today in tabs: jessica valenti wants the media to stop pretending the nation is "split" on abortion
ALSO: Senate Republicans change the rules, Waymo wants to offer public transit, why 2025 is a banner year for horror movies (besides it being one), and more
Happy Friday, September 19th.
WELCOME :)
Just a reminder: every Tuesday and Friday, I’ll be in your inbox with the latest in politics, tech & social media, culture, and other relevant topics – and I’ll share some notes and tips on what I’m keeping my eye on.
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Y’all, I can’t lie, I have been excited for today’s “Got a Text” for weeks. Today, we have some messages from the one and only
of , a newsletter “tracking anything and everything happening with abortion” every weekday. I am a huge admirer of Jessica’s work, and I hope you enjoy :)
LR: If you could change one main thing about how mainstream media covers abortion, what would it be?
JV: This is a great question—the number one thing I’d love to change is the way the media covers abortion as if the country is evenly split on the issue. It’s not! Americans overwhelmingly support abortion rights, and have for decades. So it’s exhausting watching the media write about abortion as if voters irrevocably disagree. We have a real ‘both sides’ media problem, and honestly, it’s part of what got us into this mess in the first place.
Voters deserve to know that these laws are being pushed by a small group of extremist legislators imposing their will on the vast majority of voters.
And when the media treats them as if they are representative of half the population, they’re not telling the full story about how these bans are a major attack on democracy.
LR: What can people in blue/purple states do to most effectively support people in abortion deserts?
JV: I think there are a couple of things they can do to help: first, folks can reach out to the abortion funds and local organizations in those states, ask them what they need, and do their best to deliver it. (Maybe it’s donations, volunteering, or spreading the word.) But I also think that blue states can help by becoming the best possible safe havens of abortion access. That way, abortion-seekers are able to travel to those states and get the care that they need, and doctors in pro-choice states can ship abortion pills to anti-choice states without fearing out-of-state prosecution and civil charges. Shield laws have been a true lifesaver. So strengthening protections in pro-choice states actually does help those in red states in a big way.
LR: There’s been a lot of discussion about people like RFK Jr. trying to use things like wearable health trackers and other methods to access people’s personal reproductive health data. If and when that occurs, what do you recommend doing to stay as safe as possible?
JV: I think whatever extent you can protect your private health data is a good idea—there’s no reason for big companies to have access to your personal information, especially when it comes to reproductive health. And we’ve already seen how that information can be bought or used in criminal prosecutions. And I”m not even talking about wearable healthtrackers—but just everyday technology! (We’ve even seen a teenager in Nebraska jailed for her abortion after police used her Facebook messages to charge her.)
Still, to be perfectly honest, the biggest danger when it comes to criminalization of pregnancy isn’t actually new technology—but the kinds of stuff we’ve been seeing for years and years. And that’s police targeting marginalized groups and—unfortunately—people snitching on each other. That’s part of the reason such a huge piece of anti-abortion enforcement strategy has to do with bounty hunter laws and encouraging folks to turn each other in.
So my long answer is it’s reasonable to be worried about health trackers—but it’s far more likely that the people who will be targeted will be criminalized the old-fashioned way. There are groups like Pregnancy Justice and If/When/How who do great work on this, for those interested.
LR: You get to design a curriculum on repro rights that every member of Congress has to read. What are three books/pieces of content that are on it?
JV: Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts
The Turnaway Study from Dr. Diana Greene Foster
And, of course, AbortionEveryDay.com ;)
LR: One of my personal faves of the Abortion Every Day merch is the “Abortion Bans Can Fuck Off Into The Sun” shirt. What are three other slogans that you would love to put on merch?
JV: I have to say I do really like our ‘Abortion Cops Are Bastards’ shirt that we put out not too long ago—my assistant came up with that one! I also really love any sort of slogans that normalize abortion or remind people that one and four American women will have an abortion. That’s one t-shirt we were thinking about making, but didn’t get a chance to. Maybe next time! The other piece of merch that my team outvoted me on basically told anti-abortion people to fuck off and die—apparently I came across a little too angry lol.
ABC Pulls ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Indefinitely After Host’s Charlie Kirk Comments
Disney’s ABC said it would take Jimmy Kimmel‘s popular late-night show off its schedule “indefinitely” after one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the U.S., Nexstar Media, said it intended to pre-empt airings of the program following remarks the host made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Variety, 9/17)
Lucy’s note: This is horrifying – and I hope a wake-up call for anyone who thought that First Amendment protections under this administration would extend to anyone who wasn’t MAGA. Here’s what Jimmy Kimmel actually said, ICYMI.
