MAYBE IT'S TIME FOR AMERICA'S 50 MILLION SCHOOL PARENTS TO SIMPLY PULL THEIR KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL UNTIL WE HAVE BETTER GUN LAWS.

By DANIEL Politi, SLATE

Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan thinks it’s time to stop proposing halfway measures when it comes to gun control. School shootings have become such an epidemic that it is “tragically necessary” for parents to pull their children out of schools until the underlying situation changes. Duncan expressed that idea through a tweet that referred to an earlier message by Peter Cunningham, a former education department employee who tweeted that “maybe it’s time for America’s 50 million school parents to simply pull their kids out of school until we have better gun laws.”

In an interview with the Washington Post, Duncan recognized his idea wasn’t the most practical in the world but insisted some type of radical approach to the problem was necessary in order for things to change. “It’s wildly impractical and difficult,” Duncan said. “But I think it’s wildly impractical and difficult that kids are shot when they are sent to school.” Duncan also said he’d be open to other alternatives. “I’m open to different ideas, but I’m not open to doing nothing,” Duncan, who is a managing partner at Chicago Cred, an organization that works to reduce gun violence in Chicago, said. “We will see whether this gains traction or something does, but we have to think radically.”

OBAMAS HEADING TO NETFLIX, THE PRODUCERS

Former President Barack Obama announced on Monday a production deal with Netflix
for himself and the former first lady, Michelle Obama.

Credit: Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press  ~ By Michael D. Shear

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama formally announced on Monday a multiyear production deal with Netflix in which he and the former first lady, Michelle Obama, will produce television shows and films for the streaming service.

The deal will give Mr. Obama an international television platform during his post-presidency, allowing him to reach millions of people in the United States and internationally. The couple has created “Higher Ground Productions,” a company to produce content for Netflix, the streaming service announced.

The former president has told associates that he does not intend to use the new platform to wage a public campaign against his successor in the Oval Office, or to fight against conservative voices that populate media outlets like Fox News.

Instead, a release from Netflix said the Obamas will produce “scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries and features” that highlight issues and themes the president pursued during his eight years in office.

“One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “That’s why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix — we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world.”

Mr. Obama has remained largely quiet since leaving office about a year-and-a-half ago, despite calls from some of his supporters to be more active in fighting back against Mr. Trump’s assault on the Obama legacy.

The former president and his advisers have rejected that approach, believing that Mr. Obama would become a convenient political target for the current president. As a result, the Netflix deal is unlikely to be a vehicle for any sharp, partisan rhetoric by the former president, officials said.

Word of negotiations between Mr. Obama and Netflix was first reported in The New York Times in March. Netflix did not disclose financial details of the arrangement, though similar deals between streaming services and high-profile celebrities have been worth many tens of millions of dollars over several years.

Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer for Netflix, said the deal will benefit the service’s audience.

“Barack and Michelle Obama are among the world’s most respected and highly recognized public figures and are uniquely positioned to discover and highlight stories of people who make a difference in their communities and strive to change the world for the better,” he said. “We are incredibly proud they have chosen to make Netflix the home for their formidable storytelling abilities.”

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FORMER EMPLOYEE OF CHEF MARIO BATALI TELLS ALL ABOUT HIS ASSAULT ON HER IN THE RESTAURANT’S ‘RAPE ROOM’

60 Minutes – CBS

A former employee of disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali spoke to 60 Minutes about an alleged rape she suffered at Batali’s hands in 2005 at the Spotted Pig restaurant in Manhattan. The woman, who has remained anonymous since she still works in the restaurant industry, said she woke up on the third floor of the restaurant surrounded by broken bottles, covered in scratches, and with semen on her skirt. Batali and the Spotted Pig’s owner, Ken Friedman — who also has been accused of harassment and assault by at least 10 women — had reportedly referred to the room in which the victim says she awoke as the “rape room.”

Speaking to Anderson Cooper, the woman said that she was working for Batali at his restaurant, Babbo when he invited her to a party at the West Village’s Spotted Pig. They were sitting at a table drinking wine on the second floor of the restaurant, she said when things became “completely foggy.”

“This is — part of the messy, scary part for me, there is a part where it — it all disappears,” she said. “I remember a moment where I was on his lap, kissing him. Like, he was kissing me. And then I remember throwing up — in a toilet. And that is all.”

Next thing she knew, she was alone lying on the floor of the “rape room.”

“The first thing I think is, ‘I’ve been drugged,’” she recalled. “That was the first thing I thought is, ‘I’ve been — I’ve been assaulted.’”

When she returned to work just hours later and questioned Batali about what had happened, she said, “He just was silent, wouldn’t talk to me.” After work, she went to the hospital and spoke to an NYPD detective, but in the end, she said she was too afraid of possible career repercussions to file a claim.

Batali stepped down from his businesses in December after numerous women — many of whom were former employees — accused him of sexual harassment and assault. A former server at The Spotted Pig, Trish Nelson, has previously spoken about witnessing the restaurateur appearing to sexually assault an unconscious woman at the restaurant— prompting the waitress to intervene. Nelson said that she and other employees had also endured constant sexual harassment from Batali when he visited the restaurant. Batali issued a public apology for his behavior in December, but it was derided as insincere by many after he spoke about his favorite “holiday-inspired breakfast” in the same breath as the accusations against him. In a statement to CBS, Batali said he “vehemently” denied the allegations mentioned by the anonymous victim.

FOX NEWS NEW CEO FIRST WOMAN

CNN- The Fox News cable network has appointed Suzanne Scott its new CEO, making her the first woman to ever run the network. Scott is a Fox News veteran and had been president of programming there, overseeing shows like Fox & Friends and Hannity, CNN’s Brian Stelter reported. Scott had been promoted last May after longtime co-president of programming Bill Shine abruptly resigned amid accusations that he covered up the predatory behavior of the late Roger Ailes. She will also now have control of Fox Business.

But Scott was a deputy to Ailes, who founded the network in the 1990s and was forced out in disgrace nearly two years ago after a heap of sexual harassment allegations were made against him. In a post on Twitter, reporter Yashar Ali pointed out that “many women who faced sexual harassment at FNC have told me Suzanne was part of the problem.”

Still, Scott’s promotion to CEO, which came as part of Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, is reorganizing its business units, was celebrated by many. Former Fox News host Greta Van Susteren congratulated Scott in a post on Twitter while pointing out that neither CNN nor MSNBC have ever been run by a woman.

And Lachlan Murdoch, the son of media baron Rupert Murdoch, who is taking over for his father as chairman of the company, praised Scott for being “instrumental in the success of Fox News” following the departure of Bill O’Reilly, who also left the network in disgrace amid sexual harassment allegations.

NEW SEARCH BEGINS AFTER THREE FINALIST AT UMASS WITHDRAW

By Danny McDonald ~ GLOBE STAFF

Faculty at the University of Massachusetts Boston have called for the search to select a new chancellor to be reopened, saying the three finalists “do not have the skills, experience, or values” to lead the institution.

In a statement sent Friday to UMass president Martin T. Meehan and the board of trustees, faculty said the search was “deeply problematic” and lacked adequate representation from the staff at Boston’s only public university.

“The faculty asserts a collective and resolute judgment that none of the final candidates have demonstrated that they are sufficiently qualified to serve as the chancellor of the only public research university in the Greater Boston area and the most diverse four-year public institution in New England,” the statement said.

The statement came four days after faculty took a vote of no confidence in Meehan for the $75 million acquisition of the Mount Ida College campus in Newton by UMass Amherst, at a time when UMass Boston struggles with major financial challenges.

The statement reflected the concerns of about 200 faculty, said Heike Schotten, an associate professor of political science at the school and associate chairwoman for the school’s faculty council.

It was released ahead of a meeting scheduled for Monday where Meehan and the board of trustees were to vote on a new chancellor. That meeting has since been postponed “due to the volume of feedback” on the selection process, UMass spokesman Jeff Cournoyer said Friday night.

“The president will be reviewing the community’s feedback on the three finalist candidates who were forwarded by the search committee over the next several days,” said Cournoyer in a statement. “The UMass community truly appreciates the willingness of the candidates to participate in this process.”

Still, in Friday’s statement, UMass Boston faculty ripped the search, criticizing it as rushed and saying they were boxed out of the decision-making process. The statement said when they pushed for more than two faculty representatives on the 15-member chancellor search committee, faculty were ignored.

“From the very beginning, we have been marginalized and silenced throughout the search process,” the statement said.

The faculty wants Meehan and the university’s board of trustees to relaunch the chancellor search, accept new applications for the post, and change the process so that it “fully involves all UMB stakeholders in making this crucial decision for our institution, particularly the faculty and staff of UMass Boston.”

The statement came a week after the committee that was charged with finding a permanent new leader for the school named three finalists for the job. The finalists are Kathy Humphrey, a senior vice president at the University of Pittsburgh; Peter Lyons, a vice provost and dean at Georgia State University; and Jack Thomas, president of Western Illinois University.

In a statement from Meehan’s office last week, trustee chairman Robert J. Manning called each candidate “excellent” and capable of making the university thrive. Schotten disagrees.

 “The pool of candidates seemed to lack the relevant experience that UMass Boston needs at this crucial juncture,” said Schotten during a phone interview Friday night.

Laura Krantz and Aimee Ortiz of Globe staff contributed to this report. Danny McDonald can be reached at [email protected].