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There are few stages in politics like a joint session of Congress for the president to get their message out to a wide audience, but members of Congress have increasingly attempted to wrest that stage back for themselves. Tuesday’s speech was the latest in a growing trend. The House sergeant at arms removed Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, from President Donald Trump’s speech after he repeatedly shouted that Trump had no mandate to cut Medicaid. Republican lawmakers have shouted in the past during addresses from former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, but those incidents did not lead to lawmakers’ removal. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) is removed from the chamber as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025. [Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images] It’s nonverbal communications, though, that most members of Congress have turned to in recent years in an attempt to co-opt presidents’ speeches. Democrats this year did something unique this year: they brought props. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouts as U.S. President Barack Obama addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol September 9, 2009. [Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images] Some held simple, circular black signs with slogans written in white letters like, False, Save Medicaid, and Musk Steals. Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico held a handwritten sign that read This Is Not Normal that a Republican colleague ripped from her hands. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan brought a whiteboard that she used to write messages like Stop lying to the American people! and That’s a lie! Rep. Melanie Stansbury, (D-NM), holds a sign reading “This is not normal” as US President Donald Trump arrives to address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol on March 4, 2025. [Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images] Trump’s speech was indeed filled with false statements. He overinflated how much the U.S. has spent to defend Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and underestimated how much his tariffs could cost American families. Throughout his speech, Trump used Democrats as a foil and criticized them for not clapping. Lawmakers have turned to clothing to make a statement at the State of the Union, like the all-white outfits women wore to symbolize suffrage during Trump’s first term. Trump’s Tuesday speech was no different, with some wearing pink and others blue and yellow as a show of support for Ukraine. Last year, though, a pair of Republicans were less subtle with the message of their dress. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) shouts during Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Thursday, March 7, 2024. [Photo: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Images] Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia wore a Make America Great Again hat and t-shirt with the phrase Say Her Name in reference to Laken Riley, a 22-year old nursing student who was killed by a man who was in the country illegally, to Biden’s State of the Union address last year. Rep. Troy Nehls wore a shirt with Trump’s mugshot and paired it with a bowtie wrapped around his collarless neck. Green’s and Nehls’s t-shirt messaging in 2024 portended the signs Democrats held in 2025, and suggest lawmakers no longer see the State of the Union as something to merely watch. It’s political theater, but the president is no longer the only actor on the stage.
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E-Commerce
How can a razor brand market their products online when the word razor is shadowbanned. Start an OnlyFans, of course. London-based razor brand Nimbi, which launched at Erewhon in January 2024, began posting on TikTok last summer but noticed their views were disappointingly low. Turns out, its because they were using the word razor, which is on TikToks list of shadow-banned (meaning TikTok was limiting who could see their content). So, Nimbi got creative. Co-founder Anna Reid first suggested the idea of making an OnlyFans account as a joke. But it made a lot of sense. Most brands would steer well clear of posting on a platform infamous for sexually explicit content. But OnlyFans is not just a site for adult creators, and brands might just be missing out on its marketing potential. Rather than posting sexualized content for a male audience, Nimbis OnlyFans content is instructional and made to answer questions consumers might never have the courage to ask. One of their posts, for example, is an in-depth shaving tutorial. Its much more like, How do we show that we all share a lot of the same needs? Reid told Inc. in a recent interview. Lets share better educational techniques that arent [for] our skin on our face, but other body parts that we just cant show on social media. While OnlyFans isnt the brands major marketing channel, still with under 100 subscribers, Reid tells Inc. theyre having a lot of fun with it. Their bold approach appears to be paying off. Nimbi is now Erewhons number one seller in the personal care category, and is expanding into more than 900 Target stores March 1. Unlike traditional razors, Nimbis plastic-free disposable razors are made from a first-to-market material made of waste wood pulp, pine oil and clay. OnlyFans might not work for the Estée Lauders of the world. But for a razor brand, it simply makes sense.
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E-Commerce
Target is facing a 40-day consumer boycott beginning Wednesday after rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The boycott, led by Dr. Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, is framed as a fast from the retailer during Lent to show the economic power of Black consumers. Were asking people to divest from Target because they have turned their back on our community, Rev. Bryant told CNN. However, some Black business owners worry that the boycott could have unintended consequences. Many rely on Targets nearly 2,000 stores and online platform for exposure and sales, reported the New York Post. If you dont buy our products in Target, they will cancel us from their shelves and make us buy back the products they already purchased from us, Black-owned doll brand Beautiful Curly Me said in an Instagram post. Time of struggle The boycott comes at a challenging time for the retailer, which announced Tuesday that it expects flat sales in 2025. On Tuesday, President Trumps long-threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico took effect, putting markets in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. on edge and sparking retaliatory measures from trade partners, including China. At the same time, U.S. consumers have been cutting back on discretionary spending as grocery prices remain high. Target, which relies heavily on sales of nonessential items like clothing and electronics, is particularly vulnerable to these shifts. Drawing back DEI Targets decision to end its DEI programs in late January drew backlash from social justice advocates, in addition to Rev. Bryant. The move came just days after the White House called for a federal DEI ban, prompting several companies to reassess their own initiatives.The retailer concluded its Racial Equity Action and Charge initiatives, stopped all external diversity-focused surveys, and changed its Supplier Diversity team to Supplier Engagement. However, Target has faced particularly intense scrutiny, in part due to its previous high-profile commitments. Months after the murder of George Floyd, Target pledged to increase its Black workforce by 20% throughout the company over three years and take other steps to advance racial equity, including establishing an executive Racial Equity Action and Change committee, according to CNN. The following year, Target pledged to spend more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by the end of 2025. Target also gained attention in recent years for its Pride Month promotions and inclusive marketing, signaling a progressive brand stance. I know that focus on diversity and inclusion and equity has fueled much of our growth over the last nine years, Target CEO Brian Cornell said in 2023. Im really proud of the work weve done in the DEI space. Fast Company reached out to Target for a comment.
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E-Commerce
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