Salutations, Meteor readers,

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yesterday was President’s Day. And that’s fine (though personally, we have some notes). But today is National Pancake Day, which is a LOT more fun to celebrate. Why don’t we get today off work instead? Imagine the parties.

In today’s newsletter, we take a look at politics & politicians: Sen. John Fetterman’s openness with depression and what it means for the way we view elected officials, plus a super-important election in Wisconsin that could shape our democracy (and that I hope all our Cheesehead readers will be voting in.)

But first: the news.

Passing the syrup,

Bailey Wayne Hundl

WHAT'S GOING ON

U.S. SENATOR JOHN FETTERMAN (PHOTO BY ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES)

In praise of political honesty: On February 15, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) checked himself into the hospital to receive care for clinical depression. As his chief of staff Adam Jentleson said in a statement, “While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks.” Last year on the campaign trail, the official also suffered a near-fatal stroke, a medical event which has been shown to drastically increase depression.

Fetterman’s courageous openness about his hospitalization signals a shift in the image elected officials are willing to show to the public. Traditionally, the tacit expectation has been for politicians to conceal their humanity and hide anything that could be perceived as a weakness. It wasn’t that long ago that Hilary Clinton was lambasted for having the audacity to have pneumonia.

And mental health is a whole ‘nother story. For comparison, consider fellow PA senator Bob Casey’s prostate cancer diagnosis just last January. You probably didn’t even hear about it; it received far less media coverage than Fetterman. And on February 14—the day before Fetterman went into the hospital—Casey announced he had received treatment. No media hubbub, no thinkpieces. He had a medical issue and it was handled.

By showing the type of vulnerability he isn’t supposed to, Fetterman rewrites the script for what it means to be a politician, what it means to be well, and what illnesses deserve to be taken seriously. He makes space for anyone struggling with depression who might be too afraid to get the help they need. And trust me, that’s a good thing—don’t you want the person flying your plane or transplanting your kidney to have their mental health cared for?

This is a meaningful change, and it’s not an isolated one. Just in this last month, Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon both stepped down from public office (New Zealand Prime Minister and Scottish First Minister, respectively) and were honest about the reason: burnout. Hopefully we see this shift towards openly acknowledging our own capacity continue and extend to all areas of our worker-first, human-second, capitalist hellscape culture. Because if the leaders of our country can ask for help with depression and burnout, guess what: So can we.

Democracy on the ballot: Wisconsin has its primary election today. Among other things on the ballot: the seventh seat on the state’s Supreme Court—a seat which will be instrumental in determining not just the future of abortion rights in Wisconsin, but the future of the whole state for years to come.

For the last 14 years, the Court’s conservative justices have held a 4-3 majority. And in that time, they’ve used their power on everything from union busting to voter restriction. But with the departure of conservative Justice Patience Roggensack, the incoming judge has a huge opportunity to change this trajectory.

The Court is currently poised to hear a lawsuit against the state’s current abortion ban (written in 1849!). And though this is technically a nonpartisan race, the four options on Tuesday’s ballot—two conservative and two liberal—have made it clear which way they would rule. (Protasiewicz and Mitchell both listed Dobbs as the worst Supreme Court decision they’ve seen in the past 30 years; Dorow and Kelly have been endorsed by Wisconsin Right to Life.)

The generally moderate battleground state has been held in a stranglehold by its conservative legislature, and that conservative legislature has been supported by the Court’s conservative majority. But with this election, that could all change. Several upcoming issues hang in the balance—not only abortion, but Republican gerrymandering, the certification of future presidential elections, and so much more.

The top two candidates will be chosen today and move on to a final match-up in April. If you live in Wisconsin, please make sure you are registered to vote and show up to the polls.

AND: 

• Last night, CNN released a devastating investigative report covering the clandestine torture facilities set up by the Iranian regime to quell the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for not wearing a hijab. (Please be warned: It’s graphic.) The lengths this regime will go to are horrific, but it shows that they are deeply threatened by the power these protests wield—and they should be.

• Not all heroes wear capes; sometimes they wear period-stained white suits. Kenyan senator Gloria Orwoba, who has been campaigning for the government to provide free menstrual products, protested by wearing a stained white suit to a plenary session last week. She was asked to leave, and has since found herself at the epicenter of targeted online harassment. But Sen. Orwoba isn’t having it—in order to make change, she says, “it is important to dare to be shameless.” PREACH! You can learn more about “period poverty” in this informative article from Teen Vogue.

• Another earthquake hit Turkey on Monday, just two weeks after the February 6 quake that took tens of thousands of lives. At least six people have been confirmed dead and hundreds more have been injured. You can help those who have been affected by all the quakes here.

• Queer 90s rap icon Da Brat revealed today that she is pregnant, at 48 years old. It has yet to be determined whether or not her baby will be best friends with Rihanna’s, but sources* say almost certainly. (*Sources: me.)

• The Black Trans Liberation organization hosted a “Trans Day of Love” event at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan last Wednesday. The event featured several trans performers of color (and a fuzzy blue hat that I need to borrow ASAP). Make sure you’re following them because there’s a lot more trans joy where that came from.

HOSTS QWEEN JEAN AND GIA LOVE BANTER AT THE "TRANS DAY OF LOVE" EVENT (PHOTO BY ADRIAN CHILDRESS)

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Hello, Meteor readers,

I couldn’t help but notice that it’s been two days since Valentine’s Day and none of you have sent me my roses. Listen, I get it. The postal service can be slow. I’m sure your love is in the mail. Still, though…you couldn’t overnight it?

