Howdy, Meteor readers,

We’re going on a road trip and we’d love it if y'all joined us—specifically, in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention next week! We’ll be hosting the Power Lounge at McCormick Place, in partnership with Emerge—an organization that trains women to run for office— on August 21st-22nd. We’ll be hosting conversations with trailblazers like Rep. Jasmine Crockett, State Rep. Gloria Johnson (of the Tennessee Three), Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Connie Britton and lots more. You can register for this event by clicking the image below. See you in Chicago!

But before we hit the road, let’s hit this newsletter. Today marked the three-year anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan. We spoke with Sahar Halaimzai, the director for the Afghanistan Initiative at the Malala Fund, about what life has been like for Afghan women ever since. Plus, your weekend reading list.

DNCya later,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

• According to new numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry, 40,000 people—including approximately 16,000 children—have been killed by Israeli military attacks since October 7th. This news comes amidst renewed ceasefire talks and U.S. military officials saying there is nothing left to achieve militarily by continuing to bomb Gaza.

• Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer and Olympic gold medalist falsely accused of being a man, has filed a legal complaint against Xwitter alleging cyberbullying. Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling, both of whom shared misinformation about Khelif with their combined millions of followers, are named in the complaint. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office for the Fight against Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crime is investigating the claim.

• On Wednesday, Hurricane Ernesto passed through Puerto Rico, knocking out power for over 700,000 customers of LUMA, the corrupt and crumbling energy provider that failed Puerto Ricans in 2022 during Hurricane Fiona. Entire towns are without electricity—even those with no downed power lines. The mayor of Villalba told the New York Times, “This shows how fragile the electrical system is, seven years after Hurricane Maria…There is no logical reason why our town has no service.”

• Have you seen this video of Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway—we swear it’s her—explaining Project 2025’s plans for revitalizing the nuclear family in America?

• More recommended viewing: This video featuring Kaitlyn Joshua, a mom in Louisiana who found herself “in the middle of a healthcare crisis” while pregnant in 2022. Joshua was having a miscarriage—but because of Louisiana’s abortion ban, medical providers refused to see her (presumably because they feared treating her would involve removing her fetus). Out of options, she was forced to pass her miscarriage at home “without dignity.” We were honored to film her with Vote for Abortion in Philadelphia earlier this month; you can also read more about her here.

Three Questions About...Gender Apartheid

On the anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, an advocate explains what life has been like for women in Afghanistan

OLYMPIC RUNNER KIMIA YOUSOFI OF TEAM AFGHANISTAN HOLDS A SIGN THAT READS, "EDUCATION" AND "OUR RIGHTS" AFTER RUNNING THE WOMEN'S 100 METER. POLITICAL AND PROTEST SIGNAGE WAS BANNED DURING THE 2024 OLYMPICS IN PARIS. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Three years ago today, Taliban forces seized Kabul and restored an oppressive theocratic regime to power. You probably remember the images: people attempting to flee, clinging to airplanes, parents handing babies over fences to strangers.

And yet, as quickly as those images came across our screens, they vanished. Over the last three years, women in Afghanistan have lost their ability to work, and girls have been barred from higher education, but in the West, their plight has largely been pushed from the front pages. The Malala Fund, founded by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzi and her father, Ziauddin, is working to change that. We asked the Fund’s Afghanistan director, Sahar Halaimzai, three questions.

What has been the most significant change in the everyday lives of Afghan women since 2021? 

Women and girls have experienced a total rollback of their basic rights. The Taliban have banned girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and women from most forms of employment. There are also severe restrictions on women’s freedom of movement and access to public spaces. They cannot enjoy a stroll in a park or go to the salon to get a haircut. This oppression is systemic, institutionalized, and a core part of the Taliban’s governance model; it’s a system of gender apartheid. But as of now, the international community does not legally recognize gender apartheid as a crime despite support from Afghan activists and many global experts, including prominent feminists and legal scholars.

Daily life is fraught with danger. [But] there are many brave women and girls who continue to protest, run or attend underground schools, and organize advocacy efforts to fight for their rights. If caught, these women have been subjected to violence and harassment, arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearances. The Taliban have also targeted their families, using coercion and violence to suppress any form of resistance. Despite these risks, Afghan women remain resilient.

Has the lack of Western media focus on the plight of Afghan women impacted the movement?

Absolutely. Without sustained media attention, it is difficult to maintain the pressure needed to hold the Taliban accountable or support Afghan women and girls. Instead, what we are seeing is a creeping normalization of the Taliban’s atrocities, making it easier to sideline women’s and girls’ rights in favor of other interests.

If we could get more media outlets to cover what’s happening in Afghanistan as gender apartheid, it could reignite global solidarity for Afghan women and pressure leaders to take action.

What needs to happen to protect the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan—and is there anything the average person can do to help?

