Paramount buys the Free Press and Swift's new album gets some hate

Swift’s new album is crushing records, but is also getting crushed by rampant criticism. I’m back on my ballet flat bs, and l have some travel rewards to share. Let’s get into it.

Paramount buys The Free Press (not for free, though)

Do you read Bari Weiss’s The Free Press? Great IG follow if you don’t have time for longform reads! The journalist founded the pub with her wife, Nellie Bowles, and her sister, Suzy Weiss, back in 2021. They’ve since gained 1.5 million subscribers on Substack, and a reputation for providing diverse (and often conflicting) perspectives on national news. This week, Paramount acquired The Free Press as part of their “bigger vision to modernize content,” and named Weiss top editor at CBS news. You can watch Weiss’s announcement here.

As if we needed to make shopping any easier…

Do you use the Meta chatbot? If so, you’re about to get ads for all the weird things you ask your robot about in presumed secrecy, and it’s not possible to opt out. Same applies to voice recordings taken by the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. So I guess if you want your boyfriend to propose, put on his Ray-Bans and start talking about engagement rings? This ad update marks a turning point for the ways AI is monetizing, and we’re seeing it everywhere: OpenAI launched an “Instant Checkout” option so you don’t have to leave your chat to buy whatever you were asking it about (only works with certain Shopify and Etsy merchants). Hot take: personalized ads are better because they’re for things you actually want. Is that valid??

“The Life Of A Showgirl’ is out, and it’s already breaking records

T Swift sold 2.7 million physical and digital copies of her newest album, crushing previous first-day album sale records. She’s also launching 8 new bonus acoustic tracks… which I am waiting for very patiently. Despite the insane sales, there’s mixed feedback about the album, with haters calling it simplistic, super-commercial, and even cringe. (Ok, “did you girl-boss too close to the sun?” is a little hard to stomach… but to be fair I spend too much time on LinkedIn and that’s not Taylor’s fault.) What do you think about the album?? Respond to this email and LMK!

A weekend in San Francisco? THIS has got to be the most shocking turn of events all summer! Really packed it in (will be months until I experience another weekend at home again). Started my Saturday with a golf double date, went bar hopping with friends, then got my first Russian manicure on Sunday (will let you know if they last the promised four weeks…let’s check in a month from now). For those of you who also want to tell the world you are casual and chill, check out this hat— my friend started this company!

One ginormous place of growth for me in the past year has been moving away from exclusively sneakers to a wider range of shoes, including ballet flats. Which are actually easier because they require neither socks nor laces! I like the v-shape of these, which feels a bit more unique and less overtly feminine than some of the more ballerina-esque styles. I linked a few options at a variety of price points!

You know you’re officially an adult when travel rewards and discounts hit harder than bottomless mimosas at brunch. Enter: my Lazy Girl Tip for all my travel girlies: Hotels.com just launched a feature called Save Your Way™, where you can choose whether to use your member savings on your current trip or…bank it as rewards for a future one.

Translation: that work trip you’re expensing? Bank your member discount as rewards to use on your next getaway. It’s giving strategy. It’s giving financial responsibility. It’s giving…adulting.

So yes, you ARE smarter for reading today’s newsletter. You can read all the deets here.

Thanks for reading!