Democrats just secured a historic victory

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     August 16, 2022 It took nearly 50 years, but the Academy has [finally apologized]( for the harassment that Sacheen Littlefeather faced when she declined the Oscar for best actor on behalf of Marlon Brando in 1973. I knew that people had booed Littlefeather, who is Apache and Yaqui, when she took the stage to decry "the treatment of American Indians by the film industry," but it wasn't until the Academy issued its apology that I realized just how cruelly people treated her. The actor John Wayne, incensed, [tried to rush the stage](. Later in the evening, Clint Eastwood joked, "I don’t know if I should present this award on behalf of all the cowboys shot in all the John Ford westerns over the years." Littlefeather said that people in the audience made the "tomahawk chop" motion and that people shot at her in the doorway of Brando's house later that evening. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The white inhabitants of this continent had spent centuries either openly hating Indigenous peoples, or regarding them as a nuisance to be avoided—why would a night honoring the glitz and glam of Hollywood be any different? Littlefeather told the [Hollywood Reporter]( that she was "stunned" when she received the reconciliation letter from the Academy. In an [interview with the Academy](, she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to discuss what she went through in 1973. "It feels like the sacred circle is completing itself before I go in this life," she said. "It feels like a big cleanse." —Abigail Weinberg P.S. Can you do us a quick favor? We’re trying our first newsletter sign-up drive because folks who read our reporting regularly, like you, are so damn important to everything we do. It will only take a minute to help: Just share [this sign-up page]( on your social feeds, or forward this email, along with a note about why you think our newsletter is worth reading. Friends asking friends is the best way to reach new would-be readers, so your recommendation will really help us out! Advertisement [Harper Collins Longpath]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Is Now Law, Bringing Historic Changes to Climate Fight and Health Care Costs]( Democrats finally got it done. BY ARIANNA COGHILL [Trending] [The Inflation Reduction Act was a huge win for Democrats. Will it help them in the midterms?]( BY ABBY VESOULIS   [Did Democrats really just make a "devil's bargain"?]( BY NITISH PAHWA   [Greg Norman: A portrait of a choke artist as an old man shilling for Saudi Arabia]( BY ALI BRELAND   [Biden's IRA targets a corporate tactic for amassing wealth and avoiding taxes. Will it work?]( BY HANNAH LEVINTOVA Advertisement [Harper Collins Harper]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Women’s Prisons Are Filled With Domestic Violence Survivors. A New Type of Law Could Help Them Get Out.]( It passed in New York, and now other states may follow. BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755