There Are No Girls on the Internet

In this week's news roundup, Bridget talks with Producer Mike about all the tech news you might have missed. TRIGGER WARNING: One story is about a misogynistic podcaster who says and does some disturbing stuff.

The newly released Epstein emails offer a troubling look at the people who stayed in his orbit and the ways they interacted with him — including former Harvard president and influential public figure Larry Summers. You may not recognize his name immediately, but Summers has played a major role in shaping tech, academia, and government. We break down what the emails show, why they matter, and what they reveal about power networks at the highest levels.

Bridget tells Samantha and Anney why Larry Summers and his Epstein connection should concern us all.

If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]!

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Many people know about the call to boycott Target, but don't understand why Target has been specifically singled out. So we're re-airing this interview to help get everyone on the same page. 

In 2020, Target loudly pledged to support Black creators and communities. Target spotlighted their products, and made headlines with its public commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It was great PR for Target. But now, those promises look like little more than PR spin.

Black creators and vendors who once collaborated with the brand say they weren’t just abandoned — they were exploited. From one-sided partnerships to pay-to-play marketing schemes,  this episode investigates how a major corporation cashed in on the racial justice movement… and then just walked away.

We speak to Kiara Imani, a former Target vendor who is one of the Black entrepreneurs  now speaking out. She was originally thrilled when a game she designed, "LikeU Cards," was included in Target's collection, only to quickly realize she was caught up in a pay-to-play scheme that was more about Target's PR than actually selling her product. 

She's also an attorney and author of the book Therapy Isn’t Just For White People. She explains what went down, what she was promised versus what she actually got, and unpacks the backlash, the boycott, and why some former Target collaborators are now calling it what it really was all along: a scam.

It’s not every day Bridget gets to talk to one of her heroes! 

Soledad O’Brien has built her career on stories that hit hard and stick with you, winning multiple Emmys and Peabody awards along the way. Her work has inspired Bridget since she was a young girl, watching her coverage of the emerging Internet in the 1990s. 

In this wide-ranging interview, Soledad talks about her two new documentaries, both of which are the subject of considerable online discussion.

 'The Perfect Neighbor,' on Netflix, tells the tragic story of AJ Owens and examines the legal and systemic failures that almost allowed her death to go unpunished due in part to Florida's stand-your-ground law. 

'The Devil is Busy,' now streaming on HBO Max, follows a day in the life of Tracii, the head of security at a Georgia abortion clinic, and the relentless work she does to keep the clinic operating safely. The documentary offers a powerful, ground-level, humanizing view of the challenges faced by those working to provide reproductive healthcare in the current landscape. 

In addition to talking about the films, Soledad also shares her perspectives on journalism, online culture, and the roles of filmmakers and journalists in creating change. 

Bridget is joined by producer Joey Patt to cover the week's tech news that you might have missed.