In today’s newsletter, Samhita Mukhopadhyay sits down with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, co-founder of the new Black-centric magazine Hammer & Hope, to discuss Black resistance, cross-cultural solidarity, and what happened (and didn’t) after 2020.

But first: the news.

Double-checking my mailbox,

Bailey Wayne Hundl

WHAT'S GOING ON

A letter to the editor: On Wednesday, a collective of New York Times contributors published an open letter to Philip B. Corbett, the Times’ associate managing editor for standards. In it, they addressed the “editorial bias in the newspaper’s reporting on transgender, non⁠-⁠binary, and gender nonconforming people.” The letter cited multiple instances in which the Times amplified anti-trans rhetoric, such as one story describing a trans child as “patient zero.” (Following the letter’s example, we will not provide links to these stories.)

And how did the Times respond to this civil, well-stated, and widely supported request? By publishing an op-ed this morning titled “In Defense of J.K. Rowling.”

In case you’ve not been burdened with the curse of knowledge, I regret to inform you that the Harry Potter author’s transphobic views have been well-documented. In the op-ed, writer Pamela Paul (who last summer claimed that trans inclusivity threatened women’s rights as much as the far right does) compares the “dangerous” criticism Rowling faces to Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed multiple times last year. A key difference here—along with the fact that Rowling has not, and likely will not, be stabbed—is that Rushdie faced direct death threats from the former Supreme Leader of Iran; Rowling faces exasperated trans people who just want her to stop tweeting.

But the op-ed is one thing; the timing of it is another. It could not be more disrespectful to the thoughtful signers of the letter. If you’d like to add your name to theirs, you can sign here.

AND:

• When will men learn to shut up about a woman’s age? Not today, apparently! On CNN This Morning, Don Lemon claimed, “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” And listen, we don’t love Nikki Haley either, but there’s a lot more to critique her on besides how many years she’s been alive. Thankfully, he quickly issued an apology, stating, “A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally.” Damn right.

• Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced this morning that she will not be seeking re-election, saying that the “brutality” and intense scrutiny of her position made it impossible to have a personal life. This move follows in the footsteps of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down for similar reasons just last month. Perhaps we’ll see more women (and hopefully, eventually, men) recognize when they’ve hit their capacity and be unafraid to admit it.

• A daycare in Miami decided to commemorate Black History Month by…putting their toddlers in blackface. Seems like a good reason to teach MORE Black history in schools—not less, DeSantis.

• Yesterday, Lady Gaga dropped a sneak peek at her appearance as Harley Quinn in “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The sequel is rumored to be a musical, just in case you saw the first movie and thought, “You know what this unhinged character study needed? More singing.”

• New York Fashion Week has just concluded, and in case you missed it, Quinta Brunson 101% stole the show. To quote Abbott Elementary: “Sweet baby Jesus and the grown one too!”

A NEW SPACE FOR BLACK RESISTANCE

“After the Uprising, What is To Be Done?”

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on a magazine that starts to answer that question

BY SAMHITA MUKHOPADHYAY

A BLM PROTESTOR RALLIES A CROWD  (IMAGE BY TAYFUN COSKUN/ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES) 

After 2020, scholar, author, and columnist Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Jen Parker, editor and New York Times alum, saw a gap in how Black politics and resistance were being covered in the media. It was clear that people were angry and fired up—but where was the publication that could serve as a roadmap for a movement?

So they came up with the idea for a new magazine focused on Black politics and culture. Launched on Wednesday, Hammer & Hope says it plans to serve as a place for people to hash out the most important ideas in movement building and beyond. This week, I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down to talk to Keeanga about the new magazine and why we need it now.

Samhita Mukhopadhyay: Talk about how this project came to be and why you decided you wanted to do it. I mean, you're so busy—a magazine?!

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: I met Jen in the fall of 2019 [as my editor at The New York Times], and when the events of 2020 happened, both of us felt the absence of a venue to really engage with some of the debates that were emerging over what the nature of police reform should be, can the police be reformed, and what activists and organizers should be doing. There were millions of people on the streets and uprisings in different cities, yet there was little organizational cohesion. And so the questions of “What needs to happen? What should happen next?” or “Where does all this energy go?” It just felt like those types of questions weren't being fully engaged.

So we spent the last two years trying to make it happen—a publication that saw itself as part of these discussions, a space where people on the ground could come talk about these ideas, [ask] strategic and tactical questions, but also the political questions that arise out of those debates.

SM: You've recently written about the attack on Black studies, and even your own work has been banned [from  A.P. curriculum by the College Board]. Why is Black rebellion and resistance so important to our understanding of history, and where does this project fit within that?

KYT: You've got the governors of states trying to ban any discussion about Black history. And that is because the Black movement, probably more than any other, really exposes the hypocrisy at the center of American history. Black people were brought here as slave labor, and then when slavery ended, you had another hundred years of legal subjugation. With those 400 years of conscripted, codified racism, discrimination, and subjugation, the entire idea that the United States is a unique democracy…falls apart and is a complete farce.

And some of that is revealing, too, in terms of what it says about white people. Because as James Baldwin once said, “If we are not who you think we are, then who are you?” So if you've built the entire foundation of the country based on this idea of Black people being subordinate and inferior, and it's not true, then it's deeply destabilizing when they rise up. And then the second part of it is that if it's true that there are 400 years of legal oppression and exploitation, then maybe the claims of Black people are legitimate; then maybe the claims for redress, for reparations, for programmatic interventions from the state—that has legitimacy.

