Gloria Steinem: Writer, Activist, Icon

She has died at age 92. Plus: our usual cartoons, a new Musk doc, music by Dolly and Tweedy.

Still free to subscribe to this nearly daily newsletter! Greg Mitchell is author of fourteen books and director of five films for PBS since 2022. His latest film “Woody Guthrie and The Ghost of Tom Joad Today” is now streaming via PBS.

NY Times:

Gloria Steinem, the feminist crusader who, in galvanizing the modern women’s movement, helped millions of women develop a sense of self-worth and gain a measure of equality at home, at work and in society at large, died on Wednesday at her home in New York City. She was 92.

Calling herself “an entrepreneur of social change,” Ms. Steinem helped usher in sweeping cultural transformations across virtually every facet of American life, from the boardroom to the courtroom to the bedroom.

For more than half a century, she personified the women’s movement and became its most enduring symbol; her tinted aviator glasses and curtain of streaked-blond hair parted in the center made her one of the most recognizable women in the world.

Analysis by Charles Stewart III of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Election Data and Science Lab: In 2024, 37% of Democrats voted by mail, while only 24% of Republicans did.

Ann Telnaes:

Billl Bramhall:

Nick Anderson:

Meanwhile:

White House Plans $250,000 Renovation of 2-Lane Bowling Alley

A new nearly four-hour doc about Elon Musk from director Alex Gibney about to debut at Venice festival. Read all about it here. Trailer below. And it features a song co-written by David Byrne that uses only Musk’s evil words for lyrics.

Gibney:

I was thrilled when David agreed to write (with our composer Daniel Pemberton) and perform the final song in the film. I am a huge fan of his. My wife and I were at the Pantages for the filming of Stop Making Sense, so I sensed that he would find a musical way into what the film is trying to say. And he did. “Let Me Sell You a Dream” is kick-ass. And, in writing the lyrics, David dug deep into the sayings of Musk himself to get to “extremely hard core,” foot-tapping sardonic poetry.

Music Picks

New live Tweedy:

Austin City Limits paid tribute this week to Dolly in re-posting her first appearance around 25 year ago. It’s the first 30 minutes here and we found it well worth a look for a great slice of her career in a laid back setting with some lesser known songs and serious singing and musicianship.

From Tunes to Toons

Blitt:

Boris:

Parkins:

Ohman:

Luckovich:

Brodner:

Horsey: