Salon.com > All Salon http://www.salon.com Wed, 22 Jul 2015 20:15:18 +0000 en hourly 1 Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson explain literally everything in the universe in under 8 minutes http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/watch_neil_degrasse_tyson_explain_literally_everything_in_the_universe_in_under_8_minutes/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/watch_neil_degrasse_tyson_explain_literally_everything_in_the_universe_in_under_8_minutes/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 20:15:00 +0000 Colin_Gorenstein http://www.salon.com/?p=14024032 more than "everything under the sun"]]> We knew noted smart dude-astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was capable of explaining everything under the sun. Now, we have it on good authority that he's able to explain literally everything in the universe -- and, in under 8 minutes, to boot.

In a recently uploaded video from MinutePhysics, Tyson attempts -- and largely succeeds at -- explaining how the universe came to be. It's no rushed job either. Remember John Oliver's Fourth of July web-exclusive in which he packed "15 shallow dives" into one minute? Yeah. It's nothing like that.

Tyson manages to offer up some pretty deep dives despite the time constraint -- going all the way back to the beginning of space when it "gurgled into a spongy, foam-like form." (#TBT!)

Wow. Time flies when you're watching a viral video!

Watch the clip courtesy of MinutePhysics below:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/watch_neil_degrasse_tyson_explain_literally_everything_in_the_universe_in_under_8_minutes/feed/ 0 Fundraiser for Baltimore cops charged in Freddie Gray’s death to feature blackface performance http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/fundraiser_for_baltimore_cops_charged_in_freddie_grays_death_to_feature_blackface_performance/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/fundraiser_for_baltimore_cops_charged_in_freddie_grays_death_to_feature_blackface_performance/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 20:06:00 +0000 SKaufman http://www.salon.com/?p=14024010 A fundraiser for the "Baltimore 6" -- the police officers charged in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray -- will feature a blackface performance by a former police officer who was compelled to leave force in 1984 for performing in blackface, Ebony's Jamilah Lemieux reports.

Among the list of entertainers on the invitation to the fundraiser is one "Bobby 'Al Jolson' Berger -- out of retirement," which as Lemieux noted is one of the stranger ways "to raise funds for a group of police implicated in the death of a black man." When she contacted number listed on the invitation, however, she discovered why Berger had been booked -- "I'm hosting the event," he told her.

"I was a Baltimore city policeman," he said by way of explaining why he was hosting the fundraiser, "and then I had no income, no insurance, and a wife and child. We’re trying to get something together for them for Christmas."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/fundraiser_for_baltimore_cops_charged_in_freddie_grays_death_to_feature_blackface_performance/feed/ 0 The inevitable Taylor Swift backlash begins: Watching the critical mad love crumble, right on schedule http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/the_inevitable_taylor_swift_backlash_begins_watching_the_critical_mad_love_crumble_right_on_schedule/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/the_inevitable_taylor_swift_backlash_begins_watching_the_critical_mad_love_crumble_right_on_schedule/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 19:55:00 +0000 STimberg http://www.salon.com/?p=14023795 It's almost meteorological. The funny thing about a backlash is the way it opens things up and builds momentum on its own. It's no coincidence that the metaphors we use for a backlash tend to be come from climactic phenomenon -- an opening of the floodgates, a turning of the tide, when it rains it pours. A backlash, though made by human beings, can feel like a part of the natural world and its inexorable forces. And that seems to be what's happening right now with Taylor Swift.

And while there are good things to say about Swift -- her pushing back against streaming services that shaft musicians, for instance -- this tide-turning comes not a moment too soon. I don't say this because I hate Taylor Swift or because I think she's talentless. It's because of the weird consensus that's shaped up around her in the last year or two: That she's a brave young woman who's earned it all herself, that she's "just like us," that she should be lionized for her success at the game of self-branding, that she's a musical genius, that this scion of a multi-generational banking fortune  is -- as the New York Times said of her not long ago -- some kind of "underdog."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/the_inevitable_taylor_swift_backlash_begins_watching_the_critical_mad_love_crumble_right_on_schedule/feed/ 0 Almond milk is even more of a scam than we thought http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/almond_milk_is_even_more_of_a_scam_than_we_thought/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/almond_milk_is_even_more_of_a_scam_than_we_thought/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 19:49:00 +0000 Lindsay Abrams http://www.salon.com/?p=14023993 Remember when we suggested (okay, aggregated an article that suggested) that almond milk is "kind of a scam"?