The international community must recognize gender apartheid as a crime under international law. This recognition would open legal avenues to hold the Taliban accountable for their atrocities.

There's a real opportunity to do this: the United Nations General Assembly's Sixth Committee is currently debating the draft language of the Crimes against Humanity treaty. In October 2024, the Committee will resume discussions and vote on whether to advance the treaty to the next stage—a pivotal moment that could solidify international legal frameworks to address and prevent such egregious human rights violations.

Everyone can contribute to this push by supporting organizations like [ours] that advocate for Afghan women’s rights, amplifying their stories, and by pressuring their governments to take decisive action during this critical period, first by naming what is happening in Afghanistan as gender apartheid.

The situation in Afghanistan is not just a localized issue but a global human rights crisis. The Taliban’s gender apartheid…sets a dangerous precedent. If our elected representatives are happy to engage with a governance system that, at its core, is about enforcing gender apartheid, it signals that women’s rights are negotiable and can be easily sacrificed.

WEEKEND READING 📚

On boy things: Are big loud podcast voices like Joe Rogan moving more young men to the right? (The Guardian)

On lingering questions: Who is this woman and how did she make it to the Olympics? (The Root)

On health: Routine pap smears have been unpleasant and uncomfortable since the dawn of time, but a less intrusive new alternative is right on the horizon. (New York Times)

FOLLOW THE METEOR

Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Subscribe using their share code or sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.

[email protected]

Salutations, Meteor readers,

I have returned from my sojourn to the Hudson River Valley region, where my life was changed by a cow named Rosie. Anything interesting happen while I was gone? Rhetorical question; I read this newsletter just like you do, so I know.

Today we’ve got a lot to cover—including a discrimination lawsuit, Olympic withdrawal, and three questions for an insider who helped get abortion on the ballot in Arizona.

Walking back into the office like this,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

Continued fallout: In the 26 months since the Dobbs decision, hundreds of women have shared their horror stories of trying to seek reproductive care from doctors and hospitals operating in mass confusion and fear. Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz and Kyleigh Thurman are two more names to add to the list.

Last week, both Norris-De La Cruz and Thurman filed federal complaints against two different hospitals in Texas that they claim refused to perform  abortions in order to treat their ectopic pregnancies. (If you’re just joining us, ectopic pregnancies occur when a fetus develops outside of a uterus, and are almost never viable.)

In both women’s cases, their fetuses implanted in their fallopian tubes. The hospitals they went to, Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital respectively, sent both of them home. Norris-De La Cruz sought a second opinion and was scheduled for surgery elsewhere. Thurman returned to Ascension several days later. But as Shefali Luthra of The 19th reported yesterday, it was too late: “By the time both could receive abortions, their pregnancies had ruptured. Both women had to have their affected fallopian tube removed.”

A DEMONSTRATOR AT A REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS RALLY. (PHOTO BY MONTINIQUE MONROE/GETTY IMAGES)

Abortion is banned in Texas but, at least on paper, there is a carve out for extreme cases where the life of the mother is at risk. Ectopic pregnancies fall under the category. And yet this isn’t the first time the state has been sued for how the language in the abortion ban has hamstrung doctors in cases where they would normally be quick to act. That’s because if a doctor in Texas were to perform an abortion, they would have to prove in court that their decision was protected by law, and should a court disagree, they could face jail time. It is an impossible decision, and yet it’s still one that states like Texas, Idaho, and Tennessee are forcing doctors to make. It’s also worth noting that a big part of this lawsuit is the hospitals’ failure to comply with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) which states that a hospital receiving federal Medicare dollars must provide emergency abortions when necessary even if its against state law. Perhaps if SCOTUS hadn’t dismissed the Idaho EMTALA case in June, and actually made a full-throated ruling  doctors would have a clearer understanding of what they’re allowed to do without having to consult a bevy of lawyers.

To learn how you can help those seeking reproductive care in Texas, visit Fund Texas Choice.

AND:

• The copper IUD as we know it was invented in 1967 and for the 57 years since, women have been complaining about the pain involved in inserting and removing the device. Now—at long last—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new guidance on pain management. Part of the guidance suggests using Lidocaine and without getting all TMI on you, I can assure you that Lidocaine is not strong enough.

• WNBA star and Olympic bronze medalist, Dearica Hamby is suing the WNBA and her former team the Las Vegas Aces, alleging discrimination and retaliation after she told the Aces that she was pregnant in August of 2022. According to Hamby’s suit, after sharing her pregnancy the team rescinded several enticements that were part of her two-year contract, including school tuition for her daughter and housing.
• Are you already having Olympic withdrawal? Fear not! The Paralympics are right around the corner (starting August 28) and I will be cheering for track-and-field wife guy, Hunter Woodhall like it’s my full-time job.

• Last year was the hottest in recorded history and researchers have discovered that in Europe alone, more than 47,000 people died of heat related issues. The authors of the research paper warn that extreme temperatures are becoming a health issue and without “adaptation measures” the death toll for 2023 would have been about eighty percent higher.

