It’s Friday, January 30. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: How the American people fact-checked their government, why data centers are not the enemy, and Abigail Shrier delivers more tough love. Plus: Glenna Goldis talks to Emily Yoffe about why she was fired by Letitia James, this week’s editors’ picks, and much more.
But first: Why are so many British women now getting abortions?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece for The Free Press about Britain’s collapsing birthrate. A day later, I saw something online that stunned me. It was this chart:
It showed that abortions in England and Wales are now at their highest level since the procedure was legalized in 1967—and that nearly one in three pregnancies are now ending in termination.
What was behind this sudden spike? To find out, I spoke to women across the UK: women who’d had one abortion, several abortions, routine abortions, and abortions that were physically brutal. I also discussed the trend with the former head of Britain’s largest abortion provider, who told me how terminating a pregnancy has transformed from a clinic-based procedure into medication you can order online to come to your door, and keep “just in case.”
What some believe may be a result of poverty or coercive control turned out to be something else entirely. This is a story about normalization, risk aversion, and most importantly, a generation of women who feel too imperfect to become mothers.
Read my reporting on why abortion has become easier than motherhood in today’s Britain.
—Kara Kennedy
Tough Love with Abigail Shrier: My Teenage Daughter Doesn’t Like My Boyfriend
Children are often hurt most by a rough divorce—and sometimes they can be hurt all over again when their parents move on. This week, our advice columnist Abigail Shrier responds to a question from Cassie, a 35-year-old woman whose teenage daughter doesn’t like her new boyfriend. Her dilemma is this: “Should I continue seeing this man and trust that my daughter will eventually adjust? Or should I wait until my children are older, even if that means risking my chance at remarriage and happiness?” Read Abigail’s answer:
Much ink has been spilled over how the online information ecosystem has poisoned our politics by spreading “misinformation.” But the killing of Alex Pretti revealed something different, writes Jacob Mchangama. In this instance, social media was a force for good, pushing back against a false narrative espoused by federal officials who labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist.” It was, in other words, the internet at its best.
AI data centers are now a lightning rod issue for local governments, uniting factions of the right and left in opposition. But the common accusation that they suck an area’s energy resources dry, sending local energy prices through the roof, misses the point, argues Emmet Penney. The real culprit? Inept energy grid systems that can’t keep up, hindering the push for reindustrialization. Read Emmet on why, “for the first time in its history, America is not prepared for growth.”
Glenna Goldis on Speaking Out—and Losing Her Job
Earlier this month, Glenna Goldis, a progressive consumer fraud expert and proud lesbian, was fired from her job in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office for opposing childhood gender transition surgery. James considered this “disruptive speech.” On Tuesday, Glenna told her side of the story for the first time, and did so in the pages of The Free Press. If you missed her account of the price she paid for speaking out, read it here. And if you want to go deeper on this important story, watch Glenna’s conversation with Free Press senior editor Emily Yoffe:
This week, all eyes were on Minnesota after a border patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti. Here are some of the Free Press stories from this week that you might have missed—on the fallout from that shooting, and everything else.
The second fatal shooting of an American citizen by a federal agent in Minneapolis this month was always going to set off a firestorm. But the outcry was made worse by inflammatory comments from administration officials immediately after the tragedy. Read our editorial on that response—and why it was so wrong:
Olivia Reingold has been on the ground in Minneapolis this week. On Tuesday, she spoke to protesters in the city who saw signs of the federal government backing down. Read her dispatch on which locals were celebrating Trump’s pledge to “de-escalate” and which were more circumspect.
For more on Minneapolis, read former vice president Mike Pence on why the disorder in the city is a warning to the rest of the country:
Tuesday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and we ran two pieces to mark the occasion. First, with antisemitism resurgent and the biggest industrial slaughter in history fading from living memory, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore reflected on the horrifying new wave of Holocaust denial and how its present manifestation is so different to the denialists of the past:
Second, we ran a remembrance by Suzanne Lentzsch of Elie Wiesel, whose story of survival during the Holocaust has resonated across the world in the decades since his liberation from Auschwitz. Suzanne, a German doctor who treated his terminal cancer 10 years ago, paid tribute to the kindness and respect afforded to her by the great man:
One in 20 deaths in Canada are now medically assisted suicides. Rupa Subramanya has reported extensively on the expansion of assisted suicide programs in Canada and beyond. This week she revisited the case of Kiano Vafaeian, who she first heard from two years ago. Vafaeian was not terminally ill—and until recently was not permitted to die under the country’s assisted suicide program. But Vafaeian was determined to die, and Canada keeps making it easier for people like him to choose to do so.
Finally, for a much-needed lighter offering, read River Page on the steamy new Netflix show Heated Rivalry—which is about two closeted gay ice hockey players and has been such a success that one of its stars called the reaction to it a “mass psychosis event.” River’s take? Everyone needs to stop being so weird about the gay hockey show. Read it here:
The Front Page will be back on Monday morning. Until then, look out for the Weekend Press—in which Suzy Weiss will deliver her verdict on the Melania movie and Gabe Kaminsky will grab two drinks with RFK Jr.
I'm very saddened about the death of Alex Pretti, but let's put a little context to what actually happened. This was at least the second time Alex had a brush with law enforcement. This time, Alex brought a gun to a protest, a completely legal move and within his rights.
But Mr. Pretti then began to willfully obstruct law enforcement agents. That is a felony under 18 USC 111, and committing a felony while armed is a felony in itself. At that point, he no longer had the right to be armed.
To make matters worse, Pretti then resisted arrest for his felony actions, fighting with police who were trying to cuff him. While that may or may not be a felony, this is exactly what they teach you NOT to do in Concealed Carry classes. Pretti violently escalated a law enforcement encounter.
Once Pretti was found to be armed, he became a clear and present danger to law enforcement. Police do not have to wait until you pull your gun and/or start shooting at them, to apply lethal force in that situation.
Again, I am saddened by this, both for Pretti's family and for law enforcement, who should never have been placed in the situation that Pretti created. But the only person who should shoulder the blame here, is Alex Pretti.
Waiting for a story on Israeli illegal settlements. There's often a throw-away line about Israel not being perfect or debunking ridiculous claims about genocide in Gaza but you don't seem to address actual problematic actions.