Give

For more than three decades, Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney existed in parallel without ever quite meeting. They admired one another from afar, brushed shoulders only in passing, and, in some ways, represented opposing ways of challenging the limits placed on women in indie rock. Phair, who found novel and peerlessly smart ways to write about heterosexual skirmishes, used her ambitions to edge closer to the mainstream; Sleater-Kinney, one of the great duos of American rock, have succeeded in becoming the last band standing from the underground scene in which they emerged.

Both acts are about to share the stage for the first time, co-headlining a tour they’ve cheekily and earnestly named the Flannel and the Fury, with stops across the country, from El Cajon, Calif., to Ocean City, Md., and a night at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre on Tuesday.

Yet, despite having spent more than 30 years orbiting the same world, they have had surprisingly little time together. This interview is one of a few substantial conversations they’ve ever had. It is, at first, slightly stilted. Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney) are in sync as always; Phair is clearly excited, but seemingly unsure of where to place herself in the dynamic. Now all in their 50s, the women have been asking similar questions of the same culture, and are only now getting the chance to compare answers.

“Sorry, I know you’re like, ‘Why aren’t you better friends?’ For me, that’s the point. I’m trying to be better friends,” says Brownstein. “Yeah, talk to us again when tour’s over,” Tucker adds.

Brownstein is sitting in a parking lot in Los Angeles, wearing a cardigan and glasses, people walking past her window, unaware of who’s inside. Tucker calls from her home, a blurred background behind her, wearing a white blouse and lipstick. Phair is at home too, makeup on and hair straightened, various musical instruments on the wall behind her. It’s a few weeks before their co-headlining tour, and Tucker has already loaded up all the equipment. She’s packed her suitcase too, full of socks she’ll throw away by the end of tour, and a wardrobe almost entirely of black.

“This is news to me,” says Brownstein. “I was thinking more of a chocolate brown. I will be all brown town.”

Phair is going for wine-like jewel tones. “A Cab Sav,” to be specific.

Phair, who’s had an on-and-off relationship with touring, is noticeably more nervous than Brownstein and Tucker. “It takes me two or three shows to get into it. At first I’m like, why are you all staring at me?”

Phair had been sitting on the idea of a co-headlining tour with Sleater-Kinney for a few years. She sheepishly says that she didn’t reach out herself, but got her manager to do it while she was working on the second half of her memoir. She’s been keen to share a bill with Sleater-Kinney ever since she heard their 1996 album “Call the Doctor.”

“By then, I’d started to pull back from indie rock,” says Phair. “I had gotten married, and I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time, but I was starting to drift out of this scene, and then they put out this kick-ass record, and I just remember thinking, I kind of want to be back in the game. It inspired me. It stuck with me.”

Phair felt she was atomized from the female coalitions of the ’90s, and that this co-bill might be a way to rectify that. “I’d love to be able to go back and sew it together again,” she says. “Here’s a band I was a fan of that meant something to me and now I can play with them.”

For Sleater-Kinney, Phair has long been more than a neighboring act. Tucker and Brownstein describe her as one of their “biggest inspirations.” Both have the same Phair favorite song: “Divorce Song.” “It’s a perfect song,” says Tucker. “I think I’ve put it on every mixtape I’ve ever made,” Brownstein adds.

By the time Phair released her debut album, “Exile in Guyville,” in 1993, she was the one of the two acts edging toward the mainstream. Within a year, she was on the cover of Rolling Stone.

“I still have a copy of the magazine,” says Brownstein. “We were all so excited. Like, an actual artist made the cover.”

Nirvana had made this small corporate alliance permissible a couple of years earlier, finding a loophole as Cobain wore a T-shirt that read “Corporate Magazines Still Suck” on their Rolling Stone cover. It was a time when an antiauthoritarian stance was the only artistically credible one. Before we started calling one another “performative,” Tucker, Brownstein and Phair came from a time when “poser” was the worst insult and sin. They came from a scene of ideological puritanism.

“You know when people die their life flashes before their eyes, sometimes, it’s like that when I do a deep dive, and I’m like, God, there were a lot of rules. There was a lot of fear. And I don’t think anyone who wasn’t there would be able to picture it,” says Brownstein. “It took us a long time to get over it.”

