Vauhini Vara

Online fast-fashion giant Shein has grown dramatically and sells a massive volume of super-cheap, disposable clothing for budget-conscious teenagers. But the Chinese company has disclosed very little about its production, reports Vauhini Vara, that it’s hard to measure its environmental footprint.

Lu, the University of Delaware professor, found that in a recent 12-month period, the Gap listed roughly 12,000 different items on its website, H&M had about 25,000, and Zara had some 35,000. Shein, in that period, had 1.3 million.

“I didn’t know how to write about my sister’s death—so I had AI do it for me.”

It would have been unthinkable a decade ago that the Republican stronghold of Orange County, California would ever be up for grabs by Democrats. But life behind the “red curtain” is changing, and the county might hold the key for turning disgruntled never-Trumpers into blue voters—as long as the Democrats don’t mess it up.