Dear John,

This past Wednesday, March 15th was International Long Covid Awareness Day. A 2022 CDC study showed that 1 in 5 American adults who have had Covid-19 still have long Covid. This explainer and podcast from Vox gets into the current state of the research about long Covid and treatments.

We’d love to see universal health care and abundant funding to research things like long Covid that are taking too long to understand and get treatments for. This Digest looks at big, universal programs that impact communities on a broad scale: free meals for all Minnesota students (!!), PTO for any reason in Illinois, and the protests around retirement age reform in France.

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

1. Free school meals

The Minnesota Senate passed a bill this week that would provide free breakfast and lunch for all Minnesota students. Bill author Sen. Heather Gustafson says, “Feeding kids is the right thing to do.” Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, a long-time champion for children and families tweeted, “Feeding children is one of the best investments we can make as Minnesotans.”

2. Retirement age and protest

French President Emmanuel Macron pushed through a pension reform to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old without a vote from the lower house of the French National Assembly, sparking huge protests. Protesters are concerned about how Macron's move to bypass the National Assembly impacts democracy and the fact that people in France will now have to work longer to get the benefits they need and deserve.

3. Banks get bailed out. We get sold out.

Elizabeth Warren writes about the Silicon Valley Bank crisis and bail-out in The New York Times,“...if we are to deter this kind of risky behavior from happening again, it’s critical that those responsible not be rewarded….Mr. Becker of S.V.B. took home $9.9 million in compensation last year, including a $1.5 million bonus for boosting bank profitability — and its riskiness. Joseph DePaolo of Signature got $8.6 million. We should claw all of that back, along with bonuses for other executives at these banks.”

4. PTO for any reason

This week, Illinois became the third state requiring employers to provide paid time off that can be used for any reason.

Minnesota’s paid sick days bill just needs to be voted on by the Senate. The best chance of making sure that happens is to get it passed by the end of this month, before legislative break and before budget items take center stage at the legislature.  

Take action with us and tell your state Senator why paid sick time matters to you.

5. East Phillips

Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley writes in the Star Tribune, “Once again, Minneapolis is forcing East Phillips to bear the brunt of our city's pollution. The democratic processes that are supposed to protect East Phillips residents have been ignored.”

6. Biden breaks a climate promise

Vox reports, “The same president who passed the nation’s biggest law ever to slash climate pollution may have just undone part of that legacy” by approving the Willow Project, one of the largest-ever oil projects. In contrast, read about how Brazil’s President Lula is making strides towards supporting protections for Indigenous land in the Amazon rainforest.

7. What we mean when we talk about trans rights

I (Katie) have been an avid follower of Masha Gessen’s reporting on Russia and authoritarianism, especially during the Trump presidency and as we’ve seen rising authoritarianism around the world. The New Yorker published a frank and generous interview with Gessen – who is trans and nonbinary – about their view on the stakes and impact of public discourse around trans identity right now.

8. The war on drag

A TakeAction member sent in this podcast about Tennessee’s new drag restrictions – and how 13 other states are considering anti-drag legislation, part of right-wing efforts to strip the rights of queer and trans folks nationwide. The podcast also includes insight from Memphis queen Bella DuBalle who shares that Tennessee drag performers have no plans to sashay away.

9. Seven wins... all at once

According to TakeAction’s staff film buffs, the seven (!) Everything, Everywhere All At Once awards at this past Sunday’s Oscars were well-deserved. Read about why Everything, Everywhere’s success is especially meaningful for the Asian American community given the legacy of anti-Asian discrimination in Hollywood. And why actor Michelle Yeoh is a forever badass role model for one viewer.

10. Mario's shoes (made in Minnesota!)

For real!

And that’s a wrap!

Send us what you’re reading, watching, and listening to.

Until next time,

Katie Blanchard (she/her)
Basebuilding Director

Jessica Zimmerman (she/her)
Development Director