“OK, can I ask the question? Can I get right in here? Because I want to know,” Phair chimes. “Do you think that’s because there weren’t enough women? You think women would have brought the inclusivity to inclusivity?”

“Unfortunately, no,” replies Tucker.

“We had these all-female festivals in Olympia, and we had our own publicist, and they were like, how dare we?” says Brownstein. “You know, it was just gatekeeping, that now seems sort of repugnant. But it was also a way to establish yourself in opposition to what felt like the only way to be.”

It’s part of why Sleater-Kinney declined an invite to play Lilith Fair, the mainstream precedent for so-called female solidarity in music. One of history’s most famous traveling all-female festivals, Lilith Fair was considered by many in the Riot Grrrl movement to be an early symbol of the commodification of “girl power,” female solidarity aligned with corporate ideals.

Sleater Kinney

(Robin Laananen)

“It seems like they haven’t really given credit to women in an independent milieu who have organized a lot of female-only shows for years,” Brownstein told the Dallas Observer in 1998.

“I think at the time we thought we were too cool to play Lilith,” Tucker reflects.

“I’ll just leave your answer,” says Brownstein.

Then she changes her mind four seconds later.

“I saw the Lilith Fair documentary last year and got FOMO, I kind of regretted not playing” she says. “But at the same time we had a handicap from a small indie punk community that was kind of didactic, there was a real rigidity to what you were and weren’t allowed to do. Even us signing with Matador in the U.K. was considered too big.”

Selling out, they all conclude, is no longer a concern for anyone. Phair’s son, who is Gen Z, often says the phrase “it’s time to get the bag.”

“You know, every artist has the right to get their bag,” says Phair. “I always felt that way and I was especially vilified for it.”

That vilification reached its apex when she released her mainstream-aspiring self-titled album in 2003, an album Sleater-Kinney said they hated in an interview with Rolling Stone that year, and which Pitchfork gave a rare 0.0 score in one of its most notorious reviews.

“I’d be on tour doing 10 interviews a day back-to-back, and I almost had to give these interviewers therapy, because they were so sad about my turn from indie rock,” says Phair.

Phair is adamant she made her mark on “every one of those songs, except maybe ‘Favorite,’” she says, referencing the chintzy, awkwardly phrased track where she sings about her underwear. Maybe it’s a metaphor, but more likely, it is just a song about her underwear. Safe to say it won’t be on the show’s setlist: “I will never play it live.”

The old argument about selling out now sits inside a very different touring economy. Sleater-Kinney and Phair’s co-headlining tour happens to follow a flood of co-headlining tours this year, from indie acts like Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman to big marquee names like Usher and Chris Brown. With higher ticket prices and more competition — not only with other touring bands but with the allures of home comforts — audiences need a bigger draw. Artists want an opportunity to play to big audiences, as well as a better chance of “getting the bag.”

All three artists insist they won’t necessarily bring home the bag, nor is that why they’re doing this.

“All our budget’s gone on to the lighting designer,” jokes Brownstein.

“When I do these interviews with you guys, I get kind of excited and nervous because I feel challenged in the best way,” says Phair. “I think co-headlining bills, it does let you go into bigger venues than you could by yourself. But it also, for me, gives me creative food, like nutrition. It makes me grow.”

I hadn’t planned to enjoy any of this. As summer light fell on Stac Pollaidh – the summit’s teeth bared, the views stretching across the surreal emptiness of Assynt – I found myself ankle-deep in blanket bog next to a hiking path, back bent, hacking at the tough terrain with a heavy-duty mattock. Farther up the hillside, another hunched figure was cutting a deep brown scar into the moor grass and, while he worked, I stood back to look at my efforts. At my feet was a cross drain that I’d unblocked and repacked with new stonework to prevent storm damage and aid runoff from the path. A burble began to trickle, slow yet clear across the sparkling bedrock. It felt a little like appreciating a masterwork in a museum.

I’d come to Wester Ross with a bucket and spade, not for a beach break at particularly gorgeous Achmelvich or Clachtoll nearby, but with the notion of giving something back to the hills. The Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (Oats) is a steward of many of the Highlands’ most famous mountains – developing, building and repairing paths and habitats – and I’d joined a group of volunteers for a two-day stint on the north-west Highlands’ most visited peak. Factoring in a free stay at Ullapool youth hostel and the promise of a home-cooked communal meal in return, plus an acceptable midge-free forecast, I’d driven north from Edinburgh the night before in a buoyant mood.

