Extra, Extra
Revictimized: “He introduced himself as Officer Rodney Vicknair. His New Orleans Police Department cruiser was waiting outside, ready to take her to the hospital for a rape kit. Early that morning, the girl said, a 17-year-old friend had forced himself on her.
Under the police department’s rules, a case like this was supposed to be handled from the start by a detective trained in sex crimes or child abuse. But on this afternoon in May of 2020, it was Vicknair, a patrol officer with a troubled past, who knocked on the girl’s door.” WaPo (Gift Article): A police officer took a teen for a rape kit. Then he assaulted her, too. The reporting here is excellent. The numbers are horrifying. “At least 1,800 state and local police officers were charged with crimes involving child sexual abuse from 2005 through 2022, The Post found. Abusive officers were rarely related to the children they were accused of raping, fondling and exploiting. They most frequently targeted girls who were 13 to 15 years old — and regularly met their victims through their jobs.” A related and must-watch piece of investigative journalism from the Center for Investigative Reporting: Victim/Suspect on Netflix. These rape victims came forward only to end up being charged with crimes. Unthinkable, but true.
+ Chuck Roasts: “Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, saying he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ‘lost his way’ and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” I can’t stand Bibi, but I’m not sure I can remember a top US official calling for new elections in another democracy.
+ Doctoring Nursing Home Books: “Meals were served from filthy meal carts on plastic foam trays, and residents struggled to cut their food with dull plastic cutlery. Broken tiles lined showers, and a mysterious black gunk marred the floors. The director of housekeeping reported that the dining room was unsanitary. Overall, there was a critical lack of training, staff and supervision.” For-profit nursing homes are cutting corners on safety and draining resources with financial shenanigans.
+ Gang’s All Here: “Prime Minister Ariel resigned not because of politics, not because of the massive street demonstrations against him over the years, but because of the violence gangs have carried out … The situation totally changed now, because the gangs are now working together.” Why Everything Changed in Haiti: The Gangs United. And you’ll never guess where all the weapons are coming from…
+ Boxing Briefs: Forget about actually being president again. Tom Nichols explains why candidate Trump shouldn’t even be given access to intelligence briefings. “Since 1952, the White House has allowed major-party candidates access to classified intelligence briefings so that they will be current on important issues if they win the election. Trump should be denied this courtesy.”
+ Working in Concert: Contraceptives and morning-after pills have been handed out at US pop star Olivia Rodrigo’s concert in Missouri, where abortion is banned. These young female artists can get a lot of young female voters to the polls. (And a lot of other voters, too.) Props to Olivia. If you care about reproductive rights, there’s no morning after pill for a Trump win in November.
+ I Just Mnuched in My Mouth a Little: Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday he’s assembling a team of investors to make a bid to buy TikTok. I’m not sure if this is an effort to make China look like a not so bad option or whether it’s part of a strategy to get your kids off social media. Mine just asked if we can go back to using a landline. If you missed it yesterday, here’s my take on the TikTok ban. House to Tiktok: Byte Me.
