Dear John,

I’m delighted to realize that this year Ramadan, Easter, and Passover occur at the same time. Wishing you a happy holiday if you’re celebrating this weekend.

TakeAction is also still getting a pulse on how Minnesotans think about rights, faith, and democracy. If you haven’t already, please take this 5-minute survey.

Let’s get to the Digest.

Here’s what we’re reading, watching, and listening to this week:

1. Abortion Care

As the country waits for the Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, Kentucky’s GOP Legislature effectively banned access to abortion care in the state by overriding the Governor’s veto.

2. Reproductive Justice

Highly recommend this piece in the New York Times, To Be Pro-Choice, You Must Have the Privilege of Having Choices.

3. Patrick Lyoya

Our hearts are with the family of Patrick Lyoya and community members in Grand Rapids, Michigan who have been speaking out about police violence for years. As the New York Times reports, over 250 people have been shot and killed by on-duty police officers this year.

4. Long COVID

We’re glad to see so much more attention this week on long COVID, which is affecting millions of people in the U.S. ICYMI: state Senator Lindsay Port shared her experience in the Star Tribune.

5. Starbucks

Baristas are building power across the country. Twenty Starbucks stores have unionized, and 220 stores are seeking to hold elections. (Of course Gen Z is trolling!)

6. Cryptocurrency

This is an eye-opening piece in The Intercept tracking the cryptocurrency industry’s huge influx of donations in Democratic primaries while Congress debates regulations.

7. Twitter

This is a great rundown on Elon Musk’s hostile takeover attempt of Twitter and what the unbridled power of the billionaire class means for our media.

8. Birds Aren't Real

A fascinating read this week: how a satirical sign started the Birds Aren’t Real conspiracy.

9. Nostalgia

An uncertain future makes for a nostalgic culture (think reboots, sequels, Spiderman, and Biden). This article on psychology and nostalgia argues our culture is stuck in a loop.

10. Severance

 In the spirit of original content, people are buzzing about the new capitalist-dystopian show on Apple+. Watch the trailer for Severance, and let me know if you’ve seen it. 

That’s a wrap. Have a great weekend!

- Kenza Hadj-Moussa