Some men are losing their jobs 😈

September 20, 2023

While others get a standing ovation ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

September 20, 2023

Fair Monduesday*, Meteor readers,

Well, it’s that time of year. Students and teachers have returned to school—or, in some parts of the country, they haven’t. I find this new school year particularly tense: My oldest niece Ezra is starting her senior year of high school 😭 and with the fall of affirmative action, she and her peers will have to decide whether it will help or harm them to mention race in their college application essays. I don’t envy the young.

In today’s newsletter we’re pointing and laughing at Ken Paxton, learning our soccer history, and spreading a little good news.

Staring at Ezra’s baby photos,

Shannon Melero

*For those of you who are new here, a Monduesday is any Tuesday after a three-day weekend that is behaving as a Monday. Patent pending.

WHAT’S GOING ON

Impeachy keen: Today was the first day of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial. Why I’m gleefully watching the livestream: Paxton is a hard-core Trump ally, vocally anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ+, and last year supported a “Women’s Bill of Rights” meant to delegitimize trans women. (We wrote all about it here.)

Not that these offenses have anything to do with Paxton’s trial. Paxton was suspended from his position in May after the 16 articles of impeachment brought against him by the Texas House accused him of “bribery, disregarding his official duty, making false statements, and abusing the public trust.” Astonishingly, this impeachment trial (the first Texas has had in almost 50 years) was brought against him by his fellow Republicans. Never did I think I’d live to see the day the GOP held one of their own accountable.

Also making this trial soap-opera-adjacent is the fact that Paxton’s wife, Angela, is a state senator and must be present for the proceedings but cannot vote on the outcome. That little factoid is key because back in May, Angela said she would not recuse herself and was going to carry out her duties through the end of the trial. But her peers barred her from voting or participating in deliberations. Which is good news for Paxton, considering that a chunk of the evidence against him revolves around an extramarital affair. It’s like we’re living in a House of Cards episode.

AND:

The internet was alight with, as the young people call it, JOMO (joy of missing out) after an onslaught of rain and mud spoiled Burning Man this weekend. The gathering has been inundated by tech bros and other interlopers for years now, but as artist and longtime attendee Favianna Rodriguez reminds us, Burning Man has a history of being a “culture changer”—which means it must do some reimagining in the face of the climate crisis and extreme weather.
So remember when we were all celebrating Nebraska breaking a world record for women’s sports attendance with its crowd of 92,003 at a volleyball tournament last week? Turns out, we were kinda wrong. A fascinating historical deep dive from journalist Lindsey Gibbs finds that an “unsanctioned” Women’s World Cup final in Mexico City in 1971 holds the world record for attendance—with more than 110,000 people. Why has this been left out of the record book for so many years? The tournament wasn’t sponsored by FIFA, so they “actively suppress and do not recognize” that it took place.
Elon Musk is threatening to sue the Anti-Defamation League for what he alleges was an attempt to kill the website formerly known as Twitter. According to Musk, ADL did this by pointing out the vast amount of anti-Semitic hate speech on the platform and making that information readily available to advertisers, who are pulling out of X (Twitter). Musk has responded by liking Xweets calling for a ban on the ADL, while the organization says it’s “unsurprised yet undeterred that antisemites, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, and other trolls have launched a coordinated attack.”
You might have ordered your first pumpkin spice latte already, but that doesn’t mean fall weather is on the horizon. Most of the U.S. is about to experience a record-breaking September heatwave.
Despite the promise of a fafillion-dollar contract from Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales, Jorge Vilda has been fired from his position as head coach of Spain’s World Cup-winning national team. Players had accused Vilda of creating a hostile work environment and perpetuating the rampant sexist culture common in the league. He is being replaced by Montse Tomé, the first woman to coach the Spanish team in its history.
Also paying attention to the goings-on in Spain is Woody Allen, who characterized the now-infamous kiss that Rubiales planted on Jenni Hermoso as “just a kiss…[w]hat’s wrong with that?” Allen also claimed to support the #MeToo movement but says he doesn’t understand cancel culture. “I don’t know what it means to be canceled,” he said. And how could he know, since it hasn’t yet happened to him?
I’m not going to spoil anything, but please read this wild story that opens with, “There’s a strange saga unfolding in Texas.” I promise that you absolutely cannot guess what it’s about. Here’s a hint:

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Thanks to heavy crowdfunding in Florida, an abortion clinic in Orlando will be able to pay nearly $200,000 in fines and remain open.
For the first time in 15 years, two Black American men will compete against each other at the U.S. Open.
This is the key we’re singing “Happy Birthday” in from now on. Everyone please start practicing. I do not want to hear any of you sounding flat if Diana Ross is around.