30 abortions outlawed in texas, Ikea's going green

the weekly rundown

we were asked by our brother to recommend a new smartphone to buy - and we were stumped. on the one hand, we love our latest galaxy #android4life but that’s a pretty major life decision, up there with whether to buy or rent your first home or deciding if you’re team iron man or captain america. luckily, referring a friend to subscribe to TWR isn’t a huge deal at all! it’s free, and you’ll earn some swell prizes.

big idea: most abortions are outlawed in texas

1. we’re delving into a hot button social issue this week, which is unusual - really, who wants to hear three brown guys’ opinions on abortion anyways? but, this is big news so here we go: a 5-4 late-night supreme court ruling upheld a law banning most abortions in texas. this is no doubt the conservative court’s first step towards dismantling the right to a safe, elective abortion.
2. the supreme court originally enshrined that right into law nearly 50 years ago in a case called Roe v Wade, and conservatives have been attempting to erase that precedent for decades. the texas law, which is already being replicated by state legislatures around the south, seems to have done just that.
3. the law effectively bans all abortions after six weeks of pregancy, which accounts for 85% of all abortions in texas. Roe v Wade permitted abortion up until 22 weeks. the law was purposefully written to avoid court battles by leaving enforcement up to citizens rather than state authorities. instead of the state AG suing abortion clinics, an anti-abortion activist could round up a gang of friends to sue clinics instead, resulting in a potentially crippling number of lawsuits.
4. there’s a ton more to unpack here, from how the supreme court issued this ruling, to how John Roberts has effectively lost control of the court, to how big business is reacting to the ruling. you can read all that, and more, on this week’s hottake.

story to watch: Ikea pivots to sustainability

1. a year after introducing a furniture buyback program in most of the countries in which it operates, Ikea is piloting a similar resale operation here in the US. it’s part of Ikea’s efforts to become a more sustainable business, with the hope being consumers sell used furniture back to Ikea for store credit instead of just throwing out that $10 lamp.
2. Ikea is hoping customers will be okay with returning products for up to 50% back, and that other customers will be willing to buy those same products for a slight markup. this is a remarkable turnaround for a business which is almost defined by the disposable nature of its products, an incredibly environmentally-unfriendly practice.
3. we’ll see how Ikea’s pilot goes, but other businesses known for their expendable products, like fast fashion brand Gap, are getting into the secondhand market too. we guess if you’re willing to buy a used t-shirt, a used mattress isn’t a huge stretch either...

this week’s image: raccoons gone wild

• (The Guardian) a finalist for this year’s comedy wildlife awards, a raccoon in france is caught trying to jump through a window. even the raccoons in france are just a little off, huh?

this week’s number: 235k jobs added last month

1. employers added just 235,000 jobs in august, well below expectations of over 700,000. the overall unemployment is 5.2%, while the black unemployment rate actually increased from 8.2% in july to 8.8% last month. the black unemployment rate is now almost exactly double the rate of unemployed whites, which is 4.5%.
2. clearly, employers are simply propagating institutional racism. white high school drop-outs have a lower unemployment rate than black community college graduates, so the argument that more education means more jobs isn’t really holding true. the poor jobs report also comes as expanded unemployment aid ends this week for 7.5 million americans.

what we’re watching: “Only Murders in the Building”

1. this Hulu-exclusive premiered tuesday, and stars comedy icons martin short & steve martin and introduces an up-and-coming new actress, selena gomez. it’s either an homage or parody of true crime shows (depending on your perspective) but either way - it’s thrilling, funny, and perfectly paced.
2. the show has all three main characters start a podcast investigating a supposed suicide in their building, with every neighbor a suspect and every podcaster with a hidden backstory. email us if you know who the murderer is, because we think we figured it out...

and, in case you missed it:

• increasing its crackdown on what it views as undesirable social activities, china banned online gaming for minors on weekdays and “effeminate” men on TV
• Apple is delaying its spyware program after an outcry, which we covered in issue 26
• new jersey officials are denying rumors of a mass zoo escape after a text was sent claiming lions, bears, and gorillas were on the run. as if we needed another reason to avoid jersey...

the weekly rundown is produced by Yunus, Faisal, and Ahmed. learn more about us and email us your comments and feedback!

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