• This article on the forthcoming dawn of a sports bra that is not absolutely horrible may give you the hope you need to believe in humanity.

WINNING IS NICE

Three Questions About Arizona's Abortion Ballot Initiative

With an insider who helped make it happen

BY SAMHITA MUKHOPADHYAY

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WEATHERED THE ARIZONA SUN TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. (PHOTO BY REBECCA NOBLE/GETTY IMAGES)

Yesterday, the Arizona secretary of state’s office confirmed that over half a million people had signed to certify a ballot initiative that would enshrine access to abortion into the state constitution. According to NPR, that number represents the most signatures for a ballot measure in the history of the state.

And getting abortion into the constitution is crucial. Arizona’s abortion laws have been in the spotlight because of its 160-year-old “zombie” law, which briefly banned abortion throughout the state this spring. Thanks to (mostly female) legislator pressure, the law goes off the books next month, but “without a constitutional amendment another group of politicians can come right back in January and pass another extreme ban or continue to put onerous restrictions on access,” says Arizona for Abortion Access’ communications director Dawn Penich, whose coalition mobilized 7,000 volunteers to collect signatures.

We asked Penich three questions about this huge win, and what comes next.

WE LOVE A WIN! (PHOTO BY REBECCA NOBLE/GETTY IMAGES)

Samhita Mukhopadhyay: First of all, congratulations and thank you. You surpassed the numbers needed for certification by a lot. What was the process for getting there? And what was the hardest part? 

Dawn Penich: We've been working toward this for over a year at this point. It was last summer that we formed a coalition, started writing the language for this measure and forming a campaign and then spent more than nine months collecting signatures all over the state. And if you know anything about Arizona, that means that we were collecting in snowstorms, but also collecting in 115-degree weather.

So I would say that was the hardest part, just asking our 7,000 volunteers to be out there day after day. But I have to tell you, it wasn't hard because people are so driven and passionate about this issue that they said, yeah, it's hot, but I don't care. I need to be part of a solution. I need to be part of righting this wrong. And so getting the news yesterday that our signatures were certified and we are on the ballot just felt amazing and was a huge validation for the amount of work that we've been putting in and we'll continue to put in for the next 90 days.

It just really proves the point that even in Arizona, which is considered a more conservative state on some issues, most voters support access to abortion.

That's right. We totally saw that when we would be in…the red parts of town. More conservative people do come to this issue from a different perspective: They look at it as small government and keeping the government out of their private lives, whereas other people come to it through a women's rights or a reproductive freedom lens. So people have different ways of coming to support access to abortion, and that's why we were able to collect so many signatures. We also think we're going to be the latest in the long line of reproductive freedom wins this November.

Were there any major efforts to push back on the initiative? 

There were some feeble attempts throughout the course of collecting our signatures. Folks would show up holding stop signs or try to lie about what our measure does and pass off misinformation. But I got to hand it to 'em: Arizona voters are smarter than that. It did nothing but backfire. They would kind of get the attention of people walking by, and then those people would say, Oh, is that the abortion access petition? Let me hurry up and sign that. We don't take it lightly, but we do know that we are the majority, and that majority will turn out in November as well.

FOLLOW THE METEOR

Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend?
Sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.

[email protected]

Ahoy, Meteor readers,

I have been watching Olympic rugby sevens since 9:30 this morning. I was initially watching to support social media sensation Ilona Maher—but I got hooked, kept watching, and friends, it was worth it: Today I got to see these women make history:

In today’s newsletter, we travel to Venezuela, where a hotly contested election has drawn hundreds of protestors. Plus, a new abortion ban goes into effect—and, of course, there’s more Olympics.

I love sports,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

Venezuela fights for a fair election: Yesterday, thousands of Venezuelans flooded the streets to protest the results of Sunday’s election, in which officials had declared incumbent President Nicolas Maduro the winner. The opposing candidate Edmundo González and government opposition leader Maria Corina Machado are saying they have undeniable proof that the election—which had the highest turnout in years—was actually won by González.

Their claims have some backing: Maduro’s government has yet to provide verification for the election results, and the opposition has paper tallies which they claim  show they won by at least three million votes. Several countries in the region have denounced the election results.

The high voter turnout was motivated largely by González and Machado, who have been harnessing Venezuela’s young voters in an effort to overturn 25 years of authoritarian rule. Millions cannot afford food or medicine and polling showed that if Maduro remains in power, many plan to flee the country.

But Maduro won’t go quietly into that long good night—sound familiar?—and the reverberations of that decision could be disastrous. As one expert points out, “[If] Maduro clings to power by fraud and other illegitimate means, Venezuela will have missed perhaps its last best chance at change for a long time. Instability will persist and perhaps deepen, and Latin America and the United States will have no choice but to absorb the consequence.”

