The News Not Noise Letter: Sex Scandal Bonanza
A top reporter, a Trump North Carolina ally, and Matt Gaetz (again) in sex scandal bingo. Plus: your childcare realities, and some news that doesn’t suck.
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The week, it’s not possible to separate the news from the noise. So we’re going to share the high-decibel stuff, then give you a little relief in the form of News That Doesn’t Suck. (We need it, so we assume you might, too.)
Also today, we take a closer look at what childcare really costs. We did this because so many of you wrote in with astonishing stories that reveal a true disconnect between the policy-level conversation in DC and your (very expensive) lived reality.
Here are your headlines:
Political Scandal News: These next items read like a MadLibs of political sex scandals. We promise this is no game.
“Emotional and Digital”: Olivia Nuzzi, New York magazine’s Washington correspondent and a super-talented rising-star reporter, is on leave for engaging in a “personal relationship” with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, while covering the presidential race. Nuzzi says “the relationship was never physical” and CNN reports it was “emotional and digital.” (Do we think CNN is aware that’s a double entendre?) NY mag says an internal review found “no inaccuracies or evidence of bias” in her work, though the internet disagrees. The mag plans a deeper investigation. Politico, which employs Nuzzi’s fiancé, put out a statement saying he’s her ex-fiancé and he won’t be covering RFK Jr. or Nuzzi. Nuzzi has written multiple features on Trump, Rudy, this viral takedown of President Biden, and this piece on RFK Jr. which he called a “hit piece.” Did we mention there’s a 40-year age gap between them?
North Carolina’s “Black Nazi”: North Carolina’s GOP candidate for governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is fiercely pro-Trump and known to spew anti-trans anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, had a habit of commenting on the online porn site “Nude Africa.” CNN reports he identified himself as a “black NAZI!” and a “perv” and shared graphic sexual stories and comments expressing interest in transgender porn, Adolf Hitler, and the reinstitution of slavery. Robinson denies making the comments – despite his Nude Africa account listing his full name and using the same handle Robinson uses across the internet. Politico also reported this week that Robinson had an account on Ashley Madison, the affair website. The Harris campaign promptly shared images of Trump hanging out with Robinson, clearly hoping this will turn North Carolina swing voters away from Trump. It’s definitely a win for Nude Africa.
Matt Gaetz: You knew this storyline wasn’t going away. New Florida court filings allege that Fla. Rep Matt Gaetz attended a 2017 drug-fueled sex party with the 17-year-old girl he’s accused of trafficking. Gaetz’s own ex-girlfriend, who attended the party, testified he was present. The federal government previously opened an investigation into Gaetz for allegedly paying for the sex trafficking of a minor, though no federal charges were filed.
Hezbollah Commander Killed: Israel says it killed Hezbollah operations commander Ibrahim Aqil in a “precision airstrike” in Beirut on Friday. For decades, Aqil was wanted by the US for his involvement in the 1983 bombings that killed over 300 Americans at the US Embassy and a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. Israel targeted Aqil just days after a coordinated “Trojan horse” attack on Hezbollah in which the group’s pagers and walkie-talkies were remotely detonated. US officials privately say it was conducted by Israel, and Hezbollah vows retaliation. The exploding devices will help identify individuals in Hezbollah. They wounded more than 3,000 people and killed at least 32, including 2 children.
Trojan Horse: In 2020, Hezbollah stopped using cellphones and moved to lower-tech devices like pagers and walkie-talkies to evade surveillance. Israel’s intelligence operatives reportedly created a Hungarian shell company that insinuated itself into the supply chain over years and sold pagers to Hezbollah – with 3 grams of explosives hidden inside.
Hezbollah: Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Shia Islamist group recognized as a terrorist organization by the US, Israel, the Arab League, and many Western countries. It is the largest and most well-funded of Iran’s proxy groups and has been trading fire with Israel for years, escalating after 10/7.
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The (Not-So-Hidden) Costs of Parenthood
Earlier this week we reported on the costs of childcare. And wow did we get an earful from this community. It would seem there’s a big disconnect between what policymakers say childcare costs – and your lived reality.
We shared this Bloomberg article which reports that the average cost of childcare for a US family with two kids ranges from $23,000 in the South to $33,000 in the Northeast. Some of you reported paying almost twice that. Others say you saved money by quitting work to stay home, leaving the country for cheaper care, or deciding not to have kids at all because it’s just too expensive.
We wanted to get some real numbers, and we found a surprising source: a new study by LendingTree (not our typical source but they have interesting data). They found that childcare costs more than rent in 91 of the 100 largest US cities. That’s the average monthly cost of full-time, center-based care for an infant and 4-year-old as compared to rent for a two-bedroom.
Here are the five cities where they found monthly childcare costs for two are highest compared to rent:
Springfield, MA: childcare costs 135.7% more than rent
Syracuse, NY: childcare costs 131.3% more than rent
Buffalo, NY: childcare costs 125.1% more than rent
Spokane, WA: childcare costs 115.7% more than rent
Bakersfield, CA: childcare costs 108.8% more than rent
They also list the cities with the highest and lowest absolute costs here.
The Harris and Trump campaigns both support boosting the child tax credit, which currently is $2,000 per child: Harris proposes a $6,000 tax credit for newborns, while Vance supports boosting it to $5,000. Congress failed to pass a measure that would have capped childcare costs for families at no more than 7% of their income.
So, tell us: how do your costs compare? And are you an expert in this field and have more information to share with us? Please let us know in comments.