The Week Evening Review
Musk's pronatalist influence, 4chan's legacy, and RFK Jr.'s autism focus

 
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION

How will the GOP encourage more 'legions' like Musk's?

Elon Musk says the world needs more babies, and he's doing his level best to help the cause. The world's richest man has fathered at least 14 children with four women. And pronatalist Republicans increasingly see him as a champion for their cause. 

Musk reportedly refers to his children as his "legion" and says they are "relevant to his ambition" to send humans to Mars. "Helping seed the earth with more human beings of high intelligence" is part of that mission, said The Wall Street Journal. 

That makes Musk the "country's most famous pronatalist," said The New York Times. The pronatalist movement has "never had so much political power in America." Family-minded GOP officials are contemplating offering a $5,000 "baby bonus" for new children and creating public education efforts about "menstrual cycles and fertility windows." 

What did the commentators say?
There's a difference between "being pro-natalist and being pro-family," said Elizabeth Bruenig at The Atlantic. The pronatalist movement breaks down along "tech versus trad, future versus past, reproduction versus family" lines. Conservative Christian "trads" have long "animated" the GOP, but tech people like Musk have "more resources and power to market their ideology." Musk's values appear to be "detached from the usual ties of familial love" that trads embrace. 

"Pronatalists focus on the numbers game," said Haley Strack at the National Review. The Trump administration is contemplating a "National Medal of Motherhood" for women who have given birth to six or more children. But it would be better off addressing the "indirect costs of parenthood and how to create a baby-friendly culture." It should also take recommendations from pro-family advocates, for whom children are "not just numbers."

What next?
The "number of births in 2023 fell to the lowest level in over 40 years," said Newsweek. "Low birth rates will end civilization," Musk said in a post on X. 

Cuts driven by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have "slashed" existing fertility and maternal health programs, said The Washington Post. Maternal health experts said the cuts will have an "enduring effect on women and children." They worry that other resources, including a maternal health phone line operated by the federal government, may also soon be shuttered. "We truly can't overstate the risk for families," said Wendy Davis, the CEO of Postpartum Support International.

 
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY

'Security can never be achieved through the domination, annihilation, humiliation or exclusion of the other.'

The late Pope Francis, in a posthumous op-ed before his death on Easter Monday, renewing his call for a "political solution that fully respects the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians" in their ongoing conflict

 
 
The Explainer

4chan and infamy in the age of the internet

The last rites are being read for one of the internet's most controversial anonymous online forums after it was hacked, reportedly by a rival internet faction. Some believe the development could "spell the end" for 4chan, said Sky News, after more than 20 years of influence and notoriety. 

Why is it controversial? 
The forum's meme content was the "funniest" thing my "14-year-old brain" had ever "laid eyes on," said Ryan Broderick at Wired. But what began as a "hub" for internet culture and an "anonymous way station for anarchic true believers" evolved into a "fan club for mass shooters" and the "beating heart" of far-right fascism. It became a "virus" that "infected every facet" of life, from the "slang we use" to the politicians "we vote for."

4chan helped "birth" a variety of "domestic terrorists," said Vice, as well as a "weaponized ideology of irony" powered by an ingrained sense of "nihilism" spawning "neo-Nazis, incels and folks who identify as both." Perhaps unsurprisingly, this led to existential issues for the forum. 

Websites like 4chan "create a surrogate family, same way you can form one at a bar," Arthur Jones, a documentary-maker, said to The Guardian. "You sit around, break each other's balls, talk some shit, have fun and feel like you belong." Jones' first feature doc was about perhaps the most famous creation of 4chan, Pepe the frog (pictured above), who became a cultural touchstone for the alt-right. 

What's happened with the hack? 
Earlier this week, a message appeared on parts of the site with the words: "U GOT HACKED." The hacker posted screenshots allegedly showing 4chan's "back end, source code and templates to ban users," said TechCrunch, along with a list of the names of 4chan moderators and "janitors," or users who can delete posts and threads but don't have full moderator access. 

There's a "growing feeling" that 4chan will stay offline, and a lot of people feel "maybe" that's not such a bad thing, said PC Gamer. A 4chan moderator said that work on restoring the site is under way, but a number of users "seem to have accepted that this really is very likely the end."

 
 

Statistic of the day

214.2 million hectoliters: The amount of wine sold globally in 2024, marking the lowest global wine sales since 1961, according to the International Organization of Vine and Wine. The 2024 total was a 3.3% drop from 2023. Wine production was also at its lowest level in over 60 years, falling 4.8% in 2024.

 
 
IN THE SPOTLIGHT

RFK Jr.'s focus on autism draws the ire of researchers

The prevalence of autism diagnoses has been steadily increasing over recent years. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that this trend is continuing, leading Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to publicly insist that autism is a "preventable disease" and an "epidemic" that should alarm Americans. However, his rhetoric is in direct opposition to the stance of many researchers and the lived experiences of autism advocates who are condemning his position.

Autism rates continue to rise
The latest report on autism from the CDC found that autism rates in 8-year-olds rose from 1 in 36 in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022, continuing a long-term uptick in diagnoses of the condition. That rate is nearly five times higher than in 2000, when the agency first began collecting data on the disorder.

At a news conference shortly after the release of the CDC's new report, Kennedy responded to the latest findings with a litany of comments that have angered autism researchers and advocates. Blaming the rise of diagnoses on possible environmental risk factors, he said the media and the public were succumbing to a "myth of epidemic denial" when it came to autism. 