Oats’s purpose is to promote sustainable public access and these days that’s largely done through voluntourism, with helpers set to work lifting, resurfacing and filling pathways, yielding landscape-scale results. Iconic if traffic-heavy mountains such as An Teallach, Lochnagar and Braeriach are annual priorities, as are a throng of glens and estates from Skye to the Cairngorms. (Due to this summer’s devastating fires, some events in the north Cairngorms may be changed to a different location or postponed.) The trust’s volunteers even regularly get to work on the Lairig Ghru, arguably Britain’s most unforgiving mountain pass.

It might sound like all hard graft, but it’s not. Volunteers learn new practical skills and gain awareness of mountain path design and the causes of erosion – mostly a combination of human misuse and increasing extreme weather conditions – in settings with extraordinary views. No experience is required, but volunteers must be used to spending time outdoors, have good physical fitness and be capable of using hand tools.

We started that first morning from Stac Pollaidh’s car park, a space transformed by Oats two years ago to accommodate four times more vehicles – a result of the mountain’s accessibility from the North Coast 500, which hurtles past (from Kylesku to Ullapool) only five miles east, at the end of the road. But everyone comes with the same motivation. As we climbed the open moorland, Assynt’s surrounding sea of lochans (small lochs) sparkled. Stac Pollaidh’s summit, to the north, appeared even more welcoming with its porcupine ridge under a sky as blue as a newborn’s eye.

From below the hilltop to the lower forest’s edge, we worked the path – unclogging ditches, removing invasive grasses, dredging, stabilising the soil, repacking stone drains, replanting edges – all while the mountain came to life. Trail runners, dog walkers and hikers from across Europe weaved up the slopes, stopping to ask what we were doing. A French school group trooped past, the pupils plastered with blue Braveheart face paint. A Dutch couple stopped to offer biscuits. Everyone swallowed the stunning views of Suilven to the north.

Our group of seven volunteers – including two New Zealanders; three retirees, one from Inverness, one from Stirling and another from Forfar; and an Edinburgh IT worker using his annual corporate volunteer days – appreciated the smiles.

To a newcomer, the Highlands’ mountain paths may appear to have always been there, as if part of the landscape’s DNA. But as Oats’s volunteer coordinator Eva Kupska said, they are “always evolving and always at risk from erosion, because of the influences of nature and man … and it is our job to conserve them”.

Every volunteer is vital. Post-Brexit, with a lack of EU funding streams, Eva told me there is a drastic need for a public fund for path maintenance and habitat restoration, and the charity simply doesn’t have the manpower to tackle the deteriorating pathways or native tree planting alone. To complicate matters, some of the most popular mountain paths are on privately owned land, with no access to any public funding.

There are a further 12 one-day, plus three- and five-day, maintenance and conservation events scheduled to take place this year, including some dedicated tree-planting trips. It’s a joyful shared experience. That first afternoon, flasks of hot tea were unscrewed and homemade fruit loaf was shared. There was the warm smell of flowering heather and the earthy stink of the bogs, along with the satisfaction of time well spent in the wild.

That evening, back in Ullapool, the harbour abuzz with tourists eating fish suppers and gulls circling above the trawlers, we stood in the sea-view kitchen of Ullapool youth hostel sharing life stories and the day’s experience. There are plenty of excellent dinner options, including The Seafood Shack and The Dipping Lugger, but we settled on a night of each other’s company (delightful), local beers (necessary) and a giant gurgling stockpot of Eva’s courgette and tomato risotto (terrific). And boy, did I sleep well.

The next day brought a gossamer mist to the hills of Wester Ross. We arrived earlier, picked up where we’d left off and, largely, never complained as the sun slowly cracked through the clouds. But best of all was seeing our progress as we worked down the mountain, step by step, always avoiding the fragile vegetation at the path’s edges, creating something better and more sustainable for tomorrow. A staycation with a purpose – and it felt good.

