violence were probably themselves being violent.

Speaking of his more aggressive fans, Trump said, “There’s some anger. There’s also great love for the country. It’s a beautiful thing in many respects.”


Jessica Alba's Honest Company Inc. Used an Ingredient it Promised Not to in Their Detergent

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Jessica Alba's Honest Company Inc. Used an Ingredient it Promised Not to in Their Detergent

Jessica Alba, a woman who was once unlucky enough to star in a movie with Dane Cook, is now facing controversy for something that sucks less than having to actually kiss Dane Cook (but not by much). Her business venture Honest Company Inc., which is valuated at roughly $1.7 billion, is under fire for using an ingredient in their line of detergents which the company promised not to include in their products.

An investigation conducted by The Wall Street Journal revealed that sodium lauryl sulfate, the forbidden compound, turns up in trace tests conducted by Impact Analytical and Chemir, two labs that WSJ consulted for an ingredient breakdown. Even worse: the chemical is anything but “trace.”

The inclusion of sodium lauryl sulfate in Honest’s purportedly hypoallergenic detergent runs counter to the company’s policy of transparency. Alba’s company lists it as an embargoed chemical on their “Honestly free of” label, an organically-minded marketing tactic Honest uses against household mainstays like Clorox and Tide.

“Our findings support that there is a significant amount of sodium lauryl sulfate,” said Barbara Pavan, a chemist from Impact Analytical, in the WSJ exclusive.

“It was not a trace amount,” added a chemist at the aptly-named Chemir named Matthew Hynes.

Sodium lauryl sulfate is known to cause skin irritation to some who come in contact with the compound, and although it was once investigated by the American Cancer Society as a possible carcinogen. SLS, as it is also known, is found in many hair shampoos and toothpastes.

As WSJ reported, the appearance of SLS could possibly link to the company’s chemical supplier, a company named Trichormatic West Inc.:

“Honest said its manufacturing partners and suppliers have provided assurances that its products don’t contain SLS beyond possible trace amounts. Honest provided the Journal with a document it said was from its detergent manufacturer, Earth Friendly Products LLC, that stated there was zero ‘SLS content’ in the product. Earth Friendly in turn said the document came from its own chemical supplier, a company called Trichromatic West Inc., which it relied on to test and certify that there was no SLS.”

As for Trichormatic’s response?

“Trichromatic told the Journal the certificate wasn’t based on any testing and there was a ‘misunderstanding’ with the detergent maker. It said the ‘SLS content’ was listed as zero because it didn’t add any SLS to the material it provided to Earth Friendly and ‘there would be no reason to test specifically for SLS.’ It said the product in question ‘was fairly and honestly represented’ to its customer.”

So far, Alba’s company has denied that SLS is an ingredient in their detergents, and “disagreed with the methods used by the Journal’s labs.”

“We do not make our products with sodium lauryl sulfate,” said Kevin Ewell, Honest’s research and development manager.

tl;dr: everyone is throwing everyone under the bus, as you do.


Image via Getty.

Donald Trump Thinks Female Reporter Manhandled By Campaign Manager "Made It Up"

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Donald Trump Thinks Female Reporter Manhandled By Campaign Manager "Made It Up"
Photo: AP

The Trump campaign continued gaslighting Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields on Thursday, who has accused campaign manager Corey Lewandowski of grabbing her so hard she was left bruised. “Perhaps she made the story up,” Trump told CNN’s Dylan Byers. “I think that’s what happened.”

Fields says that Lewandowski pulled her away from Trump when she tried to ask him a question about affirmative action on Tuesday. Her account is corroborated by Washington Post reporter Ben Terris.

http://gawker.com/all-the-eviden...

Despite overwhelming evidence that what Fields said happened did in fact happen—and setting aside the fact that Fields works for a publication that is remarkably friendly to Trump, and therefore has even less reason to lie about something like this than someone normally would—the Trump campaign has quintupled-down on its version of events.

And all of this after Donald Trump’s most “civil” debate so far.


Ben Carson Endorses Donald Trump?

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Ben Carson Endorses Donald Trump?

Ben Carson—a man Donald Trump once compared to a child molester—just endorsed Donald Trump, calling Trump’s accusations “political stuff.”

“We buried the hatchet,” Carson said. “I do recognize that it is part of the process. We move on.”

Carson also suggested there are “two Donald Trumps”: The one we have to deal with and one that’s more “cerebral.”

“I’m a big thinker,” Trump confirmed after the endorsement.

Trump also denied making a deal with Carson in exchange for the endorsement but did say, “Ben’s going to have a big part” in the campaign.


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