AND:

• Yesterday, a six-week abortion ban went into effect in Iowa. An abortion provider in the state told The 19th that many patients had no idea the law—passed more than six years ago—was about to become reality. (“We are having extremely difficult conversations in my department with patients,” she said.) Learn how you can support pregnant people in Iowa here.

• On that note: According to a new study, more women have tried to induce their own abortions since the fall of Roe. Unsurprising, but devastating.

• Vladimir Putin had a very specific message for the women in his country, the ones whose rights his government has been rolling back for years: Have more children—at least seven or eight. His suggestionsinclude starting reproduction at 18 to maximize childbearing years, and skipping college and career to focus on rebuilding the nation. Since this advice is coming from a man who has been sending Russian citizens into an endless and violent war of conquest since 2022—I think we can take it and throw it in the trash.

• Megan Thee Stallion is also Megan Thee Philanthropist. As Texans recover from Hurricane Beryl, Megan’s charitable foundation is working to get generators for senior citizens in Houston who still haven’t regained electricity since the storm landed in early July.

• In his final months in office, President Biden is wasting no time. During a speech yesterday, he described the Supreme Court as overrun by an “extreme and unchecked” conservative agenda (accurate) in desperate need of reform (also accurate). What’s he suggesting for a fix? Term limits and a binding ethics code for those sitting on the bench. Can this happen in the foreseeable future? It would have to get through Congress first which….yeah. Still worth trying.

• The women of Team USA have been busy making history! Queens native Lauren Scruggs just took home the silver in women’s individual foil fencing, making her the first Black American woman to earn an individual medal in that sport. And while we’re on the topic of Black women winning, Team USA won gold at the women’s team gymnastics final and that extra medal means that Simone Biles is officially the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history.

• Meantime, Olympics commentator Bob Ballard was dropped by Eurosport after making sexist comments about the Australian swim team. After they won gold for the 100 meter relay, they were apparently delayed in leaving the building—at which point Ballard said, “Well, the women just finishing off. You know what women are like, hanging around, doing their makeup.” Bye-bye, Bob.

• A new study out of Yale looks at how why the gender pay gap hasn’t budged much in the last few decades and the factors that have made progress stagnant: less early career opportunities and declining wages for young people, writ large. And what has closed the gap is not women earning more but instead men earning less. The researchers tell CNBC,  “Young women have done a tiny bit better between the mid-’70s and mid-’90s, but that how much better they have done is very small relative to how much young men have dropped in the wage distribution.”

• Tomorrow marks the global release of Netflix’s Mountain Queen, a documentary about Nepali climber Lhakpa Sherpa, who currently holds the world record for most summits up Mt. Everest by a woman. The movie is a gutting and inspiring story of all she overcame—from poverty to domestic violence to going back to her job at Whole Foods after climbing the largest peak in the world. The Meteor recommends!

• Scientists are inching ever closer to reviving the extinct wooly mammoth. It would be great if scientists took this level of fascination and funding and applied it to something less Jurrassic Parky, like, oh, I don’t know, understanding menopause.

• And…more weirdness from J.D. Vance.

FOLLOW THE METEOR

Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Subscribe using their share code or sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.

[email protected]

Dear Meteor readers,

Well, folks, he did it. President Biden has hopped off the campaign trail and is holding the door open for someone else. Did you call it? (We did not.)

In today’s newsletter, we’re bringing a little bit of optimism to your inbox as we get accustomed to Vice President Kamala Harris’ new role. Plus a little Olympic news, and a life update from Brittney Griner.

Existing in the context of all in which we live,

Samhita and Shannon

WHAT'S GOING ON

The politics of optimism: It’s been [checks watch] 52 hours since President Biden announced he was withdrawing from the presidential race, subsequently throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. And during those two-plus days, something remarkable and strangely unfamiliar took hold of text chains and social feeds everywhere: hope.

There have been enthusiastic posts and memes: Coconut emojis were used as an endorsement, referencing her mother’s line, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” And Charli XCX gave her the ultimate Gen Z plug, calling her “brat.” 

A VERY ENTHUSIASTIC VOTER AT A RALLY IN SAN FRANCISCO YESTERDAY. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

But the joy isn’t just meme-deep. Over the last two days, people have mobilized, and money has followed. In a call led by Win With Black Women on Sunday night, 44,000 people joined and raised 1.5 million dollars. The next night, Win With Black Men assembled and raised another cool 1.3 million. And white women may be organizing their own call next. All told, the first 24 hours of the Harris campaign raised a record $81 million, which her campaign said “represents…the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections.”

None of that erases the concerns many voters may have about Harris—both those based in reality (her past in law enforcement) and those that are more openly sexist (like the argument that she lacks charisma or the horror that she is childless or the claim that her beating Trump is a “fiction”).

