Is it just us, or...

...did way too many things happen this week?

View this email online Y’all, if we were in ancient Rome, right about now we’d be face-palming and muttering “O tempora! O mores!” Basically, that translates into “Oh, the times! Oh, the customs!” It’s more elegant than the contemporary equivalent—WTF?!—but more of us are familiar with the three-letter abbreviation. And this week, we’ll look the other way if you use it. Here we go: IN THE NEWS Matt Slocum/AP Comedian/philanthropist/accused sex offender Bill Cosby has been released from prison. The 83-year-old had served 3 years of a possible 10 year sentence for drugging and sexually assaulting Temple University employee Andrea Constand in 2004. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that an informal deal Cosby made with a Montgomery County, Pa., prosecutor for immunity in exchange for testimony in a civil lawsuit had been wrongly violated by a second prosecutor. “Having identified a due process violation here, we must ascertain the remedy to which Cosby is entitled,” declared the court document.  The court also ruled that the permission for five women to testify against Cosby after the jury deadlocked in the 2017 trial was inappropriate, even though a lower court ruled that the women’s testimonies spoke to a pattern of behavior. Cosby’s people released a statement from him saying the conviction overturned was “justice for Black America.” (Black America could not be reached for comment.) Cosby was one of the first prominent men to be tried in the #MeToo era. Many advocates for victims of sexual violence are worried that his vacated conviction will have a chilling effect: “I fear this is going to really hinder other survivors from coming forward,” Angela Rose, president of Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment, told NPR. One person not chilled by the Cosby news? Convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein. The former Miramax studio head hopes Cosby’s release will augur well for his own case: “This decision also reaffirms our confidence that the Appellate Division in New York will reach the similarly correct decision in Harvey Weinstein’s appeal,” said one of the former studio head’s lawyers. Currently, Weinstein is fighting extradition to Los Angeles, where he will be tried for sexual assault crimes in California. Matt York/AP In yet another blow to the Voting Rights Act, the Supreme Court has upheld two restrictions in Arizona’s voting law: namely, that all ballots cast in the wrong precinct are to be thrown out, and that no one besides a relative or caregiver can collect an absentee ballot. Although a lower court had ruled that the state discriminated against minority voters, the Court ruled 6-3 that the restrictions the state imposed were not discriminatory simply because they disproportionately affected minority voters. The ruling broke along ideological lines, with the Court’s conservative majority prevailing. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the dissent. “I’m deeply disappointed in today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court that undercuts the Voting Rights Act, and upholds what Justice Kagan called ‘a significant race-based disparity in voting opportunities,’” said President Biden in a statement. SCOTUS’ ruling, Biden continued, is a continuation of several setbacks to voting equality. “In the span of just eight years, the Court has now done severe damage to two of the most important provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—a law that took years of struggle and strife to secure.” The liberal Brennan Center for Justice, which monitors voting laws, says that “at least 14 states have enacted 22 new laws that restrict access to the vote ” so far in 2021. Both proponents and opponents of the Arizona decision say it may make it more difficult for the Biden Administration to successfully pursue its challenge to Georgia voting restrictions. Stay tuned.   After several very contentious weeks, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has now officially offered journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones a tenured position on its faculty as the Knight Chair on Race and Investigative Journalism at the Hussman School of Journalism. Jones, who founded the 1619 Project at the New York Times Magazine and was awarded a Pulitzer for it, was being considered for tenure when a major donor to the school of journalism had raised concerns about whether Hannah-Jones had an “agenda” based on the 1619 Project. This was despite the fact Hannah-Jones had the recommendation of the faculty and dean of the Hussman School of Journalism; those are normally considered the last word in the tenure process. But in a sharply divided country, that norm was abandoned to debate which parts of American history deserved to be taught. On Wednesday, after several demonstrations and many heated discussions, the board finally offered Hannah-Jones, a former MacArthur Fellow, tenure. While she has not, at this writing, indicated whether she will accept, Hannah-Jones did thank her supporters. “This fight is about ensuring the journalistic and academic freedom of Black writers, researchers, teachers and students,” she said in a statement. “We must ensure that our work is protected and able to proceed free from the risk of repercussions, and we are not there yet.” Hannah-Jones says she is taking a bit of time away to process what’s happened, and to make a decision on what to do next. Newsletter continues after sponsor message ON THE POD Donna Binder / Courtesy of the publisher Forty years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on patients with HIV/AIDS for the first time. Our play-cousin Sam Sanders, host of It’s Been a Minute, looks into the history of ACT UP—an organization that used shock and awe to focus the nation’s attention on how we talked about, funded and treated AIDS. Listen Here READ / WATCH / LISTEN Natalie Escobar, assistant editor: “I’m a firm believer in having go-to comfort music to cure what ails me — whether that’s homesickness, stress or standard-issue ennui. Right now, the album that’s doing a lot for me has been the soundtrack for one of my favorite movies: Frida. In a sense, this was the soundtrack of my childhood. When he wasn’t listening to NPR in the car, my dad would play this album on loop and whistle along to the melodies. It features composer Elliot Goldenthal’s brilliant score, which won the 2002 Academy Award, which is replete with the sounds of the guitarron, vihuela and accordion. An impressive number of talented Mexican performers also have songs on the album; my favorites feature Chavela Vargas singing ‘La Llorona’ and ‘Paloma Negra’ in her famously husky, mournful voice. It’s the perfect album to accompany an afternoon of reading on the porch during summer thunderstorms, if you’re into that kind of thing.” Christina Cala, producer: “One of my happy places is animated TV. This week, I started The Owl House on Disney+ and oh my gosh — why did this not exist when I was a child? A show about a Latina named Luz Noceda who loves reading, has a wild imagination and wants to go on all sorts of adventures? And everyone thinks she’s weird? That’s me! We’re out here, Luz! One day, she finds her place in a magical land where she feels like she can explore what it means to be her, all while studying as a witch’s apprentice. If this isn't enough of an endorsement, it also won a Peabody for its LGBTQ+ representation! Don't sleep on this magic!”  Well, that’s it for us. Here’s hoping you go to your Happy Place and find a little magic over the long weekend. We’ll be back next week. Written by Karen Grigsby Bates, edited by Natalie Escobar and fact-checked by Carmen Molina Acosta Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: codeswitch@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Code Switch emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy