Exclusively good news
Because I need it, you need it, we all need it.
Hello pals and welcome back to the second installment of Exclusively Good News™️, wherein we ignore the grievous state of the world in favor of brighter things, like the Texas Senate seat that a Democrat (!!!) just won (!!!!!!) for the first time since 1991 (!!!!!!!!!!!!) all whilst being outspent 10 to 1 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)—and after Donny T won the district by 17 points in 2024. Yes, that’s right, in a runoff election over the weekend, Air Force veteran and union machinist Taylor Rehmet flipped the seat in Texas SD 9 and soundly defeated conservative Leigh Wambsganss (a real last name, apparently.)
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Wins that also are a middle finger to the racist losers occupying the White House:
Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father are back home in Minneapolis after a federal judge ordered their release, and he had a very sweet experience on the plane thanks to the pilots and crew.
The Supreme Court gave a thumbs up (or, more accurately, not a thumbs down) to California’s new congressional map.
Puerto Rican King Bad Bunny became the first ever performer to win the Album of the Year Grammy for a Spanish-language album and he dedicated the award to “all the people that had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams” before finishing his speech en Español. Can’t wait for your concert with a football intermission this weekend, good sir.
In sports:
Lindsey Vonn might have torn her ACL over the weekend, but she says she’s committed to competing in the upcoming Olympics. At last week’s Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz achieved his Career Grand Slam—he’s now won all four major championships—and is the youngest man to ever do so at 22 (!!!!!) years old. Trinity Rodman is staying with her team, the Washington Spirit, and is now the highest-paid player in the National Women’s Soccer League. A minion short-form figure skating routine (yes, you read that right) has the copyright green light at the Olympics. And a potential scandal in the ski jumping competition has been dubbed “penis-gate,” great news for anyone who has ever wanted to say “penis-gate,” and also the funniest Olympic “gate” since Bob Costas got pink eye in 2014.
In culture:
Cole Escola’s pièce de résistance Oh, Mary! is going on tour this fall. The upcoming UK edition of Saturday Night Live has found its cast. A new Muppet Show special is out on Disney+, and Miss Piggy and Kermit are very busy doing a press tour. We’ve officially got a Devil Wears Prada 2 trailer. And Kristen Stewart bought a beloved 101-year-old theater in Highland Park, Los Angeles and plans to refurbish it and make it a creative community space.
Watching, listening, wearing:
📺: The Moment, the brilliant new Charli XCX mockumentary that is This is Spinal Tap meets the only rave I will ever voluntarily attend, + James Acaster on Late Night with Seth Meyers, appropriately dressed for the occasion.
🎧: “Dracula” by Tame Impala, especially for your running playlist.
🧖🏻♀️: Saie Tinted Moisturizer to feel a lil extra glowy this winter (+ it has sunscreen!!)
Get ahead of February:
Previously on Hot Tip:
Going to see The Moment on Friday!
Love this format so much. The Texas senate flip is probaly the most underreported story right now considering the margins and funding disparity. I've been following local elections more closely since 2022 and these runoffs always seem to fly under the radar untill after they happen. The Bad Bunny Grammy moment felt huge tho, especially with the timing of everything happening.