And that is something that neither liberals nor conservatives really want to talk about. They don't want to pay the price tag—the trillion dollar price tag—that comes with not even the question of reparations, but what does it mean to invest in schools? What does it mean to repair housing? What does it mean to provide meaningful jobs for people? They don't want to deal with any of that. And you have to deal with that if you deal with Black history. And so that history remains marginalized and out of our discussions.

And so, of course, we want to bring that to the surface, but we want to do it in a way that is not just about Black rebellion unto itself. We're interested in the politics of solidarity. Even if we say that Black people bear the brunt of racism, discrimination, and exploitation in the United States, we know that Black people aren't the only ones who experience that. We have to show what connects us and brings us together and organize a struggle and a fight around that.

SM: Much of your work critically engages with identity politics and how it’s merged with a neoliberal sense of diversity. You get into that in your book Let's Get Free, and you have talked about that with Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, author of Elite Capture—who's also in the inaugural issue. But there is a very big interest in representation in pop culture. What do you think about the energy that goes into that?

KYT: We have an interview in the magazine with myself, Durecka Purnell and Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, titled “After The Uprising, What is To Be Done?” We talk about how symbolic representation has been offered as an alternative to substantive change in the last several years. So we don't get meaningful police reform, but we get Juneteenth as a holiday. We don't get substantive reform regarding housing—where you have Black women who are the one demographic most likely to be evicted in the United States—but we get a Black woman on the Supreme Court or a Black woman as the vice president. And that is supposed to satisfy the needs of Black women somehow.

There's certainly a problem with the kind of over-emphasis on representation…[which] has become easier to deliver than the substantive change that people want. [That’s] why the level of tension socially is escalating. The ability to simply pay people off with representational or token support versus actually transforming a situation…I think people, in many ways, are rejecting that. And you might be happy or satisfied with the individual, but the idea that that would supplant a particular program or funding or something with some substance to it is really less [acceptable] with every passing day.

And we obviously think that issues concerning race and gender and sexuality and ability and nationality and where you come from, immigrant status and all of that, are important, and particular struggles exist around each of them. At the same time, we want to understand how solidarity can bring different struggles and movements together. And that's part of the point of this publication, to create a space where we really work that out.

SM: And the magazine is free? 

You can't build a movement behind a paywall. And why on earth, if we've got Chase Strangio talking about the attacks on trans people and their relationship to the attacks on Black people—why are we charging anybody to read that?

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Happy(?) Valentine's Day, Meteor readers,

I wish I had better tidings for February 14, famously known as Anna Howard Shaw Day. But unfortunately, we must process the news of yet another tragic school shooting. In case you’re wondering, the last time we covered a mass shooting was…less than one month ago.

Today we mourn the three lives lost, look into the shooter’s history, and explore the unprotected state of today’s transgender youth. I know, it’s a lot. I’ve been grabbing a feel-better snack about once every 28 seconds. My house is quickly running out of frozen Kit-Kats—which I highly recommend. Not exactly the Valentine's Day chocolates I was expecting, but I'll take it.

Well, no putting it off any further. Let’s get into the news.

Grabbing another pick-me-up,

Bailey Wayne Hundl

WHAT'S GOING ON

The shooting at Michigan State: On Monday night, the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Parkland massacre, a tragic shooting took place at Michigan State University. Three people have died, five more were critically wounded, and the suspect has been identified as a 43-year-old man unaffiliated with the university, who ultimately shot and killed himself. The identities of two victims have been released: Brian Fraser, a sophomore who was president of MSU’s Phi Delta Theta chapter, and Alexandria Verner, a junior who played basketball, softball, and volleyball through high school. The family of the third victim has requested not to be identified.

THE ROCK, A MONUMENT ON THE MSU CAMPUS, PAINTED TO MOURN THE VICTIMS (Image by Scott Olsen, Getty Images News)

The gunman’s history had many of the usual danger signs: He had been arrested in 2019 for carrying a firearm without a permit, and was sentenced to 18 months of probation—during which time his father has said he repeatedly lied to him about possessing a gun. At the time of last night’s shooting, the gunman had a two-page note in his backpack that indicated an additional threat to two schools in Ewing, New Jersey. (He apparently had ties in the area.) All Ewing public schools have been closed as a precaution.

We know this story all too well. According to the Gun Violence Archive, this is the 67th mass shooting in America this year—and it’s only February. Mass shootings are so commonplace that we’re starting to see people whose lives are touched by more than one. This 21-year-old student, now a survivor of both the MSU shooting and the Sandy Hook shooting, summed it up best on TikTok last night: “We can no longer just provide love and prayers. It needs to be legislation. It needs to be action.”

In a statement made today commemorating the Parkland massacre, President Biden announced that $231 million will be allocated to the Justice Department to “reduce gun violence and save lives.” This money will fund crisis intervention projects such as “red flag” programs. But of course, as we’ve discussed before, “red flag” laws are not enough; they require civilians to fire reports to trigger the law. If you recall from last fall, the gunman at Colorado Springs’ Club Q had been arrested before the shooting—but because he was not charged, and no one who knew him filed a report, he was allowed to keep his firearm.

