And now we’re at the second Friday in August.

This has not been exactly a happy week for world news. Seriously, one of the least awful things to happen this week was the stock market taking a dive as the pointless trade war rattled the economy further.

So this week’s Friday Five wasn’t exactly fun to assemble. This week I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to the queer community, five stories about science fact and fiction, five stories about haters and their guns, five stories about the deplorables, and five videos (plus things I wrote and notable obituaries).

Stories of the Week:

Multi-state police chase of kitten filled car ends in Clarksville.

The man in the plastic mask: Brazil inmate busted in brazen jailbreak.

Government tested AIDS drugs on foster kids.

Black families once lived off their southern farmland. Their descendants are struggling to hold onto it.. The corrections to the article are almost as long as the article itself!

Grandmother averts mass shooting by bringing grandson to hospital after threats – Authorities found an AK-47, 17 magazines loaded with ammunition, and multiple knives in the hotel room the 19-year-old had rented.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

DC’s Town LGBT Nightclub To Reopen In Former Church .

Michigan doctors reach out to LGBTQ community to narrow health disparities.

Hundreds of LGBTQ families came together & OMG would you look at these photos of cute kids?.

Microsoft agrees to rethink anti-LGBTQ PAC donations after pressure from activists.

Utah high court throws out ban on valid surrogacy contracts for gay couples.

This Week in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Science:

Avengers: Endgame: A lack of closure at the end of the line.

This Remote Corner Of Nevada Is One Of The Darkest Places In The World.

The Conservative Manifesto Buried in ‘Avengers: Endgame’.

Glasgow scientists develop artificial tongue to tackle fake whisky.

How the MCU Failed Its Captain America Characters.

This Week in the Impeachable One and Other Deplorable People:

Devin Nunes fake farmer lawsuit surprises Republicans.

Missouri Teachers Force District To Move Required Meeting Out of Anti-Gay Church .

Judge signals interest in removing Mueller report redactions .

Mulvaney Admits To Ulterior Motive For Move Of USDA Experts.

Fox pundit gets repeatedly cut off while trying to explain the link between Trump and violence.

This Week in That Awful Topic:

The El Paso mass shooting and defenses of white people with racist opinions – Where Taking the Concerns of Racists Seriously Has Gotten Us.

Stopping the Epidemic of White Nationalist Gun Violence.

Jordan Cofer Identified As Trans Man, Dayton Shooter’s Sibling.

Experts See Parallels Between ISIS And White Terrorism.

New Info Turns Gilroy Shooting Into Terrorism Probe.

In Memoriam:

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison Dies at 88.

One of Late Writer Toni Morrison’s Most Famous Quotes About Racism Came from a Talk at Portland State University. Listen to It Here.

Remembering The Magic Of Toni Morrison.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 8/3/2019: damn lies, stupid lies, shocked deniers, and the end of a campaign.

The appeal to worse problems fallacy, and other unhelpful responses to domestic terrorism.

Tuesday Tidbits 8/6/19: Smirking and Inciting.

Leopard spots and sheep’s clothing, part 4 — or, even more confessions of an ex-evangelical.

Dragons to the rescue, or more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!

A Reminder to Our Government That White Supremacist Violence is Terrorism | Full Frontal on TBS:

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Stephen Colbert – America’s Gun Culture Is Melting Down:

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Politicians React to Shootings in El Paso and Dayton: A Closer Look:

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Eureka O’Hara – Pretty Hot And Tasty (Official Music Video):

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Ariana Grande & Barbra Streisand Duet On “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” at Chicago Concert:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)