The Gun Revolution Will Be Televised (on Social Media)
With the government-controlled cameras inside the Congress’ chambers shut off, the House Democrats — which ended their day-long sit-in on the House floor — got a little creative and used Twitter’s Periscope and Facebook Live to broadcast what was happening in Congress. The footage, from protesting representatives, Scott Peters of California and Beto O'Rourke of Texas, was picked up and aired by C-SPAN, spokesman Howard Mortman said. [Associated Press]
Britain Votes on Whether to Stay or Exit the European Union
Britain's European Union referendum — also known as the “Brexit” vote — has uncovered deep divisions in the country, with two camps emerging — “Leave” and “Remain,” the latter of which is led by Prime Minister David Cameron. Almost 46.5 million voters have registered to participate and polls are open until 10 p.m. local time Thursday. The result is expected to be announced Friday morning “around breakfast time.” [New York Times]
Prince Protegee Judith Hill Recalls Emergency Landing
Soul singer and Prince’s protegee Judith Hill tells the New York Times what happened on the private plane the night he suddenly lost consciousness forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Illinois on April 15, less than a week before the singer died. According to Hill, they were in the middle of a conversation, when his eyes fixed and then he lost consciousness.
“Thankfully, I happened to be looking into his face,” she told the newspaper. Otherwise, she said, she might have thought he had dozed off. She described the day she found out about Prince’s death as the worst day of her life. [New York Times]
New LA Police Policy Demands ‘Compassion and Empathy’ from Officers Interacting with the Homeless
In an effort to reset the relationship between police and the Los Angeles County’s growing homeless population, officials approved a new policy this week that requires officers to treat homeless individuals with “compassion and empathy,” the Los Angeles Times reports. The policy change comes after several shooting deaths of homeless people at the hands of the police force. [Los Angeles Times]
What Donald Trump Learned From Joseph McCarthy’s Right-Hand Man
How did Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, develop his bombastic style? Perhaps from Roy Cohn, the man who was once dubbed “New York’s most feared lawyer—and previously the right-hand man to the infamous U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy. His particular style of smearing rivals, his boasting and bravado can be traced to the years Cohn spent as a close confidant, mentor and lawyer to Trump. [New York Times]
Partisanship is Higher Than It Has Been in 25 Years, Pew Finds
The Pew Research Center just released a new study on partisanship in America and the results are not great. Polarization between parties is higher than it’s been in decades, with Democrats and Republicans holding some very unpleasant views on each other. [Vox]
“Prince of Montauk” Dethroned After Driving High, Police Say
Dylan Eckardt, a high-end real estate agent and Montauk native, told Vanity Fair this month that he’s aided in the development of the East Hampton hamlet, much to the dismay of locals. He boasted about his status in Montauk and that he never gets in trouble with police.
“I’m the f-----g prince of Montauk,” he told the magazine. “All the cops know who I am. No one is going to say shit to me.”
On Monday, he was arrested and charged with DWI involving drugs and multiple traffic violations. [27east.com]
The Marine Corps Misidentified a Soldier in the Iconic Iwo Jima Photo
One of the most famous photos in American history has been hit with a case of mistaken identity. The Marine Corps said on Thursday that Navy Corpsman John Bradley was not in the iconic World War II photo of the Iwo Jima flag-raising. They identified Private 1st Class Harold Schultz as participating in the event. However, Schultz died in 1995 and never publicly talked about taking part in the flag-raising. [The Atlantic]
Arkansas Supreme Court Says Revealing Supplier of Execution Drugs Would Be ‘Detrimental to the Process’
Two years after the state signed a contract with death-row inmates pledging to disclose the origins of execution drugs, the state supreme court has ruled to overturn that agreement, claiming that such transparency would in fact be “detrimental to the process.” [BuzzFeed]
A Beloved East New York Garden Is Dying Because Police Found Some Pot Plants
After marijuana plants were discovered in Green Gem, a beloved community garden in East New York, the city locked out the gardeners. Now they’re being forced to watch as their plants wither and die and the community is locked out of what had become a gathering place and a rare green space in the neighborhood. [New York Times]
Watch These New Yorkers Just Miss Their Subway Train
Gothamist presents nearly three minutes of New Yorkers running to catch the subway, only to have the train doors close in their face. Maybe you’ll spot yourself or someone you know in this video compilation, because we know we’ve all been there. [Gothamist]
The Ringtone You Didn’t Know You Need
A New York City-based filmmaker took Michelle Obama’s directive to men to “be better” and set it to music, creating a ringtone you can download so that anytime you get a call, all the men around you get a reminder from the First Lady. [Zak Griffler]
The State of the Domestic Goddess
Wonder what it’s like to cook up recipes from fancy actresses and models who say they really like to cook? The writer, a busy mom, cook-tests dinners from opposite-ends of the “domestic goddess” cookbook spectrum, self-anointed health guru Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Secret model and indulgent food lover, Chrissy Teigen. The results, as you may guess, are mixed. [Eater]