What’s needed instead is a full overhaul of our gun laws—starting with an assault weapons ban. Call your representatives today and tell them to act now to end gun violence.

Who’s protecting trans youth?: On Monday, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed HB 1080 into law, banning access to all gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors. As of July 1, South Dakota doctors will be unable to prescribe or administer puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or any gender-affirming surgery to anyone under the age of 18. This makes South Dakota the second state to outlaw this medical care, following Utah’s ban in late January. And with more than 80 similar bills on their way, more states are sure to join.

This news comes as the trans community mourns the loss of Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old trans teenager who was stabbed to death Saturday in a park in Warrington, England. (Two 15-year-olds have been arrested as suspects.) Police say they have not yet found evidence that this was a hate crime, but many of Ghey’s friends have come forward claiming she had faced transphobic bullying for years—with very little intervention or protection from the administration at her school.

As a trans person who didn’t start HRT until I was late in my 20s, I have to wonder: Who do these anti-trans legislators think they’re protecting by blocking minors from accessing care? Because trans youth are not in any way protected right now. Anti-trans rhetoric makes them more vulnerable to attacks from their peers—not to mention the fact that trans youth who are blocked from gender-affirming care are far more likely to consider or attempt suicide. Legislators claim they’re just shielding young people from making irreversible changes to their bodies—but there’s no change more irreversible than death.

As trans activist Lindsey Spero said while testifying before the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine on Friday, “Your denial of my need for this medication doesn’t make my existence as a trans person any less real.” As the Board considered a ban on puberty blockers and HRT, Spero used his allotted time to take a testosterone shot in front of them. He told the Board, “I could stand here and tell you about the times I attempted to end my life because I didn’t have access to gender-affirming care. But I know. I know you don’t care.”

They still passed the ban, though. So I guess he was right.

AND: 

• Flip-flop queen Nikki Haley has announced her 2024 bid for the highest office in the land. She appears to be positioning herself as the more reasonable choice to Trump, but the bar to prove yourself in this category is, let’s be honest, low. Former US ambassador to the UN, Haley is the first Asian American woman to run for the Republican presidential nomination (now-VP Kamala Harris was the first to vie for the Democratic nod, in 2020)—but she is staunchly conservative on immigration, gun control and abortion. In 2016, as Governor of South Carolina she passed a bill banning abortion at 19 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest. Haley has shown occasional moments of leadership—in 2015 she signed a bill to have the Confederate flag removed from the South Carolina capitol after the horrific shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. But then she went on Glenn Beck’s podcast several years later and said the flag represented, “service, sacrifice and heritage.” She has also insisted that America is not a racist country, but then went on to say that her family has faced discrimination. Which one is it, Nikki? Girl, I’m dizzy!

• The CDC has released new data about trends in teen behavior and the numbers paint a grim picture—especially for girls. A few stats to note: One in three teenage girls reported to have “seriously considered suicide.” Three out of five girls have reported being so consistently sad they struggle with engaging in regular activities—which is double what teen boys reported. The report concedes that it’s hard to tell if the disparity is actually this large, or if teen girls are just more aware of what they are experiencing and more able to talk about it than boys. But in either scenario, the information presents an urgent need for mental health resources, consent education, and more. If you know a teenage girl, check in on her. And if you are a teenage girl, we love you.

• On February 3, a train containing toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Residents were issued an evacuation order, which was lifted Wednesday. Since then, residents have reported many ominous situations: a lingering odor, mysterious animal illnesses, and a burning sensation in their eyes. The long-term environmental impact of this disaster remains to be seen.

• Opera trailblazer Leontyne Price, who broke barriers for Black singers in opera, celebrated her 96th birthday on Friday. And apparently she still hits an F above high C every morning!

• Oh and I almost forgot: The Super Bowl happened Sunday. The Eagles lost, which means no Abbott Elementary episode celebrating their win. (Pour one out.) Jesus got some advertisements paid for by a group that funds the Alliance Defending Freedom (yes, that Alliance Defending Freedom). And Rihanna announced that she’s pregnant!!!! We are never getting that album, and honestly, I’m at peace with it.

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How’s it hanging, Meteor readers?

Hope you’re all getting through the week and finding meaningful ways to relax. I took a two-hour bath yesterday and read Stephen King’s Misery. “But Bailey,” you might be thinking, “That’s not a very relaxing book.” And to that, dear reader, I say it is when you’ve had a week like mine.

Today we look at President Biden’s State of the Union address: the highlights, the heckles, and the hole where a meaningful mention of abortion should have been. Plus, Barbra Streisand, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Rihanna all have something exciting to announce! HUGE day for women and women-admirers.

But first: the cockadoodie news.

Keepin’ it easy,

Bailey Wayne Hundl

WHAT'S GOING ON

The state of our union: President Biden gave his second State of the Union address Tuesday night. Traditionally, the State of the Union is a speech given by one person, but I guess this one was a group performance? Republican hecklers were out in full force, including Marjorie Taylor Greene cosplaying as Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games. The odds were not in her favor, though: She yelled “liar!” at Biden for claiming some Republicans (“I’m not saying it’s a majority,” he specified) want to cut Medicare and Social Security; Biden took it in stride, responding he was glad to hear they’d changed their minds—considering many have indeed proposed to cut both.

Remember when Rep. Joe Wilson yelled “You lie!” at President Obama (who also hadn’t) and it was treated like a big deal? That was fun. Makes you sort of nostalgic.

