Blake Lively Gains Support from Advocacy Groups in Legal Battle with Justin Baldoni Over #MeToo Speech Law

By Nikki Reese | May 29, 2025
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Resilience & Mindset Mastery
Growth Forecast for Africa Slashed by AfDB, Resilience Offers Hope

Tuesday’s African Economic Outlook report warned that significant aid cuts will impact low-income countries across the continent. The African Development Bank now projects growth rates of 3.9 percent for 2025 and 4 percent for 2026, marking a downward revision of 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points, respectively. Despite persistent uncertainties, 21 African nations are still expected to achieve economic growth exceeding 5 percent this year, a resilience attributed to effective domestic reforms, increased diversification, and improved macroeconomic management over the past decade. The AfDB urged member countries to unlock their development potential by focusing on strategic investments, supportive policies, and innovative financing. The report also emphasized that strong institutions, good governance, and the rule of law are crucial for managing Africa’s capital, calling for transparent public finances, secured property rights, and predictable legal frameworks.

Health
The Perils Behind the Wellness Revolution: What You Need to Know

For many Americans, health care is something to be feared and postponed—a source of discomfort, lost time, or financial strain. For the fortunate few, it might mean lounging on an exam table at a med spa, undergoing a “gravity” colonic. Amy Larocca’s new book, How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time, opens with her trying this exact procedure, despite her doctor’s warnings. She describes how the water flushed into her colon is supposed to eliminate toxins and promises to “change my life, provide perspective and purpose, and a near-ecstatic lightness of being.”

Larocca, a reporter who spent 20 years covering fashion for New York magazine, approaches the subject with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. She admits to being both a willing participant and a critical observer. She’s far from alone in seeking not just health but a deeper sense of “wellness,” which she identifies as the new “feminine ideal.” According to a 2024 report from the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness industry is now worth $6.3 trillion—surpassing Germany’s GDP and nearly quadrupling the size of the global pharmaceutical market. Most of this growth has occurred in the last decade, dubbed the “wellness decade,” with women making up the majority of consumers.

Entertainment
Blake Lively Gains Support from Advocacy Groups in Legal Battle with Justin Baldoni Over #MeToo Speech Law

Blake Lively is receiving backing from several advocacy groups as she seeks to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s defamation countersuit, which they argue threatens important legal protections for survivors of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Equal Rights Advocates, a San Francisco-based nonprofit focused on gender equity and workplace rights, submitted an amicus brief on Tuesday urging a federal judge to uphold Lively’s motion and defend California’s new free-speech law that safeguards those who speak out about sexual misconduct. Additionally, Elyse Dorsey, a former federal employee and survivor of sexual harassment, filed a letter of interest, sharing her own experience of being sued for defamation after speaking out and noting that the law in question could have prevented her prolonged legal battle. More advocacy organizations, including Child USA and Sanctuary for Families, are expected to submit supporting briefs in the coming days.