Only in America

A Charlottesville, Va., man is suing a local newspaper for defamation after it accurately reported that his ancestors owned hundreds of slaves. Edward Dickinson Tayloe II alleges that by disclosing his family’s slave-owning past, the C-Ville Weekly implied that Tayloe opposes the removal of Confederate monuments “because he is a racist,” causing him “emotional distress.”

It is now illegal to use the term “illegal alien” in workplaces or housing in New York City. A new directive from the city’s Commission on Human Rights allows for fines of up to $250,000 on employers or landlords who use the term “to demean, intimidate, or offend.” The directive further warns of legal consequences for other “discriminatory” behavior, such as hoteliers forbidding staff “from speaking Spanish while cleaning.”