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A dark age descending: Kansas legislation robs trans people of their bodily autonomy

By Michaela Loughran | April 24

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, it sent shock waves across the nation. How was it that the federal government was depriving women of their hard-won right to make decisions about their own bodies? What kind of dark age was descending upon us? It is safe to say that times have not gotten better since then, but now there is another kind of bodily autonomy crisis upon us. Earlier this year, the Kansas state legislature passed a blatantly transphobic new law which forbids transgender people from using public restrooms associated with their gender identity on government property. The law says individuals may receive a warning on their first violation, but for a second violation, they are required to pay a $1,000 fine. For a third violation, they receive a Class B misdemeanor, which in Kansas is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.

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Disney’s never-ending prequels, sequels, remakes

By Jachin Lam | April 21

From the upcoming live-action “Moana” (2026) to “Toy Story 5” (2026) releasing this summer, Disney’s roster is filled with endless sequels, prequels and remakes. Much of the public perception of this creative decision has been negative, with many complaining that the films are full of nostalgia bait or are simply easy cash grabs for the company. Yet, these films have generated billions of dollars for the corporation. So, is this fatigue really the public’s dominant view? And is this phenomenon going away anytime soon?

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The humanities, the education crisis in the Information Age

By Henry Max | April 9

The frantic pace of modern life has revolutionized not only the communication landscape, but the academic landscape as well. In the epoch of smartphones and personal computers, it is all too obvious how pervasive technology is in each and every one of our lives. When generative AI and large language models, such as ChatGPT, intermingle with the existing technologies in our everyday lives, the problem is only exacerbated.

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Jubilee is stupid

By Jachin Lam | March 28

Looking through Jubilee’s YouTube channel, you might stumble across their bio — “Provoke Human Connection” — but right below, you’ll see videos like “Mass Shooting Survivors vs NRA Members” or “Men Rank Themselves by Penile Size.” Jubilee certainly provokes its viewers, but I’m not sure whether they really foster human connection with their videos.

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What the future holds for the Democratic Party

By Monica Reilly | March 27

This past September, The New York Times political pundit Ezra Klein stated in an interview that, in the face of such serious political alarm, Democrats should run more anti-abortion candidates. According to his logic, the Democratic Party needs to win in more contentious states like Kansas or Missouri if it is ever to overpower the current wave of MAGA conservatism. To do that, it must be willing to compromise on its position on abortion, with the ends justifying the means.

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Addressing the costs of excessive alcohol consumption

By Keshav Srikant | March 26

For the majority of Americans, the consumption of alcoholic beverages plays some role in their lives, whether it takes the shape of a drink out with friends, a glass of wine at a restaurant, or a beer after work. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around two-thirds of American adults consumed alcohol in 2018. While alcohol consumption has been decreasing over time, a study from Gallup found that 54% of Americans reported drinking alcohol in 2025. A significant proportion of these Americans engage only in light drinking; the CDC found that just 5.1% engaged in heavy drinking in 2018. However, though that proportion is small, the economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption are significant and often underestimated.

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The corporatization of nostalgia in American mass media

By Henry Max | March 26

A major trend in Hollywood filmmaking that emerged in the 2000s and continues today is the legacy sequel. In 2015, the true renaissance of the legacy sequel era began, with “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), “Jurassic World” (2015) and “Creed” (2015) all released in the same year. Quality disparities aside, the huge successes of these films proved that the legacy sequel was poised to become the future of filmmaking. Now, over 10 years later in the post-“Avengers: Endgame” (2019) era, the legacy sequel has become so naturalized that it seems inevitable.

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A masterclass in American hubris

By Sorsha Khitikian | March 24

Baseball is America’s sport. At least, it used to be. It’s no secret that Major League Baseball is fueled by international talent and fans. Some of the best players were born internationally: Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, David Ortiz and Ichiro Suzuki. International fans are also heavily invested in the sport. For example, after Japan-born superstar Shohei Ohtani signed his historic $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, the team exceeded four million fans in attendance for the first time in its history. LA Tourism estimated that in 2024, 80%–90% of Japanese tourists to the city went to Dodger Stadium at least once.