HARRIS AT AN ICE CREAM SHOP WITH HER NEICES. DO YOU THINK SHE ORDERED COCONUT? (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

But right now, the palpable excitement and energy her candidacy has engendered feels propulsive, whether you agree with her policies or not. After all, Harris has inherited an enormous political mess. She is tasked with saving the party from the brink of disaster—and to win, she has to do something the party has failed to do so far: present a unified message that quickly galvanizes people and alleviates their anxieties. She’ll have to defend her stances on abortion, the economy, student debt, and the war in Gaza. (It’s impossible to look at the position she’s in and not think just a little bit about the “glass cliff” phenomenon, in which women are handed CEO roles only once a company is about to go off the rails.)

Against that backdrop, we need a little of this enthusiasm. Optimism and hope are, themselves, political tools, especially when people feel the odds are insurmountable. They give us a reason to believe, a reason to fight. As the climate writer and futurist Alex Steffen writes, “Where no one believes in a better future, despair is a logical choice, and people in despair almost never change anything. But introduce intelligent reasons for believing that action is possible, that better solutions are available, and that a better future can be built, and you unleash the power of people to act out of their highest principles.”

It can be easy to forget that in the early days of his campaign, some argued that Barack Obama was a long shot: unelectable, too young, and unprepared. Instead, young people quit their jobs to door-knock, folks phone-banked in earnest, and we saw the greatest voter turnout we had seen in decades. It was a historic campaign and, in the end, a historic eight years.

The point isn’t that Harris is Obama or that Obama was perfect. The point is just that hope is a very effective tool against apathy and authoritarianism. As long-time reproductive justice leader Loretta Ross told The Cut about the election, “We can’t be only defined by what we’re against…we have to be defined by what world we build and want.”

AND:

• Need another reason to get excited for the upcoming Paris Olympics? We’ve got 5,503. That’s the number of women competing at the Games this year, making it the first time an Olympics has come this 🤏 close to gender parity. According to the official IOC database, 51% of competitors are men and 49% are women. (Alas, France’s recent announcement that its own Olympians will not be allowed to wear headscarves while competing is a stark reminder of how much work there’s left to do.)

• President Biden’s announcement over the weekend may have distracted you from an even bigger story: Last Sunday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth. In an effort to avoid breaking that record again any time soon, read this excellent analysis of how Project 2025 may make it impossible to “prevent the worst impacts of climate change.”

CHAPPELL ROAN REMINDING US THE PLANET IS LITERALLY HOT TO GO

• And while we’re talking about that accursed plan for the country, have you seen Emma Stone explaining Project 2025’s impact on childhood education?

• Congress is getting into the fashion game. No, they’re not staging an Ann Taylor runway show; they’ve created the Slow Fashion Caucus, which will work to create legislation aimed at making shopping and garment manufacturing more sustainable. Sign me up!

• Brittney Griner announced that her new son will refer to her as “pops.” I would like to as well. 👀 (I’ll see myself out.)

LISTEN UP 🎧

Tomorrow morning we’re dropping the first episode of our brand-new podcast, “America, Who Hurt You?” with Sarah Jones! And since we’re all friends here, you get to find out first that in tomorrow’s episode, Sarah Jones will be in conversation with “On Being” host Krista Tippett. And there may be tears. Click the image below to learn more and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

FOLLOW THE METEOR

Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Subscribe using their share code or sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.

[email protected]

Evening, Meteor readers,

I missed you! Thank you for asking, I did indeed have a great six-week sabbatical launching my new book, The Myth of Making It. I’m grateful to the inimitable and absurdly brilliant Julianne Escobedo Shepherd for holding down the fort with Shannon Melero for all of you.

But now, I’m back! And what a week to return to: the aftermath of political violence, the continuing pressure for now-COVID-positive President Joe Biden to step aside as the nominee, and the Republican National Convention in full swing. Maybe I need to take another break.

Today, we decode what’s happening at the RNC (we don’t include an investigation into Matt Gaetz’s dermatology routine; we’re better than that), cheer for some historic Emmy nominations, and learn what Black women really think about this year’s upcoming election.

Save me,

Samhita Mukhopadhyay

WHAT'S GOING ON

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Ah, the Republican National Convention—where the conservative leaders of our time, dedicated to rolling back as many of our rights as possible, come together to discuss how exactly they will get that done (and try to convince us that the youth is for it). As we anticipate former President Donald Trump’s speech tonight, here are a few takeaways from the RNC thus far:

They want to convince us they are the party of the working “man.”

J.D. Vance took the stage on night three of the RNC to deliver a bold message to Americans: “We need a leader who is not in the pocket of big business but answers to the working man, union and nonunion alike.” (The word “man” is no accident, since the VP candidate apparently doesn’t believe women should be encouraged to work outside the home.) But for the hard-working men of America, the RNC has spent the last few days making pro-union and pro-labor overtures—which is usually something reserved for the DNC, but here we are.

