Be Heard Act, Lori Loughlin, Baltimore Mayor: Broadsheet April 10

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Democrats introduce the Be Heard Act on workplace sexual harassment, Lori Loughlin faces a new charge in the college scam, and we take a look at a work uniform designed with women in mind. Have a wonderful Wednesday.

EVERYONE'S TALKING

• A kit that—finally!—fits. Last month, there was disappointment and outrage when NASA cancelled what was supposed to be a historic all-female space walk. The reason? There weren’t enough smaller-sized spacesuits for the women astronauts to wear.

That set off a broader conversation about women’s frustration with having to maneuver in a working world made for men, rather than one that’s been tweaked to also accommodate the female form. The Washington Post had a good run-down of real-life instances, which ranged from minor annoyances (duct-taped coveralls) to full-fledged safety hazards (ill-fitting bulletproof vests).

So it was downright refreshing to read about workwear that was designed with women in mind. Nike recently unveiled its first-ever bespoke women’s soccer (or football) uniforms that will be worn by its partner teams at this summer’s World Cup. Previous kits (as they’re called in the U.K.) Have been men’s hand-me-downs or female versions of a men’s design.

Soliciting female players’ input revealed a few interesting preferences: women want a looser fitting kit than men, they opt for a crew neck over a v-neck, and they need a jersey that’s easy to pull over ponytails (Amen to that!). Then come the shorts: they must accommodate women’s developed glutes and be long enough for appropriate coverage but not to the point that they restrict movement. “It’s like the Goldilocks of shorts: it has to be just right in terms of where it fits on the leg,” Cassie Looker, Nike’s senior apparel product manager in global football, told The Guardian in a new interview.

Women’s sporting goods is reportedly a $7 billion business for Nike; in the second quarter of this fiscal year women’s footwear and apparel made up nearly a quarter of the brand’s total revenue. Nike unveiled the uniforms for 14 national teams ahead of the women’s World Cup, to be played from June 7 to July 7 in France, and as it announced a three-year promotion deal with the women’s division of the Union of European Football Associations.

Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s head of women’s football, told Reuters that the partnership sends “a powerful message that the game is now being judged and supported on its own merits.”

And now, finally, it has its own uniforms too.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

• The producers. Apple has added another star to its Apple TV Plus lineup: Price Harry. The Duke of Sussex will co-create and executive produce a documentary series on mental health—a cause he has championed—with Oprah Winfrey, whose own partnership with Apple was unveiled at the streaming service's launch event last month. The pair's series will debut in 2020. CNET

• Be Heard.  Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Katherine Clark introduced what they hope will be Democrats' signature legislation on #MeToo. The Be Heard Act—short for Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination in the Workplace—would extend civil rights protections to low-wage workers, end mandatory arbitration agreements, and increase the amount of time workers have to file federal lawsuits after experiencing harassment. HuffPost

• Charged up. Lori Loughlin, her husband, and 14 other parents were indicted on new charges in the college scam yesterday. The new charge—money laundering conspiracy—arrives after 13 other parents, including Felicity Huffman, pled guilty to their original charges yesterday. Netflix postponed a film featuring Huffman after she pled guilty. Coins2Day

• Ruling out the gag rule. The Trump administration's opposition to abortion rights stateside extends to its input on international development agreements. But U.K. International development secretary Penny Mordaunt confirmed her commitment to countering those kinds of "global gag rules." "Leadership means not shying away from issues like safe abortion when the evidence shows us these services will save women’s lives," she said this week. Guardian

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Goldman Sachs's Leigh Farris joins the Carlyle Group as managing director, global head of corporate communications. Danone North America hired Anheuser-Busch’s Gemma Hart as VP of communications and community affairs. Katrina vanden Heuvel steps down as editor and publisher of The Nation.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Warren's double bind. Remember when Hillary Clinton was running for president, and everyone wanted Elizabeth Warren to run instead? Well, now that Warren is running—with less enthusiasm from some onetime supporters—her charisma didn't just disappear. Rather, this Atlantic piece argues that she's facing the same problem that plagued Clinton for years: that she's deemed likable and inspiring only when she's not running for office. The Atlantic

• Too far-right for Facebook. You may have seen some buzz about Facebook banning prominent white nationalists from the platform. One of those figures was Canada's Faith Goldy. The 29-year-old ran for mayor of Toronto last year, is a proponent of "white genocide conspiracy theory," and was fired from a far-right news outlet after she appeared on a podcast from the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer directly after the 2017 Charlottesville white supremacist rally.  New York Times

• The MMIWG crisis. There's a crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It's been going on for decades, but local, state, and federal governments are finally paying more attention, forming task forces and completing studies. Inside the movement, there's some tension, too, over the inclusion of two-spirit and trans women and girls. Splinter

Today's Broadsheet was produced by Emma Hinchliffe. Share it with a friend. Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.

ON MY RADAR

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Erin Lee Carr remembers her late father—and finds her own voice—in All That You Leave Behind Vogue

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