The trip was provided by Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland, with support from VisitScotland. To register as a volunteer and to sign up for events on the annual path maintenance days programme, visit Oats’s volunteering portal. Overnight accommodation in a youth hostel or a bothy, plus evening meals and transport to and from the restoration site, are included

IT’S easy to spend a crazy amount of money on holidays. But it doesn’t have to be that way – you just have to know where to look.

Luckily, we’ve done all the hard work for you. Forget paying hundreds of pounds just to fight over sunbeds in overpriced resorts like Ibiza and Mykonos – THIS is where to go instead.

We’ve found holiday destinations that give you the same glorious sunshine, golden sand beaches and gorgeous hotels for much, much less.

Think 86p beers, £3 cocktails, flights under 15 quid and entire holidays for the cost of a family meal out.

From dirt-cheap Portugal holidays to five-star Turkish getaways, here’s the foreign holiday destinations where your cash stretches the furthest.

The Algarve, Portugal

Brits looking for maximum bang for their buck this summer should set their sights on The Algarve.

This golden section of Portuguese coastline was crowned Europe’s best-value beach destination in the 2026 Post Office Family Holiday report.

The report compared a list of common holiday costs in 22 European destinations, looking at the price of things like meals out, drinks and everyday holiday items – and The Algarve came out on top.

This cheap holiday hotspot boasts affordable family-friendly hotels plus plenty of cheap flights from airports across the UK.

You can book a flight to Faro for only £14.99 each way with Ryanair, from airports such as Liverpool, Edinburgh and London Stansted.

And according to Wise’s Cost of Living report, a meal out for two here can cost as little as £8.55, while a beer can cost you as little as 86p.

The destination boasts dramatic cliff-backed beaches perfect for exploring by kayak or paddle-board, such as Praia da Marinha with its famous limestone arches, and Benagil Beach with a circular ‘hole in the roof’ cave.

Whether you’re planning to hit the strip in bustling Albufeira or sip cheap coffees in charming coastal towns, your spending money will stretch miles further in this Portuguese region.

Book a holiday: The Algarve

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Golden Club Cabanas in Tavira has a giant outdoor pool lined by palm trees that looks like a tropical oasis.

Here you’re close to the Ria Formosa natural park, where you can go kayaking, bird-watching over the salt marshes, or simply find a beach bar to enjoy a cocktail with a view.

We found a seven night self-catering stay from September 19, with return flights from London Stansted, for £195pp.

BOOK HERE

Turkey’s Turquoise Coast

Holidays to Turkey are looking remarkably cheap this summer, hitting rock-bottom prices that almost look too good to be true.

The good news is, they’re not – and there’s good reason as to why holidays to Turkey are currently so cheap.

The Sun’s Head of Travel, Lisa Minot, said: “There’s never been a better time to grab a bargain break to Turkey.

“With uncertainty over the Middle East conflict, holidaymakers have been looking at the Western Med over the Eastern Mediterranean destinations like Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt.

“But everything is operating normally in all three countries – Foreign Office travel advice has not changed and it is perfectly safe to visit.

“But the reticence of some has led to a fall in demand and with that, prices have started tumbling too.

“On the ground, everything remains the same – only the prices you’ll pay are very attractive as hoteliers and tour operators tempt us to travel.

“With beautiful Mediterranean coastal resorts offering great value, now is the time to grab yourself a sunshine bargain.”

Key spots on the Turkish Riviera that balance bargain prices with beautiful views include Marmaris, with its long seafront promenade, and Bodrum, often dubbed the St Tropez of Turkey.

Book a holiday: Turkey

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The Solivia Hotel is a sprawling five-star property in Antalya, with a Blue Flag private beach and four swimming pools.

The food and drink is all inclusive done right. There’s an extensive buffet in the main restaurant, plus a beach snack bar, pool bar, unlimited ice cream hour and Turkish coffee on tap.

Book a seven-night, all-inclusive stay at the five-star Solivia Hotel, with return flights from London Luton, from £555pp.

BOOK HERE

Bulgaria

89p beers, £279 all inclusive holidays and flights under £15 – how could you go wrong?

Bulgaria is one of the most budget-friendly holiday options out there for Brits, and the Bourgas Area was even named the cheapest all inclusive holiday destination in 2026 by Travel Supermarket.