Well, a class action lawsuit filed against the makers of Almond Breeze for false advertising contends that the popular milk alternative is even more of a rip-off than we thought -- because it barely contains any almonds.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/almond_milk_is_even_more_of_a_scam_than_we_thought/feed/ 0 “Daily Show” classics: 16 years of Jon Stewart dance moves, takedowns and tears http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/daily_show_classics_16_years_of_jon_stewart_dance_moves_takedowns_and_tears/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/daily_show_classics_16_years_of_jon_stewart_dance_moves_takedowns_and_tears/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 19:40:00 +0000 janet.upadhye http://www.salon.com/?p=14023739 Jon Stewart hosted his first episode of the "Daily Show" in 1999 and over the next 16 years the New Jersey-born stand-up comedian would charm viewers with nerdy dance moves, fierce takedowns, riotous one-liners, fresh political commentary and — at times— candid tears.

Stewart recently announced his retirement to a shocked audience explaining, "This show doesn't deserve an even slightly restless host, and neither do you."

For the next three weeks, leading up to Stewart’s August 6 departure, Salon will be taking a look back at some of his most memorable moments spanning nearly two decades.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/daily_show_classics_16_years_of_jon_stewart_dance_moves_takedowns_and_tears/feed/ 0 Obama could be on the verge of another big victory: White House finalizing plan to close Guantanamo Bay http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/obama_could_be_on_the_verge_of_another_big_victory_white_house_finalizing_plan_to_close_guantanamo_bay/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/obama_could_be_on_the_verge_of_another_big_victory_white_house_finalizing_plan_to_close_guantanamo_bay/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 19:40:00 +0000 sophia_t http://www.salon.com/?p=14023957 Congress has repeatedly blocked the transfer of prisoners from Guantánamo Bay to the United States for trial and all efforts to close down the military facility but President Obama apparently won't quit trying.

After the New York Times reported this week that "the administration’s fitful effort to shut down the prison is collapsing again," noting that newly installed defense secretary Ash Carter, like his predecessor Chuck Hagel, had failed to act on a plan to transfer detainees out of the prison, the White House announced its own action on the stalled endeavor. During today's White House briefing, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the U.S. is in "the final stages of drafting a plan to safely and responsibly close" the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"That has been something that our national security officials have been working on for quite some time," Earnest claimed before slamming the Congressional obstruction with keeping the facility in operation years past President Obama's January 21, 2009, declaration to shutter it for good. The Times detailed some of the administration's recent efforts to close the scandal-plagued facility, noting Secretary Carter's hesitance to move swiftly to decide on detainee transfers:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/obama_could_be_on_the_verge_of_another_big_victory_white_house_finalizing_plan_to_close_guantanamo_bay/feed/ 0 Taylor Swift steps in it: 5 times the superstar hasn’t been a role model http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/taylor_swift_steps_in_it_5_times_the_superstar_hasnt_been_a_role_model/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/taylor_swift_steps_in_it_5_times_the_superstar_hasnt_been_a_role_model/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 19:35:00 +0000 Anna Silman http://www.salon.com/?p=14023854 Yesterday, Nicki Minaj criticized the VMAs for failing to recognize her groundbreaking booty-twerking anthem "Anaconda" for video of the year, pointing to the industry's habit of silencing the achievements of women of color. “When the ‘other’ girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination,” she tweeted. “If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year.”

Taylor Swift -- who wracked up a video of the year nomination for her cameo-filled revenge anthem "Bad Blood" -- took Nicki's remarks as a personal jab, responding, "It's unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot." An awkward back-and-forth ensued, with Nicki pointing out that she wasn't referring to Swift at all but imploring her to "speak on this" (Vulture has a more in-depth account of the scuffle).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/taylor_swift_steps_in_it_5_times_the_superstar_hasnt_been_a_role_model/feed/ 0 Washington state’s terrifying new climate threat: “Urban wildfires” http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/washington_states_terrifying_new_climate_threat_urban_wildfires/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/washington_states_terrifying_new_climate_threat_urban_wildfires/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:50:00 +0000 Lindsay Abrams http://www.salon.com/?p=14023734 Wildfire season isn't what it used to be.

