how did Giving Tuesday start?

and some of my favorite holiday movies

I’ve been missing the old #5SmartReads format, so please indulge me as I try the shorter, more frequent format for the next few weeks. Thank you, as always, for your paid support for my work. It means the world to me.

Giving Tuesday is the biggest charitable donation day of the year. It also happens to be today, and I hope you’re able to make a donation to a nonprofit today (I’m sharing mine at the end of this commentary)

It’s heartening to have a day focused on impact and giving, rather than in service of excessive capitalism. My friend

Susan McPherson

was on the founding team of this impactful day, and I loved this interview sharing how she created the holiday.

Side note: TenNews is a great podcast to listen to with your kids.

• Youth Represent: provides legal services and advocacy to youth caught in the criminal (in)justice system in New York, and also supports them to build their lives.
  I’m proud to serve on the board of this impactful nonprofit.

• New Morning: provides free or low-cost contraceptive healthcare access to every South Carolinian who seeks it, with an emphasis on serving rural communities. This organization has been especially hit hard with the current political climate.
  I’m proud to have served on the board of this organization.

• Population Services International: provides affordable healthcare programs in developing countries. This organization was massively impacted by the USAID dismantling. They have a donor match for up to $25,000.

• South Asian Council for Social Services: helps underserved South Asians and all immigrants access healthcare services, South Asian food staples, and senior support in New York.

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5 scenarios for the ACA subsidy drama (Axios)

The recent government shutdown failed to provide a clear path forward for ACA subsidies, which 22.4M Americans rely on for affordable healthcare access.

This piece outlines the 5 scenarios that could play out, but there are two that are the most likely:

• the subsidies expire (which is the worst case scenario)

• a bipartisan bill. Eliminating the subsidies is wildly unpopular, and many Republicans felt the heat from their constituents during the government shutdown for supporting their expiration. I think Speaker Johnson’s weakness was revealed during the government shutdown, and I can see a bill passing the Senate and having enough support from the President to push it through the House.

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Is Vogue Still Relevant? Rachel Tashjian on Fashion’s Power Shift

“If you’re just watching AI generated commentary, what are you actually learning? At a certain point, it becomes a snake eating its own tail because if there isn’t human creation of journalism and commentary, then what is the AI pulling from?”

While

Rachel Seville Tashjian

is talking about fashion (and fashion show commentary in general) with

Amy Odell

, she could be talking about virtually anything in 2025.