I've got your citation right here, J.K. Rowling
The latest squabble between the Harry Potter author and Britain's first out transgender newsreader. Plus: New research proves Covid impacts periods. And: This fruit protects your skin from sunburn!
Thanks for rising up on this Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. Today is the 66th birthday of the Frisbee. If you went to sleep without reading the new Bedtime Stories edition of this newsletter, you may want to start there before scrolling down!
Here Now the News
THE WEST WING'S NEXT LEO McGARRY: The New York Times updates the story first broken by the Washington Post, that Jeff Zients will be President Biden’s next chief of staff.
SO WHY YOU SHOULD YOU CARE? If you watched The West Wing, you know this job is to run the White House. Right now, that’s Ron Klain’s job and it’s a bit of a mess right now, given classified documents popping up everywhere nearly everyday and the GOP running the House and 2024 looming and the debt ceiling, well, must I go on?
WHO IS JEFF ZIENTS? His name rhymes with “science,” he was in charge of the administration’s pandemic response and led the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history. Before that, Zients fixed the horrible rollout of the website for Obamacare. He’s a management consultant and entrepreneur, And he’s super-rich. Progressives aren’t happy. Read more in the NYT
ONE MORE THING: Zients is yet another cisgender, straight white dude, just like every other White House chief of staff in history, as the Washington Post reports. Biden could have made a historic pick, but instead chose Zients.
Atlanta ‘Cop City’ Protesters From Out of State
ONLY ONE OF 6 SUSPECTS IS FROM GEORGIA: Atlanta police have identified the six people arrested Saturday night after a protest turned violent. Those arrested are identified as Nadja Geier, 24, from Nashville, Tenn.; Madeleine Feola, 22, from Spokane, Wash.; Ivan Ferguson, 23, from Nevada; Graham Evatt, 20, from Decatur, Ga.; Francis Carrol, 22, from Kennebunkport, Maine; and Emily Murphy, 37, from Grosse Isle, Mich.
WHAT HAPPENED: Those six were among hundreds of people whose peaceful demonstration turned into a riot as protesters smashed windows, lit fireworks, burned a police car and damaged buildings to protest the construction of an APD training center in unincorporated DeKalb County. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says one of the protesters, environmental activist Manuel Teran, shot a state trooper and was then killed by return fire. Demonstrators were protesting a $90 million, 85-acre law enforcement campus which includes a mock city for police, fire and rescue teams to perform real world training. —WSB-TV
Congresswoman’s Child Busted in Boston Protest
THEY’RE TRANS NONBINARY AND POLICE DEADNAMED THEM: The Boston Globe reports a police officer was allegedly hit in the face and bloodied Saturday night while arresting a suspect later identified as the child of Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) during a protest on Boston Common, related to the “Stop Cop City” demonstration in Atlanta. Riley Dowell, 23, is accused of defacing the Parkman Bandstand Monument with spray paint. Boston police used Dowell’s birth name in their official police report.
Protest in France Costs One Man A Testicle
FORTUNATELY, THEY COME IN PAIRS: Doctors had to amputate one testicle of a man beaten in the groin by a police officer during Thursday’s protest against raising the retirement age. He’s now suing. — The Guardian
Peru Taking No Chances
MACHU PICCHU CLOSED: Peru’s government indefinitely shut the famed ancient ruins of Machu Picchu on Saturday, amid ongoing anti-government protests. Shuttering the country's most famous tourist attraction as well as the Inca Trail leading up to the site has stranded 417 visitors, more than 300 of them foreigners. — NPR
New Info in University of Georgia Tragedy
VISIT TO STRIP CLUB PRECEDED CAR CRASH THAT KILLED STUDENT AND RECRUITER: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution did some digging and learned the young woman who was driving three players on the Bulldogs football team took them to a strip-club prior to the high-speed crash that caused her death and that of lineman Devin Willock of New Milford, N.J.