In Washington state, a combination of ongoing drought and rapid development made 2014 particularly nightmarish, and this year's unusually hot conditions are fueling another season of dangerous blazes -- more than 300 so far, including one, 3,000-plus acre wildfire that destroyed homes and businesses in central Washington.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/washington_states_terrifying_new_climate_threat_urban_wildfires/feed/ 0 Piers Morgan’s incoherent attack on Nicki Minaj and “Black Twitter” is as racist as advertised http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/piers_morgans_incoherent_attack_on_nicki_minaj_and_black_twitter_is_as_racist_as_advertised/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/piers_morgans_incoherent_attack_on_nicki_minaj_and_black_twitter_is_as_racist_as_advertised/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:42:00 +0000 SKaufman http://www.salon.com/?p=14023868 Early Wednesday morning, former CNN host and general disgrace Piers Morgan made an ominous announcement on Twitter:

[embedtweet id="623894688983031808"]

Morgan did not disappoint, penning a screed in which he scolded "stroppy little piece of work" Nikki Minaj -- as well as what he called "Black Twitter" -- for daring to criticize the nominees for the MTV Video Music Awards. To quickly recount the origin of his outrage, it began with this tweet by Minaj:

[embedtweet id="623608271774072832"]

Taylor Swift took offense at this remark, replying to Minaj as if it had been aimed at her personally:

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To which Minaj politely replied that she stop considering it a personal insult and use her platform as a means to criticize institutional racism and sexism:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/piers_morgans_incoherent_attack_on_nicki_minaj_and_black_twitter_is_as_racist_as_advertised/feed/ 9 Rupert Murdoch’s Donald Trump nightmare: He can’t control the monster Fox News created http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/rupert_murdochs_donald_trump_nightmare_he_cant_control_the_monster_fox_news_created/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/rupert_murdochs_donald_trump_nightmare_he_cant_control_the_monster_fox_news_created/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:20:00 +0000 sophia_t http://www.salon.com/?p=14023819 If there seems to be a split in the way Rupert Murdoch-owned media outlets are covering the presidential campaign of Donald Trump that's because one of Murdoch's holdings is reportedly out of control -- Murdoch can't get Fox News to stop positively covering The Donald.

According to New York Magazine's Gabriel Sherman, the conservative media mogul has been unsuccessful in his attempt to wield influence over the editorial decisions of Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. Sherman reports that Ailes has pushed Fox's on-air personalities to defend Trump's controversial comments in recent weeks, boasting that the conservative network was covering the Trump campaign to his personal specifications. For his part, Murdoch appears to be dead set against a Trump candidacy, publicly blasting the Republican's incendiary rhetoric:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/rupert_murdochs_donald_trump_nightmare_he_cant_control_the_monster_fox_news_created/feed/ 20 Obama gives Iran hawks the smackdown they so richly deserve: They bungled Iraq, and they’ve learned nothing http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/obama_gives_iran_hawks_the_smackdown_they_so_richly_deserve_they_bungled_iraq_and_theyve_learned_nothing/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/obama_gives_iran_hawks_the_smackdown_they_so_richly_deserve_they_bungled_iraq_and_theyve_learned_nothing/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:00:00 +0000 Simon Maloy http://www.salon.com/?p=14023194 President Obama has not exactly been patient with Congress when it comes to the multilateral diplomatic framework with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. After the agreement was announced last week, Obama called a press conference and used the event to methodically rip apart each argument critics have deployed against the deal. Time and again he challenged Republicans, conservatives and hand-wringing Democrats to put up or shut up: to lay out their alternative plans for keeping Iran from going nuclear. He promised to veto any measures the Republican-controlled Congress might send to him blocking the easing of sanctions on Iran. He wasn’t making a sales pitch; he was defying Congress to get in the way of potentially one of the most important diplomatic breakthroughs since the end of the Cold War.

