Introducing the Status Shop

When we launched Status last summer, we weren’t thinking about merchandise. We were thinking about reporting, about asking hard questions, about building something independent that could cut through our noisy world with clarity and purpose.

But over time, something else started to take shape alongside the journalism: a community of people who care deeply about press freedom, accountability, and how information moves through the world.

This week, we’re opening the Status Shop—an extension of the brand and the mission. It’s a way to give form to the ideas behind the work. It’s a way to bring the spirit of Status beyond the screen and into something you can wear, carry, or gift—something that speaks without having to shout.

We’re starting with a limited-edition T-shirt, designed around the First Amendment. On the front, an emblem of accountability. On the back, a clear message: “Protected by the First Amendment.” It’s simple, direct, and—like good journalism—leaves a lasting impression.

We created the shirt to coincide with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but this isn’t about any one event or institution. It’s about the principle behind it: that truth still matters, and a free press is worth protecting.

Only 250 of these shirts will be made, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. To underline the mission, 50% of proceeds will be donated to the legal defense fund of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides pro-bono support to journalists and comes to the aid of those facing legal threats for doing their jobs.

There will be more to come from the store in the weeks ahead. But this first drop felt like the right place to begin.

Thank you, as always, for being part of the Status community.

• Status Scoop | Ryan Lizza has departed POLITICO and launched a Substack publication called Telos. “Telos is a new publication by veteran journalist Ryan Lizza about the crisis in Washington,” the landing page of Lizza’s new outlet declares. The remaining details are under wraps, but I’m told that Lizza will publish a major piece this week, which is said to be part memoir and part investigative.

• Columbia University fired Columbia Journalism Review executive editor Sewell Chan after staff complaints about his workplace behavior. [NYT]

  • Ravi Somaiya, who worked under Chan, wrote a brutal first-hand account of what he said it was like at CJR under his leadership: "He saved his truest rage for those he considered junior to him." [Breaker]

  • Chan released a lengthy statement of his own: "These are normal workplace interactions and I did exactly what I was hired to do, which was to provide rigorous, fair, careful editorial oversight and raise the metabolism and impact of a publication that’s supposed to monitor the media." [LinkedIn]

• 👀 Mark Zuckerberg, Jamie Dimon, and other insiders "cashed out shares worth billions of dollars before President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements roiled markets," Biz Carson reported. [Bloomberg]

• Joe Flint profiled Ari Emanuel, who rises each day at 4am, catches up with Mark Wahlberg "every day about 4:30 or 5am," and then "makes as many as 300 calls" during the day. [WSJ]

• Drew Harwell profiled the prolific cable news clipper Acyn Torabi, "the 40-something single dad shaping liberal media from his laptop." [WaPo]

• A judge permitted Harvey Weinstein to stay at Bellevue Hospital each night after court adjourns each day for his #MeToo trial. [AP]

• Not funny: Actor Vince Vaughn visited Trump in the Oval Office and joked he was a "White House crasher." [The Hill]

• John Lithgow hit back at fans who were dismayed he will play Dumbledore in HBO's forthcoming "Harry Potter" series, instead of a proper Englishman: "I remind everyone that I did play Winston Churchill on ‘The Crown’ and did just fine." [Deadline]

  • Meanwhile, "Bridgerton" star Nicola Coughlan said she wouldn't touch the series "with a 10-foot pole" because of J.K. Rowling's constant attacks on trans people. [The Wrap]

• Hayden Christensen said he will return as Anakin Skywalker for the second season of "Ahsoka." [Variety]

• The Warner Bros. vampire horror/thriller “Sinners” found paradise and topped the Easter box office with a strong $45.6 million debut. Studio bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are surely smiling!

• “A Minecraft Movie” fell to $41.3 million at the domestic box office in its third weekend. It has now made more than $720 million worldwide.

• Elsewhere, “The King of Kings” nabbed $17.2 million, “The Amateur” $7.2 million, “Warfare” $4.9 million, and “Drop” $3.4 million.

[Data via Box Office Mojo]