This GOP victory is good for Biden

Plus, Lawrence O’Donnell exposes former classmate RFK Jr. [VIEW IN BROWSER]( MSNBC DAILY Understand today's news [VIEW IN BROWSER]( MSNBC DAILY Understand today's news Friday, Jul. 21, 2023 THE LATEST [Alternate text] [Why embracing Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' movie is so complicated]( By Natalia Mehlman Petrzela The original [Barbie fantasy]( involved no Malibu mansions or impossibly arched feet or any of the famous doll’s more recent multi-hyphenate ambitions of being an astronaut, an anthropologist and a entrepreneur — or any female fantasy at all. The first Barbie, released in the U.S. in 1959, was modeled on a German sex doll named Lilli, a shapely plastic figurine who had blond hair, heavily made-up eyes, skimpy attire and a perpetual pout. Lilli was so popular among men in post-World War II Germany that she quickly evolved from a gold-digging cartoon “floozy” to a three-dimensional fixture found dangling from rearview mirrors and on the shelves of tobacco shops, though never in children’s stores. One modern journalist described Lilli as “an Aryan fantasy.” This origin story, along with so-common-they’re-clichéd criticisms of Barbie as perpetuating unattainable beauty standards, is why our collective saturation in what has felt like a monthslong bright pink release party for feminist filmmaker [Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming “Barbie” film]( should give us pause. This is a preview of Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's latest article. [Read the full column here](.     TOP STORIES [Alternate text] [Photo of Biden]( [MICHAEL A. COHEN]( [The tell-tale sign Biden is likely to secure a second term]( The ‘silly season’ of presidential politics is working in Biden’s favor. [Read more.]( [A photo of Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy]( [STEVE BENEN]( [Matt Gaetz unveils measure to defund Jack Smith’s investigations](//link.msnbc.com/click/32150219.58143/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL3JhY2hlbC1tYWRkb3ctc2hvdy9tYWRkb3dibG9nL3RlZC1jcnV6LXRha2VzLWFpbS1iYXJiaWUtbW92aWUtbGF0ZXN0LXBvcC1jdWx0dXJlLW1pc3N0ZXAtcmNuYTk0ODI3P2NpZD1lbWxfbWRhXzIwMjMwNzIxJnVzZXJfZW1haWw9ZDdkYzc0NTE3Mjk3YjM5NzFhYTE0ZDZmMzMxMTM1YTA4NzhmOGY2NDBmYTFhMTAxOWYxNTdiNjVjMWI1ZGQxZA/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914Bd1a3f3ac The question isn't why Matt Gaetz introduced a bill to defund Smith's investigations. The question is what Kevin McCarthy will do about it. [Read more.]( [Photo of Marjorie Taylor Greene]( [MARISA KABAS]( [The 'Barbie' dream is inclusivity and it's giving Fox News nightmares]( Unlike actual American women whose bodies Republicans have managed to impose controls on, Barbie remains beyond their grasp. [Read more.]( [A photo of Lindsey Graham]( [JORDAN RUBIN]( [Lindsey Graham accidentally makes a good point about Supreme Court reform](//link.msnbc.com/click/32150219.58143/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL29waW5pb24vbXNuYmMtb3Bpbmlvbi9hcml6b25hLWZhbHNlLWVsZWN0b3JzLWludmVzdGlnYXRpb24tdHJ1bXAtMjAyMC1yY25hOTQ5NTk_Y2lkPWVtbF9tZGFfMjAyMzA3MjEmdXNlcl9lbWFpbD1kN2RjNzQ1MTcyOTdiMzk3MWFhMTRkNmYzMzExMzVhMDg3OGY4ZjY0MGZhMWExMDE5ZjE1N2I2NWMxYjVkZDFk/58292da26e4adc7b0b8b4914B1792825b If an ethics code would ‘destroy’ the Supreme Court, that’s a pretty damning indictment of the court. [Read more.]( TOP VIDEOS [Alternate text] [THE LAST WORD]( [Lawrence blasts hypocrisy of former college classmate RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign 'stunt']( [THE REIDOUT]( [Trump grand jury hears testimony from aide who was with him on Jan. 6]( [MORNING JOE]( [Biden leading Trump in new general election polling]( [CHRIS JANSING REPORTS]( Senate committee passes bill to impose stronger ethics code on SCOTUS with uncertain future MORE FROM MSNBC [Alternate text] The fifth episode of "Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News" examines how conservative governors are depositing migrants in liberal cities. Rachel Maddow and co-host Isaac-Davy Aronson reveal how this strategy was ripped from an earlier playbook in U.S. politics by revisiting the Reverse Freedom Rides of the 1960s. [Listen now.](   Sunday, watch the first episode of "Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss." The five-part documentary series follows actor Rainn Wilson as he explores some of the happiest places on Earth and unpacks the science of happiness along the way. First up on Rainn's journey: Iceland. "Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss" begins Sunday at 10pm ET on MSNBC and is streaming now on Peacock. MSNBC INSIGHTS [Alternate text] Have you ever wanted to provide MSNBC with your opinion about their TV programs, documentaries, and digital products, such as MSNBC.com, newsletters, and podcasts? Now is your chance! [Join the MSNBC Insights Community.](   [Image] [Image] 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 [PRIVACY]( | [CONTACT]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE](listvar=sub_daily) [PRIVACY]( | [CONTACT]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE](listvar=sub_daily)