Of course, by using pointy words and a confrontational tone of voice, Obama upset some members of the press who seem to think that bipartisan consensus may still be achieved when it comes to Iran and nuclear weapons:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/obama_gives_iran_hawks_the_smackdown_they_so_richly_deserve_they_bungled_iraq_and_theyve_learned_nothing/feed/ 242 David Letterman & Jerry Seinfeld want their endorsements removed from Bill Cosby biography http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/david_letterman_jerry_seinfeld_want_their_endorsements_removed_from_bill_cosby_biography/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/david_letterman_jerry_seinfeld_want_their_endorsements_removed_from_bill_cosby_biography/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 17:56:00 +0000 Colin_Gorenstein http://www.salon.com/?p=14023857 What's left for Bill Cosby to lose at this point, you ask? Well: the glowing endorsements of Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman, for one. Both of whom, according to The Hollywood Reporter today, have asked that their quotes be removed from Mark Whitaker’s 2014 Cosby biography titled "Cosby: His Life and Times."

The biography, which also features high praises from Mary Tyler Moore and Billy Crystal, hit shelves Sept. 16 -- well before a reopened deposition revealed that Cosby had confessed to drugging women for sex.

Seinfeld is featured in the biography, offering up this precious statement:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/david_letterman_jerry_seinfeld_want_their_endorsements_removed_from_bill_cosby_biography/feed/ 1 Sorry, Rick Perry: Donald Trump isn’t a “cancer” on conservatism — he embodies conservatism http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/sorry_rick_perry_donald_trump_isnt_a_cancer_on_conservatism_he_embodies_conservatism/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/sorry_rick_perry_donald_trump_isnt_a_cancer_on_conservatism_he_embodies_conservatism/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 17:33:00 +0000 Simon Maloy http://www.salon.com/?p=14023841 Donald Trump’s ascendance in the 2016 Republican polls has proved to be something of a boon for lower tier candidates looking to bask in the corona of Trump’s enormous media spotlight. Among those candidates, no one has done more to position himself as the anti-Trump than former Texas governor Rick Perry. Eagerly responding to Trump’s unending stream of insults and provocations, Perry’s been throwing out denunciation after denunciation, arguing that Trump is unfit to serve as president. His campaign has been trolling The Donald on Twitter, retweeting the racist billionaire skidmark’s past praise of Perry. Now he’s taken to referring to Trump as a “cancer” on conservatism.

According to the Texas Tribune:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/sorry_rick_perry_donald_trump_isnt_a_cancer_on_conservatism_he_embodies_conservatism/feed/ 14 How to push back against the anti-Planned Parenthood campaign: Talk more openly about unplanned pregnancies http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/how_to_push_back_against_the_anti_planned_parenthood_campaign_talk_more_openly_about_unplanned_pregnancies/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/how_to_push_back_against_the_anti_planned_parenthood_campaign_talk_more_openly_about_unplanned_pregnancies/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 17:29:00 +0000 Erin Keane http://www.salon.com/?p=14023548 A Humans of New York photo of a father and young daughter sticking their tongues out at the camera has gone viral, due to this caption: “I was 16 when my girlfriend got pregnant. We went to the abortion clinic on 59th Street. We filled out the papers and everything. Then right before we were called back, we looked at each other, and said: ‘Let’s get out of here.’”

The photo has collected more than 678,000 likes on Facebook, 21,000 shares and a comments section featuring numerous stories by those who’ve faced similar situations. These are important stories, especially for those of us who are pro-choice, because they show that there is complexity to the decision of how to handle an unplanned pregnancy, whatever the result. They show that the process of making that decision isn’t always straightforward, and that people can, and do, change their minds—which I fully believe they should have the right to do.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/how_to_push_back_against_the_anti_planned_parenthood_campaign_talk_more_openly_about_unplanned_pregnancies/feed/ 0 A grim warning Hillary supporters can’t ignore: The fundamentals of her campaign are looking weak http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/a_grim_warning_hillary_supporters_cant_ignore_the_fundamentals_of_her_campaign_are_looking_weak/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/a_grim_warning_hillary_supporters_cant_ignore_the_fundamentals_of_her_campaign_are_looking_weak/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 17:15:00 +0000 Jim Newell http://www.salon.com/?p=14023720 Hillary Clinton is finished! Look at her here, in these new Quinnipiac swing state polls: she is losing to Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Scott Walker in polls of Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia. Hillary Clinton has lost the July 22, 2015 presidential elections of Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia, and if there's even a shred of decency left in her she will call the new triumvirate administration of Rubio, Bush and Walker to concede and promptly turn herself into the authorities for indefinite imprisonment in Gitmo, for losing.

