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AUGUST 24, 2018


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"None" – What researchers have found to be the safest level of alcohol. Cool...well have a good weekend, guys.


The Story

The Education Department is considering letting schools use fed money to buy guns.


You've been hearing a lot about school safety this year. That's in large part because of the school shooting in Parkland, FL and students rallying for gun reform in response. At the time, President Trump suggested arming teachers might deter school shooters. Congress set aside funding for school safety earlier this year, but said 'don't use this money to buy teachers guns.'

What's the latest?

Yesterday, reports came out that the Ed Department might let schools use another source of fed money to give school staff access to guns and training. There's one educational grant in particular that doesn't prohibit this. Two states – Texas and Oklahoma – asked the Ed Department if it's kosher to use the money to buy guns. Now, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is saying 'lemme think about it.'

What's the talk of the town?

Supporters say that communities should be able to decide what works for them. And one superintendent reportedly said this can be cheaper than hiring more security guards. Critics say that if the problem is guns in schools, maybe the answer shouldn't be more guns in schools.


The debate about how to address school shootings really ramped up this year. But federal funds typically haven't been used to buy weapons for schools. Now it looks like the Trump admin is rethinking that policy.


What to say when you start reaching for your fall wardrobe…

Out with the old, in with the new. Yesterday, the country's right-leaning ruling party voted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull off the island. Australia burns through PMs like you burn through Netflix's TV Shows Featuring a Strong Female Lead. No PM there has served a full term in more than a decade. The ruling party had issues with Turnbull, especially his push to get Australia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, PO'ing the coal industry. Earlier this week, some started saying 'time for you to go.' Today, the party officially voted Turnbull out and brought in Scott Morrison – the country's more conservative treasurer, known for his hardline policies on asylum seekers. Morrison says he wants to bring the party together and prioritize tackling the country's drought.

What to say when a new SO asks what color their eyes are...

This is a test. Remember how the Democratic National Committee said this week that it stopped hackers from accessing its voter database? Turns out this was just a security test courtesy of the Michigan Democratic Party. Oops. Speaking of suspicious behavior, Google announced it deleted dozens of shady Iranian-tied accounts on YouTube and other platforms. The accounts were apparently spreading disinformation. Facebook and Twitter say 'we know the feeling. Meanwhile, another co is in the spotlight: Verizon. A CA fire chief says the company slowed down firefighters' data while they were trying to contain the CA wildfires this summer. And that this is an example of why we need to bring back net neutrality – the Obama-era rule that prevented internet service providers from putting service in slo-mo. Verizon said it was just a customer service screw up.

What people are talking about…

South Africa. Earlier this week, President Trump tweeted about it. Let's break it all down. You might remember apartheid, the system that existed in South Africa for decades that institutionalized racial segregation. In 1913, most black South Africans lost their right to own property. Apartheid ended in the early '90s and the gov said it would work to buy land back and give it to the original owners. Years later, white South Africans still own more than 70% of the country's agricultural land, even though they make up less than 10% of the population. So earlier this month, South Africa's prez announced plans to change the constitution to allow the gov to redistribute farmers' land without paying them for it. This week, Trump tweeted that he asked the State Dept to look into land being taken and the "large scale killing of farmers," – a talking point pushed by white supremacists. But there's no evidence to support this is happening. South African leaders say Trump's tweet is misleading and dangerous.

Who you keep hearing about but don't really know…

David Pecker. He's the CEO of the company that publishes the National Enquirer (that tabloid mag you see at the checkout line but never actually buy). His name's been in the news because he was granted immunity in the federal investigation into President Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen – reportedly in exchange for providing info on hush money deals. Also it turns out that the National Enquirer reportedly kept all of Trump's dirt in a safe. In other Trump-related drama from this week, he's back to beefing with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. But Sessions is having none of it.

Who is going to be wearing orange for a while…

Former NSA contractor Reality Winner. She's going to prison for more than five years for leaking top-secret info to the media.

What to say when your nephew draws a picture of you…

Don't make me ugly.