For yesterday's debut episode of his "This Is Gavin Newsom" podcast, California Governor Gavin Newsom sat down with Turning Point USA co-founder and far-right conspiracy theorist Charlie Kirk. The conversation has angered many on the left, who consider Newsom's support for Kirk's stance against transgender athletes — and his friendly embrace of the controversial culture warrior, in general — a red flag for any future political ambitions.

'Exceedingly' friendly conversation 
The podcast episode presented Newsom in an "opposite light" compared to his "stumping as a surrogate" for Democrats in the last presidential election and "sparring with ideological foes" like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sean Hannity, said Politico. Newsom's "stunning remarks" suggesting Democrats "were in the wrong" on the issue of transgender athletes were made during a conversation in which the governor also "distanced himself from the use of pronouns," lamented cancel culture and criticized the leadership of the Black Lives Matter movement. Newsom ultimately veered into "exceedingly" friendly territory with Kirk, a "close ally" of President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. 

Newsom suggested that the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports is "deeply unfair," despite having "backed LGBTQ causes for decades," said The New York Times. While "hardly the first" Democrat to "lament" his party's stance on transgender athletes, Newsom has become the "most prominent official" to do so.

Effort to 'court the right'?
Newsom's embrace of Kirk's position on transgender athletes "seems to be part of his effort to court the right," said The 19th reporter Orion Rummler on Bluesky. But Newsom's "chasing" what he thinks is "public opinion" only means that he "will have made a bunch of statements" he may eventually have to disavow, said the Times opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie on Bluesky. Newsom did not "debate" Kirk or "challenge his far-right views," journalist Kat Tenbarge said on Bluesky. 

Given Kirk's documented anti-transgender rhetoric, Newsom's decision to platform him is not "fostering a 'discussion' on transgender people in sports," said journalist Erin Reed on Substack. Instead, the governor is "handing a known hate monger a microphone to denigrate an already vulnerable community." 

Gentle parenting is having a rough time of late. After years of being the parenting style du jour and inspiration for mountains of momfluencer social media content, the empathy-heavy, punishment-free child-rearing method is facing a backlash. 

With gentle parenting, the "naughty step is out," and "talking feelings through is in," said Ed Cumming at The Telegraph. The theory is that if you focus on your child's "motivations and feelings," rather than "guiding them with punishment or shame," you will equip them "better for adult life." But surveys and "frazzled" posts on parenting forums suggest parents are "tiring of deferring to their child's every whim." 

'Children know they are sometimes bad' 
Gentle parenting "professes to foster compassion and emotional self-understanding" in children, said self-professed skeptic Marilyn Simon on UnHerd. Throwing a tantrum is a sign of frustration, so it "should be understood, not punished", because "for a gentle parent, children aren't bad". Whether or not you agree with this premise, "the worst part" is "the tone of voice" that "gentle parents" adopt. "You know the voice. 'What kind of choice do we want to make, Aiden?' 'Ella, we use gentle voices with each other.'" The gentle approach can come across as condescending, even to a child. 

In truth, "most children know that they are sometimes bad," and the "job of the parent is not to prevent any potential 'trauma.'" It's to "love the child even when they are bad and to punish them and, most importantly, to forgive them." 

'Godsend' 
While practicing gentle parenting has "not been the easiest thing in the world," it has ultimately been a "godsend," said Allie and Chris Bullivant at the Institute for Family Studies. Parents can never be perfect, but they can help their child to navigate emotion and conflict more gracefully. 

While gentle parenting might be having a wobbly moment, the days of "strict schedules" and "threatening timeouts" are largely gone, said Helen Rumbelow at The Times. The calls for strictness and punishments have been muted, although that "doesn’t mean they aren't out there." After all, "fashions in parenting veer like a child on a swing."