What to know about Cori Bush’s ouster

August 8, 2024

And her legacy too ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

August 8, 2024

Dearest Meteor readers,

Let’s be honest: this week has been emotional. From all the Olympics history being made to a running-mate announcement that led to a reclaimed viral camo hat—we’ve been in our feelings.

In today’s newsletter we look at the forces that led to Congresswoman Cori Bush’s defeat, the Vice President’s tense moment with Gaza protesters, and Usha Vance’s attempt to deal with that “cat lady” comment. Plus, a podcast starring Laverne Cox for you!

Respectfully,

Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Julianne Escobedo Shepherd

WHAT’S GOING ON

A loss: On Tuesday, Rep. Cori Bush lost her primary race to Wesley Bell, a St. Louis prosecutor who once “gotta hear both sides”-ed the police officer who killed Michael Brown. Her defeat came thanks to the vast amount of cash the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC poured into defeating her. The group put $8 million in, making the race one of the most expensive primaries in history, close behind the $15 million AIPAC spent defeating Rep. Jamaal Bowman in June, and the organization used some of that money to send out mailers with Bush’s face altered into a racist caricature.

Bush, a nurse and Ferguson activist who was formerly unhoused, was one of the most energizing, effective members of Congress. In 2021, she slept on the steps of the Capitol to get a federal eviction moratorium extended; she also testified about being sexually assaulted and having an abortion during a hearing on Texas’ anti-abortion laws, and introduced the first ceasefire resolution in Congress, calling for a de-escalation of fighting and the facilitation of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, back in October.

CORI BUSH WITH MAXIMUS FEDERAL CALL CENTER WORKERS ADVOCATING FOR HIGHER WAGES AND BETTER FEDERAL JOBS IN 2023. (VIA PAUL MORIGI/GETTY)

That energy was still in evidence after her defeat Tuesday. In an impassioned concession speech, she pointed out AIPAC’s interference and said it had renewed her commitment: “All you did was take some of the strings off,” she said, in a style that recalled her work as a pastor. “As much as I love my job, all they did was radicalize me, and so now they should be afraid…AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down.” Far-right media like Fox and the National Review, as well as White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, tried to frame her comments as “divisive” and even “pathological”—charged words to use about a Black woman legislator—but it was clear what she was actually addressing: the idea that no one group should be able to buy political influence based on a single issue— particularly when that group is advocating on behalf of a foreign country. I don’t know about you, but it seems like a perfect time for campaign finance reform to me!

AND:

In related news: Yesterday at a rally in Detroit, MI, a group of protesters interrupted Kamala Harris while she was addressing the crowd of approximately 15,000 people chanting, “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide. We won’t vote for genocide.” At first she responded, “It’s all good. I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters.” But as the protesters continued, her tune changed: “If you want Donald Trump to win,” she said, “then say that. Otherwise, I am speaking.” The clip of the exchange drew criticism—especially since Harris’ position on the situation in Gaza has felt like a break from the Biden administration, in that she’s vocally condemned Israel’s military operation in the region and has spoken of the humanitarian toll to Palestinians. Earlier that day, she had also met with the Uncommitted National Movement, the group which had organized approximately 100,000 people to withhold voting for President Biden unless he changed his tune on Gaza. As Brittney Cooper wrote on Instagram, “I do not appreciate VP Harris’ response…the right of people to dissent vocally and inconveniently is what democracy looks like.”

HARRIS CAMPAIGNING IN DETROIT (VIA ANDREW HARNIK/GETTY)

Lesbian boxer Cindy Ngamba has become the first member of this year’s Refugee Olympic team to win a medal. Started in the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, the team includes players who are refugees originally from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and Cuba. Jojo Ferris, head of the Olympic Refuge Foundation, told The Cut that the purpose of the team “is to really reach the hearts and minds of the public.” Ngamba is from Cameroon, where it is illegal to be gay; rather than face imprisonment, she left for the United Kingdom and was granted refugee status. What medal she gets is yet to be determined—but she is heading to the semifinals guaranteeing her a spot on that podium. “I hope I can change the color of my medal in the next fight,” she said.

YOU’RE A WINNER, BABY! (VIA RICHARD PELHAM/GETTY)

Gen Z women are becoming increasingly progressive, according to The Politics of Gen Z, a new book by the political scientist Melissa Deckman. That’s a “historic reverse gender gap,” Deckman told the Guardian, pointing out that young women are not just voting more, but also donating and volunteering at higher rates than their older counterparts. Meanwhile, Gen Z men are becoming more conservative, or apolitical—but on the 2024 election, Deckman’s read was this: “If Donald Trump uses misogynistic, racist language toward Kamala Harris, I think the net effect for young men will be more off-putting than not. The end result for him is a net negative. It’s also, of course, wrong.”
In this week’s episode of America Who Hurt You?, host Sarah Jones sits down with actress Laverne Cox to talk about the panic around trans women in sports—and how anti-gay forces engineered it. “They were like how do we scapegoat LGBTQ people? We will use trans folks,” says Cox. But “the bathroom bills weren’t working. And so they actually went into focus groups to see what issues would work and they determined that trans people in sports would be that issue.”
Yesterday was Moms’ Equal Pay Day and the numbers are grim: Twenty-eight percent of single mothers live in poverty, compared to 15 percent for single dads and five percent for couples.
Usha Vance’s defense of J.D.’s comments about how the country is run by “single cat ladies” somehow made it…worse? TL;DR: She’s not upset about childless people, as long as you’re trying to have babies.
Women’s sports need more sponsors and beauty brand Madison Reed understands this. They will be partnering with the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team for a three-year sponsorship, along with all-over deals with four of their star players. Smart.

WEEKEND READS 📚

On disasters: Maui tries to rebuild itself one year after the worst wildfire in US history. (Grist)
On the border: What a group of Catholic priests trying to welcome migrants says about the state of our immigration policy. (The New Yorker)
On tradwives: Anne Helen Petersen talks to Tia Levings, the author of A Well-Trained Wife, on what it takes to break free. (Culture Study)