Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Huma Abedin is drawing fire from the GOP, an activist investor is going after Marissa Mayer, and Samantha Bee is preparing to pump some much needed estrogen into late-night TV. Have a wonderful Thursday.
EVERYONE'S TALKING
• Who is Huma? Huma Abedin has long been Hillary Clinton’s closest aide—but now, she may become the candidate's biggest liability. Her Pakistani and Muslim heritage, her marriage to disgraced former New York congressman Anthony Weiner, and her status as a special government employee—which allows her to work in both the private sector and the White House—are all coming under scrutiny. Vanity Fair
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
• Transition time? Activist investor and Yahoo shareholder Jeffrey Smith yesterday wrote a sharply-worded letter criticizing the company’s board and calling for CEO Marissa Mayer to resign. Yaho was quick to respond, issuing a statement saying it's in the midst of a “multiyear transition” and is preparing to be “more focused.” This transition may include job cuts. Fortune
• Barra's baby. Speaking at at CES, the annual consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas, GM CEO Mary Barra touted the company's new electric car, the Chevrolet Bolt EV. Barra cited the Bolt, which went from concept to production in 12 months, as proof that critics who call the automaker slow and antiquated are wrong. Fortune
• Clinton chat. In this exclusive Time interview, Hillary Clinton talks about her admiration for Angela Merkel, her perspective on how sexism has changed over the years, and her attempts to walk the line between toughness and likability. Time
• Riding for Rey. Hasbro has responded to Star Wars fans who are upset that Rey, the new film's female hero, was not included on its new The Force Awakens Monopoly game. The toy giant offered the ridiculous explanation that it left her out to avoid spoiling key plot points (she's on the movie posters, after all), and said that she will be featured in it's next Monopoly version, which comes out later this year. Fortune
• Mark your calendars. Samantha Bee is preparing for the Feb. 8 debut of her upcoming TBS show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. While Bee made a conscious effort to hire a diverse staff—about half the writers are women—she's not above joking about her status as the only female host in late-night show:“I think I get immunity from prosecution. I can murder someone.” New York Times
• Money can't buy confidence. A new study found that women in developed countries with relatively small gender gaps are actually less confident than women in developing countries. One possible explanation: Women in Western nations tend to compare themselves to men, while women in other parts of the world compare themselves to other women. Time
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Pinterest named Candice Morgan, formerly of Catalyst, as its first head of diversity.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• The engineer whisperer. Engineer Lina Nilsson, who served as innovation director of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley, talks to Fortune about how to attract more women to engineering, when women tend to abandon the field, and why we shouldn’t fear “pink engineering.” Fortune
• Bro bands. Coachella released its 2016 lineup, which features three male-led headlining bands; the festival hasn’t had a female solo act headline since Bjork in 2007. Hollywood Reporter
• Diverse entertainment. Writer Jeva Lang shares what she learned when she swore off reading or watching anything by white men for most of 2015. The Week
• Keep climbing. New York native Ashima Shiraishi has been called the most talented rock climber in the world. She also happens to be just 14 years old. This fascinating profile calls her “the first female climber whose accomplishments may transcend gender, and the first rock climber who could become a household name.” The New Yorker
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ON MY RADAR
Melania Trump's American dream Harper's Bazaar
Rutgers surpasses $2 million mark for Gloria Steinem endowed chair Ms.
How Adele absolutely killed it in 2015 Fortune
Michelle Phan: from beauty blogger to icon Nylon
QUOTE
I like the saying that it's not the most intelligent or strongest of the species that survives, it is the most adaptable to change.
Lands' End CEO Federica Marchionni, on why she's never been afraid to switch jobs or industries
