Women's News Wrap

Good morning! This week and last, you’ve received two news wraps instead of one (there’s so much women’s news to cover!), and I’d love to hear your feedback via this quick poll:

In other news, here’s what’s on the rise:

Business and Tech

• Most fast-food workers in California got a pay raise yesterday. A $20/hour minimum wage mandate took effect, and women stand to benefit—as of 2021, they represented 61% of fast-food employees. Reactions from business owners and customers were mixed, but proponents say it’s a step forward for low-wage workers.

• Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is launching a new photo-sharing app, and it looks about as advanced as Myspace. But with “throwback tech” on the rise and an increasingly older population of app users, many believe Mayers is onto something.

• AI deepfakes continue to target women disproportionately—The Washington Post reported on scammers who manipulate women’s faces to create falsified advertisements.

• Women account for 13.3% of the world’s billionaires, according to Forbes’ annual list, a slight increase from 2023.

Politics

• The Florida Supreme Court upheld the state’s 15-week abortion restriction, clearing the way for a 6-week ban to take effect in the next month. But in a separate ruling, the court also gave voters an upcoming chance to weigh in, allowing a constitutional amendment that would protect abortion access to appear on ballots in November.

• Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell, who leads the Senate Commerce Committee, is expected to take the lead in proposing changes to legislation that would effectively ban TikTok in the U.S. She hasn’t disclosed details about her plans, but observers speculate they could include granting parent company ByteDance more time to sell TikTok or expanding the bill to include other social media platforms. 

• In Oklahoma, where domestic violence rates are the highest in the country, a bill to protect criminalized survivors is headed to the House floor. If passed, the Survivors’ Act would grant lighter sentences to survivors who are prosecuted for crimes such as retaliation against their abusers.

Sports

• After another weekend of Women’s March Madness, the Final Four are locked in for a face-off on Friday. Catch up on highlights here, or get to know the Hijab-wearing players at NC State who are aiming to inspire other Muslim athletes.

• Meanwhile, it’s been a tough week for LSU coach Kim Mulkey. The Washington Post released the article about her that Mulkey previously condemned as a “hit piece,” and adding insult to injury, her team lost to Iowa in the last round.

• A women’s roller derby league is suing a New York county over an executive order to ban women’s and girl’s teams with transgender athletes from using county-run parks and facilities.

Culture

• Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter, achieved the most Spotify streams in a single day so far in 2024. In her own words, the record isn’t a Country album – “It’s a Beyoncé album.” Dig deeper into its importance and influence with these articles:

  • Five rising Black country artists unpack the impact of "Cowboy Carter" and where the genre is headed

  • 10 takeaways from Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’

  • The people, songs, and history behind Beyoncé’s Americana odyssey

  • Who is Linda Martell, the Black country musician Beyoncé spotlights?

Further Reading

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