Sanders Sits Down With Obama, as Dems Pressure Him to Quit
President Obama met with Sen. Bernie Sanders Thursday morning with hopes of urging the Vermont senator to “accept defeat” in the Democratic race. Obama, who said Sanders has “brought enormous energy and new ideas,” said he planned to use the meeting, which was organized by Sanders, to discuss how to build more support for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — who the president endorsed Thursday afternoon. [Associated Press]
Meet the Two Swedish Graduate Students Who Rescued the Unconscious Victim of the Stanford Sex Attacker
The two Swedish graduate students who interrupted the now-convicted Stanford sex attacker held him for police, spoke out about their experiences to a Swedish newspaper this week. The account was translated by Buzzfeed. The victim called the two men heroes in her written testimony. [BuzzFeed]
Upstate New York Babies Have Dangerously High Levels of a Toxic Chemical in their Bloodstream
POLITICO New York’s Scott Waldman has more on New York’s Flint, Mich. — the little upstate town of Hoosick Falls where the Cuomo administration knowingly allowed people to drink contaminated water for more than a year. This heartbreaking story opens with a mother devastated after getting blood test results back on her children — including her 18-month-old baby daughter. It also features New York politicians doing everything they can to avoid answering questions on the issue — including one who fled from a reporter so quickly he left his bag behind. [POLITICO New York]
When New York City’s Segregated Public Schools Impact Your Family
Earlier this year, a contentious rezoning involving two Brooklyn schools — P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights and P.S. 307 in Vinegar Hill — was approved. It was a controversial proposal from the city and one that ultimately surfaced deep divides in race and class that existed among the communities. Nikole Hannah-Jones, a staff writer for the New York Times Magazine and a parent at P.S. 307, recounts her experience choosing a school for her daughter and watching the controversial rezoning unfurl. [New York Times Magazine]
Maria Sharapova Suspended for Two Years for Doping
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation after she tested positive for meldonium, a substance banned beginning early this year. The five-time Grand Slam champion claims that she has been taking the drug — a heart medication thought to improve blood flow — for 10 years and was not aware that it had been banned. She said she was going to appeal the suspension. [New York Times]
Bill Simmons on his Departure from ESPN and his Arrival at HBO
The Hollywood Reporter has published a lengthy interview with Bill Simmons on the eve of his HBO talk show’s premiere, providing several details about his infamous break with ESPN and the companies that courted him in the aftermath. He describes his initial meeting with HBO as “like being in a super-unhappy marriage and then just meeting someone at the grocery story and being like, 'Oh, that girl's cool. I could date that person'" and talks about how his daughter has given him a newfound appreciation for women’s sports. [Hollywood Reporter]
What Happens When Doctors Carelessly Prescribe Opioids to Recovering Addicts?
Seth Mnookin kicked a three-year heroin addiction in the ‘90s and has managed to build a successful career and a happy family since then. But when doctors prescribed him oxycodone in the wake of a kidney stone surgery, he felt the pull of his old demons. He was lucky enough to have a strong support system, but what about the recovering addicts who are closer to the edge? [Stat News]
Seven People Dancing
The New Yorker included a previously unpublished story by famed Harlem writer, playwright and poet Langston Hughes in its recent fiction issue. Written circa 1961, it’s a fictional essay set in a Harlem apartment where couples are dancing and as the night goes on anxieties and tensions rise. [New Yorker]
Don’t Miss Kanye West Ice Cream Week
Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream has a selection of scoops in Yeezy’s honor, like “Positive Vibes Pistachio,” “Father Stracciatella My Hands Pt. 1,” “Paparazzi Pineapple,” “I Am A God” ice cream croissantwiches and a number of milkshakes, including “Saint Shake and Beautiful Morning Milkshake” with coffee ice cream and cornflakes. Kanye West Ice Cream Week lasts through June 12, so this is your last chance until next year. [Huffington Post]
The History of Pho
Love your pho? You’re not alone. Here’s a history of that delicious Vietnamese noodle soup, a dish that the author calls so elemental to Vietnamese culture that people talk about it in terms of romantic relationships. “Rice is the dutiful wife you can rely on, we say. Pho is the flirty mistress you slip away to visit.” [Lucky Peach]
The Curry-Loving Seagull That Turned Orange After Falling into a Vat of Indian Food
Meet Gullfrazie, a seagull in England, was rescued after falling into a vat of chicken tikka masala at a food factory while trying to grab a bite — and turning bright orange. [The Guardian]
Seagull turns orange after falling into vat of chicken tikka masala https://t.co/WMooBRsFi1 pic.twitter.com/xvguQgUG6D
— The Guardian (@guardian) June 9, 2016
This column was compiled by DNAinfo reporters Eddie Small, Gwynne Hogan, Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, Nikhita Venugopal, Shaye Weaver, Dartunorro Clark, Noah Hurowitz, Jeanmarie Evelly, Carolina Pichardo, Irene Plagianos and Danielle Tcholakian.