NFL Player’s Road to Recovery
BACK IN BUFFALO: Damar Hamlin was well enough to visit the Bills’ locker room Sunday and cheered on his teammates during their playoff game against the Bengals (It didn’t help). — ESPN
Health News: Covid-19 and Menstruation
PERIODS ARE INDEED IMPACTED: It’s not just anecdotal evidence anymore. Researchers have confirmed temporary but long-lasting effects. — The Hill
Nationwide Protection for Abortion Medication
MARKING ROE V. WADE ANNIVERSARY: Vice President Kamala Harris announced in a speech in Tallahassee, Fla. that President Biden had taken action to ensure abortion medication would remain available coast to coast.
WHILE IN FLORIDA: VP Harris met with state Democratic leaders about the plan by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) to block an Advanced Placement course on African-American studies. “Every student in our nation should be able to learn about the culture, contributions, and experiences of all Americans — including Black Americans — who shaped our history,” Harris told the lawmakers, according to a White House official. “Unfortunately, in Florida, extremist so-called leaders ban books, block history classes, and prevent teachers from freely discussing who they are and who they love,” Harris added. “Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.” — The Hill
DEFYING DeSANTIS: Prof. Marvin Dunn is intent on defying the governor’s orders — even if it comes at a personal cost. His story is in the Washington Post.
Making a List
WHY IS FLORIDA COLLECTING THIS DATA? The DeSantis administration is requesting a trove of information on individuals who receive gender-affirming treatments at Florida universities. In a blanket request to 12 state universities, top officials with the governor are seeking data on the number of individuals who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria or received treatment in campus clinics across Florida. — Politico
OMG News
THESE MEDICATIONS CHANGE WHO WE ARE: The BBC has the alarming report that taking ordinary over-the-counter pills like acetaminophen, some of the most widely consumed drugs on the planet, could be re-shaping the personalities of millions of people. Read all about it by clicking here.
GOING TO THE BEACH? GRAB SOME GRAPES! A recent study published in the journal Antioxidants has shown that consuming grapes can protect against UV damage to the skin. — scitechdaily
A NEW LOOK AT THE MILKY WAY: This image taken by a hi-tech camera in Chile shows our sun is one of more than 3 billion stars in our galaxy! — cnet
George Santos Roundup
SNL SKEWERS THE LYING LAWMAKER: Click here and here to watch Saturday Night Live castmember Bowen Yang’s hilarious takedown.
SO, IT WAS HIM AFTER ALL? After first denying he did drag in Brazil, Rep. Santos (R-N.Y.) admitted he enjoyed dressing in women’s clothing, saying “I had fun at a festival.” — The Hill
“SANTOS DENIAL WAS A REAL DRAG:” In her latest op-ed for the Washington Post, scholar and Mad Honey co-author Jennifer Finney Boylan writes about “the larger story of the congressman as a liar and a deceiver. It’s exactly this trope that has done people like me so much harm.”
Trans World
HOPE FOR TRANS WOMEN ATHLETES? World Athletics is set to keep the door open for transgender women to compete at the highest level under controversial new proposals that will be voted on in March. — The Guardian
J.K. ROWLING vs. INDIA WILLOUGHBY: Before you ask, “Who’s India Willoughby?” let me clarify that the author of the Harry Potter novels knows exactly who she is: Great Britain’s first out transgender newsreader, a stalwart trans advocate and TV celebrity. Last December, she revealed the sheer volume of online abuse from transphobes had driven her to consider suicide. And back in October 2022, Willoughby was targeted by the author with a public threat to take her to court. As Rowling has continued to stoke the fires that have turned public opinion against trans women in much of the U.K., Willoughby has continued to engage. In her latest tweet on Sunday, she made a bold claim: “I’m more of a woman than JK Rowling will ever be.”
Rowling responded with a quote retweet: “Citation needed.” Willoughby noted anti-trans comedian Ricky Gervais and a Sky News reporter liked the author’s retweet. And on and on it goes, with allies and haters weighing-in.
The citation requested by Rowling is a simple thing, really: Trans women are women, and Rowling is behaving more like Robert Galbraith than an actual woman like Willoughby. Even this guy gets it:
Thanks for rising up today! I’ll be back with more news tomorrow, and until then, may your news be good news!
© 2023 EnniBuddy Productions - All Rights Reserved