Furthermore, the country continues to appear year after year as a top affordable destination for families in the Post Office Family Holiday Report.

Plus, according to data from Wise, a meal out at an inexpensive restaurant averages £8.82, a cappuccino just 88p, and a beer as little as 89p.

You can even find cheap flights to spots like Plovdiv, Sofia and Burgas from £18 each way on Skyscanner.

Now you know just how cheap this holiday hotspot is – where abouts should you actually stay?

Sunny Beach continues to reign as one of the most affordable spots, with bargain waterparks and hotels, plus a nightlife scene where prices have barely budged.

But there’s a lot more to Bulgaria than Sunny Beach.

If you want a quieter beach break, Sozopol’s golden sands and wooden townhouses offer a far more relaxed feel than Sunny Beach – without bumping up the price tag.

Just 15 minutes outside of Sunny Beach, Nessebar boasts a UNESCO-protected old town with cobbled streets and ancient ruins, plus romantic cliffside dining where meals cost a fraction of Mediterranean prices.

Prefer a city break? Sofia and Plovdiv are excellent choices. Sofia boasts dirt-cheap metro rides, grand architecture, and bargain nightlife, while Plovdiv’s trendy Kapana district lets you sip 88p coffees surrounded by ancient Roman ruins.

Book a holiday: Bulgaria

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The Sunny Day Club hotel is an ideal spot for families, sitting in a quieter, northern patch of Sunny Beach.

The buzzy bars, shops and restaurants of Sunny Beach are just a short bus ride away, with a convenient bus stop directly outside the hotel.

Book a seven-night, room-only stay at Sunny Day Club from September 17, with return flights from London Luton, from £179pp.

BOOK HERE

Albanian Riviera

If you’re craving vibey beach clubs, cheap cocktails, white sands and glimmering turquoise waters – Albania‘s your best bet.

This underrated holiday destination has jaw-dropping coastlines, dirt-cheap drinks, and a five-star feel without the price tag.

And it’s worth booking yourself a holiday here before too many people catch on, too.

Ksamil has even been called the “Maldives of Europe” thanks to its powdery white sands, crystal-clear lagoons, and plush beach clubs.

Another affordable spot is Durres, which is packed with boujee beach clubs and bars.

Head to Sunset Bar for front-row seats to the Adriatic coast and cocktails for a dirt-cheap 300 LEK (£2.75).

Here you can kick back on plush striped sofas, sip a cocktail, and soak in the legendary local sunsets.

Another cheap cocktail bar that actually feels high-end is Illyrian Garden, which has a 360-degree rooftop garden serving drinks from 500 LEK (£4.60).

Book a holiday: Albania

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The 5-star Royal G Max hotel has a private stretch of soft sand beach, a large spa with a sauna and hot tub, plus several swimming pools.

If you like a sun lounger holiday where you can lazily drift between the pool and the sea in a glamorous setting, this is it.

Book a seven-night, all-inclusive stay at Royal G Max from October 13, with return flights from London Luton, from £449pp.

BOOK HERE

Agadir, Morocco

Agadir bagged the top spot as the cheapest destination for a seven-night summer holiday in 2026, according to research from Loveholidays.

The holiday booking site analysed package deals running between June 1 and August 31, with the Moroccan hotspot coming out on top.

According to their booking data, week-long holidays here averaged just £230 per person for a week away.

Agadir is a sunshine-drenched resort guaranteeing year-round heat, plus a six-mile stretch of beach and a vibrant old town bustling with colourful souks.

It’ s an extraordinarily cheap option thanks to plenty of budget airline routes and affordable package holiday deals from sites like Loveholidays and On the Beach.

Plus you can book a flight to Agadir from as little as £20.99 each way with Ryanair.

On top of wallet-friendly flights and accommodation, Morocco’s low local cost of living means dining out, watersports, and day trips can cost a fraction of the price compared to traditional European hotspots.

The average price of a meal out at an inexpensive restaurant here, according to Wise, is only £3.99.

Book a holiday: Agadir

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For a stress-free family getaway, stay in an apartment at the Appart Hotel Igoudar.

Enjoy a spacious apartment with a well-stocked kitchenette and private terrace, and spend days soaking up the sun on a lounger and taking dips in the outdoor pool.

