Will There Ever Be True Justice for Tyre Nichols?
We now know when the five ex-cops charged with his murder will face a judge. Plus, J.K. Rowling tweets up a storm equating trans women with rapists. And: The secret gay backstory of "The Way We Were"
Thanks for rising up on this Jan. 30, 2023, the last Monday of the month. On this date in 1972, British Army paratroopers shot and killed 13 unarmed civil rights demonstrators in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. All of those killed were Roman Catholics, and the day came to be known as Bloody Sunday.
Here Now The News:
ARRESTS. VIDEOS. PROTESTS. NOW, WHAT? Ex-officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith are scheduled to appear for a bond arraignment at 10 a.m. on Feb. 17 before Shelby County Judge James Jones. The five men — each charged with second-degree murder in the violent death of Tyre Nichols, 29, among other charges — have been free on bond since being booked and released on Thursday. — Fox News
HOW COULD THEY DO THAT? Because they thought they could. — Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun Times penned this must-read op-ed.
MEMPHIS POLICE CHIEF DISBANDS SCORPION UNIT: The special patrol to which the five cops were assigned was aimed at stopping violence. — NYT
REMEMBER THIS QUOTE? "True justice, of course, would be George Floyd being alive today," said Dr. Freddy Haynes of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, following the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. "True justice would be ensuring that what happened to him never takes place again." So again, the question remains: Is true justice even possible?
FAMILY LAWYER CALLS ON CONGRESS: "How many of these tragedies do we have to see on video before we say, 'We have a problem, America?'" asked Ben Crump, attorney representing the family of Tyre Nichols. Yesterday on CNN, he called on Congress to pass police reform legislation which stalled in the Senate after twice passing in the Democrat-controlled House. The measure would limit qualified immunity for officers, restrict the types of force they can use and make it easier for the Justice Department to investigate police misconduct. “Shame on us if we don’t use his tragic death to finally get the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed.” — CNN
MOSTLY PEACEFUL PROTESTS FOLLOW RELEASE OF VIDEO: Check out the links to photos in last night’s “Bedtime Stories” edition of RiseUP.
In Other News:
SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: 13 is too young to be on social media — CNN
MOLOTOV COCKTAIL HURLED AT NEW JERSEY TEMPLE: NYT
TESLA SPONTANEOUSLY BURSTS INTO FLAMES ON FREEWAY: KCRA
Politicukoos
ELON MUSK APOLOGIZES FOR PAUL PELOSI TWEET: Business Insider
McCONNELL AND SENATE GOP LEAVING DEBT LIMIT TALKS TO HOUSE: The Hill
REP. ILHAN OMAR ACCUSES SPEAKER McCARTHY OF USING PLAYBOOK “USED BY DEMAGOGUES THROUGHOUT HISTORY:” The Hill
World Watch
BORIS YELTSIN SAYS PUTIN THREATENED U.K. MISSILE STRIKE: BBC
GERMAN CHANCELLOR SAYS NO TO FIGHTER JETS FOR UKRAINE: Al Jazeera
ISRAEL’S CABINET VOTES TO SEAL HOME OF PALESTINIAN SUSPECT: Times of Israel
INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS FLY 13 HOURS, ONLY TO LAND BACK WHERE THEY STARTED: Fox News
Airline Aisle Walk of Shame
JETBLUE GATE AGENT TAKES ACTION AFTER PASSENGER STEALS HIS PHONE CHARGER: View From The Wing
One Small Step At A Time
HOW IS NASA SELECTING ASTRONAUTS TO RETURN TO MOON? — CNN
LGBTQ+ Review
THE GAY WE WERE: Editor Trudy Ring reports in The Advocate about a new book uncovering the backstory of the beloved 50-year-old movie, The Way We Were, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. Veteran entertainment journalist Robert Hofler reveals not only the behind-the-scenes drama, but also the 1973 film’s secret gay origins.
Trans World
J.K. ROWLING’S 12+ TWEETS IN 24 HOURS: The Harry Potter creator spent her weekend tweeting about U.K. prisons “locking women in with convicted rapists and other male-bodied sex offenders,” as well as engaging with fans and detractors about “violent, duplicitous rapists,” A.K.A. trans women. Does Rowling even care what her critics think anymore? Here’s your answer:
EDDIE REDMAYNE’S REGRET: The actor who played a transgender pioneer in The Danish Girl — and who, in 2020, joined other actors denouncing J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views —has stopped defending his choice to take on the role of Lili Elbe, and wants people to know “transgender women are women.” — PinkNews
THEY FINALLY ADMIT IT: Opponents of gender-affirming care for trans people went on the record with The New York Times about their true motives, and Alejandra Caraballo of Harvard made note of it on Twitter:
ABC News Exec “On Thin Ice”
THE ANCHORS’ SECRET AFFAIR WASN’T A SECRET TO HIM: Semafor co-founder and editor-in-chief Ben Smith quotes sources in his latest and always excellent Semafor Media post, who say one executive knew former GMA3 co-hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes were more than just friends:
“The buck for ABC’s morning show mess appears likely to stop with a top talent executive. Three people with knowledge of dynamics at the network told Semafor that current talent VP Galen Gordon is on thin ice, after president Kim Godwin learned that Gordon had been aware of the romantic relationship between hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach before the news was reported by the Daily Mail last year. Gordon didn’t respond to an inquiry and ABC declined to comment…”
That’s all for today! I’ll be back tomorrow morning with more. Until then, may your news be good news!
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