Citations Needed - Newsletter 5.10.22

Hi all, thanks again for all your support. Here's this fortnight's newsletter. 

Look out for a brand new episode tomorrow and more Patron-only New Briefs in the next few weeks.  We are very grateful for your support, as always!

- Florence, Nima, Julianne, Marco, and Adam

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The Food Crisis Didn’t Begin with the War in Ukraine Jim Goodman, In These Times (May 6, 2022)

Farmers were expecting food prices to rise well before the conflict in Ukraine. The industrial agribusiness system pushes farmers to produce more corn and soybeans regardless of the need and cost and creates the conditions for a crisis.

New York and California Experiment with Giving Workers a Say in Industry Standards Amy Qin, In These Times (May 1, 2022)

Fast food restaurants and nail salons have awful labor records for worker safety and pay. California and New York are looking at bills to make corporate offices liable for labor violations and to create a workers council for nail salon operations, respectively.

The Growing Criminalization of Pregnancy Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic (May 5, 2022)

Abortion opponents have said that they want their laws to penalize the doctors performing abortion and not the women seeking them out. However, thousands of women have been criminally penalized for the outcome of their pregnancy, starting with criminializing drug-induced miscarriages.

San Francisco’s Economic Elite Is Gunning for Chesa Boudin Abe Asher, Jacobin (May 5, 2022)

San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin is being blamed for crime in the city even though there is no evidence to suggest a major crime wave in San Francisco under his tenure. The recall effort is being funded by several wealthy residents and people in tech who want to enforce the inequalities in the city.

Media Shocked by the Leak, Not the Opinion Julie Hollar, Olivia Riggio FAIR (May 6, 2022)

The leak of the Dobbs decision made national headlines soon after its release. However, too many publications and legal analysts focused more on the unprecedented nature of the leak and the damage to norms than the real implication of the end of Roe.

When Did the Ruling Class Get Woke? Ishan Desai-Geller, The Nation (May 9, 2022)

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò’s new book discusses how corporations and the elite hijack the language and energy of social movements. In order to combat the co-optation of movements, Táíwò suggests a broad, coalitional approach with a focus on redistributive politics.

Trans Youth Targeted by Texas Are Marginalized by Corporate Media Ines Santos, FAIR (May 5, 2022)

In the wake of the attempted ban on childhood transition care that the Texas government is implementing, mainstream media has spent little time covering the attack on trans rights and coverage has largely preferred cisgender sources. One of the largest sources focusing on the issue is Breitbart due to the site’s obsession with criminalizing trans youth.

It’s Time to Have a Clearer Look at Bail Reform Bryce Covert, The Appeal (May 9, 2022)

Bail reform in New York has become a controversial topic as Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul have used it as a scapegoat for crime. However, the reform was never meant to deter crime; rather it is supposed to lower jail populations and release people on lower level offenses.

Abortion Rights Are Workers' Rights Kim Kelly, In These Times (May 4, 2022)

In the aftermath of the Dobbs leak, a handful of labor leaders released statements opposing the overturning of Roe. However, labor needs to put its full force behind abortion rights as the right to make decisions about your body should be seen as a worker issue considering the costs of unwanted pregnancy.

The Last Abortion Clinic in Knoxville Draws Patients From Hours Away. What Happens If It Disappears? Becca Andrews, The New Republic (May 9, 2022)

There is now only one abortion clinic in Knoxville that performs services for people from hours away. The clinic could be at risk of shuttering if the state’s trigger law goes into effect with the end of Roe, and the legislature seems disinterested to hear about the medical need.