ICYMI: misfiring a “cold gun”, an astronaut fights sexism, and more

Alec Baldwin accidentally killed and injured two crew members after prop gun mishandling

Actor Alec Baldwin discharged a “prop firearm” on the sets of his new movie Rust that killed Halyna Hutchins, the director of photography, and director Joel Souza. The accident happened south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Baldwin said that he was told the prop was a “cold gun”, meaning unloaded when it was handed to him. This wasn’t the first accident on the sets of Rust. The LA Times broke the disclosure that at least two other accidental gun discharges occurred on the set earlier.

Yaping battles sexism while set to become the first Chinese woman in space

Col. Wang Yaping is set to be the first Chinese woman to walk in space. The space veteran is a pilot in the People’s Liberation Army’s Air Force. But she still faces sexism in spite of her accomplishments. According to the New York Times, “official and news media attention fixated as much on the comparative physiology of men and women, menstruation cycles, and the 5-year-old daughter she has left behind, as they did on her accomplishments. (No one asked about the children of her two male colleagues.)”

Vanessa Bryant’s deposition reinforces lawsuit against LA County

Vanessa Bryant, the wife of the late basketball player Kobe Bryant, doubled down on her decision on Saturday to sue Los Angeles County for the way they handled the death of her husband and their daughter Gianna. Though she sued the county last year for emotional distress, Bryant’s long-awaited deposition has now been filed too. Among other complaints, Bryant said that officials informed her of the tragedy hours after it occurred. LA County Sheriff’s deputies were also caught distributing photographs of the notorious helicopter crash and the victims’ remains.

The Atlanta Braves to play their first World Series in over 20 years

The Atlanta Braves historically defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday to win the National League pennant. They will go head-to-head with the Houston Astros for the World Series. This will be the Braves’ first World Series game since 1999.

Friends actor James Michael Tyler dies at 59

James Michael Tyler, who became a pop culture mainstay as TV’s most famous barista because of his role on Friends as Gunther, died Sunday of prostate cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 59.