But all in all, Biden was able to face the stadium jeers and make several important points. He recounted the horror at Uvalde and called for Congress to “ban assault weapons now.” He honored the parents of Tyre Nichols, who were present, and stressed the importance of police reform. As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged on MSNBC, while advocates have said reform is not enough, POTUS has come a long way from just a year ago, when he was advocating more police funding.

But we can’t help but acknowledge the elephant in the room (or perhaps, not in the room): abortion. As writer Jessica Valenti pointed out, the State of the Union “[had] four sentences on abortion. Four. By comparison, the speech [had] 19 sentences on ‘junk fees.’”

He started by saying Congress needed to restore and codify Roe v. Wade. Well, okay. Yes. Ground-level stuff, but it’s worth saying. Then he claimed he’s doing everything he can, reassuring us, “If Congress passes a national abortion ban, I will veto it.”

I mean…that’s great. But it’s not enough. Every day a new state is introducing or trying to introduce a new way to ban abortion. There is an imminent, very real threat to the abortion pill; the President could have brought awareness to it in a crucial week. He could have pointed out that denying abortions can kill pregnant people (especially considering that one of Dr. Jill Biden’s guests almost died as a result of Texas’ abortion ban). He could have given hope, given information, given a plan of action: anything.

Half of America’s citizenry were stripped of their right to bodily autonomy overnight. Trans people have their bodily autonomy threatened more and more every day. Our bodies are under coordinated attack from state legislatures. And with the whole country watching, President Biden decided to offer four sentences of condolences and move on. Last fall’s election demonstrated how much we care about abortion; it’s not unreasonable that we ask our president to do the same.

AND: 

• On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Barbra Ehardt of Idaho Falls introduced House Bill 98, which would classify anyone who helps a minor cross state lines to get an abortion as (I can’t believe I’m about to type this) a human trafficker. It’s worth pointing out that, with Idaho’s current abortion ban, someone who became pregnant through actual human trafficking would be unable to do anything about it.

• Speaking of Idaho: Remember when Meteor reporter Talia Kantor Lieber asked 61 colleges if they would pay for students to travel for an out-of-state abortion? University of Idaho President C. Scott Green didn’t like the way his school was categorized. In a Sept. 14 memo, he vehemently denied any use of the student emergency fund for abortions and called Lieber’s article inaccurate. (To be clear, the article stated that “any school with a fund…that would allow this travel, even if the school[‘s]...policy is not to inquire about how the funds are used” counted as a yes.) Since then, the whole debacle has gone national, including attention from President Biden. You can read all about it here. And if you’re currently in Idaho and you need help with an abortion, you can receive assistance here.

• National treasure Julia Louis-Dreyfus has announced she’s launching a podcast called “Wiser Than Me,” featuring women above the age of 70. “In our culture, older women are rarely seen or heard,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “What a shame.” And speaking of listening to women: Did you hear that Barbra Streisand’s memoir is going to be over a thousand pages?? I can’t wait to see what sort of memories she recounts.

• Rukhshana Media, an Afghan woman-run media outlet, released an article today reporting that the Taliban have directed convenience stores and pharmacies to stop selling contraceptives in Kabul and Balkh provinces, claiming they’re forbidden under Sharia law.

• I don’t know if you’ve yet seen the public outrage, but Madonna had the absolute audacity to *checks notes* be seen in public. People have criticized her for looking "unrecognizable," comparing the way she's aged to other celebrities like Lily Tomlin—and Lily Tomlin is having none of it. She made an Instagram post saying, “Our beauty secrets are to be hidden, because it’s shameful to be vain, even when expected to be perfect…Madonna, love her or hate her, has always seemed fearless in refusing to accept shame.”

• Perhaps you’ve heard of Sam Bankman-Fried, the supposed “boy genius” of crypto who was arrested last December for defrauding investors. But as this excellent piece by Molly White points out, Sam Bankman-Fried is thirty years old. She says, “It’s jarring to read a story about a neighbor calling the police on a nine-year-old Black girl…[calling her] ‘a little Black woman…and then switch over to…the 30-year old ‘crypto kid’ who might’ve just made an oopsie with billions of dollars of customer funds.” It really makes you think about who gets granted the innocence of childhood—and who has it taken from them.

• The trailer for Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance is HERE!!!! And it’s got a beautiful tribute to her hometown of Bridgetown, Barbados. Y’all send thoughts and prayers to the people I live with, because I’m gonna play this about 500 more times today.

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Buona sera Meteor readers,

This send is somewhat bittersweet. Sweet because it’s, as usual, chock full of interesting stories you may or may not have heard about, like the new slate of anti-LGBTQ bills in Indiana, the latest on Brittney Griner, and a look at the Brett Kavanaugh documentary Justice which premiered at Sundance last week.

But it’s bitter because it is also the last newsletter I’ll be writing for quite some time—because I am having a baby 🐣. It’s been an absolute joy and privilege to be a part of all 105 Meteor newsletters so far (who’s counting, me, I’m counting). We’ve written through fun times and through absolute horror, and with each send our community has grown, and so have I.

But, alas, it’s time for me to prep for my biggest project of all: parenthood. My firstborn is due to arrive soon and while I’d love to hang out here with all of you, my fingers have swollen to the size of stuffed Vienna sausages, and it’s time to hand the keyboard over to someone else for a bit.

So I really hope you enjoy this one. My daughter and I will see you all on the other side.

