Happy Friday, October 2! Welcome to the best month 🎃
FYSA, 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 ALSO LOOKING FOR MORE PEOPLE TO DO MINI INTERVIEWS like the one below :) 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), or buy me a matcha, that would be so appreciated 🙏
Tomorrow marks ONE MONTH until Election Day… and, until then (and maybe after, who tf knows), I will be sharing some unique, easy ways that people can incorporate GOTV into their lives!
Today’s GOTV action item is one of my faves and that is 🥁🥁🥁….. going to a concert for democracy with HeadCount! Seriously, volunteers get to go to the concert and register people to vote while they’re there (very important because those deadlines are coming up veryyyyyy quickly in a lot of places)!
Some flags, DC friends, you can get on the waitlist for Olivia Rodrigo this weekend 👀👀 and, NYC friends, you can get on the waitlist/sign up for Harry Styles (and his merch pop-ups!), Geese, and more!
Supreme Court agrees to review ICE’s mandatory detention policy
Lower court judges have overwhelmingly ruled against the administration, but some GOP-appointed judges have backed the policy, which shows how the Supreme Court could decide to go against the dominant view in the judiciary. The high court’s view should become clearer when the case is argued later in the new term, which starts Monday, with a decision expected by July. (MS NOW, 10/1)
Asian Americans swung to Trump in 2024. Andy Kim wants to focus on winning them back.
Kim is also looking ahead to 2028, when Asian American voters could play a pivotal role in early Democratic presidential primary states like Nevada, the fourth-most Asian state in the country as of the 2020 Census. Kim has not been mentioned much in 2028 chatter himself — far more speculation has focused on his New Jersey colleagues, Sen. Cory Booker and Gov. Mikie Sherrill — but he said he’s focused on making sure the Asian American community has a voice in the nomination process. (POLITICO, 10/1)
Here’s what’s driving the Gen Z gender gap
Every generation has an ideological gender gap — and Gen Z is no different. A new poll from The 19th and YouGov sheds light on how young men and women are shaped by certain historical moments and tend to diverge on issues of gender and reproductive rights. Gen Z women are more likely than Gen Z men to consider themselves feminist, identify as liberal and Democrat, support abortion access, and believe society should not return to traditional gender norms, according to the new poll. (The 19th, 10/1)
Now Trump Wants to Eradicate D.C.’s Mosquitoes
In an executive order on Tuesday, Trump called on Cabinet officials — including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins — to develop a strategy for curbing mosquitoes and ticks around D.C. within 60 days. By 2028, the goal is to reduce the invasive mosquito population by 90%; for ticks, by 50%. (CityCast DC, 9/30)
Lucy’s note: Listen, I average 3-10 bites per day in DC in the summer… but this doesn’t feel like something he should be doing (also, maybe focus on the war you started??)
The volunteer internet sleuths hunting down rogue AI agents
Zhang, a 23-year-old researcher at nonprofit AI lab Transluce, thought there had to be more evidence to find. She imagined how the agents might act, and she set out one weekend in September to find where else they had left an online trail. Within days, she and a team of colleagues had found a network of online breadcrumbs with profound implications: Rogue AI agents were traversing the web much more widely than previously known. (WaPo, 10/2 – free version)
Hate Buying Concert Tickets? Wait ‘Til Your Milk Is Dynamically Priced
Maryland on Thursday became the first state to ban supermarkets and grocers from dynamically pricing food based on who is buying it. Under the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act, which took effect October 1, covered retailers cannot use customers’ personal data to decide that you, specifically, should pay more for groceries. (Newsweek, 10/2)
It’s Beginning to Sound A Lot Like Christmas, Spotify Data Shows
There are already 36.2 million average daily holiday streams on Spotify, according to data from the digital streamer, suggesting that for some, getting in the spirit of the winter holidays is starting earlier this year. Nearly 100,000 holiday playlists were created by Spotify users in September, while its Christmas Hits playlist rose to No. 64 on playlist charts back on Sept. 25. (TODAY, 10/1)
Are people really refusing ‘Choosin’ Texas’? Or is monoculture just dead?
Paradoxically, then, this system of individual artists pursuing individual success creates a new kind of sameness, which Chayka and others also describe as monoculture. The same phenomenon applies to minimalist interiors in independent coffee shops, all-neutral home decorating schemes and the uniformity of facial features and bodies on screen. The old monoculture might be dead, if it ever existed, but a new one has taken its place. (CNN, 10/1)
Lost in daydreams? Enraged by chewing sounds? Psychiatry is taking a closer look
But it raised a more fundamental question: Where do ordinary human emotions and weirdness end and mental illness begin? On Instagram, Reddit, YouTube and elsewhere, people are comparing symptoms and diagnosing themselves. People are creating communities around conditions, getting emotional support and identifying as sufferers before psychiatry has even decided what, exactly, they are. (WaPo, 10/1 – free version)
Hidden Valley releases all-black ranch dressing for Halloween
Hidden Valley revealed its new Spooky Ranch on Thursday, Sept. 24. The Halloween-inspired ranch retains its zesty, tangy blend of buttermilk, herbs and spices but is all black. And for an extra element of spook, the bottle’s packaging glows in the dark. (USA Today, 9/25)
Lucy’s note: this feels… bold given all the food safety issues and fears MAHA has created…
Where did all the vegan restaurants go?
VegNews magazine reported that data from HappyCow, an app that lists vegan and vegetarian restaurants, finds the number of vegan restaurants in three of the country’s top destinations for vegan dining — New York City, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon — decreased by between 21 and 25 percent from 2022 to late 2024. Those cities alone make up a significant share of America’s vegan restaurants. (Vox, 9/29 – free version)
Extra Credit 🤓
Substacks That Really Substacked This Week 🤌
“I voted for Trump, but...” from Disinfo Against Democrats / The Social-Political (Podcast)
Good chart(s) alert!
I’m worried there could be low Gen Z voter turnout this year from Rachel Janfaza
Sneaky Links
TL;DR I’ve inexplicably started receiving codes to stuff… here are the things I actually like :)
My BNTO code for August is 3FBFAF for $20 off (if you know me IRL, you know my rant about the Nuulification of the 20-something city dweller)
I also have a code for CampSnap??? And I do love my CS8 camera from them but like I don’t think I said that online? Either way, it’s LUCYR10 for 10% off (we got bumped up from 7% woohoo!)
That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!