#5SmartReads - April 12, 2022

Hitha on the power of the "news", the perks of being last, and Black Maternal Health Week

What happens when a group of Fox News viewers watch CNN for a month? (The Guardian)

Would you believe me if I said they changed their minds about politics?

Frankly, I was surprised when that turned out to be the case.

Now I wish this study had permanently changed people’s news consumption habits (most study participants went back to watching Fox News), and I also wish the stronghold that Fox News has on televisions in public settings in so many parts of the country did not exist.

I will say that this is why I encourage you all to ditch watching your news and to read it instead, from a variety of sources. Here’s what I’d recommend for the full political spectrum:

• Conservative: The Dispatch (worth every penny, in my opinion)

• Moderate: Axios (I subscribe to Daily Essentials, Sneak Peek, and Vitals)

• Liberal: Vox (I skim it every single day and will end up reading 1-3 articles)

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Inside wartime Russia, Putin isn't losing (Axios)

And in the vein of how news can influence public perception, we see it happening clearly in Russia.

While Putin is objectively losing the invasion he launched in Ukraine, Russian state media is projecting the complete opposite, and any outlet or journalist or activist who would dare say otherwise has been silenced.

“Russians believe implicitly that it's impossible to change Putin's behavior. And so while perhaps half of the population supports Putin unconditionally, many others do so out of self-preservation.”

This sounds eerily familiar…and could very well become our own reality.

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The Surprising Perks of Being at the Bottom of the Leaderboard (The Output)

I am a back-of-the-pack Peloton rider, and I’m okay with it. And I’m glad to have excellent company in my friend Pooja, who write this very smart piece about why being at the bottom of the leaderboard is a good thing.

While I have yet to become more values-aligned with my relationship with fitness (I am a sucker for the badges and my workout streak), I do get myself on the bike or tread or mat because I know how much better I’ll feel when I do it.

And I’ve been exclusively sweating to pop punk (or to Aditi’s excellent flows) because that’s what makes me happy.

And this is my continued plea to Peloton for a Fall Out Boy artist series. Please, Peloton. PLEASE.

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Having Kids With My Wife Showed Me That Black Queer Moms Need More Support (Refinery 29)

“When Lindsay was in labor, they didn't believe her because she was not screaming at the top of her lungs — another issue with medical professionals not listening to us. We're not heard . Not every woman's the same so why don't they just listen to us? Obviously, we know our own bodies, and if she's saying that she feels a lot of pressure, then check. They walked out the first time, came back, checked, and the baby's head was out. So then they were rushing to go get the doctor to come back when if they had listened to us the first time, the doctor would have been there.”

This essay needs to be included in medical curriculum for medical school, nursing school, and PA school. It’s also why insurance coverage for doulas and pelvic floor therapy should be standard (and why access to health needs far more investment than it currently has).

Refinery’s entire Birth Rights package is worth your time to read, especially this week (as it’s Black Maternal Health Week).

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Biden to nominate new ATF director, release ghost gun rule (Associated Press)

Given that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been without a Senate-confirmed director for years (something both Democratic and Republican administrations have struggled with), I really hope Steve Dettlebach gets confirmed.

Additionally, I hope the agency gets the funding it needs to properly enforce the firearm laws we have on the books, in addition to this executive action on ghost guns.

I don’t mean to be a downer on what I think is really important executive action, but the ATF is woefully underfunded to enforce the laws we have on the books, let alone new ones. So while I’m hopeful, I’m also realistic about the reality of enforcing laws.