Change Is Afoot

Unpause the Menopause Research 

What’s going on: Women between the ages of 45 and 60 are not only a force at the polls, they make up 30% of the workforce. But they’ve either been overlooked or misunderstood — especially when it comes to their health. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) made a bid to change that on Wednesday when she spearheaded the first-ever congressional hearing on menopause. Speakers pushed for better recognition of the condition and called for more federally funded women's health research. Nearly one in three US women over the age of 40 experience severe menopause symptoms, but over 80% don’t seek medical care. These symptoms often lead women, who are typically at the prime of their careers during menopause, to scale back at work or retire early, resulting in an estimated $5.4 billion economic loss per year.  

But “the change” is happening elsewhere: Menopausal women are documenting their experiences online, breaking down that pernicious stigma. And while some doctors are taking the message to TikTok, research still has a lot of ground to cover. Ohio State just landed a $3 million Department of Defense grant to explore how menopause affects veterans. Other studies found that similar to pregnancy and puberty, menopause rewires our brains. At the hearing, several speakers mentioned how more research needs to be done on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which has shown signs of reducing heart disease and a few other chronic health issues, yet only 5% of women use it. But HRT is only one option, and it doesn't work for everyone. As Sen. Gillibrand noted, we've "barely scratched the surface" on finding solutions for menopause's many symptoms — and if it affected men, it would probably get the Viagra treatment.

Related: Some Women Are Turning to Antihistamines To Treat Menopause Symptoms (The Guardian)

Shape of a Controversy

What Is Happening on Ed Sheeran’s Tour?

What’s going on: Ed Sheeran’s tour just got really lonely. Every supporting artist slated to appear on stage with him has announced they’re leaving after singer Macklemore was removed from the tour following his “Free Palestine” remarks. Musician (and Billie Eilish’s brother) Finneas, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Danish band Lukas Graham, and Irish folk group Beoga will all depart, leaving Sheeran without openers for the 10 remaining US dates. Robert Kraft (yes, that one) announced he would bar Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium. Macklemore alleges Kraft mounted a pressure campaign against him with other stadium owners, a claim Kraft hasn’t addressed. Ed Sheeran, who has lost at least 200,000 followers on Instagram since the controversy, said he tried to reach a “mutual resolution,” but the promoter’s decision to drop Macklemore was final. 

Two words… one slippery slope: Jewish artists like Pink condemned Macklemore. She said his use of violent images of war while telling “all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them” scared her and “scared people I love.” Macklemore said his call for Palestine’s liberation and criticism of Israel isn’t a criticism of Jewish people, but this isn’t the first time he’s been accused of antisemitism. Meanwhile, in a new statement, the rapper said he’s donating $1 million from his tour earnings to organizations supporting Palestinians — and he asked Kraft to do the same. The New England Patriots owner said Sheeran had already asked for a donation match, and that he pledged $2 million "to aid in the region." Sheeran is reaching out to other stadium owners, too. “Our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges,” Kraft said. 

Related: Mark Ruffalo Attended the Emmys, Despite Paramount Accusing Him of Sharing “Antisemitic Tropes” (Entertainment Weekly)

Building Blocks of a Scam? 

The Montessori Preschool System That Completely Unraveled 

What's going on: Parents and teachers at a private equity-funded international chain of schools are dealing with a different kind of sticky fingers than the ones kids have after snack time. A New York Times investigation sheds light on the collapse of Guidepost Montessori, which operated 150 schools in the US and China before the parent company abruptly filed for bankruptcy in June 2025 and closed about 60 schools. Analysts say Guidepost expanded faster than it could afford. Former employees told the NYT that there were signs it was all falling apart: Some schools were allegedly so understaffed that teachers couldn’t regularly change diapers, and a teacher said that in one school, a toddler left the building without anyone noticing. Internally, some teachers called the whole thing “the Montessori Ponzi scheme.” Founder Ray Girn, who said ride-sharing apps and Airbnb inspired Guidepost, told the NYT that it’s incorrect “to assemble a few serious isolated incidents into a narrative that implies systemic negligence.”

What happened next?: Many parents felt they’d been tricked. One mom, who spent about $200,000 on tuition for her daughters, published an open letter accusing Girn of “treating child care as a venture-backed commodity.” Teachers — those who hadn’t already quit — were similarly left “scrambling.” Girn, along with his wife and co-founder Rebecca Girn, opened another school called Fulcrum, asking $23,000 per year in tuition. Most of the remaining Guidepost Montessori schools were sold to a new for-profit entity, Guidepost Global Education, which switched to an AI learning program. They’re still operating, but similar problems appear to be surfacing. For critics, what happened with Guidepost Montessori highlights the risks of treating a school like a startup: as the NYT puts it, “instead of an app that failed or a tech platform that went sideways,” the consequences meant endangering children and disrupting their education. 

Related: Texas Parents Say Their Montessori School Ran a “Fight Club” for 4-Year-Olds (Chron)

Quick Hits

🐶 Sunny Obama, who joined President Barack Obama during his second term, has died. Give Bo a big smooch from us.

🎨 Sherwin-Williams announced their 2027 Color of the Year. Pantone, you’ve been put on notice.

🍼 Lena Dunham welcomed her first child — a girl — via surrogacy. Of course, she shared her journey with an essay. 

📚 Your favorite social media buzzwords — like superfood, parasocial, and looksmaxxing — are now Merriam-Webster official. (And yes, they got the entire -maxxing trend.)

⭐ Cecily Strong says she broke character the most during one particular sketch with an SNL icon — but nobody could really tell. It was probably the (fake) Botox.

🧃 Tired: emotional support water bottle. Enter: an enormous Capri-Sun pouch that holds 24 ounces. Pretty sure we dreamed this in the ‘90s.

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