But not really. The analytical weighting that should be placed on head-to-head general election polling match-ups from July 22, 2015 isn't quite zero but it is close. Voters in Colorado, Iowa, Virginia and several other states -- really just "several," there honestly aren't that many swing states anymore -- have an entire primary season and some billions of dollars of targeted advertisements to sit through, poor souls. Pre-election year general election polls are a fun exercise but they don't determine anything beyond the winds of the moment. That's true now and it was true earlier in the year when Clinton was leading most or all of her hypothetical challengers in these early swing state polls. The sad truth of the 2016 election, as with all elections, is that we may just have to wait until Election Day to see who wins. It sucks, right? I want to know right now!

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/a_grim_warning_hillary_supporters_cant_ignore_the_fundamentals_of_her_campaign_are_looking_weak/feed/ 17 “God’s plan”: These GOP candidates claim the Almighty wants them to run http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/gods_plan_these_gop_candidates_claim_the_almighty_wants_them_to_run/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/gods_plan_these_gop_candidates_claim_the_almighty_wants_them_to_run/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:46:00 +0000 sophia_t http://www.salon.com/?p=14023490 For a lot of the 16 presidential candidates vying to become the next Commander-in-Chief, the decision to run for higher office was not a political calculation but rather a divine calling from above. Here are 6 Republicans who claim that God called on them to run for President:

Scott Walker

The Wisconsin governor describes his presidential bid as "God's plan," explaining that his political decisions are guided by God, not voters. “My relationship with God drives every major decision in my life,” Walker explained in his first official appeal for donations. In a letter sent to supporters on the day Walker announced his presidential campaign, the ultra-conservative described his leadership as guided by religion rather than politics. "Our country is at a crossroads and we need a proven conservative leader who is not afraid to fight for what is right -- even when it’s not politically expedient,” Walker wrote. “My decisions are guided by my relationship with God -- not by what might win me a few votes”: (emphasis not added)

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/gods_plan_these_gop_candidates_claim_the_almighty_wants_them_to_run/feed/ 35 “If I die in police custody”: Why Sandra Bland’s death is just the latest evidence that Black America is under attack http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/if_i_die_in_police_custody_why_sandra_blands_death_is_just_the_latest_evidence_that_black_america_is_under_attack/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/if_i_die_in_police_custody_why_sandra_blands_death_is_just_the_latest_evidence_that_black_america_is_under_attack/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:45:00 +0000 Peter Finocchiaro http://www.salon.com/?p=14023075 No one should end up dead after receiving a citation for failure to properly signal a lane change. However, this is exactly what has happened to 28-year-old Sandra Bland, a resident of Illinois who was pulled over in Waller County, Texas, two Fridays ago, where she was traveling to take a new job at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M University. According to police, after she refused an officer’s instructions to stop smoking a cigarette, she was ordered out of the car, accused of assaulting an officer, and then wrestled to the ground. The video of the arrest only shows an officer’s knees in her back, and her yelling that he had hurt her arm and slammed her head into the ground. She was taken to jail, arraigned, given a $5,000 bond, which she made arrangements with her older sister to pay, and set for release on Monday morning. Instead, she was found dead of an alleged suicide, having supposedly hanged herself with a plastic bag.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/if_i_die_in_police_custody_why_sandra_blands_death_is_just_the_latest_evidence_that_black_america_is_under_attack/feed/ 282 Margaret Cho has a perfect theory about white outrage: “White people like to tell Asians how to feel about race because they’re too scared to tell black people” http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/margaret_cho_has_a_perfect_theory_about_white_outrage_white_people_like_to_tell_asians_how_to_feel_about_race_because_theyre_too_scared_to_tell_black_people/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/margaret_cho_has_a_perfect_theory_about_white_outrage_white_people_like_to_tell_asians_how_to_feel_about_race_because_theyre_too_scared_to_tell_black_people/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:44:00 +0000 Colin_Gorenstein http://www.salon.com/?p=14023777 Comedian Margaret Cho stopped by "Late Night" Tuesday and shared an exceptional theory with Seth Meyers about why so many white people were angry with her gag at the Golden Globes, in which she poked fun at the Sony hack by dressing as a North Korean journalist.

