FRIDAY ROUNDUP: White Lotus Outfits, Tariffs & More Signal Chats

Plus a book giveaway!

Let’s just call this the “parenting-through-the-apocalypse” edition.

Because some weeks, it feels like the world is asking us to stay informed, fight authoritarianism, nurture a garden, raise emotionally intelligent children (or merely a well-behaved pup in my case), and find joy … without losing our minds in the process. And I don’t know about you, but I’m both exhausted and determined.

So this week, I’ve got a little bit of everything: what Trump’s been quietly doing behind the scenes (dismantling public education, gutting addiction services, and deporting dads), how billionaires aren’t paying taxes, and a few small ways to keep your nervous system intact: like watching your favorite childhood movie or following some seniors who are living their best lives.

Spring is here. Plant something. Call your reps. Rest when you need to. Rage when you must. You’re not alone.

Let’s get into it. 💌

• Call your reps and tell them to stop Trump’s tariffs. (A bill was just filed in the Senate, but they’ll know what you mean.)

• Get your herb garden started. Parsley, cilantro, dill are all early Spring cool weather herbs to plant now.

• Watch a movie you loved as a kid to bring back all the nostalgic feels and give yourself a soft place to land for a couple of hours.

Trump Administration Threatens to Withhold Funds From Public Schools (NYT Gift Link)

State education officials will be required to verify that they have eliminated all programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion that the administration deems unlawful, according to a new memo.

Here’s How Billionaires Pay 3% in Taxes from

Sharon McMahon

(The Preamble)

Billionaires probably pay a lower tax rate than you do. Some even pay $0 in income taxes, despite their net worth increasing exponentially each year. Sharon McMahon explains how they do it.

When Make America Healthy Again Actually Means the Opposite (The Bulwark)

As part of a ‘painful period’ of cuts, Trump and RFK Jr. plan on dismantling the agency that focuses on substance abuse. Kennedy has announced sweeping layoffs designed to slash HHS staff by 25 percent, as part of a broader reorganization that will partly dismantle several of the department’s smaller agencies. One of them is an agency that’s been at the center of the federal opioid effort.

An ‘Administrative Error’ Sends a Maryland Father to a Salvadoran Prison (The Atlantic)

The Trump administration acknowledged in a court filing Monday that it had grabbed a Maryland father with protected legal status and mistakenly deported him to El Salvador, but said that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction to order his return from the megaprison where he’s now locked up.

Waltz’s Team Set up at Least 20 Signal Group Chats For Crises Across The World (Politico)

It’s a more extensive use of the app than previously reported and sheds new light on how commonly the Trump administration’s national security team relies on Signal.

What to do with your kids when the world is burning. Or rather, how does one parent through this shit? Find out here.

Will a two week tech detox make your brain feel younger? Science proves our minds truly deserve a break. Read more here.

Make chores less daunting. Give the Japanese concept of Kiyomeru a try. Learn about it here.

Follow the White Lotus costume designer. You won’t regret it. Follow here.

These senior citizens are living life right. Yes the retirement house insta account has 2.1 million followers and it deserves it because it brings all the joy. Check it out here.

A bold and colorful apartment tour from

Platonic Love

. You will want to redecorate ASAP. See it here.

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Every week we will be giving away a book to paid subscribers (US only). This week we have a copy of Angela Denker’s Disciples of White Jesus—The Radicalization of American Boyhood. It’s a comprehensive look at the rise in radicalization among young white men in America, especially focused on the role of right-wing Christianity in the increase of religious-based hatred and violence. Denker goes deep into the online rabbit holes of right-wing Christian influencers and conservative Christian ideology to understand how the preaching of "traditional gender roles" and "submission of women" has led to anger, outrage, loneliness, depression, and limiting identities for young white Christian men across America.

→ COMMENT DISCIPLES down below for a chance to win.