In A Difficult Year, 'have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' Speaks To Us Now More Than Ever

For civil rights activists like Amanda Nguyen and Kelley Robinson, the road to a more equal future can be long and difficult. Two things crucial for getting there, they said in conversation with CNN anchor Abby Philip at Wednesday’s TIME100 Summit, are joy and math. “I think joy is the most radical form of rebellion,” said Nguyen, who was a key force behind passing the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in 2016 (and is also an astronaut).

Though Phoebe Robinson and Alex Edelman have opposing opinions on ice cream principles, both stand-up comedians believe in the importance of reaching people through the power of making them laugh. Robinson, who is also an author, podcast host and was the co-star of HBO’s “2 Dope Queens” joined Edelman, whose most recent Broadway show Just for Us recently premiered on HBO, at the TIME100 Summit on Wednesday in a conversation moderated by TIME Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “If you’re making people laugh, they’re listening, and they’re receiving.

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Arizona doctors could give their patients abortions in California under a proposal announced Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom to circumvent a ban on nearly all abortions in that state. It would apply only to doctors licensed in good standing in Arizona and their patients, and last only through the end of November.

U. S. health and agriculture officials are ramping up testing and tracking of bird flu in dairy cows in an urgent effort to understand — and stop — the growing outbreak. So far, the risk to humans remains low, officials said, but scientists are wary that the virus could change to spread more easily among people. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in nearly three dozen dairy herds in eight states.

Actor and climate activist Jane Fonda called for Americans to vote for “climate champions” up-and-down the ballot on Wednesday at the TIME100 Summit. “Joe Biden provides us a context in which we can fight and he can be pressured,” Fonda said. “The orange guy, forget it. There’s no space to fight or disagree.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] While Fonda did not explicitly touch on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, her comments seemed to be targeted in part to those on the left frustrated with the Biden Administration’s reluctance to call for a permanent ceasefire and its continued military aid to Israel as it carries out what critics see as a genocide.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry said at the TIME100 Summit Wednesday that the effort to ween the world off fossil fuels is in a “profoundly” better place now than it was three years ago under Donald Trump. President Biden’s predecessor put the climate agenda on a “bleak pathway,” says Kerry, who was named the first Presidential climate envoy by Biden in 2021, and spoke onstage with TIME senior correspondent Justin Worland.