today in tabs: shopping when you love things but fear capitalism
ALSO: america's polarization is the world's piggy bank, why are we trying to make Richard Nixon cool, teens ruled Black Friday this year, and more
Happy Monday, December 1st. Bunny bunny ☃️
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.
Want to do a super fun, super cool rapid interview for this newsletter like the one below??? Reply to this email or hit the button below. Tips, thoughts, concerns, good jokes, bad jokes, ☕️, etc?
And finally, if you enjoy this newsletter and want to share it with your network (and/or your chronically online friends), that would be so appreciated 🙏
PROGRAMMING NOTE: hope everyone had lots of good food and good company last week!! I’m back with a special Monday holiday send and then off for a minute until next Tuesday to take my scariest 1L final. Turns out, at the age of 27, I am no less calm than I was at 17 about tests. I’ll see you then (if I survive)!
I will be real – I love things. Nothing gives me dopamine like a package on the way or a tote bag full of Saturday afternoon market treasures. BUT, in this nightmare of a year, I am really, really trying with my ethical consumption (as much as that is even possible 🫠).
For this Cyber Monday, I wanted to put a list together of orgs and non-profits with very fun stuff to buy, where your dollars go directly to their mission. I also wanted to get a bit niche to highlight places that I don’t see getting a lot of love (so this won’t be your typical Crooked merch store, COURIER merch store, or PPFA merch store finds with much love to all). Hope you enjoy!
NOTE: no one is paying me to do this lol, just wanted to give some shout-outs!
ANOTHER NOTE: flagging this major boycott icymi!
Where to get fun stuff while attempting ethical-ish consumption under capitalism:
CLOTHES, ETC.:
National Network of Abortion Funds – sale through 12/4
You can shop merch for the national abortion fund itself, or support specific orgs + clinics like this hoodie that supports the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund or this crewneck that supports Preterm Cleveland
The ACLU – good for lawyers and non-lawyers!
Bitty & Beau’s for merch and highly, highly recommend for a latte if you can get to one! (also, this mug is simply too delightful)
Merch that powers public and/or sustainable transit like Amtrak (maybe the tix will stop being $1000000), WMATA (the panda Red Line bag…) CTA, etc.
Libraries! NYPL has really good stuff
Independent and local bookstores! My personal faves in NYC are Books Are Magic and Logos, and in DC, Politics & Prose and Solid State :)
If you’re in DC or just want to send some support to the city in these times, Shop Made in DC has products online from all local vendors
FOOD:
Ben & Jerry’s (I have always been very impressed by their digital program and commitment to activism in general 🥲)
Dave’s Sweet Tooth Toffee – gotta respect their dedication to getting around the TikTok algo to get at Trump
World Central Kitchen cookbook! otherwise, they did also do this sock collab they did with Conscious Step (flag that only $1 per sock goes to the cause, but that’s still a higher rate than normal ☹️)
SUBSTACK!
Reminder that you can gift paid subscriptions to Substacks if folks have paid turned on! There are also some Substackers that have merch (I’m currently coveting several of the Abortion, Every Day (from
and ) crewnecks). These are all great ways to directly support writers and creators in this f*cked up internet world :)That’s all for now! But this is very much a non-exhaustive list – and please feel free to drop any others in the comments!