"I think what it is, is that white people like to tell Asians how to feel about race because they're too scared to tell black people," Cho said.

Meyers thought her theory was right on the money, adding: "It's a jackpot for us because we want to scold people about race too, but we're too scared."

"It's easier! We have less melanin, we're not gonna protest, there's no #KoreanLivesMatter!" Cho said. "The hardest thing is, I am so down with all of the protests against police violence and police brutality -- it's something we've been dealing with."

She continued: "It's not just Eric Garner, it's not just Baltimore; for me, it goes back to Amadou Diallo and Rodney King. But whenever white and black people fight, Asians and Mexicans don't know what to do. Because we're like, 'Umm, are we white?' We just want to be on the winning side."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/margaret_cho_has_a_perfect_theory_about_white_outrage_white_people_like_to_tell_asians_how_to_feel_about_race_because_theyre_too_scared_to_tell_black_people/feed/ 5 Elizabeth Warren humiliates executive invited by Senate Republicans to defend opposition to financial regulations http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/elizabeth_warren_humiliates_financial_executive_invited_by_senate_republicans_to_defend_opposition_to_financial_regulations/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/elizabeth_warren_humiliates_financial_executive_invited_by_senate_republicans_to_defend_opposition_to_financial_regulations/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:35:00 +0000 SKaufman http://www.salon.com/?p=14023584 On Tuesday, Senate Republicans invited Primerica President Peter Schneider to testify against proposed regulations that would protect retirement savings from sketchy financial schemes -- and it didn't take long before he wished they hadn't.

The Huffington Post's Zach Carter reports that Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren wasted no time in embarrassing Scheider, whose outfit is precisely the sort of sketchy financial scheme that the legislation is designed to protect the elderly against.

After he argued that his company acts "in a client's best interest," Warren lit into him.

"Mr. Schneider, I just want to understand your company's advice in these cases," she said. "Do you believe that people like these firefighters from Florida who are near retirement and have secure pensions with guaranteed monthly payments, should move their money into riskier assets with no guarantees, just before they retire?"

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/elizabeth_warren_humiliates_financial_executive_invited_by_senate_republicans_to_defend_opposition_to_financial_regulations/feed/ 67 10 questions Taylor Swift could have asked herself before picking a fight with Nicki Minaj http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/10_questions_taylor_swift_could_have_asked_herself_before_picking_a_fight_with_nicki_minaj/ http://www.salon.com/2015/07/22/10_questions_taylor_swift_could_have_asked_herself_before_picking_a_fight_with_nicki_minaj/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:27:00 +0000 Erin Keane http://www.salon.com/?p=14023293 Yesterday, MTV announced the Video Music Award nominees. While the justification for these awards existing is even thinner than that of the Grammys, it is customary that a musician releasing an instantly-iconic video might expect to be rewarded with at least a nod or two for a Moon Man statuette, with the hopes of being licked on the face by Miley Cyrus if she should win. Such was Nicki Minaj's understandable disappointment when "Anaconda," her manic feminist genius send-up of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" and also by the way every misogynistic video trope under the sun, did pick up three nominations, but not for the highest honor, Video of the Year.

Minaj, never one to mince words, tweeted a shot at the system:

[embedtweet id="623608271774072832"]

Somehow Taylor Swift, whose "Bad Blood" is nominated for the top award, decided it was the perfect time to resemble that remark, and she jumped in:

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