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Crazed obsession with queer media doesn’t mean authentic appreciation

By Olivia Zambrano | March 12

Since its debut on HBO Max, “Heated Rivalry” (2025–) has amassed an astonishing 10.6 million U.S. viewers, with the two lead actors, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, achieving instantaneous Hollywood-level fame. The two experienced complete culture shock as they went from being everyday, run-of-the-mill restaurant servers to presenting at the Golden Globes, with Connor Storrie going on to host SNL and Hudson Williams appearing as a guest. While I expected “Heated Rivalry” to go platinum in queer communities, I never anticipated this level of fame or appreciation from the general public. Looking back, I should have. This insane surge in viewership and fan appreciation paralleled that of “Red, White & Royal Blue” (2023), a drama about the gay romance between the First Son of the United States and the Prince of Wales.

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Red states, blue states

By Evan Wang | March 12

For the past nearly four decades, Texas has been a solidly red state. Texas has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980, and there are many states just like it. For many years, a bright blue Texas on election night seemed forever out of reach for Democratic strategists. The result is a familiar national strategy where a few so-called swing states suck up all of the resources and publicity while much of the rest of the country is left abandoned by national Democrats. But, every so often, a race emerges that challenges this logic.

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The sin of greed

By Evan Wang | March 6

As of 2026, online sports betting is legal within 32 states in the United States, online casinos are legal in eight states and so-called prediction markets like Kalshi are available in all 50 states. With this new online gambling craze comes enormous economic losses. In 2023, Americans wagered a staggering $121 billion, with 94% of those wagers occurring online. What was once a heavily state-regulated industry confined to the deserts of Las Vegas is now becoming the fastest-growing public health catastrophe of the 21st century.

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U.S. Men’s Hockey team bows to Trump

By Michaela Loughran | March 5

For both U.S. Olympians and American spectators, the 2026 Olympics were difficult to navigate. Many people were forced to grapple with the question of whether it’s possible to separate feelings of patriotism and pride that might come with supporting U.S. medalists from anger concerning the atrocities of the current administration. U.S. Olympic freeskier Hunter Hess summed up this tension well in a comment he made recently to the press: “I think it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now … just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

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How the Supreme Court has been dismantling the environmental movement

By Monica Reilly | March 5

President Donald Trump’s enforcement of anti-environmentalist policies is nothing new. He started his second term by removing almost all mentions of climate change from the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, reversing a key ruling on greenhouse gases and most recently, ordering the Department of Defense to purchase electricity from coal plants. There have also been a number of quieter, less flashy actions enacted under this current administration that have flown under the radar. It’s easy to shake our heads when Trump says “drill, baby, drill,” but the actual legislative impacts of this administrative goal can often go ignored.

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Tufts’ quirks

By Anubhav Sinha | February 26

During my time at Tufts, I’ve developed a hobby of collecting trivia about the quirkier aspects of our school. This has led me to realize that most of us don’t really know much about Tufts outside of the four years we spend here. We get so caught up in the dining halls, problem sets, labs and studios that we forget to stop and ask ourselves: What’s the story behind all of it? So for Daily Week, I decided to compile some of Tufts’ more entertaining quirks and hidden histories to share with you all.

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Celebrity Silence: An unforgivable response to a country in crisis

By Michaela Loughran | February 19

Celebrities are some of the most talked-about people in our society, and social media only amplifies this effect, giving us seemingly constant access to these stars’ lives. If there’s any doubt about whether people take advantage of this access, just look at the like counts on some of these celebrities’ posts. Take Taylor Swift, for example, who is arguably not only one of the most famous celebrities but also one of the most influential women in the world. Swift’s engagement announcement post received an impressive 37 million likes. This means that, including those who saw it and didn’t like it, more than 37 million sets of eyes landed on this post. Although I’m a big fan of Swift, I also believe that she — and many other high-profile celebrities — are not doing enough to advocate for the underprivileged.

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To decrease socioeconomic stratification at Tufts

By Keshav Srikant | February 19

In 2022, economists led by Raj Chetty published a paper in which they analyzed something called “economic interconnectedness,” the number of friendships across class lines. They found clear socioeconomic stratification, with people of high socioeconomic status having a higher share of friends who were high-income than people of low socioeconomic status. This is problematic because they also found that forming friendships across class lines is strongly correlated with increased upward mobility.

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Environmental policy: How the gap widened

By Monica Reilly | February 4

It’s easy to view climate change and environmental issues at large as being inherently partisan. Recent polling shows stark differences in how Republicans feel about climate change versus Democrats. Not a single Republican voted for former President Joe Biden’s environment-centric Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, our current Republican president has officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. However, in spite of the seemingly intrinsic nature of today’s partisan environmental disagreements, caring for our world was once an issue that brought the U.S. government together.

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