Twitter's hate machine, the latest on Hillary's emails, and Weekend Whats.
We all know that there are many people who find themselves in the crosshairs of online hate campaigns. We see the headlines or read their complaints. But every now and then it’s worth hitting pause and taking a hard look at just how extreme this hate can get — and consider how a platform for free speech has, in many cases, been transformed into a hate machine. David French and his family saw this extremity firsthand after he wrote a piece criticizing the alt right. He joined Terry Gross to explain the reality of what it’s like out there: “I began to see images, for example, of my youngest daughter, who we adopted from Ethiopia many years ago, who at the time was 7 years old – images of her in a gas chamber with a – Donald Trump in an SS uniform about to push the button to kill her. I saw images of her Photoshopped or, you know, artist’s rendering of her face in slave fields.” And believe it or not, it got worse.
October Surprise: This. Never. Ends.
Hillary Clinton has been criticized for not connecting with average Americans. Well, she definitely has one thing in common with them. Neither will ever reach Inbox Zero. Yes, there are new emails that may or may not be related to Hillary’s private email server controversy (though the emails in question were not from her private server) that are being looked at by the FBI. The investigation is not quite yet being re-opened, but it might be. Confused about exactly what this means? So are some of the folks reporting the story, as evidenced by this WaPo headline: FBI to take new ‘investigative steps’ on Clinton email. The news hurricane started minutes after FBI Director James Comey wrote a letter to Congressional leaders stating: “I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.” This election is like watching the Washington Generals play the Cleveland Browns. Eleven days to go…
+ So if the communication in question didn’t come from Hillary’s email server, then where did it come from? Well, in a twist that is oddly perfect for this particular campaign season: The New Emails in Clinton Case Came From Anthony Weiner’s Electronic Device.
+ Donald Trump: This is bigger than Watergate. (You know what else is bigger than Watergate? The headache this election is giving me.)
Weekend Whats
What to Hear: Every now and then you go to a concert, and the opening act comes on and just absolutely owns the room from the first few seconds of their set — the talking stops, the camera phones come out, and the audience locks in. It’s rare, but it’s amazing to see. That happened last night when Bishop Briggs took the stage at the Fillmore in San Francisco. You may have heard her single River. Here’s a live version of that song. Here she is performing a song called Hi-Low at a music festival in Denver. And finally, Wild Horses from a recent episode of Late Night with Seth Myers.
+ What to Read: A five-part series from WaPo: Dragnets, Dirty Harrys and Dying Hard: 100 years of the police in pop culture.
+ What to Podcast: Jim Rome now shares the best of his talkshow via a 30 minute podcast. It’s excellent.
+ What to Gram: My sister is an excellent artist. Lately, she’s been sharing her small paintings on Instagram. Give her a follow at BeckySketchy.
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Chart
“I had been telling my client you can count on being convicted. You don’t walk into a federal court and win a case like this. It just doesn’t happen.” So said one of the lawyers representing the men on trial for the armed takeover of Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Well, he was wrong. They didn’t get convicted, in a decision that one of their own lawyers called off the charts unbelievable.
The Shorter Version
This is supposed to be the golden age when technology extends our lives and makes our golden years more enjoyable. So this is a major downer: It turns out our life expectancies have been getting shorter. (On the plus side, that means a decrease in the total amount of political news one has to endure during the average lifespan.)
Hacking Toast, Gromit
“I switched on the server at 1:12 p.m. Wednesday, fully expecting to wait days — or weeks — to see a hack attempt. Wrong! The first one came at 1:53 p.m. The Atlantic on a fake web toaster and the inevitability of being hacked.
Big
“The heated competition for our attention and for advertising dollars is increasingly pitting traditional media and entertainment stalwarts against Internet and telecom giants. And some media companies are once again seeking refuge in larger conglomerates.” As AT&T looks to acquire TimeWarner, NPR has a chart that maps out our ever expanding media landscape — that’s owned by an ever shrinking number of conglomerates.
No More Stall Tactics
Who can and can’t use school bathrooms has become a major issue in America. And the Supreme Court just agreed to hear a case related to the topic: “A school district in rural Virginia is urging the justices to rule that it cannot be ordered to let transgender students use bathrooms that match their gender identities.”
When Junior Goes Viral
“Now when I post photos of him on Facebook, I show him the photo and get his okay. I get to approve tags and photos of myself I want posted — why not my child?” NPR poses this question: Do parents invade children’s privacy when they post photos online? (My kids don’t care about their privacy. They care how many Likes they get.)
Bottom of the News
“The costumes sold fast, so the next year he doubled down on the concept, leasing an out-of-the-way space in a nearby shopping mall and setting up what’s known today as a pop-up shop.” Bloomberg looks back at how Halloween stores conquered America.
+ McSweeney’s: “As you know, we recently expanded our Casual Fridays policy to include Casual Sexism Fridays. In addition to a more relaxed dress code, employees are now allowed to engage in mild discriminatory behavior (on Fridays only.)”
+ “While flying home, he said he was looking at the sky while everyone was sound asleep, some snoring, and he heard a voice that said ‘if you don’t stop epithets, I will bring this plane down now.'” Philippine leader Duterte says God told him to stop cursing. (In any other year, that would be crazy enough to top the news…)
+ And finally, the 1993 yearbook photo that predicted the Cubs would win the 2016 World Series.