Trump’s Approval Rating Drops to 36%, New Second-Term Low
Each of the current ratings is in line with the prior ones, but there has been a significant erosion in approval since February for Trump’s handling of immigration (-9 points), the situation in the Middle East (-7 points) and the economy (-6 points). Since March, Trump’s ratings have declined by double digits on the federal budget (-12 points) and the situation in Ukraine (-10 points). (Gallup, 11/28)
The campaign to make Richard Nixon great again
Watergate has often been invoked in comparison to Trump’s scandals, in both his first and current term. Many people — from historians to former Nixon officials — argue that were Watergate to happen in today’s media landscape, with the influence of conservative outlets and in particular Fox News, Nixon most likely would have survived it. (NBC News, 11/29)
Kamala Harris called for lowering US voting age to 16
In short, Harris did make such a proposal. She proposed the idea during an interview on “The Diary of a CEO” podcast in an episode released on Oct. 30, 2025… In doing so, the former vice president joined a growing number of world leaders who have advocated for allowing younger teenagers to vote. (Snopes, 11/28)
Melania Trump Launches Production Company As Her Documentary Release Date Nears
First Lady Melania Trump said Friday that she has launched a production company, Muse Films, news that comes ahead of the release of an Amazon MGM Studios feature documentary about her. The doc, titled Melania, is being directed by Brett Ratner and will hit theaters January 30 in the U.S. and select international territories. (Deadline, 11/28)
How big tech is creating its own friendly media bubble to ‘win the narrative battle online’
If you are looking to hear from some of tech’s most powerful people, you will increasingly find them on a constellation of shows and podcasts like Sourcery that provide a safe space for an industry that is wary, if not openly hostile, towards critical media outlets. Some of the new media outlets are created by the companies themselves. (The Guardian, 11/29)
America’s Polarization Has Become the World’s Side Hustle
A huge amount of the viral content about American politics and American news on social media is from sock puppet and bot accounts monetized by people in other countries. The rise of easy to use, free AI generative tools have supercharged this effort, and social media monetization programs have incentivized this effort and are almost entirely to blame. (404 Media, 11/24)
The Oxford Word of the Year 2025 is rage bait
Our language experts shortlisted three contenders—rage bait, aura farming, and biohack—that reflect our conversations and preoccupations over the past year. After three days of voting in which more than 30,000 people had their say, our experts chose rage bait after considering votes, the sentiment of public commentary, and their analysis of our lexical data. (Oxford University Press, 12/1)
Teen Brands Win Over Wary Black Friday Shoppers While Other Deals Disappoint
To tempt picky Americans, they are offering sales on products like perfume, body wash and sweatshirts. It’s seemingly paying off: The most crowded stores Friday in cities across the US belonged to brands including Edikted, Kendra Scott, and Bath & Body Works. Other mall retailers saw thin crowds and disappointed shoppers, who were expecting bigger discounts at higher-end brands like Ralph Lauren and Coach. (Bloomberg, 11/28 – free version)
Lucy’s note: this story pairs well with 👇
Gen Z is changing what status symbols look like
The Bearista cup is just the latest entry on a list of seemingly random but extremely hard-to-get merchandise that’s gone viral this year, from Labubus to Owala water bottles to Trader Joe’s micro tote bags. That certain low-cost novelty items can attract huge lines isn’t exactly new. (Cabbage Patch Kids and Beanie Babies are canonical examples.) What’s new is the extent to which these relatively cheap trinkets have become status symbols and an innovative way to distinguish oneself. (Vox, 11/28 – free version)
American Eagle Found a New Jeans Model
This time, Martha Stewart is the one decked out in denim. The 84-year-old is the face of the brand’s new holiday campaign, which features her in a variety of denim looks (I am partial to her denim Manolo Blahnik heels). Perhaps it’s too soon to forgive and forget after all that Sydney Sweeney discourse, but at the very least, it seems the brand is asking, “Can Martha offer you some denim pie?” (The Cut, 11/25 – free version)
Lucy’s note: AE has got to win for most insane ad campaigns this year (not good… just insane)
The New Hollywood Must-Have? The Status Ghostwriter
For some celebrities, it’s worth admitting they had help in order for their book to be taken more seriously—like influencer and podcaster Tinx talking about partnering with novelist Gabrielle Korn on her sapphic beach read Hotter in the Hamptons, or Grammy winner Mark Ronson openly acknowledging that he got help from an unspecified New Yorker editor to polish the final draft of his recent memoir, Night People. (Elle, 11/26 – free version)
Extra Credit 🤓
Some newsletters I thought were excellent recently:
“Part 1: My Life Is a Lie” from
of Yes, I give a fig... thoughts on markets from Michael GreenThis is the mega-viral newsletter you’ve probably seen questioning the federal poverty line and suggesting, by its original metric, that it should be $140,000.
“How Young Men and Women Think Differently about Gambling” from
+HUGE implications given the growth of Kalshi and Polymarket
That’s all for now – I’ll see you next Tuesday!