If you were forwarded this email (hi! welcome!), you can sign up to the newsletter here.
Happy Monday!
Today, we’re really proud to be launching a three-part investigation into vaping.
As young people, we’re surrounded by vapes everywhere we go. They’re marketed to us with bright colours and catchy names, and yet there’s still so much we don’t know about them. What’s actually in a vape? Why has it taken so long for them to be regulated? Why are vapes banned and not cigarettes?
Our incredible TDA team, led by Ninah Kopel, have worked tirelessly on this series, so we hope you learn a lot. You can listen to the first episode on today’s podcast, while the video series will launch on our Instagram on Thursday. Let us know what you think!
Quote of the day
“An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert.” - The Hollywood actor’s union, SAG-AFTRA, in a statement on new charges being laid against Alec Baldwin for the fatal accidental on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021.
Stat of the day
$126.7 million
The amount ($US83.3 million) former President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay to writer E. Jean Carroll for defamatory statements made against her. A jury found Trump had damaged Carroll's reputation after she publicly accused him of sexually assaulting her.
Today in history
1595
William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet" is believed to have been first performed.
Some headlines from this morning:
Australia has joined other nations in pausing funding to the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) over allegations some members of its staff were involved in the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel. In a statement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said “Australia is deeply concerned” by the allegations and is “consulting with international partners”. The UN has launched an independent investigation into UNRWA and several workers have been fired. In a statement yesterday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said: "It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region."
On Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) handed down a provisional ruling after South Africa accused Israel of carrying out a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The ICJ ordered Israel to “take all measures” to limit deaths in Gaza, but it did not order a ceasefire. The South African Government welcomed the court’s findings and said it expects Israel to accept the measures, while the Israeli government called the accusations “a vile attempt” to deny a country’s “fundamental right” to defend itself. Israel must report back to the court on its compliance within a month.
Three separate Neo-Nazi demonstrations have taken place in Sydney in three days, with NSW Premier Chris Minns warning that individuals participating in the gatherings would be “exposed as a racist to your family, your friends, your employers and your workmates”.
On Friday, NSW Police blocked a known neo-Nazi from joining a January 26 event in Sydney.
Thomas Sewell, the self-proclaimed leader of a Victorian neo-Nazi group, posted a video to social media showing a confrontation with police at a train station.
Sewell was seen with several men in balaclavas who were detained by police at North Sydney. Sewell pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder last year, after attacking a group of hikers near Victoria’s Yarra Ranges in 2021.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the gatherings confirm a rise of “Neo-Nazi and extreme right-wing activity”.
CW: Distressing content
A new study estimates there have been over 64,000 pregnancies resulting from rape across 14 states since Roe v Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Roe v Wade was a 1973 Supreme Court decision that protected a pregnant woman’s right to an abortion.
When the decision was overturned in 2022, it didn’t automatically make abortion illegal. However, the ruling gave individual states the power to implement their own abortion laws.
14 U.S. states, most of which are in country’s south, have since banned abortion.
Abortion laws
In the 14 states with total abortion bans, it is a criminal offence to undergo or perform a termination at any stage of pregnancy, with rare medical exceptions.
Five of these states have exemptions allowing abortions for pregnancies resulting from rape.
Strict limits still exist in these states, and those seeking abortion must report the rape to law enforcement.
Pregnancies
U.S. researchers used multiple data sources to create “reliable estimates” of the number of pregnancies from rape in states with total abortion bans.
They estimated pregnancies from rape were highest in Texas, the country’s second biggest state by population.
Findings
The study estimated that since 2022 in the 14 total-abortion states, there had been 64,565 pregnancies from rape.
More than 91% of these estimated pregnancies occurred in the nine states where rape is not considered a reason to grant an abortion.
Very few people in any of the 14 states are believed to have accessed a legal in-state abortion. The study suggested many may have attempted dangerous at-home terminations, or travelled to another state for an abortion.
Researchers concluded that those who fall pregnant from rape face significant obstacles to accessing abortion, even in states with an applicable exception.
One of the study’s authors, Dr. Samuel Dickman, told U.S. outlet NPR he was “horrified” by the findings.
“Sexual assault is incredibly common — I knew that in a general sense. But to be confronted with these estimates that are so high in states where there’s no meaningful abortion access? It's hard to comprehend.”
We’re all about celebrating good news, especially when it’s about lollies. That’s why we were pumped to hear about our fave lollies - Allen’s - announcing their new packaging.
Their new packaging will reduce their use of plastic by 21% across their range. To put that into context, Allen’s says this change will avoid 58 tonnes of waste annually - or, in numbers we can truly understand - equivalent to the weight of 4.6 million Snakes Alive lollies*!
You can find out more about what they’re doing here.
*Compared to Allen’s lolly packaging in 2022.
The rules around vaping in Australia are about to change. But in order to understand what these changes are, you need to understand what vapes actually are - and what they’re doing to our health. In Episode One of TDA’s Understanding Vapes series, we’re going to go from the local tobacconist to the lab and speak to some of the most knowledgeable experts in the country to learn just how dangerous vaping can be.
If you want your friends to wake up with us too, refer them!
We’ll even sweeten the deal for you…
{{rp_personalized_text}}
Or send them your unique link: {{rp_refer_url}}
A Gustav Klimt painting thought to have been lost for the last 100 years has been found in Austria.
The portrait is believed to be one of the last works Klimt painted, according to the auction house who rediscovered the piece. The painting will be exhibited internationally before being auctioned this year, where it’s expected to sell for as much as €50 million ($AU80m).
How do you take your tea? Milk? Sugar? Salt?
Controversy is brewing between the U.S. and the UK after an American chemistry professor claimed “a pinch of salt” is the secret ingredient to the perfect cup of tea.
Professor Michelle Francl’s salty claim was published in a book called “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea” this month, prompting the U.S. and UK governments to weigh in.
The U.S. embassy in London aimed to distance itself from the suggestion in a statement that read: “The unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy… the U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way — by microwaving it.”
The UK Cabinet Office responded by claiming that while it appreciates its “special relationship” with the UK, “tea can only be made using a kettle.”
AUKUS partner Australia is yet to weigh in on the important diplomatic matter.
Either way, there’s no point crying over spilt tea.