Marie Kondo-ing my baby’s drawers,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

“Slate of hate”: Indiana is imitating Florida with a new batch of bills aimed at making the lives of school-aged LGBTQ children absolutely miserable. In total, there are three bills, including one in the Indiana House and one in its Senate, which both move to outlaw the mention of “gender fluidity; gender roles; gender stereotypes; gender identity; gender expression; or sexual orientation,” in grades K-12 in the classroom, among other things. And while these bills are frightening and intrusive—and would, by the way, keep all children from learning about gender—the third bill manages to one-up them both: LGBTQ news outlet them reports that SB 354 would “require schools to notify parents if a student ‘has conflicted feelings’ about gender identity, or if they change their name, attire, or pronoun ‘in a manner that is inconsistent with the student’s biological sex at birth’.”

Let’s call this what it is: mandatory outing. Indiana lawmakers think it’s a good idea for teachers to start outing kids to their parents—without any knowledge of how those parents will react. And to what end, other than to put students at risk? I’m seriously asking.

Class is canceled: Yesterday, students walked out of John Comaroff’s class at Harvard due to the school’s handling of Comaroff’s alleged sexual misconduct. (He had been accused of groping and harassing three graduate students last year.) One student read from a statement that said, in part,  “We don’t want to be taught by someone who has still not been held accountable for or made amends for their sexual misconduct. If you agree, please join us in walking out of this classroom.” (At least 100 people did.) According to the Harvard Crimson, Comaroff was placed on leave last year after violating the university’s sexual harassment policy. (An internal investigation found that the accusations made against him were plausible, but no criminal charges were brought, and he is still tenured at Harvard.)

For Harvard alum and our Meteor colleague Tara Abrahams, this was simply history repeating itself. Exactly 25 years ago this spring, Abrahams, then a junior at the school, wrote in Harvard Magazine about a similar situation in which “Harvard had not explicitly condemned sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct through real action, but had privately admonished a guilty faculty member.” After seeing all of those students take a stand against Comaroff and the institution’s decision to allow him to keep teaching, Abrahams told me, “I wish that the bravery of the students I spoke to more than 20 years ago had counted for more, that their speaking out would have meant that these young people would be able to experience a different Harvard today…And maybe I even feel a tiny glimmer of hope—that because of these kids standing up, one day, enough really will be enough.”

AND: 

• Anna Delvey, renowned scammer, has landed a reality TV series wherein she has famous people eat dinner at her house (because she’s legally not allowed to go anywhere else). Not to make this about me, but I absolutely foresaw the girlbossification of Delvey after the success of Inventing Anna. Let me know when you want me on the show, sis; I have questions.

• Hulu is now airing the six-part docuseries The 1619 Project, based on the collection of essays curated by Nikole Hannah-Jones. So gather round ye old screen and make sure your aunt who thinks kids shouldn’t be learning critical race theory but also can’t define it gathers round with you.

• Despite the recent disappointing Oscar nominations (no women directors!), 2022 was a great year for women in film. According to critic Manohla Dargis, last year saw a “number of movies headlined and directed by women that made an impact, culturally and economically.” You listening, Academy?

• Pope Francis has once again shown support for the LGBTQ+ community by calling for an end to laws that “criminalize homosexuality”—an impressive thing for the most Catholic of all Catholics to say out loud. He did make sure to still add that “homosexuality is a sin” (as is wearing mixed linens, but yall don't get up in arms about that), so this isn’t exactly a leap towards the modernization of the Church, which it so desperately needs. But the whole institution is only like 2000ish years old, so maybe they just need more time.

• Brittney Griner is ready to return to basketball. But there’s a problem. For security reasons, Griner can no longer fly on commercial flights, but the WNBA doesn’t cover the costs of chartered flights. In fact, the league is so against it that when the owner of the New York Liberty paid out of his own pocket to fly his team for half a season, he was fined $500,000 by the league. WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert claims that the reason the league doesn't allow for charters is that it’s too expensive and because, during CBA negotiations, players “didn’t ask for charters. They asked for more money.” Not the whole truth, though is it? It would cost about $20 million to charter planes for all 12 teams for a season—which is a lot of money. But there are literally 40 NBA players who make more than that in a single year, and some of them even offered to help subsidize the cost of charters until the league could get sponsorship from an airline. (Thank you to Breanna Stewart for sparking this idea, and please sign with the Liberty!) So it’s not as if the money and the support don’t exist; it’s just a matter of—say it with me—investing more in women’s sports.

THE METEOR AT SUNDANCE

Does Justice Serve Justice?

BOSS BABY BIG MAD! (IMAGE BY WIN McNAMEE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

This past weekend, at the Sundance film festival, I caught the surprise feature Justice—a documentary about the allegations which surfaced against Brett Kavanaugh before his Supreme Court confirmation. The movie picks up where the botched FBI investigation ended—you know, the one that reportedly generated 4500 tips that the Trump White House ignored. The film doesn’t reveal anything particularly new—but it will absolutely resurface your rage.

Justice does add context to what we already know, especially through a rigorous deep dive into fellow Yale student Deborah Ramirez’s allegations that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party while they were undergraduates. According to the documentary, the FBI talked to Ramirez when they re-opened the investigation after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony, but allegedly failed to follow up with any of the witnesses Ramirez’s team provided. Instead, they turned her testimony over to the Senate Judiciary Committee but Ramirez was never called to testify.

