False Hope, Empty Policy: Obama's "Amazing Grace" Moment Falls Flat

Frank Leon Roberts · 06/30/15 10:00AM

On Friday, June 26, at the funeral of Charleston, South Carolina shooting victim Clementa Pinckney, President Barack Obama closed his moving eulogy for the slain pastor—who was killed along with eight other black congregates at the historic Mother AME Emmanuel Church—by leading the congregation in a rousing rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

All the Ways the Cops Reportedly Screwed Up the Prisoner Manhunt

Gabrielle Bluestone · 06/30/15 09:50AM

Did you think it was incredible that two escaped prisoners, armed with just the clothes on their back and the lingering love of a married prison guard (and possibly weapons), managed to evade thousands of police officers for more than three weeks? It was. And, according to the New York Times, probably unintentionally aided by law enforcement.

Walmart Is Very Sorry It Made an ISIS Cake

Ashley Feinberg · 06/29/15 06:10PM

Earlier this weekend, a Southern American by the name of Chuck Netzhammer was dismayed when Walmart refused to make him a Confederate flag cake. He was even more dismayed when the store seemed to have no problem making what he dubbed an “ISIS battle cake.” So, Netzhammer asked the question that’s been weighing on everyone’s mind: “Does Walmart support ISIS?”

Chrissy Teigen Defies Instagram's Nudity Policy With Topless Photo

Taylor Berman · 06/29/15 05:17PM

To celebrate a photo shoot for an upcoming issue of W Magazine, model Chrissy Teigen posted a topless photo of herself to Instagram. “Honored to be in the company of such gorgeous women!” she wrote in the caption, before thanking the photographer, hair and makeup artists, and her agents. The NSFW photo is embedded below.

Oh, Shit: More Than 1,000 Runners Get Diarrhea After Mud Day Event 

Jay Hathaway · 06/29/15 05:05PM

Last year, the Washington Post reported that participating in trendy tough-guy mud runs often comes with a painful case of abdominal cramps and diarrhea brought on by literally eating shit—fecal bacteria mixed in with the mud. More than a thousand people are suffering those ill effects after a popular French event last week. (Not so tough now, are you?)

Texas Town Is Charging Us $79,000 for Emails About Pool Party Abuse Cop

Andy Cush · 06/29/15 05:02PM

Days after McKinney, Texas, police officer Eric Casebolt was filmed pointing his service weapon at a group of unarmed black teenagers at a pool party this month, Gawker submitted a Public Information Act request to the city of McKinney asking to see Casebolt’s records and any emails about his conduct sent or received by McKinney Police Department employees. Today, we received a letter from the city’s attorneys claiming that fulfilling our request would cost $79,229.09.

Hamilton Nolan · 06/29/15 03:34PM

A new study finds that melting sea ice in the North Atlantic caused by global warming could ultimately cause Western Europe to get colder. So there will be somewhere cool to go when America becomes a sweltering hellscape.

J. Crew CEO Decks Out Hamptons Estate With Tasteful Confederate Flag

Brendan O'Connor · 06/29/15 02:00PM

Vague references to American tradition are all well and good when you’re just trying to move some madras shorts—but when you’re decorating your house you should make sure that the fantasy old-timey United States you’re worshipping isn’t actually fantasy old-time Confederate States of America. Just ask J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler.