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Vox @vox.com · 14h

SCOTUS broke from its increasingly common practice of deciding important cases without holding an oral argument or explaining the reasoning of its decision, to hear a case about whether states may ban “conversion therapy” — sessions which seek to change one's sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Supreme Court fights over whether medical expertise actually exists

The Supreme Court seems eager to kill state bans on anti-LGBTQ conversion therapy.

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Vox @vox.com · 15h

President Trump is determined to make good on his promise to bring American drug prices in line with Europe and Canada through a policy called “most favored nation” status.

So, why do Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anyone else in the world?

Why are US medicines so darn expensive?

And can Trump actually do something about it?

www.vox.com

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Reposted by Vox

Joshua Keating @joshuakeating.bsky.social · 19h

Netanyahu prolonged the war to save himself. It may have worked.
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www.vox.com/politics/463...

Trump’s deal could be a win for Netanyahu, whether or not it succeeds.

Will Israel’s prime minister take the win?

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Vox @vox.com · 19h

The Trump administration is pushing harder to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago despite the protests of state and local leaders.

Trump’s war on cities, briefly explained

Trump is attempting to deploy the National Guard in Portland and Chicago.

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 1d

Earlier this week Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — a public-private partnership that does more than any other organization to get vaccines to people in poor countries — reported that its vaccines saved a record-breaking 1.7 million people in 2024. That’s 400,000 more lives saved than in 2023.

2024 was a record-setting year for lifesaving vaccines

Vaccines delivered by Gavi saved the lives of 1.7 million people in poor countries

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 1d

Israel and Hamas will begin indirect talks in Egypt on Monday after Hamas said it would accept parts of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, including releasing all remaining Israeli hostages.

@joshuakeating.bsky.social explains what we know about the deal and its chances of succeeding.

Is Israel’s war in Gaza actually about to end?

5 questions about Trump’s Gaza plan.

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 1d

One of the reasons why KPop Demon Hunters is so special is that it honors k-pop’s status as one of the world’s most popular genres, said Rebecca Sun, author of The Quiet Part Substack about cultural news and criticism.

How KPop Demon Hunters became everyone’s idol

The real reason why the animated movie resonates.

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Vox @vox.com · 1d

Empathy is in a weird place right now. Most of us probably think the ability to place ourselves in someone else’s shoes is a good thing. That’s what compassion is all about right? But a recent trend in conservative Christian circles is calling empathy into question. Some even believe it’s a sin. 👇

How empathy can harm — and how it can help

It’s become controversial. Here’s how to really think about it.

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Vox @vox.com · 1d

The anti-woke backlash is coming for CBS News — in the person of Bari Weiss.

In a deal that could have seismic ramifications for the mainstream media, Paramount (CBS’s parent company) will reportedly buy the Free Press (Weiss’s online publication) for around $150 million.

Why does Bari Weiss keep winning?

She quit the New York Times, calling it too far left. Now she’s more powerful than ever.

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 4d

And yet, most Americans don’t think the government should play a role in encouraging people to have more kids. However, among the 44% who do, they believe the government should provide more tax credits for parents and require businesses to offer paid leave.

Read more:

The movement desperately trying to get people to have more babies

It’s not only J.D. Vance fixating on childlessness: The pronatalists, explained.

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 4d

More Americans are seeing the declining birth rate as a problem.

In a recent Pew survey, over half of Americans now say that if fewer people have kids, it would negatively impact the US. This includes not just Republicans, but also more Democrats, Democratic-aligned independents, and women.

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Vox @vox.com · 4d

The most effective way to avert a climate change catastrophe: People in wealthier countries have to eat more plant-based foods and less red meat, poultry, and dairy.

The climate movement’s biggest weakness

What the climate movement is getting dead wrong.

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Vox @vox.com · 4d

Like many blink-and-you-miss-it trends in the era of TikTok, the origins of the Dubai chocolate craze aren’t as mysterious as they may seem. Still, the sheer demand for a product so extreme in its combination of ingredients, marketing push, and price tag remains a bit puzzling.

What is Dubai chocolate and why is it everywhere?

TikTok is only part of the reason the snack has become the epitome of “IRL brainrot aesthetic.”

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 4d

Trump announced the latest addition to his personal branding empire this week: TrumpRx, a government website that claims it will offer deeply discounted drugs to many Americans. But what he actually delivered was a splashy announcement — and, at least so far, little else.

Will TrumpRx save me money on drugs or not?

The president’s new plan to slash drug prices is “a splashy announcement without a lot of substance.”

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 4d

You probably haven’t thought much about amphibian-assisted reproduction lately (or, let’s be honest, ever). But in a lab tucked inside the Fort Worth Zoo, scientists are playing matchmaker for one of the rarest toads in the country.

Inside the audacious mission to bring a rare toad back from the brink

The amphibian “IVF clinic” fighting to save the first amphibian ever afforded federal protections.

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 4d

"In a culture that discourages feminine agency, nice girls are not supposed to be ambitious, and Taylor Swift is nothing if not a nice girl. Yet all the same, Swift wants with such an unfeminine lack of restraint (complimentary).”

📸: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

Read more:

Taylor Swift is done pretending she doesn’t absolutely love this life

Taylor Swift used to try to hide her ambition. In Life of a Showgirl, she’s done with that.

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Vox @vox.com · 4d

Taylor Swift wants us to know she’s “immortal now, baby dolls” in her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl.

“That pure intensity of ambition has always been one of the most compelling aspects of Swift’s star image, all the more so because it is so in tension with her sweet everygirl relatability."

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Reposted by Vox

Constance Grady @constancegrady.bsky.social · 4d

To me, the most interesting thing about Life of a Showgirl is how plainly it features Taylor saying that actually, she loves being famous. I wrote about it here www.vox.com/culture/4637...

Taylor Swift is done pretending she doesn’t absolutely love this life

Taylor Swift used to try to hide her ambition. In Life of a Showgirl, she’s done with that.

www.vox.com

3 1 9

Vox @vox.com · 4d

The actions heavily promoted by the Trump administration this week are unlikely to meaningfully affect the prices paid by most Americans for their prescription drugs.

Will TrumpRx save me money on drugs or not?

The president’s new plan to slash drug prices is “a splashy announcement without a lot of substance.”

www.vox.com

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Vox @vox.com · 5d

Democrats, both in and outside of Congress, actually have tried to resist and obstruct the Trump administration’s second-term agenda. But they haven’t been flashy or high-profile.

Democrats are doing more to resist Trump than their voters think

There’s only so much you can do without a majority.

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Vox @vox.com · 5d

A growing number of parents around the country are turning to landlines for their kids. Tin Can, a company launched last year that offers landline-style phones aimed at children, now has customers in all 50 states as well as Canada, co-founder Chet Kittleson said.

The retro technology connecting kids to their friends

Kids are ditching screens but staying in touch, with the help of an ’80s-chic device.

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Vox @vox.com · 5d