ICE seeks hundreds of new offices across U.S. as agency expands
The office spaces are being sought on ICE’s behalf by the General Services Administration, the agency responsible for managing federal real estate, according to the officials and the records. In recent weeks, high-level staffers with ICE approached the GSA and said the government needed to secure roughly 300 new office sites as fast as possible nationwide, in a bid to house more than 10,000 new employees, the officials and the records show. (WaPo, 9/18)
Lucy’s note: This feels like a good time to watch and see who offers them office space… and maybe plan a protest or two :)
Senate confirms 48 Trump nominees at once after GOP changed the chamber’s rules
The new rules allow Senate Republicans to move multiple nominees with a simple majority vote — a process that would have previously been blocked with just one objection. The rules don’t apply to judicial nominations or high-level Cabinet posts. (PBS, 9/18)
What to know about TikTok, its algorithm, and the US-China deal to keep it running
The sides also agreed on entrusting a partner with handling U.S. user data and content security, he said. But while China has agreed that a divested TikTok could use its algorithm, it’s uncertain how that would work. (AP, 9/16)
Meta created its own super PAC to politically kneecap its AI rivals
Thanks to a unique corporate ownership structure that gives him complete control of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg has essentially created his own personal California super PAC, allowing him to spend Meta’s money on politically protecting his priorities in the heart of the tech industry — and, possibly, against the interests of his corporate rivals. Meta confirmed that the company plans to spend tens of millions of dollars as part of the initial investment and said that it would figure out who had ultimate decision-making power over candidates to back, and whether Meta’s own social media products were used to promote those candidates, once the super PAC was up and running. (The Verge, 9/16 – free version)
LimeWire, Former File-Sharing Service, Is Revealed as Buyer of Fyre Festival
LimeWire — yes, the file-sharing platform that followed Napster in the early 2000s — has been revealed as the buyer that paid $245,000 for the rights to the Fyre Festival, the doomed festival associated with the self-described entrepreneur Billy McFarland that was originally billed as a luxurious beach retreat but that eventually became a cultural symbol for failure. (NYT gift link, 9/16)
Waymo and Via to offer robotaxis for public transit, starting with Arizona
Waymo has been ramping up operations in the U.S. as the robotaxi race heats up. On Wednesday, it said that it plans to start offering autonomous cab rides in Nashville, Tennessee, next year in collaboration with ride-hailing firm Lyft. (Reuters, 9/18)
Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Quits After 47 Years, Cites Loss of Independence Under Unilever
The departure is the latest flare-up in long-simmering tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever, which have fought bitterly for years over the ice-cream brand’s activism—particularly its public stances on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. (WSJ, 9/17 – free version)
Lucy’s note: If you are unfamiliar with Ben & Jerry’s long-time and incredible activism game… here’s some info!
Why 2025 has been a banner year for horror movies
What’s striking about 2025’s horror hits is not only their ability to sell tickets at a time when many other movies are struggling. It’s also the critical consensus that these are truly great films. Sinners and Weapons in particular could contend for major Oscar nominations. It’s a swing toward respectability for a genre that encompasses both The Exorcist (a Best Picture nominee) and Friday the 13th (the guiltiest of pleasures). (Vox, 9/15 – free version)
Olive Garden-Owner Tests Smaller Portions as Diners Seek Cheaper Options
Darden Restaurants Inc. rolled out smaller-portioned, lower-priced entrées at select Olive Garden locations during the quarter, part of its strategy to make menus more affordable and boost sales, Chief Executive Officer Rick Cardenas said on an earnings call. The initiative is designed to offer guests “more variety at approachable price points,” Cardenas said, as the company focuses on sales growth and reinvestment for long-term expansion. (Bloomberg, 9/18 – free version)
Lucy’s note: A recession indicator, for sure, but I think I don’t inherently hate it??
Scientists claim they’ve made ‘pivotal step’ in bringing back the dodo for first time in 300 years
Colossal Biosciences said on Wednesday it has succeeded in growing pigeon primordial germ cells, precursor cells to sperm and eggs, for the first time. This is a “pivotal step” in bringing back the dodo, which was a type of pigeon, for the first time in more than 300 years, according to Colossal. (The Guardian, 9/17)
Phia, founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, raises $8 million seed round, led by Kleiner Perkins
E-commerce tools have fallen in and out of vogue with VCs over the last few years. It’s a tough market, with lots of unanswered questions about the future. Because shopping on a discretionary level isn’t just personal—it’s sociological and expressive. And often, why we want what we want is mysterious, even to us. But Kianni and Gates are looking for answers in a process that’s about conversation and experimentation. (Fortune, 9/17 – free version)
Lucy’s note: I believe they are also one of the businesses that made the leap to Substack over at
??
Extra Credit 🤓
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Some newsletters I thought were excellent recently:
OK Cool’s Let Them Eat Lore 2026 Trend deck
Whoever edited this deck… 👏👏👏👏 (also not technically a newsletter, sorry, but very interesting!)
“Either You Care About the First Amendment or You Don't” from
of
That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!