Ashley Merryman is co-author of NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children, and Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing. She served in the Pentagon from 2018-2020, first as the Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusion for the Chief of Naval Operations and then as an advisor to the Department of the Navy's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. The opinions expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) For years, there had been little progress made when it came to the ongoing tragedy of military sexual assault. However, that all changed last year, following the brutal killing of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood by a fellow soldier . Since Guillen's death, proposed reforms for how the US military prosecutes sex-related crimes have garnered widespread support. Even Pentagon leaders now advocate some change . While individual proposals can be debated, it's laudable that everyone is serious about improving prosecution of … [Read more...]

Kara Alaimo, an associate professor in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University, writes about women and social media. She was spokeswoman for international affairs in the Treasury Department during the Obama administration. Follow her on Twitter @karaalaimo . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN) Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman and former college champion Maggie Nichols on Wednesday offered devastating testimon y, sometimes through their tears, to the Senate Judiciary Committee about how USA Gymnastics, their sport's governing body, and the FBI, America's principal federal law enforcement agency, mishandled investigations into convicted sexual abuser Larry Nassar. The former USA Gymnastics team doctor was accused of violating more than 200 victims and is now serving a prison sentence of 40 to 175 years. Kara Alaimo The … [Read more...]

Click here to read the full article. Genius Media, the widely used lyrics-database company formerly known as Rap Genius, has been acquired by app and internet media holding company MediaLab for $80 million. Genius confirmed its agreement to sell the company to MediaLab. “MediaLab’s commitment to investing in artists and fan-driven communities makes them the ideal partner to propel Genius forward,” Genius said in a statement to Variety . “Genius would not be where it is without the tireless efforts of our whole team. We are immensely grateful to everyone who has made Genius what it is today.” More from Variety Genius Hires Washington Post CMO Miki Toliver King as President Martin Luther King Jr. Will Be Subject of National Geographic's 'Genius' Season 4 Genius Media Lawsuit Accusing Google of Stealing Song Lyrics Is Tossed With the acquisition, MediaLab is making layoffs at Genius, according to Bloomberg , which first reported the sale. Genius and … [Read more...]

Another Haitian chief executive may be about to take a fall. In the space of the last four days, Ariel Henry, de facto leader of Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, has been through a grinding and spewing political mill focused on the probe of the killing and whether he had a role in it. It’s all part of an intense battle among political factions to see who will inherit the mantle of the presidency and thus the spoils. Moise may himself have been the first casualty of this battle, and it has been difficult to imagine Henry emerging a victor from this very complicated imbroglio. But then, this is Haiti, always full of surprises, most of them not ones where you shout “Surprise!” and then applaud. Most of the action in the past few days in fact is a kind of concentrated and dangerous version of the political turf battles you see during elections elsewhere. Advertisement But “political” in this instance is not meant to suggest that the … [Read more...]

2 In a tiny, two-seat, incredibly fast aircraft, 19-year-old pilot Zara Rutherford touched down in Palo Alto Wednesday on her journey to become the youngest female to fly solo around the world. Rutherford hopes her attempt to break this record will inspire girls and young women to “pursue their dreams,” according to her website — especially if those dreams are in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, where women are historically underrepresented. The record is currently held by Shaesta Waiz, a refugee from Afghanistan who grew up in Richmond. She completed her solo flight around the world at 30, according to National Geographic . Rutherford — who is Belgian and British — began her journey about a month ago, departing from Belgium. After leaving Europe, she made a few stops in Canada and on the East Coast before swooping down into Central and South America. She then came back up into California, stopping in Los Angeles and Mojave before … [Read more...]

6 RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Within his first week back at school after a year and a half, 7-year-old Ben Medlin was exposed to a classmate with COVID-19, and he was sent home, along with 7,000 other students in the district, for 14 days of quarantine. Not much learning went on in Ben's home. On some days last week, the second-grader was given no work by his teachers. On others, he was done by 9:30 a.m., his daily assignments consisting of solving 10 math problems or punctuating four sentences, according to his mother. “It was very much just thrown together and very, very, very easy work,” Kenan Medlin said. As coronavirus outbreaks driven by the delta variant lead districts around the U.S. to abruptly shut down or send large numbers of children into quarantine at home, some students are getting minimal schooling. Despite billions of dollars in federal money at their disposal to prepare for new outbreaks and develop contingency … [Read more...]