today in tabs: the tradwives want to claim this summer
ALSO: #skinnytok gets banned, Da Pope economy, and more...
Happy Friday, June 6th, 2025.
We’ve reached the end of the first official week of OT!!! Thank you all :)
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.
Call it semi-daily clips, an executive brief (where you all are the executives), whatever you wish – I’m here to make sure you’re informed, up-to-date, and also have interesting and important stories to share that no one else is paying attention to yet.
If you’re a fan (like I am) of publications like by , by , , WIRED, The Verge, The Cut (ironically… or maybe not), and, of course, , then you’re in the right place!
And I want to reiterate that my inbox + DMs are always open. Have comments, questions, tips, or things you think I should be looking at? Drop me a line 🎣
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 🙏
Mocktails, Steak Houses, and Barmaid Corsets: How MAGA’s Young Influencers Are Trumpifying Their Summers
A renewed coalition of women creating both lifestyle and political content has been brewing for years, with the support of right-leaning media properties like The Daily Wire and Turning Point USA. But the dawn of Donald Trump’s second term has raised their profiles—and given them a brief respite from their usual state of rage. (Vanity Fair, 6/2)
Acting FEMA Chief Told Staff He Didn’t Know About U.S. Hurricane Season
The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told employees on Monday that he did not know the United States has a hurricane season, according to two people who heard the remarks and said it was unclear if he was serious. (NYT, 6/2)
Democrats set out to study young men. Here are their findings.
The results of an initial round of research shared exclusively with POLITICO — including 30 focus groups and a national media consumption survey — found many young men believe that “neither party has our back,” as one Black man from Georgia said in a focus group. Participants described the Democratic Party as overly-scripted and cautious, while Republicans are seen as confident and unafraid to offend. (Politico, 6/4)
Lawyers using AI keep citing fake cases in court. Judges aren’t happy.
Courts across the country are facing a deluge of filings from attorneys and litigants that back their arguments with nonexistent research hallucinated by generative artificial intelligence, prompting judges to fight back with fines and reprimands. (WaPo, 6/3)
TikTok bans #SkinnyTok hashtag
Amid mounting pressure from regulators affiliated with the European Commission, the ByteDance-owned app has banned the #SkinnyTok hashtag, which was used to disseminate videos that perpetrate harmful beliefs about body image. (Tubefilter, 6/3)
The OpenAI board drama is reportedly turning into a movie
A film that will portray the chaotic time at OpenAI, when co-founder and CEO Sam Altman was fired and rehired within a span of just five days, is reportedly in the works. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is titled “Artificial,” and it’s in development at Amazon MGM Studios. (TechCrunch, 6/3)
Lucy’s note: And I will be SAT. Who needs satire when we have the real thing?
‘Da Pope’ economy is popping off
Americans are a famously patriotic people and ~53m are Catholic, so it makes sense that they’re showing out for the new American icon in true American fashion: by commodifying all that’s holy. (The Hustle, 6/5)
Lucy’s note: If you aren’t already subscribed to The Hustle (I came to it for tech but really appreciate how they make business news so accessible), I highly recommend it!
A Big-League Bet on Pro Softball
Earlier attempts to convert the popularity of the college game into a serious and sustainable professional league have failed. But the landscape for women’s sports has changed radically in recent years, and there’s never been an effort quite like this one. A number of the game’s legends who have not previously engaged with the pro leagues are involved. (The New Yorker, 6/1)
There Is No True Third Place
At its core, a third place is anywhere outside of the home or work where people can socialize in public, and where the nebulous concept of community is formed. They are places that don’t require an appointment, are convenient and informal, and inexpensive enough to allow for one to potentially be a regular. (Eater, 6/2)
Just how bloody was medieval England? A ‘murder map’ holds some surprises.
Using 14th-century coroner’s rolls and other archival sources, Manuel Eisner, a criminologist at the University of Cambridge, has spent 15 years working on interactive tools he calls “murder maps” with the help of a team including his wife and daughter. (WaPo, 6/5)
California’s Yurok Tribe gets back ancestral lands that were taken over 120 years ago
Since time immemorial, his ancestors from the Yurok Tribe had fished, hunted and gathered in this watershed flanked by coastal forests. But for more than 100 years, these lands were owned and managed by timber companies, severing the tribe’s access to its homelands. (AP, 6/5)
I also decided I want to take a quick moment at the end of these to shout out some of my fellow Substackers. Here were some of my favorite reads this week:
Is the ‘internet culture reporter’ job dead? by
ofWhich Stars are Being Forgotten the Fastest? by
of
That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!