today in tabs: want to win in nyc? use bodega colors

ALSO: TikTok launches a "summer camp" for kids, Kim Kardashian gets her version of the Barbie movie, and more

Jun 27, 2025

Happy Friday, June 27th, 2025. Sorry to all of us who are currently panic-scrolling on SCOTUSblog 🫠

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 🙏

We have a super exciting rapid response interview this week… Krissie Palomo, Influencer Manager at the DNC and a TikTok star in her own right, sent some texts!!! Hope you enjoy her nuggets of wisdom :)

Here's where same-sex marriage would be banned without Obergefell

More than two dozen U.S. states have trigger laws that would limit marriage equality if the Supreme Court overturned its legalization of gay marriage. On the 10 year anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, access to marriage equality faces increasing opposition. (Axios, 6/26)

The Costs of Restricting Abortion? More Than $130 Billion Per Year.

The restrictions keep more than a half million women out of the labor force each year, with Black women and Latinas suffering the greatest impacts, according to IWPR’s analysis. (Mother Jones, 6/23)

Tracking all the digital media appearances of Zohran Mamdani

It bears noting that Team Mamdani had been working on this digital strategy for many months, as far back as February (and not just scrambling to get him out there during GOTV). Yet another lesson to learn here! (Open Tabs, 6/25)

Lucy’s note: Shameless self-promo here, I’m sorry! I did a special post (that I didn’t blast over email) tracking all of Zohran Mamdani’s digital media + culture-focused appearances. As you see below, I can’t stop thinking about his campaign and how much we can learn from it, and neither can other folks!

Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign Logo Looked Nothing Like a Campaign Logo

The Mamdani campaign’s identity is the work of a tiny design co-op called Forge and specifically its designer, Aneesh Bhoopathy, formerly of Queens and now living in Philadelphia. Bhoopathy says that “the mood board was definitely New York iconography: taxicab yellow, MetroCard primary colors, bodega awnings, stuff people are familiar with in the New York street.” (Curbed, 6/25)

TikTok Launches Summer Camp Activities for Youngsters

TikTok’s looking to help, with a new “Summer Camp” set of in-app activities that’ll guide viewers through a range of hands-on projects, which they can share with others in the app. So it’s not an actual camp, but more a virtual conference for youngsters. (Social Media Today, 6/24)

My Couples Retreat With 3 AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them

Excluding the AIs from the meal wasn’t ideal. Later in the weekend, both Eva and Alaina pointed out that, while the weekend was meant to be devoted to human-AI romance, they had less time than usual to be with their partners. But the absence of the AIs did have one advantage: It made it easy to gossip about them. (WIRED, 6/26 – free version)

Lucy’s note: I read a *lot* of pieces… and this might be the craziest one I’ve ever read. 10/10, would recommend, Black Mirror wishes it did this.

Can ChatGPT Change Your Mind? Perhaps, Studies Show

All participants had a five round or five minute conversation with ChatGPT-4o, but the study manipulated who they were told they were conversing with: either a human expert, ChatGPT, or a layperson. The goal was to determine if AI could indeed be an effective persuader and whether this stemmed from perceived intelligence or objectivity of the technology. (Tech Policy Press, 6/26)

Why Did the Novel-Reading Man Disappear?

By turns a maligned or suspicious figure in decades past — in the case of the “Infinite Jest” lover, for instance — or a fetishized one — consider the enormously popular “Hot Dudes Reading” Instagram — the figure of the literary male reader is now disappearing, some say, and his disappearance is a matter of grave concern. (NYT, 6/25 – free version)

Kim Kardashian to Star in ‘Bratz’ Movie as Villain

Bratz has sold more than 200 million dolls since 2001 and apparently has the highest social media engagement across all platforms of any toy brand, according to Amazon MGM. However, it’s unclear if that’ll translate into blockbuster ticket sales. (Variety, 6/25)

Venetians are blasting off on Bezos’s wedding

The world’s fourth-richest person is monopolizing the Italian city’s finite resources, like water taxis, which have already been hindered by overtourism. Venice’s population was ~100,000 in the 1980s, but is now less than 50,000, with residents being driven away by an influx of hotels and short-term rentals. (Morning Brew, 6/25)

Lucy’s note: Another newsletter shout-out – I love Morning Brew!

The BBC is launching a paywall in the US

The move is meant to help the BBC drum up more revenue as the money collected from yearly license fees in the UK — which people are required to purchase to watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer — continues to tumble. (The Verge, 6/26)

Lucy’s note: Especially rough announcement in the context of this new research that most Americans won’t pay for news behind paywalls 😬

Inside Travel’s Political Spending

During 2025, travel companies and trade associations have been using their federal political action committees to send millions of dollars to candidates and national parties, according to a Skift analysis of Federal Election Commission records. (Skift, 6/24)