The most damning bit of the movie is audio of Max Stier, one of Kavanaugh’s classmates at Yale and now the CEO of the nonpartisan DC group Partnership for Public Service. In the recording, which Stier allegedly submitted to the FBI in the days after Dr. Ford’s testimony as well, he both corroborates Ramirez’s account of what happened and describes another incident he witnessed. In the audio, Stier says that he was in a room where Kavanaugh was drunk and had his pants down, with a group of fellow students trying to force a young woman to touch his penis. As journalists Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly reported in their 2019 book, The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation, the FBI did not follow up on Stier’s allegations. Kavanaugh was confirmed without the public hearing them. But hearing them out loud now is gutting.

Stier himself did not speak to the filmmakers, and similarly, the movie is haunted by the absence of Dr. Ford, who is seen briefly at the beginning, and in clips throughout. (Director Doug Liman says it’s because she’s given enough to the country already; no argument there. As she told the Meteor in 2021, the months and years since the hearings have been brutal.)

The movie is a stark portrait of one of the darkest moments in the history of American democracy, and it’s hard not to walk out retriggered, especially with the four years we’ve experienced since Dr. Ford’s gutting testimony.

But in 2023, anger doesn’t feel like enough. Justice doesn’t get us much closer to accountability for the survivors—or change the reality that a sitting Supreme Court justice most likely perjured himself. Hopefully, this documentary is the beginning of a process—not just of rage but of actual, what’s the word, justice. But that’s unlikely.

-Samhita Mukhopdhyay

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Good evening Meteor readers,

Last night, along with a million other folks across the country, I settled into the couch for three hours of appointment television. Yes, I’m talking about the 30th anniversary of Monday Night RAW, the longest-running weekly episodic television show in American history. Oh, were you watching something else?

The evening was a celebration of not just the longevity of the show itself—which, for the uninitiated, is the premiere weekly wrestling program in the U.S —but of its iconic characters, some inexplicably still active in the wrestling world: Triple H, the Undertaker, Sean Michaels, etc. (I’d love to tack a woman onto that list, but alas, it seems that some invites got lost in the mail. Honorable mention to Alundra Blayze who was on screen for 15 seconds.)

TRISH STRATUS WATCHING THE SHOW FROM HOME AND SEEING NOT A SINGLE LEGENDARY WOMAN IN ATTENDANCE. 

As a lifelong on-and-off wrestling fan (the early-Divas era was hard for some of us), all that nostalgia made me reflect on how much and how little can change in 30 years. Since its inception, RAW has gone from a kitschy, wildly sexist male-driven soap opera to a multi-million dollar enterprise that can sometimes recognize its own sexism and even address it.

Meanwhile, some institutions seem to make no progress at all. And as the headlines reminded us this weekend, over the last 30 years, America has managed, slowly but surely, to normalize the occurrence of mass shootings. A different day, a different set of victims, and the same response: thoughts, prayers, “never agains,” empty political gestures. Rinse, repeat. Without a breather.

In today’s newsletter, we attempt to make sense of another tragedy and search for a few bright spots in the world.

Surreptitiously convincing you to watch wrestling,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

A weekend of mass shootings:  There have been 39 mass shootings in the month of January, and the one that took place in California yesterday afternoon is the second the state has seen in three days. Before that shooting in Half Moon Bay, where seven were killed and one left in critical condition, there was the shooting in Monterey Park, which claimed 11 lives. And then, on Monday night, there was another shooting in Oakland, with one killed and seven injured. As one assemblyman in California told the Washington Post, “Before we’ve even had a chance to mourn them, there is yet another mass shooting.”

The weight of that statement is bone-crushing. Police still have not determined a motive for either the Monterey Park or Half Moon Bay shootings, the former of which took place while the local community was celebrating the Lunar New Year. The suspected Monterey gunman reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot shortly after the incident. Meanwhile, the Half Moon Bay shooter was taken into police custody after he was found parked outside a precinct. No one has been apprehended in connection to the Oakland shooting.

In response to this horrific string of events, President Biden called on Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban, which you may recall expired in 2004. But we’ve seen this song and dance before, and the legislative process required to end (or even put a dent in) gun violence would require massive changes, like Republicans unclasping the death grasp they have on the second amendment. Ironically this brings to mind part of a motivational speech from Peloton instructor Jess Sims where she notes that people sometimes confuse the word hard with the word impossible. Solving gun violence is not impossible; it’s just extremely fucking hard. But hard things get accomplished all the time. *Looks at every other country on the globe that doesn’t have this problem*

If you or someone you know has been impacted by gun violence and is looking for help, please start here.  If you are a member of the AAPI community and are looking for mental health resources, try here. And if you’d like to take part in ending gun violence, here are some suggestions from the Prevention Institute. 

“Nothing to celebrate”: Renee Chelian was 15 years old when she found out she was pregnant. Although it was illegal at the time—1966—her parents asked her if she wanted to have an abortion. She said yes. Chelian is now an abortion provider in her home state of Michigan, and because of that initial traumatic experience, she has helped thousands of patients receive safe abortion care. On what should have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Chelian felt there was “nothing to celebrate.” But we celebrate her and the heroes, known and unknown, who work against all odds to provide necessary healthcare to pregnant people.

AND: 

• Terrible news, younger millennials: Panic! at the Disco is over. The voice of our youth, Brendan Urie, has announced that after their European tour, the group will be no more as he moves his focus to becoming a father. Which is fine, and yeah, feminist adjacent, but what about us, Brendan? What about everything we built together???

