Content warning: The following story mentions sexual assault and rape.
What's going on: Women activists in the farmworking space were reeling last week when The New York Times broke a yearslong investigation into Cesar Chavez, once revered as a leader of the Latinx civil rights movement. The report detailed allegations that Chavez sexually assaulted both women and girls — including his fellow United Farm Workers co-founder, Dolores Huerta. One woman who came forward, who says Chavez first assaulted her when she was 12, told The Times, “I feel like he’s been a shadow over my life.” Now, advocates, women in particular, are reconciling how a man who has a holiday named after him was never held accountable. As women do, they’re continuing their crucial work and taking back their movement, The 19th reports — one they’ve always powered, even when their contributions went unseen.
Tell me more: Women make up roughly a quarter of US farmworkers, according to 2022 data, and most are Latinx. The risks they face are staggering. A 2024 review found 95% of women farmworkers in the US have experienced workplace sexual harassment. Part of the issue here is that, as of the 2022 stats, most farmworkers were undocumented, creating a power imbalance that could make anyone scared to report. Now, activists — largely women, of course — want to push the movement forward at a time when immigration enforcement is under renewed scrutiny. Many hope that real change will come from this — yes, beyond just renaming Cesar Chavez Day. Resources, protection, and structural change would be a good start.
🗞️ Jimmy Kimmel didn't mince words in his response to President Donald Trump’s Robert Mueller tweet.
In Our Rotation
Tax season = chaos? Not anymore. Scan, combine, organize, e-sign, and password-protect your tax docs all in one place. Your shoebox of paperwork just met its match.*
The rules keeping pollution in check are disappearing, which could impact your health, the environment, and your wallet. Learn more.*
Keep scrolling...more recs below
Small Business
"Long Live the Tamale"
What's going on: When there are fresh tamales or buttercream cupcakes in front of us, food safety laws aren’t exactly top of mind. But in many states, selling them is illegal, fueling a quiet (but delicious) black market for home-cooked meals. Colorado lawmakers want to change that with the Tamale Act, which would loosen the state’s strict cottage food laws that currently limit what people can sell from their homes (think: nonperishables like honey and bread). The bill didn’t survive last year due to food safety concerns, since these home kitchens wouldn’t be regulated or inspected. Public health officials aren’t thrilled about it being revived, but they also don’t have the resources to police food safety. Meanwhile, foodborne illness outbreaks from fully inspected restaurants? Not exactly rare.
What it means: Supporters say this is about more than sanitation scores and ServSafe certificates. For immigrants and women, selling home-cooked food can be one of the few ways to earn money — especially if child care is an obstacle. The legislation is still under consideration, but if passed, it would make it easier for sellers to advertise, expand to a food truck or storefront, and sell without fear of fines. It also has rare bipartisan support. Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials — which opposed it last year — shifted to "neutral" after new guardrails were added, including a required food safety course and a five-item cap. If it becomes law, Colorado would join a coalition of states that have relaxed their cottage food laws (all of which have fun nicknames like Virginia’s “cake-pop” bill and Wisconsin’s “cookie” bill).
What’s going on: A group of determined dogs in northeast China has captured hearts (Punch the Monkey-style) after a video of their journey garnered more than 230 million views online. Leading the charge: a Corgi dubbed Dapang — loosely translated to “big fatty” (icon behavior). Following close behind: a golden retriever, Labrador, German shepherd, and Pekingese, all trotting in formation. The pack covered more than 10 miles to return home, navigating streets and freezing temperatures with a level of coordination that frankly puts our group chats to shame. One witness tried to lead the dogs to safety, but they insisted on staying together, giving new meaning to “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Somewhere, a screenwriter is taking notes.
Begging for more: The specifics on how the dogs ended up so far from home are sketchy: Some reports claim they were stolen. Others suggest one pup wandered off (possibly while in heat), and the rest said, "say less," and joined the adventure. State media, meanwhile, is using the moment to point out how quickly theories can spiral online — fair. Details aside, what’s abundantly clear is that these pups need an agent and the next flight to Hollywood.
It’s the second and final day of Quince’s Insider Sale, with up to 30% off select items across categories. Since Quince sales happen so rarely — and the best things will likely sell out quickly — we’d recommend taking advantage while you can. Here are our top picks:
Parenting expert Dr. Becky, actress Jennie Garth, and a lineup of creators and founders are taking the Mom 2.0 stage. We’ll be there — and taking notes. Psst…$75 off tickets here.
