today in tabs: trying to decide where to move?? ask your spleen

ALSO: you might not be able to marry your AI chatbot in Ohio, Netflix and Spotify are now in cahoots, controversy over the viral Chicago rat hole (it wasn't a rat!), and more

Oct 17, 2025

Happy Friday, October 17th.

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.

I’M LOOKING FOR MORE PEOPLE TO DO MINI INTERVIEWS FOR OPEN TABS :) Tips, thoughts, concerns, good jokes, bad jokes, tea, 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 🙏

QUICK PROGRAMMING NOTE: no interview today because I got a lil too sick and sleepy this week, sorry!!! But we’ll be back again with one next Friday :) and if you work in the space of any of these sections and want to do a super casual, super fun (I promise!) mini interview – or if you know someone who might want to – my DMs are always open.

Senate Democrats want to know: was YouTube’s Trump settlement a bribe?

In a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, five Senators — Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) — asked for details about any settlement talks between those companies and the Trump administration. They’re interested in whether Google secured favorable treatment as a result of the payout, including leniency in multiple ongoing antitrust lawsuits, something they warn could constitute an illegal bribe. (The Verge, 10/15)

Gov. JB Pritzker won $1.4 million via gambling, 2024 tax returns show

In his joint filing with first lady MK Pritzker, the billionaire Democratic governor reported an adjusted gross income of almost $10.7 million, more than tripling the roughly $2.8 million they reported in 2023. The latest windfall was boosted by $1,425,000 in gambling winnings, their federal filing shows, in addition to $4.2 million in capital gains, nearly $3.9 million in ordinary dividends and more than $800,000 in taxable interest. (Chicago Sun-Times, 10/15)

Lucy’s note: gambling scares me ngl… but MAN, they’ve got a mayor who is so jolly and also an expert gambler, Chicago is BACK baby

Dems plot Fetterman ouster

When Axios began reporting on this story, Fetterman texted, “Enjoy your clickbait!” Asked a follow-up question, Fetterman said, “Please do not contact.” Fetterman later shared an article about a report from a conservative group showing that he is among “the least Trump-aligned Democratic lawmakers” in Pennsylvania, voting with the president 6% of the time. (Axios, 10/16)

Blue States Are Setting Up a Shadow Public-Health Alliance to Counter RFK Jr.

The Governors Public Health Alliance is the latest and so far the largest move to create an alternative public-health universe outside the federal government. More doctors, policymakers and state leaders are alarmed by cuts in federal funding for global and domestic health programs, as well as public-health expertise at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (WSJ, 10/15 – free version)

OpenAI accused of using legal tactics to silence nonprofits

The organizations that received subpoenas had signed or organized open letters and petitions critical of OpenAI’s ongoing efforts to restructure from a nonprofit to a for-profit public benefit corporation. In one case, a subpoenaed nonprofit had also sponsored a California bill that imposed the first wide-ranging regulations on leading AI companies like OpenAI. (NBC News, 10/15)

Here’s What Your Browser Is Telling Everyone About You

Your browser fingerprint is a collection of innocuous information about your PC that, when put together, is unique enough that it could identify an individual. Some of the components of your browser fingerprint include your computer’s hardware, your browser and version, the various versions of software you have running in your browser, the fonts you have installed on your PC, your time zone, your system language, your keyboard layout; the list goes on. (WIRED, 10/16)

Ohio Lawmaker Wants to Ban Marriage Between Humans and AI Chatbots

Claggett’s interest in banning AI-human unions would appear to have a lot more to do with maintaining exclusive legal rights for humans than it does with stopping people from getting so emotionally attached to their software programs that they decide to tie the knot with them. NBC-4 notes that the goal is to stop AI programs from being able to take on roles that the act of marriage confers upon them—stuff like holding power of attorney or making financial decisions. (Gizmodo, 10/14)

Lucy’s note: … how are we here already

Why Is Human Design All Over My Feed?

When I told Smith I’d been calling human design “the cousin of astrology” she said that’s actually not too far off. Its genesis occurred in 1987 when a guy named Alan Robert Krakower (who later rebranded to Ra Uru Hu) traveled to Ibiza and had a mystical experience in which he received a message from a voice that revealed the “mechanics of life.” (Stay with me.) (Self, 10/14)

Netflix and Spotify partner to bring podcasts by The Ringer to the video platform

The shows coming to Netflix include “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” “The Rewatchables” and “Serial Killers,” with more expected after the initial launch. Spotify said the move is the next step in evolving the company into a multimedia experience, with more initiatives planned in the future to “bring similar opportunities to a wider range of creators.” (NBC News, 10/14)

The rat of the famed Chicago Rat Hole was almost certainly a squirrel

Scientists say they have all but proved there was no rat involved in creating the Chicago Rat Hole. On Wednesday, researchers published an article in the peer-reviewed journal Biology Letters stating there’s about a 98 percent chance it was a squirrel that fell into wet cement. Their work puts to rest decades of speculation and myriad theories about the unfortunate critter who, in an inauspicious moment lost to time, fell from above and splatted into wet cement. (WaPo, 10/16)

Lucy’s note: this was personally earth-shattering

Smucker’s sued Trader Joe’s over an Uncrustables dupe. How similar are they?

In a lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Smucker claimed the new Trader Joe’s “Crustless Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches” violate trademarks the company holds for the design of the product and its packaging. In particular, the lawsuit cites the sandwiches’ shape as a “unique design feature” protected by its trademark. (WaPo, 10/15)