Wiretap: Journalists tackle Rachel Dolezal’s racial outing

Black out

Rachel Dolezal, the now-former president of the Spokane NAACP chapter, was outed as white last week to a resounding “huh?” from the American public. On Thoughtcatalog.com, Jacob Geers rounds up the most tone-deaf #transracial tweets that graced the Internet. Over at the Advocate, Amanda Kerri explains why this story has nothing to do with the Caitlyn Jenner story. And Dara Lind, for Vox.com, reminds us that the editor of America’s first black daily newspaper also “pulled a Rachel Dolezal.”

Rodham Hood

Despite coverage like the New York Post‘s splashy “RODHAM HOOD!” cover, Hillary Clinton may be “getting credit for a populism she didn’t really espouse” in her campaign (re)launch speech, writes Molly Ball in the Atlantic.

Cardinal sin

The FBI and DOJ are blowing the whistle on the St. Louis Cardinals for hacking into a rival team’s internal network. As Michael S. Schmidt reports in the New York Timesthere’s evidence that team officials got their hands on player stats, trade information and scouting reports.

National diet

The FDA imposed considerable restrictions on trans fats today, in an effort to scale back the health risks associated with the vast quantities of processed food consumed by the American public. Partially hydrogenated oils are “no longer assumed to be safe,” according to the agency. Via WSJ

Swing state

Forget Iowa; forget New Hampshire; forget South Carolina, writes Shane Goldmacher in the National Journal. In 2016, presidential candidates will duke it out on Facebook.

Golden years

California Senator Diane Feinstein is the oldest sitting member of the Senate, but she’s hardly taking it easy, writes Connie Bruck in the New Yorker. Instead, she’s taking the CIA and the Obama administration to town over torture.

 

Photo credit: Steve Snodgrass, Creative Commons, Flickr

The Colorado Independent is a statewide online news source operating in a time when spin is plentiful, but factual, fair and unflinching news in the public interest is all too rare. Our award-winning team of veteran investigative and explanatory reporters and news columnists aims to amplify the voices of Coloradans whose stories are unheard, shine light on the relationships between people, power and policy, and hold public officials to account. We strive to report the news with context, social conscience, and soul, and to give Coloradans the insight they need to promote conversation, understanding and progress in this square, swing state we call home.