Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Target reconsiders some Pride items following right-wing backlash, Hillary Clinton weighs in on the Dianne Feinstein debate, and we remember Tina Turner. Happy Thursday!
– Simply the best. If you’re considering any kind of pivot or second act right now, take a moment to reflect on the legacy of Tina Turner. The legendary singer and star, known for her hits like “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” died at 83 this week, her representative confirmed yesterday.
Tributes to Turner have poured in, a testament to how she inspired generations of performers from Mick Jagger to Beyoncé. But her massive influence reached beyond pop music; Turner epitomized the ways women can evolve and dislodge their lives and careers from fixed trajectories.
Turner escaped an abusive marriage to Ike Turner that began in 1962; he physically abused her throughout their years performing together as the “Ike and Tina Turner Revue.” Turner left him in 1976 “with just a Mobil credit card and 36 cents.”
The direction her career would take from there was far from certain. At first, she struggled. “Her first solo album had flopped and her live shows were mostly confined to the cabaret circuit,” the Associated Press wrote in her obituary. But Turner reinvented herself in her 40s. She was crowned the undisputed “Queen of Rock & Roll” and a 1980s pop icon. She won four Grammys in 1984 for her album Private Dancer.
As she became a singular solo star, her former onstage partner was relegated to a footnote in the Tina story. Then, in her later years, Turner sought peace on her own terms living far from the music scene in Switzerland, where she died this week.
Turner’s story is a reminder that what seems like an ending is sometimes a new beginning. No matter where you are in life, reinvention is always possible.
Emma Hinchliffe
[email protected]
@_emmahinchliffe
The Broadsheet is Coins2Day’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Today’s edition was curated by Kinsey Crowley. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Hiding pride. Target announced it is removing some Pride Collection items because customer backlash is threatening employees' safety and well-being. The retailer is reconsidering swimsuits that are trans-friendly; many stores have already moved them to the back of the store. Associated Press
- Giving up. Citigroup is no longer seeking a buyer for its Mexican consumer bank unit Banamex after a year of trying to divest it through a sale. It will spin the bank off in an IPO instead. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser previously oversaw Citi's Latin American division and tried to help Banamex recover from fraud allegations. Since stepping into the CEO role, she has shrunk the bank's international consumer operations overall. Wall Street Journal
- Baby formula cahoots. The Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation to see if the handful of baby formula manufacturers engaged in collusion. Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, and Nestlé control the majority of the baby formula market, and the FTC says they could have colluded during the bidding process for government contracts. The companies are cooperating with the FTC investigation. Wall Street Journal
- China R&D. Shanghai is encouraging General Motors to invest more in research and development in the city. CEO Mary Barra met with Shanghai's Communist Party secretary Chen Jining on her first visit to China since the COVID pandemic. Chen said he looks forward to learning about GM's new cutting-edge technology even though China has been slow to embrace electric vehicles. Reuters
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Rani Therapeutics has hired Kate McKinley as the company's first chief business officer. Danielle Vizcaino will be the next president and CEO of the Assistance Fund.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- IMO. Hillary Clinton has chimed in as to whether Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) Should resign due to her mounting health concerns. Clinton says Feinstein should stay put. She predicts Republicans may block a permanent replacement for Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, potentially holding up judicial appointments. Time
- Overconfident. A new Fed survey shows that men are far more confident than women in investing their own retirement money. The disparity exists across all education levels, but it is greatest at the bachelor's degree level and higher. Axios
- Happy face. Of the challenges facing incoming Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino, the biggest may be managing Elon Musk. She has the industry expertise to revive ad sales, but trying to clean up the platform from toxic content could stoke Musk's flippant attitude towards criticism. Bloomberg
ON MY RADAR
Barbiemania! Margot Robbie opens up about the movie everyone’s waiting for Vogue
When TV becomes a window into women’s rage New York Times
Is Ice Spice an industry plant? Why allegations are rooted in misogynoir Slate
The little known drag origins of The Little Mermaid’s Ursula Vogue
PARTING WORDS
“The thing about defining [your] character is that it’s messy, too. It’s not always perfect, or your finest hour. There are moments of failure, and your character shows in how you own your mess. You’re building the muscle to handle it.”
–TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett addressing Wharton MBA’s 100th graduating class
Correction, May 25, 2023: A previous version of this article misstated that Target is reconsidering trans-friendly swimsuits for children. The trans-friendly swimsuits only come in adult sizes.
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