But was Vance talking about paid family leave, a minimum wage, or universal healthcare? No—for the most part, the RNC’s discussion of jobs focused on how immigrants are allegedly taking them. On the first night of the convention, Sen. John James (R-Michigan) told the audience, “Black people were sold on hope; now our streets are rife with crime. Our kids can’t read. And illegals are getting better help from Democrats in four days than we’ve gotten in 400 years.” If you’re wondering what 400 years refers to: Well, we’re pretty sure they’re referring to 1619 when the first slave ship arrived in America, but since the GOP discourages the teaching of that, it’s hard to say for sure.

THIS HARDWORKING AMERICAN MAN IS A FORMER VENTURE CAPITALIST WHOSE FIRST BID FOR OFFICE WAS FUNDED BY PETER THIEL. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

They’ve got the Senate in their sights.

As far as the RNC is concerned, the White House is theirs come November. But they want more. They want to flip the Senate and, this week, trotted out seven candidates currently running for Senate. (They were Kari Lake of Arizona, Eric Hovde of Wisconsin, Bernie Moreno of Ohio, Sam Brown of Nevada, Hung Cao of Virginia, Nella Domenici of New Mexico, and Mike Roger of Michigan.) If you’re in those states, we highly recommend this link.

Trump haters for Trump!

Almost every politician who’s taken the stage over the last three days has, at some point before the convention, either vocally spoken out against Trump or been a subject of the former president’s incredibly public ridicule. And yet there they are, smiling and ignoring their quibbles in order to present a united front to voters. But much like The North, I, too, remember. I remember J.D. Vance calling Trump unfit to be president. I remember Senator Ted Cruz calling Trump a “pathological liar” and warning the entire country that “nominating Donald Trump would be a train wreck.” I also clearly recall Nikki Haley calling Trump unqualified to lead.

And considering that a number of conservative politicians (Trump included) are trying to distance themselves from Project 2025, the latest GOP bible, that unity is coming off faker than Marco Rubio’s tan.

Donald Trump, convicted criminal? Nah‚ he’s just like us.

And one final RNC theme: Trump is a regular ol’ person. Not just any kind of person, but a considerate friend (according to Sarah Huckabee Sanders) and a loving grandpa (according to his teenage grandchild, Kai, who said “A lot of people have put my grandpa through hell and he is still standing”. Girl…be for real.) And who doesn’t want to vote for grandpa?

We don’t. We don’t want this grandpa. We’ll take the cat ladies.

AND:

• Just a few hours after President Biden told BET that he'd consider dropping out of the 2024 race if he had a “health condition,” it was announced that he is mildly sick with COVID. And today The New York Times reports that some of the president's loyal allies—including Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Jamie Raskin—have communicated that he should bow out for the sake of winning not just the presidency, but the House and Senate too, and that Nancy Pelosi has told the President she feels "pessimistic" about his chances of beating Trump. Now, Axios predicts that the President could heed the calls to exit the race as early as this weekend. Buckle up!

• And speaking of President Biden, survey results from The Cut are in, and we now have an idea of how Black women feel about Biden’s performance. According to the findings, older Black women (those 35 to 55) view the president more positively than younger women (18-34). But approval ratings aside, 64 percent of all Black women polled said they will be voting for Biden in November.

• Award shows often seem to be doing the least when it comes to honoring women of color, but the Emmy nominations yesterday heralded a few nice surprises: the excellent Lily Gladstone and Kali Reis became the first-ever Indigenous women nominated for acting Emmys (for Under the Bridge and True Detective: Night Country, respectively), while Nava Mau became the first-ever transgender Latina nominated for a Supporting Actress Emmy (for Baby Reindeer). As a television obsessive who has seen all three of these series, I can confirm they deserve these accolades and each and every win.

EMMY HOEPFUL, NAVA MAU. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

• A new Commonwealth Fund study ranking healthcare for women by state has found that the states at the bottom of the list—Mississippi, Texas, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Arkansas—are, for the most part, united by one simple thing. Can you guess what it is? Nevada, the one state on that list which doesn’t have a near-total ban on abortion, ranks low in part because of the lack of Medicare coverage for undocumented immigrants. (Nevada also imposes greater obstacles to affordable healthcare than other states.) But wait—there’s good news! The top five best-performing states for women’s healthcare are Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, all of which have abortion protections.

• Here’s a fun reading list of feminist caper novels as chosen by Tess Amy, author of The Confidence Games.

• ICYMI: Julianne’s take on Alice Munro’s daughter, Canadian writer Andrea Robin Skinner’s allegations of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather and society’s failure to believe children is a must-read.

FOLLOW THE METEOR

Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Subscribe using their share code or sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.

[email protected]

Evening, Meteor readers,

So, I trust everyone had a relaxing, uneventful, downright mundane weekend void of any alarming or paradigm-shifting news? We wish. Let’s get straight to it.

