Cheat Sheet

A sad case just got stranger. Maine prosecutors on Thursday charged a babysitter and her 10-year-old daughter with manslaughter, after Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway, a 3-month-old baby, died under the sitter's care. The baby’s mother, Nicki Greenaway, said the child had ingested medication and been suffocated. "I feel a little bit of relief that they're charging [the sitter's] daughter," she told the Associated Press, "but the mom really needs to be responsible. She's the one I left my daughter with." The girl is the youngest person to be charged with manslaughter in Maine in 25 years.

Read it at The Associated Press

September 4, 2012 9:27 AM

Anne Sinclair acknowledged splitting from DSK in a short interview Friday with the French daily Le Parisien. To the question, "How is you personal life going since your separation from Dominique Strauss-Kahn?," Sinclair responded, "I'm in good form, I took some holidays, I'm back working hard, I'm deep into the American elections. I've always had a very strong link with my six children [the two she had with her first husband and Strauss-Kahn's four from previous unions]. And I'm doing very well, thank you." The French press is calling that an "implicit" confirmation. Sinclair is promoting her new job as editor in chief of the French Huffington Post.

Read it at The Associated Press

September 4, 2012 9:25 AM

This will only add fuel to the idea that Pussy Riot is encouraging radicalism. Two women were found dead in the city of Kazan, with the message "Free Pussy Riot" written above—in what looked like blood. Pro-Kremlin groups doubt that the women, a 76-year-old and 38-year-old, were killed by fans of the band. Some investigators think the perpetrator may be using the band to divert attention from the crime. The three members of the feminist punk band were sentenced to two years in prison a few weeks ago.

Read it at The Guardian

August 31, 2012 10:17 AM

Good Morning America host Robin Roberts bumped up her planned medical leave a day, making Thursday her last morning with the show. The longtime host is taking leave to prepare for and undergo a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with MDS, a rare blood and bone marrow disorder. A major portion of Thursday’s GMA was devoted to Roberts and her journey, and an A-list roster of rotating hosts was announced to fill her seat, including Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, and Kelly Ripa. It’s unclear when Robert will return, but she closed the show with, “This is just see ya later.”

Read it at The Huffington Post

August 31, 2012 10:13 AM

During an interview with CBS News on Monday, Mitt Romney said that he believes abortion should be available to women who have been raped or are the victims of incest. Romney, who backed abortion rights when he ran for the Senate in Massachusetts, said he would also allow for abortions in cases where the mother’s health is at risk. His comments put him at odds with the Republican Party’s 2012 platform and his running mate, Paul Ryan, who has said the health exception is a major loophole. As a presidential candidate, Romney has said that Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal, should be overturned.

Read it at The Washington Post

August 28, 2012 10:57 AM

The two gold medals star gymnast Gabby Douglas took home from the London Olympics almost never happened. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey for the talk-show queen’s series Oprah’s Next Chapter, Douglas revealed that the bullying she received from her teammates at her training gym in Virginia Beach, Va., was at one point so unbearable that she considered quitting the sport. She said the other girls ostracized her and told racist jokes, and at one point suggested that she should clean the equipment: “Why doesn’t Gabby do it? She’s our slave.” Douglas said she “would come home at night and just cry my eyes out.”

Read it at The Daily News


August 28, 2012 10:55 AM

Women in Togo have decided to hit the country’s men where it really hurts, calling a weeklong sex strike to demand the ouster of Togo’s president. “We have many means to oblige men to understand what women want in Togo,” said women’s opposition leader Isabelle Ameganvi. A similar strike took place in Liberia in 2003, and is said to have inspired the strike in Togo. The women, who are backed by political groups and other civic organizations, want President Faure Gnassingbe to resign.

Read it at USA Today

August 28, 2012 10:53 AM

Republican women: the Obama campaign is coming for you. In a new video, the campaign features a number of women speaking about leaving the GOP, citing the party’s views on abortion. On Saturday, the Democrats are planning an event in Las Vegas called “Women Vote 2012 Summit.” Next week, Democratic congresswomen and Obama backers will launch a multi-state tour called “Romney/Ryan: Wrong For Women.” Meanwhile, Romney’s camp announced last week a “Women for Mitt” coalition to entice female voters. Republicans this week are trying to distance themselves from the controversial comments on rape and pregnancy made by Senate candidate Todd Akin.

Read it at The Washington Post

August 27, 2012 11:47 AM

After losing the support of his own party, this news has to come to some comfort to Todd Akin. The Missouri Senate candidate still has support of many conservative Christian groups, who have remained loyal allies during Akin’s tumultuous week. During Akin’s 11 years in the House of Representatives, he has supported a Christian agenda—and that has not gone unnoticed. Meanwhile, the controversy of Akin’s remarks continued: President Obama said Akin “missed a science class,” and politics as far away as Massachusetts were affected, as heated debates over the “war on women” began to take over the Senate race there.