• The internal investigation into who leaked the draft of the Roe decision which saw law clerks and lower-level employees face questioning and suspicion is now closed without resolution. But over the weekend, Jodi Kantor asked the biggest question of all: who actually grilled the nine most in-the-know people in the room? (Spoiler alert: no one!)

• Oscar nominations are in. I will not be taking any questions about the travesty of Top Gun: Maverick making it to the Best Picture shortlist at this time. But I am here for any and all wins related to Michelle Yeoh—who made history today as the first Asian to be nominated for the best actress category at the Oscars.

• Thanks to all of the Swifties who were consistently on their vigilante shit, Ticketmaster spent Tuesday facing a Congressional hearing which Senator Richard Blumenthal described as “an absolutely unified cause” for Republicans and Democrats. Marvel at the power of Taylor.

• It’s taken a minute, but Meta, aka Facebook, and its offspring are finally taking the #FreetheNipple movement seriously. Last week, the company’s oversight board recommended that Meta update its policies around adult nudity to “respect international human rights standards.” Translation? Stop blocking female (but not male) nipples across FB and IG—the board found that doing so met the standards for gender-based discrimination. As my pal Joan Summers likes to say—titties out for Jesus!

• I have no interest in the Super Bowl this year. But I am interested in watching Sheryl Lee Ralph perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before the game starts.

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Blessed eve to you, Meteor readers,

Today I’m thinking about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who announced that she would resign before her country’s next election. And she’s not doing it because of scandal or because she thinks she can’t win another election. (Shit, I’d vote for her if I could.) She’s doing it because, as she said, there just isn’t enough in her tank to do the job to the level of excellence she’s previously provided.

This really struck me. I’m so accustomed to American culture, where you work and do a job until it absolutely hobbles you, and then, in your depleted state, you do a little more. Imagine being so in tune with yourself and caring for your country so much that you can put your ego to the side and make a selfless decision like that. The zipping sound you hear is my suitcase closing as I head to catch a flight to NZ to ask Jacinda Ardern to be my new mentor.

But before I board, we’ve got a great newsletter for you today with a look into the many lived lives of George Santos and a special announcement waiting for you down unda’.

Evaluating all tank levels,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

Georgie boy: Where do we even begin? If you haven’t been following the walking VEEP episode that is the George Santos saga, bottom line is that this New Yorker’s election win helped Republicans cinch a narrow lead in the House last November. Santos’s campaign had been built on a litany of inspiring, heartwarming stories that were almost too good to be true. And as it turns out—they weren’t.

As he tells it, Santos’ parents were both immigrants: his father from Brazil, his mother from Europe, where she “fled socialism.” (I really didn’t want to interrupt myself so early, but FYI, they’re both from Brazil.) He says they enrolled him in Horace Mann Prep, but tragically, they couldn’t afford to keep him enrolled; he had to drop out four months before graduation. (Sorry to interrupt again, but as a representative from Horace Mann told CNN, “There is no evidence that George Santos (or any alias) attended.”)

Speaking of his mother: According to Santos, the September 11 attacks claimed her life. Wait, no, sorry. She died in 2016, also according to him. But she was, he claims, in her office in the South Tower when the plane hit…which is a bit odd, considering her official immigration documents place her in Brazil at that time. Is now a bad time to bring up his claims that his grandmother was a victim of the Holocaust? (She wasn’t.)

But enough talk about the distant past. Let’s discuss something more recent! In 2016, he raised $3,000 through GoFundMe to remove a life-threatening tumor from the dog of a disabled veteran. So sweet—or at least it would have been if he hadn’t kept the money for himself.

Honestly, I could go on. He may or may not have a husband. He may or may not have stolen his roommate’s scarf to wear to a Trump rally. He may or may not have once been a drag queen (which, for some reason, is one of the only stories that he’s addressed).

There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to Santos, but one thing is clear: The Republicans made a desperate mistake relying on him for their majority, just another in a long line of frantic clings to power with no thought for what it might mean for our country. But surely a politician with this many blatant, bald-faced lies can’t maintain his position for long…Right?

AND: 

• German police briefly detained Greta Thunberg on Tuesday for protesting the demolition of a village to expand a coal mine. You’ve seen the picture of her casually smirking while they carry her away, right?

• Alec Baldwin will officially face charges for the involuntary manslaughter of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer he accidentally shot on the set of “Rust” in 2021. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer who loaded the weapon, will also be charged.

• Madonna is BACK, baby! On Tuesday, she announced her 2023 Celebration tour (with opening act Bob the Drag Queen, my personal favorite “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum). The tour will cover Madonna’s 40-year career, a number so impressive I’ve fact-checked it at least four times.

• American skier Mikaela Shiffrin only has five wins to go before she breaks the record for World Cup victories currently held by Ingemar Stenmark. After winning 82 times, it’s gotta be all downhill from here. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

• Model Alliance has just released a moving video about the New York Adult Survivors Act. Not quite sure what that is? It’s a law that allows for survivors to file a civil suit against their assailants and the institutions that protected them (like, say, a modeling agency) even after the statute of limitations has expired. And you don’t have to have appeared on any previous seasons of “America’s Next Top Model” to benefit from this law. If you or someone you know is an adult survivor seeking justice, you can file a suit up until November 23 of this year. Find out how here.

—Bailey Wayne Hundl

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