Welcome to the RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through the top five controversial and crazy stories in the world of law and policy each day. So who is ranting and who is raving today? Check it out below:

Bill O’Reilly says Black Lives Matter is ‘Killing America’

Oh, O’Reilly! Trending today is the ever-controversial topic of the Black Lives Matter movement. Talking head and critic Bill O’Reilly had some stirring things to say about the group, stating that they do not accurately portray violent crime among African-Americans and that, “in fact,” it was young black males that committed the most crime in America. He also claims that these crime numbers are on the rise as a result of BLM’s rhetoric. See this rant from The Young Turks in response: 

And check out Law Street Media’s Crime in America coverage for a real look at the statistics.

Communism will never die: Chinese rap promotes Karl Marx for Millennials

So how do you get today’s rowdy youth “down” with Communism? Write a rap song about Karl Marx, obviously. China State Media just dropped a new mix praising the 19th century philosopher. As a citizen of the free world, it seems so freaking surreal and that’s not just because it’s in Chinese. While the use of Western culture and rap music to promote China’s Communist Party is questionable, I must say it’s a kind of catchy tune!

Chinese ad for laundry detergent has ZERO chill

Ok, listen. We can’t all be perfect but, I don’t think this Chinese company understand how skin pigment works! This advert is making waves on social media after a woman in the video is seen using laundry detergent to make a better and ‘cleaner’ boyfriend. I’m SCREAMING!

This racist laundry detergent ad from China will leave you speechless.https://t.co/Y4W5W5Wwoq

— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 27, 2016

Is Sanders grasping at straws?

After splitting delegates pretty evenly with Clinton at the Kentucky primary, Sanders’ camp requested a full recount of the votes. The results confirmed that Clinton was still the winner and Sanders has since accepted the truth.

Hold on. The Sanders-requested Kentucky primary recount is over *one* delegate? https://t.co/eNkM3gnq3Y

— Jen Connic (@jenconnic) May 26, 2016

London Olympics drug retests may disqualify 23 from Rio

The IOC has yet to reveal the identities of the 23 athletes who failed their retrospective drug tests. What we do know is that they hail from six different countries and compete in five different sports. The retests were made using the latest tech, and such in depth testing was not available when they competed. These 23 athletes will be, according to the IOC, banned from the Rio Games. This comes only weeks after 31 athletes were discovered doping in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: May 27, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

During the current 2016 primary, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has been careful to emphasize that (despite some right wing attacks that say otherwise) he’s not a communist or a socialist. However, Sanders and his team are now possibly going to have to take that fight to court. Sanders’ legal team is fighting to stop a man named Daniel McCall and his company Liberty Maniacs from selling t-shirts, coffee cups, and other merchandise emblazoned with the words “Bernie is my comrade.”

The merchandise uses what looks like Sanders’ own campaign logo for “Bernie’s” name. Then, a picture of Sanders is featured along with some of history’s most famous communists and socialists–Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladomir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong.

Bernie Sanders’ Campaign Lawyers Do Not Appreciate Your “Bernie is My Comrade” T-Shirthttps://t.co/ctq5Qedojgpic.twitter.com/vkXrWpxZVW

— ALC (@Arthur59611540) April 19, 2016

‘Bernie is My Comrade’ shirts: Merchant issued cease and desist order by Sanders allies https://t.co/ntA7h4gFTTpic.twitter.com/piCbjuNvqL

— Red Alert Politics (@RedAlert) April 17, 2016

The Sanders campaign sent McCall a cease and desist letter alleging that McCall was infringing on its copyright and trademark; it also demanded that the company destroy or take down the items from the internet. In response, McCall’s lawyer has now accused the campaign of “trademark bullying.” McCall told Buzzfeed news: 

I was surprised Bernie’s campaign would have done that. He didn’t seem to be the type of candidate, the type of guy, who would do something like this. I’m waiting to see what happens, but I would think Bernie, or one of his staff members will step in and put an end to it. It appears to be pretty silly.

His lawyer, Paul Levy also responded to the lawsuit, and made a point about free speech: 

That contention is absurd. You cannot use trademark theories to silence members of the American public who disagree with your client’s views and oppose his candidacy. They can hardly express their views in that respect without identifying the candidacy about which they wish to speak; and it is precisely because the logo is so recognizable that it is an excellent way of specifying which ‘Bernie’ is the subject of commentary.

While its understandable that Sanders’ campaign doesn’t want to be affiliated with some of history’s most reviled dictators, we’ll have to see if the campaign prevails in this copyright fight. 

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Bernie Sanders’ Campaign Tries to Stop “Bernie is my Comrade” Gear appeared first on Law Street.