Read it at The Washington Post

August 24, 2012 10:47 AM

From tech to non-profits sectors, celebrities to media producers, these women sure are impressive. German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful women this year, thanks to her decisions in Europe having economic and political consequences across the board. The 25 CEOs who made the list control roughly $984 billion in revenues. Forbes regulars like Oprah and Lady Gaga make the list, but newbies like Laurene Powell-Jobs get a mention too. Forbes also pointed out that the women “don’t just make headlines, they write them,” before ranking media power players like Jill Abramson, Arianna Huffington and Anna Wintour.

Read it at Forbes

August 23, 2012 10:05 AM

Two more members of the Russian band Pussy Riot are wanted by police. Three people from the punk group were sentenced to two years in prison last week after being convicted of “hooliganism” for a protest in which they sang a song critical of Vladimir Putin. Five band members wore hoods for the February performance in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. “The criminal case is ongoing, and a search is underway” for the group’s two other members, said an Interior Ministry spokesperson. It is not clear whether police know the identities of the group’s remaining members. The detention, trial, and conviction of the musicians have drawn widespread outrage and condemnation.

Read it at USA Today

August 21, 2012 10:18 AM

Rep. Todd Akin, a Republican from Missouri who is running for Senate, said in an interview released Sunday that women's bodies have a defense mechanism that keeps them from getting pregnant if they are the victims of "legitimate rape." "First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare," Akin told KTVI-TV. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down." After the comments went viral, Akin said on Twitter that he "misspoke," and released a statement clarifying that the comment "does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year."

Read it at Talking Points Memo

August 21, 2012 10:17 AM

Moderators for the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential debates have officially been selected, and for the first time half of them will be women. PBS’s Jim Lehrer, CNN’s Candy Crowley, ABC’s Martha Raddatz, and CBS’s Bob Schieffer will do the honors of moderating the four debates, the first of which will be Oct. 3 in Denver. The Commission on Presidential Debates announced the lineup Monday morning, appealing to a recent push for female moderators. Still, while Crowley will become the first woman since 1992 to moderate a presidential debate, the Oct. 16 debate she’s been assigned will be more of a town-hall-style event, where the citizens in the audience, not the moderator, will ask the questions.

Read it at The New York Times

August 14, 2012 10:07 AM

It was a story that kicked up a firestorm of national attention, and, just as quickly, it’s over. The Louisiana public charter school revealed by the ACLU to have a policy of testing all female students suspected of being pregnant and kicking out those who turned out to be, or who refused to be tested, has reversed its policy. The chairman of the rural Delhi Charter School claimed that no one at the school realized there was anything wrong with the policy until the ACLU (and everyone in the entire country) pointed it out.

Read it at USA TODAY

August 10, 2012 10:41 AM

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation announced a management shakeup Wednesday, with President Liz Thompson resigning and CEO Nancy Brinker taking on a new management role in the future. The news comes in the wake of the cancer-fighting organization’s controversial decision earlier this year to de-fund Planned Parenthood—and then re-fund the group amid a national outcry. Komen has struggled with turnout at some of its signature pink-ribbon races across the country this summer, citing both the controversy and the economy. Two members of Komen’s board of directors are leaving as well, the group said. Brinker will become chair of an executive committee as the group seeks a new CEO.

Read it at The Wall Street Journal

August 9, 2012 11:38 AM

A Louisiana public charter school is receiving the wrath of the ACLU after it was revealed they were demanding female students take pregnancy tests if they are suspected of being pregnant -- and forcing them to leave school if the tests came back positive. The ACLU sent a letter to the Delhi Charter School Monday calling the policy unconstitutional and “in clear violation of federal law.” The K-12 public school justifies its “student pregnancy policy” as a way to ensure students “exhibit acceptable character traits.”

Read it at Mother Jones

August 8, 2012 10:13 AM

Anna Piaggi, an Italian fashion journalist known for her eccentric sense of style, died on Tuesday at her home in Milan. She was 81. Piaggi was a fixture at high-end fashion shows, often stealing the limelight with her blue hair, unconventional clothing, and bright makeup. A longtime contributor to Italian Vogue, Piaggi was also honored by the Victoria and Albert Museum, which presented a collection of her clothes that included 265 pairs of her shoes and more than 2,800 of her dresses.