Kennedy also said the National Institutes of Health would oversee a study into substances like mold, food additives and parental obesity as potential causes of the rising autism rates. The NIH will compile private medical records, sourced from federal agencies, pharmacy chains, fitness trackers and private insurers.

'Perception of autism as an aberration'
The "inescapable conclusion" of Kennedy's recent assertions about autism is that, under his leadership, the HHS is in the "grip of a pseudoscience revolution in which misinformation and disinformation are ascendant," said the Los Angeles Times. Kennedy's pronouncements "reflect an age-old perception of autism as an aberration and many autistic people as 'ineducable' and beyond help," said The Guardian columnist John Harris, whose son is autistic. That idea "surely blurs into populists' loathing of modern ideas about human difference." 

"Once you have declared war on diversity, an attack on the idea of neurodiversity will not be far away," said Harris. Kennedy's claims about autism chime with "one of the new right's most pernicious elements," which is the "constant insistence that everything is actually much simpler than it looks."

 
 

Good day 🦷

… for dentistry. Researchers at King's College London have successfully grown teeth in a laboratory — a breakthrough they say could pave the way for patients to regrow lost teeth in the future. The study has the potential to "revolutionize dental care," said Ana Angelova-Volponi, the director of regenerative dentistry at King’s College London.

 
 

Bad day 📰

… for Sarah Palin. The former vice-presidential candidate has lost the retrial of her defamation case against The New York Times. A New York jury found the newspaper was not liable for defaming Palin in a 2017 editorial about gun control. Palin appeared "dejected as she left the courthouse in Manhattan," said The Guardian.

 
 
Picture of the day

Flames over New Jersey

The Jones Road Wildfire spreads near Barnegat Township, New Jersey. As of press time, the wildfire has burned 12,000 acres and is about 35% contained. It could become the largest wildfire the state has seen in the past 20 years, said New Jersey Commissioner of Environmental Protection Shawn LaTourette.
Chris Szagola / AP

 
 
Puzzles

Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes sudoku and codewords

 
 
The Week recommends

Dogs make everything better, including vacation. To ensure a smooth and safe experience, give yourself time to plan, prep and pack everything your pup needs to be comfortable on the road.

Planning stages
First, think seriously about whether your dog will enjoy coming along. "Loving pet parents have the best intentions, but traveling can be stressful for some animals," veterinarian Lilian Wong said to National Geographic. 

Ask your vet if your pooch is healthy enough to travel, and ensure they are up to date on vaccinations. Research where the closest emergency vet hospital is to your destination and bring medical records. If you plan to be outdoors, get your pup prepped with flea, tick and heartworm preventative treatments.

On the road
Get your dog used to traveling via car by taking short excursions before the big trip. Keep your puppy passenger in the backseat with a restraint to "avoid distractions, as well as to protect the animal and other passengers in the event of a collision," said AAA. Choose a harness, seat belt attachment or crate, and check their safety ratings on the Center for Pet Safety's website.

In the air
Every airline has its own pet policy, and flying can be "complicated" for nonservice animals, said National Geographic. Countries also have different regulations, so you may need to add quarantine time to your itinerary. Dogs that do not fit in a carrier under the airplane seat will usually have to fly cargo. To avoid this, consider flying semi-private or private, like with BARK Air or K9 Jets.

 
 
WORD OF THE DAY

phthalates

Chemicals used as plasticizers, which make materials more malleable, that have been linked to serious health issues like cancer, neurological damage and early puberty. High levels of toxic phthalates, flame retardants and UV filters in the air in small children's bedrooms likely stem from kids' mattresses off-gassing the chemicals, according to researchers at the University of Toronto.

 
 
INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'Baltimore's good bet against problem gambling'
The Washington Post editorial board
Baltimore is "suing the two largest sportsbooks in the United States, FanDuel and DraftKings, for violating its consumer protection ordinance," and if "this case succeeds, other jurisdictions will file similar claims," says The Washington Post editorial board. Baltimore's lawsuit "might help spur Congress to act." If it can "prompt the industry to voluntarily adopt common-sense measures to prevent problem gambling, it will have been a big first step in the right direction."

'Will Gen Z's pivot to Republicans last?'
David M. Drucker at Bloomberg
The coronavirus pandemic "upended every aspect of American teenagers' lives," says David M. Drucker. It's "not surprising, then, that this group has gravitated to the GOP, the political party that ultimately opposed pandemic lockdowns and belittled precautions like vaccines and masks." This "distrust no doubt makes Trump attractive to this subgroup, given he's constantly stoking distrust in government and other federal institutions." Gen Z voters also "spent adolescence using social media as their window to the world."

'Want to understand the new Cold War? Look at Huawei.'
Brett Christophers at The Nation
"If one company symbolizes the ongoing struggle between America and China, that company, arguably, is Huawei," says Brett Christophers. America's "fear is that Huawei could or already does allow its products to be used to nefarious ends." For "all the security concerns, however, the fact that Huawei is regarded as such a threat has to do with much more than 'just' geopolitics." Equally "important, and perhaps even more so, is the brute fact of Huawei's staggering commercial success."

 
 

Poll watch

Over six in 10 (62%) of American workers say their jobs are meaningful, according to a YouGov survey. The poll of 1,122 adults found this to be nearly equal among genders, with 63% of women and 61% of men saying they have meaningful jobs. Only 20% of workers say their jobs are not meaningful.

 
 

Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Chas Newkey-Burden and Anahi Valenzuela, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images; Evelyn Hockstein / For The Washington Post via Getty Images; Tom Williams / Contributor / Getty Images; Peter Cade / Getty Images