It’s #NewstodonFriday once again, and we’ve tried to find the heartwarming, inspiring and funny in this week’s tsunami of terrible (though we couldn’t find the silver lining in everything). Highlights include @ProPublica’s story about a lawyer who switched sides, @TexasObserver’s review of a film about inspiring librarians across America, and @Daojoan's story about why we’ve come to believe that you have to be an a**hole to be a genius. Plus, our @CultureDesk shared the only information you need to know about tariffs. Check out these stories and all the others in this thread, comment, like, follow their accounts and give them your money. 
When @ProPublica journalist Alec MacGillis first met lawyer Andrew Rabinowitz, the latter was representing a property management company owned by the Kushner family. McGillis was writing an article about the company’s aggressive approach to tenants. Eight years later, Rabinowitz is defending beleaguered tenants against their landlords. What happened?
Astonishingly, some people are still banging the “women aren’t funny” drum. @damemagazine shares sketches from the women of “Saturday Night Live,” from Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin to Cecily Strong as Goober the Clown, talking about abortion.
https://www.damemagazine.com/2025/02/14/who-is-funnier-than-the-women-of-snl/
Have you ever had food poisoning and subsequently been unable to eat whatever caused it? A team of neuroscientists studying mice have found the exact “memory hub” in their brain that is responsible for this reaction. Our @ScienceDesk shared the story from @PopularScience.
https://www.popsci.com/health/how-brain-remembers-food-poisoning/
#Food #Brain #Neuroscience #Health #Science #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday
Not everything on the internet is real. Case in point: Your relationship with OnlyFans creators, it turns out. Two former subscribers from Illinois are suing the company because they thought they were talking directly to the platform’s stars rather than agencies hired to manage their messages. @404mediaco’s Samantha Cole explains more [Story may be paywalled].
April is National Poetry Month in the U.S. and Canada. Here’s a roundup from @thetyee of new Canadian collections, from an exploration of wonder to a reflection on the shared histories of Indigenous Peoples of North America and the people of Palestine.
https://thetyee.ca/Presents/2025/04/01/National-Poetry-Month-New-Canadian-Collections/
A new documentary, “The Librarians,” premiered at SXSW last month. It focuses on librarians at the heart of right-wing culture war attacks across America. @TexasObserver’s Josephine Lee sees heroism and hope in the film. “At a moment when our institutions of learning seem to be engulfed in flames, incited by right-wing witch hunts of diversity, equity, and inclusion, ‘The Librarians’ reminds us how we got here and reveals, perhaps, how we can get out,” she writes.
https://www.texasobserver.org/librarians-movie-sxsw-book-bans/
OK, it’s not all sweetness and light this week – but here’s some news you can use. @KnowableMag breaks down everything you need to know about bird flu, from where it came from to how dangerous it is.
Earlier this week, all American eyes were on Wisconsin as two judges duked it out for a seat on the state’s supreme court — a race that Elon Musk poured millions into. @bolts’s Alex Burness wrote the definitive story on what happened and what it all means. “Today should be a breaking point for our state. Even if your preferred candidate wins, … every single Wisconsinite should be alarmed at this grotesque billionaire arms race,” Nick Ramos, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Center, told Bolts late Tuesday, before the result was announced. “The past two months have shown us a terrifying preview of what’s coming: an America where billionaires run the show, and the rest of us are just spectators.”
@Flipboard @bolts for the record, 'Schimel' is too close to the Dutch word 'schimmel' which translates to 'mould'