Read it at The Daily Beast

August 8, 2012 10:12 AM

A rebellious teenager was killed by her Pakistani parents, a court in England found Friday. Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed were sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2003 murder, in which the couple used a plastic bag to suffocate their 17-year-old daughter, Shafilea. Authorities got a break in the case when the couple’s other daughter gave information on her parents. The girl was only 10 years old, prosecutors said, when she began to push back against her parents’ rule, causing her mother to abuse her. The investigation was one of hundreds conducted by British law enforcement officials into instances of forced marriage in the country.

Read it at The Associated Press

August 6, 2012 9:43 AM

Keep your eyes peeled for smoochin’ photos on Twitter. Gay rights activists plan to hold a national “Kiss Day” protest in response to Wednesday’s “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day,” in which supporters around the country gathered at the fast-food chain to back its chief executive’s controversial stance against gay marriage. As part of the “Kiss Day,” activists are encouraged to take pictures and videos of themselves locking lips outside the fast food restaurant, which touted record profits followings its “Appreciation Day.”

Read it at The Washington Post

August 6, 2012 9:42 AM

The U.S. women's gymnastics team bested the Russian team to take first place at the finals in London. The U.S. won with a final score of 183.596; 5 points ahead of the Russian team that scored 178.530. Romania came in third with 176.414. The win offered some redemption to U.S. gymnast Jordyn Wieber, who was hoping to bounce back in the wake of her failure to advance to the individual all-around finals on Sunday (she was bested by two teammates in the preliminaries, and there’s a two-competitors-per-country rule in the finals), which left her in tears. Wieber, Gabby Douglas, Ali Raisman, Kyla Ross, and McKayla Maroney all competed in the finals, going up against women from Russia, China, Romania, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, and Canada.

Read it at The Wall Street Journal

August 1, 2012 9:39 AM

A federal judge in Arizona has upheld the state’s disputed ban on abortions starting at 20 weeks of pregnancy except in medical emergencies, which will go into effect on Thursday as scheduled. The judge said the new law is constitutional because it doesn’t prohibit women from the right to choose, though it may force women considering abortion to make the choice earlier. He also noted in the statute that Arizona provided “substantial and well-documented” evidence that an unborn child can feel pain during an abortion at 20 weeks. Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed the measure into law in April, along with another law that blocks funding for its abortion-providing clinics. The New York–based Center for Reproductive Rights said it and another group plan to file an emergency appeal against the ruling with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Read it at The Associated Press

July 31, 2012 10:42 AM

Looks like Democrats were ready to support gay marriage without Joe Biden’s gaffe. The Democratic Party is likely to add gay marriage to its platform at the convention in September—the first time in history same-sex marriage will be included for any major party. Over the weekend, the 15-member platform draft committee unanimously approved adding gay marriage to their platform, retiring U.S. Rep. Barney Frank confirmed on Monday. Next the platform will appear before the full committee Aug. 10–12, where they will make the final decision whether to include it. A source included on the meeting told Politico that the decision was “not controversial.”

Read it at The Washington Blade

July 31, 2012 9:06 AM

A 12-year-old Arkansas girl who went missing after the couple she was living with were found dead has been returned to safety, police said. Amber Whitlow was found in Memphis with brother Antonio Whitlow, who is now a suspect in her abduction. Memphis police said the 33-year-old man is also a suspect in the killing of two people in Little Rock with whom Amber Whitlow was living. The deceased couple was discovered in their home Saturday. Law-enforcement officials have declined to release the names of the couple, but a police official said that they were either the parents or grandparents of the young girl.

Read it at CNN

July 30, 2012 9:32 AM

In the run-up to the election, CBS News is mixing up its This Morning anchors. The network will replace co-anchor Erica Hill with Norah O’Donnell, the network’s chief White House correspondent. O’Donnell joins Charlie Rose and Gayle King on the network’s new morning show, a strong-starting replacement to The Early Show that now brings in an average of 2.3 million viewers—about half as many as ABC’s Good Morning America. Hill, who has been at the show since the beginning, is now “in discussions” about “a new role,” said CBS.

Read it at The Washington Post

July 26, 2012 3:50 PM

Aung San Suu Kyi took to the floor of Burma’s Parliament Wednesday for the first time to speak out in support of new laws backed by the country’s ruling party that would offer more protection for ethnic minorities. Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, was sworn into Burma’s newly founded semi-civilian-run Parliament last year after spending nearly two decades under house arrest demanded by the country’s former repressive regime. Her speech today marks the significant change her country has undergone. Suu Kyi spoke on behalf of Burma’s ethnic minorities who have long suffered discrimination and underdevelopment, arguing that new legislation should be “based on equality, mutual respect, and confidence for the emergence of a genuine democratic union.”

Read it at Reuters

July 25, 2012 9:03 AM