Medusa's Dharma

Writer Karol Collymore talks racism, self-care, and why she won’t be watching Orange Is the New Black anymore:

The Hamilton documentary finally has a premiere date on PBS

The Supreme Court has overturned a Texas law requiring clinics that provide abortions to have surgical facilities and doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The law was predicted to close many clinics and further reduce availability of abortion in Texas; the court has ruled the law violated the Constitution.

With a 5-3 decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the court reversed a decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which had upheld the law. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts dissented, while Anthony Kennedy joined the liberal justices in the majority.

NPR’s Nina Totenberg, reporting from the Supreme Court, says this decision will have consequences around the country — several states have laws (either in effect or currently blocked) with similar requirements to that of Texas. If those laws are found to be essentially the same as Texas’ law, Nina says, they will be thrown out by the courts.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Abortion Restrictions In Texas

In the wake of #OscarsSoWhite, the Academy is getting more racially diverse and a bit less male-dominated. Today, the Academy announced the names of the 683 people invited to join the group that votes on the Oscars annually: 46% of the new invitees are female, so if they all accept the invitation, the percent of women in the Academy will increase from 25% to 27%. Forty-one percent of the class are people of color, bumping people of color from 8% to 11% of the Academy. 

Last month, 16-year-old Houston teenager Jada passed out at a party. She woke up without any memory of what happened, but when she returned home, she found that her underwear was on backwards. She believed she was raped.

Last week, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Josh McNary was charged with rape. The NFL recently revised its personal conduct policy—including a minimum six-game suspension for crimes that include sexual assault.

We hear and read the phrase “sexual assault” quite a bit. But how is it defined? Here are some resources to understand what it means and how to get help.

Ronda Rousey jabs Floyd Mayweather and his history of domestic violence

In McKinney, Texas, 15-year-old Dajerria Becton was tackled to the ground, kneed in the neck, and handcuffed by a police officer while she was wearing a bikini. In Cleveland, Tanisha Anderson, a schizophrenic and bipolar woman, was allegedly slammed to the ground in front of her family, before dying in police custody. In Chicago, 22-year-old Rekia Boyd was accidentally shot in the head by an officer who opened fire on a group gathered in an alley.