In today’s newsletter, we’re jamming to J.D. Vance’s greatest hits, including his number one single, “Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.” Blast it through the speakers. We’re also asking media critic Jennifer L. Pozner three questions about how to stop the spread of disinformation during violent moments.

Is this real life,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

JAMES DAVID VANCE. OUR COLLECTIVE NIGHTMARE IN HUMAN FORM. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

J.D. Vance (the D stands for “Don’t let this man in the White House”): As you’ve probably heard by now, Donald Trump has chosen author and Ohio junior senator J.D. Vance as his vice president. There’s already been a bit of ink spilled about Vance and his…policies, if we want to call them that.

But what are the thoughts rattling around in his anti-abortion, isolationist, anti-LGBTQIA+, conspiracy theorist, far-right head? Well. He certainly isn’t a fan of women or their bodily autonomy:

On abortion

In a local Ohio cable news interview in 2021, when asked if abortion bans should have exceptions for rape or incest, Vance said, “It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society.” A year later, Vance (out loud where people could hear!!) also likened abortion to slavery. Ahead of being announced as the choice for VP, Vance conveniently softened his abortion talking points in an interview with Meet the Press. The entire nation calls bullshit.

On domestic violence

In a 2022 anti-abortion forum, Vance said, “The entire idea that you can discard your husband or your wife like a piece of clothing is one of the most dangerous assaults that we’ve ever seen on the family in this country. If we want children to grow up with healthy, happy lives, we should be reminding them that the most important thing that we can do for our kids is make sure they grow up with a mom and dad at home.” In other words: Domestic violence is not a reason to get divorced. His assertion that children are only going to be healthy and happy if a “mom and dad” are present also underpins his anti-LGBTQ+ stances.

On guns

And since we all have gun violence at the top of our minds this week, what has Vance said about that? “I think that we have to ask ourselves: What is the real gun violence problem in this country, and are we legislating in a way that solves fake problems? Or solves real problems?” This was in response to a proposed bump-stock ban (which he voted against). As far as solving “real” gun problems, Vance has rejected a number of measures that would make it harder to obtain a firearm and said he was in favor of dismantling the ATF, which (you guessed it) seizes illegal guns. Define real problems, James David.

TL;DR: This is not a viable vice presidential candidate; this is a nightmare, and a clear sign that the now-formally-nominated Donald Trump has no plans to modify his far-right stances in a second term.

AND:

• Today is Amazon’s annual Prime Day. Before you click “Add to cart” on things you probably don’t need or can find elsewhere, check out this report about the 23.5 million pounds of Amazon plastic packaging waste that entered the ocean and other waterways in 2020 alone. Bezos doesn’t need your money.

• Actress Shannen Doherty died on Saturday after a long bout with breast cancer, which had spread to her brain and bones. While she will be remembered for her career-making roles in Beverly Hills: 90210 and Charmed, she will also be remembered as a woman who sought to educate others about a disease that still affects 1 in 8 women.

THE ONE AND ONLY SHANNEN DOHERTY (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

• Also, in health news: Autoimmune diseases in women, particularly women of color, are becoming increasingly common, and recent studies have found that stress and unexpressed anger are making women sicker. One research team found that “women of color who strongly agreed with statements like ‘I rarely express my anger to those close to me’ were 70% more likely to experience increased carotid atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular plaque associated with higher risk of heart attack.” So for the sake of your health, please: Tell your enemies to fuck all the way off.

• J.D. Vance’s wife is South Asian. That had some outlets jumping for joy at this possible first (lady). There’s a lot to say about that argument (um, first of all, no politician who is invested in stripping rights from disenfranchised people gets a diversity medal), but comedian Pooja Reddy put it best: If you crave desi diversity in the upper echelons of government, “This is not it.”

• The Vera Institute of Justice has found stark differences between incarcerated women’s access to college education and that of their male peers. Vera’s research found that “in over half of all states, men’s prisons offer more access to Pell Grant-eligible courses than women’s prisons do…In 11 states, Vera found there were no college programs at all in women’s prisons.”

• Transgender Floridians have recently been unable to update their gender markers on their birth certificates, something they have been able to do for about a decade. Applicants trying to update their birth certificates tell The 19th that there hasn’t been any statewide notice explaining why so many applications are being denied or outright ignored.

• Is Charli XCX’s irreverent pop album Brat shifting the zeitgeist in favor of messy, irreverent, even punk femininity that, as The Guardian’s Zoe Williams posits, “rejects the social surveillance that requires all young women to be the same way”? Read her take on whether embracing trashiness (and thus irreverence) via Charli’s girl-centric vision might be a brash reaction to the “clean girls” and tradwife archetypes on the internet; at the very least, Brat summer is a refreshing retort to the trope of womanly perfection, and a perfectly-timed response to the fall of Tory conservativism in the UK.

