The Mother of All Stories
This weekend, listen to the story of the mother who inspired Mother’s Day itself — along with a special Mother’s Day reflection from Jenna, originally recorded last year but still just as poignant today.
Plus: Our On the Record / Off the Record mugs are 30% off this weekend — perfect for the mom who likes her coffee strong and her news real. Just use code HOTMAMA at checkout. Hurry though — quantities are limited!
President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day on May 9, 1914, but the campaign for it began years earlier.
It’s an incredible story about an amazing mother, a tenacious daughter, political division ... and a twist.
WATCH SCOOP ABOVE OR BY CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on podcasting platforms everywhere (Apple, Spotify).
🗣️ Your Conversation Starters:
🍻 “Cheers to Beer”: The world’s largest brewer, reported its first increase in beverage sales in three years. Anheuser-Busch InBev credits growth from major brands like Corona, Stella Artois and Michelob Ultra, along with a 37% increase in its non-alcoholic and canned cocktail options.
🧠 “Insane in the Brain”: Earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio took the podium ... in the White House press room. Jenna reports on Secretary Rubio briefly serving as de facto White House press secretary Tuesday, fielding questions on Iran (and quoting rap lyrics from this song).
🐶 Puppy Cam: Denali National Park in Alaska welcomed its newest future sled dogs — and you can watch the puppies on the park’s “Puppy Cam.” In a tradition dating back 100+ years, Denali’s sled dogs help rangers travel across remote areas of the park, haul supplies and collect weather data.
📺 Save the Date: In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, PBS announced it will stream Ken Burns’s “The American Revolution” for free from May 25 through July 12 (instead of having to pay an app fee). When the program initially aired last November, it broke all streaming records for the television network. In the meantime, you can order the companion book ... 👇🏽
🌐 A Whole New World: Scientists may have detected an atmosphere around a “tiny, icy world beyond Pluto.” A new study suggests the 300-mile-wide “mini Pluto” has a thin atmosphere, possibly created by a comet or volcanic eruption. The lead scientist for NASA’s New Horizons Pluto mission, Alan Stern, cautioned the study needs independent verification but said “the implications are profound if verified.”
👩🏽⚖️ Unbiased Take: A key question for a major Supreme Court decision last week: how much can race matter in redistricting? Jenna breaks down the backstory of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the surprising origin of the term “gerrymandering” and the key questions ahead for minority protections, race and representation in 2026 and beyond.
🍱 Food for Thought: The old adage "feed a cold" may actually summarize a scientific fact – A new study suggests eating meals may give T-cells (white blood cells that help the body respond to threats) a boost to counter infections.
💵 $38 Billion: The projected amount of consumer spending ahead of Mother’s Day exceeds last year’s total spending by $4 billion. Flowers remain the top purchase, but also popular this year? Electronics.
🛫 So Long, Spirit — Or Maybe Hello? After the “discount carrier” officially shut down this week, one social media creator — who initially gained popularity for flying Spirit Airlines for 24 hours — floated a new idea: “We nationalize Spirit airlines. Owned by the people.” Thousands have pledged their support.
🐻 Marmalade Mayhem: A Paddington Bear statue in London’s Southampton can’t seem to catch a break. Just days after crews reinstalled the bear following earlier vandalism, someone removed him from his bench again. Police later found Paddington intact in a nearby park and escorted him back home.
💊 Deprescribing: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan to curb what he calls “the overuse of psychiatric medications—especially among children.” Some of the nation’s top psychiatrists are calling for clearer guidance on “deprescribing” — helping patients safely stop taking medications when they no longer need them. The American Psychiatric Association emphasized that deprescribing should be a conversation between patients and doctors, saying that patients should "have access to the full range of evidence-based treatments."
👂🏽 Elf Ears: A popular cosmetic trend in South Korea that uses fillers to make one’s ears appear more prominent and one’s face appear smaller. Searches for “ear filler” saw a 1,200% spike last year after a K-pop singer admitted to using elf-ear tape.
“My mom didn’t live to see me as president, but she was reflected in everything I did as president because she was a kind person, somebody who believed in doing things for other folks and not just thinking for yourself.”
Former President Barack Obama reflecting on his mother and detailing how a water terrace in the Obama Presidential Center is named in her honor. The center opens to the public this summer in Chicago, and the Ann Dunham Water Terrace is “designed where kids can run in and out of the fountain, and play in it and splash in it,” said the former president. “She loved kids.”
And that's The Weekend Digest!
❤️,
Jenna and the SHN Team
Daily news, interviews, our latest podcasts and more at www.SmartHERNews.com.