• Over the weekend, NASA transmitted a hip-hop song into space for the first time ever. With so many options available, the choice must have been difficult, but they landed on something we earthlings can be proud of: Missy Elliott’s “The Rain.” Missy shared the announcement on Instagram, writing that the song had been broadcast as far as her favorite planet, Venus.

Three Questions About...Disinformation

Last Saturday was a moment of mass panic. One feminist media critic has ideas about what could have gone differently.

BY SAMHITA MUKHOPADHYAY 

NO COMMENT. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

When the mass shooting at the Trump rally happened on Saturday, I was unclear how to respond. Disbelief and adrenaline coursed through me, and the moment I logged onto Instagram, the content was flying: everything from earnest (“This is not who we are!”) to snark (“This is why Democrats need access to guns!”) to cries of “It’s a hoax!” As a journalist, I knew this should be a wait-and-see moment, but instead, I was faced with the reality of how quickly unhelpful—and downright untruthful—messaging can spread.

What gave me solace was a measured list of media literacy strategies posted by my friend Jennifer L. Pozner, a journalist and long-time media educator with an upcoming graphic novel about critical media literacy. So, I called to ask her to elaborate.

What was the first thing you noticed when the news broke about the shooting?

Jennifer Pozner: The first piece I saw from a credible outlet was on NPR’s website, and the comments under the story included someone telling NPR it was their fault, another implying that it was staged, and a third laughing at Trump’s bloody ear. Legitimate news reporting is a time-consuming process. During chaotic events, ethical reporters have to vet sources, fact-checkers need to do their best to confirm the story, and they all need to work carefully to ensure that they’re giving the public accurate information.

You know what takes no time at all? Bullshit. Bullshit is instantaneous. Rumor, propaganda, bots, and bad actors always pop up right away, flooding the zone with disinformation and conspiracy theories to fill every short-term information vacuum.

This is a collective societal problem, but we contribute to it individually when we react without thinking critically… That’s dangerous because disinformation is sticky. When disinformation infuses the immediate narrative, it can be hard to convince people of reality even after the facts have been verified.

You had a great social post about what to do instead of posting immediate reactions. Can you summarize what you suggested people do in a moment like this and why? 

It’s important to wait for verified reporting to establish the facts. And we should denounce political violence without condition—even when the target has often encouraged political violence against his perceived enemies. Don’t share false stories, even to mock them: You may think something is so outrageous no one could possibly believe it, but many do…Those potshots could just end up reinforcing the disinformation to others.

Outrageous claims need air to multiply; suffocate conspiracies by depriving them of attention. Debunk, don’t distribute: Share accurate information and analysis in plain language and explain how you know particular falsehoods are untrue (without sharing the original lies themselves).

Bad actors (including domestic propagandists, Russian and Chinese troll farms, and money-motivated bot operators) use moments like these to pit Americans against one another and foment hate. Don’t fall into those traps. Lower the volume. Don’t debate those who aren’t engaging in good faith, and moderate your social feeds to block trolls and anyone who seems sketchy from poisoning the dialogue.

Remember, everything we say publicly can impact other people and possibly contribute to an escalation of violence or conspiracy (and screenshots are forever). Fears, ugly thoughts, and dark humor are deeply human, and it’s OK to express them. But if we want to avoid doing harm, we should really only share them with our “inside voice”: offline in the context of conversations with trusted friends.

What is your take on political violence and how we should and shouldn’t talk about it? I thought this was astute in making the case that attacks on politicians are par for the course in the U.S. 

Looking to the public record and to history can often provide crucial context, as it does here. The Times usefully reminds us that four U.S. presidents have been murdered, along with at least six serious failed additional assassination attempts. What it doesn’t mention is that while this violence has been aimed at both parties’ heads of state, only Trump and the GOP have been explicitly encouraging political violence against “the other side.” Everyone seems to have forgotten that Trump himself made a not-so-subtle assassination threat/dog whistle against his rival, Hillary Clinton, at a 2016 campaign rally.

Many journalists, politicians, and historians have accurately situated Trump and the MAGA movement’s policy agendas, statements, and behaviors as consistent with fascism. It’s a routine project for autocratic regimes to threaten violence against their rivals, discredit the press, encourage the public to distrust truth itself (remember “alternative facts”?), revel in mockery and intimidation of minority groups, and paint reasonable disagreement as tantamount to treason—all of which Trump and his acolytes have done. Now, the GOP wants us to believe that acknowledging the history and workings of fascism is so inflammatory and dangerous it must be the reason a 20-year-old lone gunman shot the former President and killed another rallygoer. All their social media posts and press interviews flogging this point aim to distract from clear fact: America is a nation plagued by mass shootings carried out by angry, young gunmen, and Democrats and progressives have not been the ones calling for political violence.

FOLLOW THE METEOR

Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Subscribe using their share code or sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.

[email protected]