The building is a beautiful example of Moorish architecture and makes for both a relaxing and authentic Moroccan stay.

Loveholidays offer a five-night, room-only stay at the Appart Hotel Igoudar from September 27, including return flights from London Stansted, for £129pp.

BOOK HERE

Costa Blanca, Spain

Spain‘s Costa Blanca remains a reliably cheap option for a sunny holiday abroad – plus the quick and easy 2.5 hour flight goes by in a flash.

Spots like Torrevieja and Guardamar del Segura are traditional Spanish towns where costs stay low.

Guardamar has a 6.8 mile-long, white sand beach, while Torrevieja is home to bubblegum-pink salt lakes like the Laguna Rosa and Blue Flag beaches like the palm-lined stretch of Los Naufragos.

But it wouldn’t be the Costa Blanca without Benidorm, which continues to reign as the final boss of budget breaks.

Holiday Expert Rob Brooks ranks Benidorm among the top destinations for Brits to bag a cheap holiday – and a cheap beer, too.

He said: “If there’s one destination refusing to let the £1 pint disappear quietly, it’s Benidorm.

“People love to moan that the strip isn’t as cheap as it used to be, and to be fair, they’re almost right.

“But every time I go looking for a proper value holiday, Benidorm still cleans up – and there’s one legendary venue everyone mentions: Uncle Ron’s.

“They’re famously flying the flag for the €1 pint long after everyone else moved on, making it the ultimate first pitstop to prove the old-school Benidorm spirit is alive and kicking.”

Book a holiday: Costa Blanca

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What kid would say no to a pirate island-themed mega resort in sunny Spain?

The Magic Pirates Island Resort in Benidorm has a mega kids pool called Battleship Lagoon, with play boats and jets, plus more relaxed pools for grown-ups with hot tubs and Balinese beds.

Best of all, a stay here gives you free unlimited entry to the Aqua Natura waterpark right next door, as well as free access to Terra Natura Zoo.

Book a five night stay with breakfast from October 10, including return flights from London Luton, for £287pp. (Kids stay free – restrictions apply).

BOOK HERE

US Department of Homeland Security is expected to buy up to $20m in gloves amid criticism of the president’s immigration crackdown.

The administration of United States President Donald Trump is planning to spend tens of millions of dollars to equip federal immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks.

According to a notice posted on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security has estimated it will invest between $10m and $20m in such gloves by the end of March 2027.

The devices are known as the CT-G5 G.L.O.V.E., an acronym that stands for “Generate Low Output Voltage Emitter”. They are currently used by some jails and police departments.

Their manufacturer, Compliant Technologies, says the gloves are used to “quickly distract with small uncomfortable electrical pulses” when applied to a person’s skin. The Department of Homeland Security indicated they would be used for “distraction and de-escalation”.

A user manual states the gloves can deliver a maximum of 380 volts, which “inhibits/distracts the subject from performing coordinated muscle movement”.

The planned purchase has already sparked a backlash among rights advocates, who fear the gloves will be used to harm protesters and immigrants in the department’s custody.

The Department of Homeland Security oversees an array of agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has led Trump’s campaign of mass deportation.

Monday’s announcement specified that ICE has a requirement to make the purchase and distribute the gloves to agents within Enforcement and Removal Operations, one of its subsidiaries, and Homeland Security Investigations.

But ICE has faced increasing criticism for its tactics, including accusations of racial profiling and excessive force.

At least four people have been shot dead during encounters with ICE agents since the start of this year. Dozens more have died in ICE custody.

On Wednesday, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) issued a statement criticising the anticipated glove purchase, calling it a path to further violence against vulnerable communities.

It also noted that, in June, the Republican-led Congress passed tens of billions of dollars in ICE spending as part of the Secure America Act.

“This is a rogue agency with an $80 billion slush fund that allows them to concoct and fund new ways to visit cruelty upon our communities,” NILC President Kica Mantos said in the statement. “Arming poorly trained agents with electric shock gloves to inflict pain on our neighbors is disgusting and barbaric.”

The Department of Homeland Security offered no immediate response to The Associated Press news agency, one of the first news outlets to report on the story.

The founder and CEO of Compliant, Jeff Niklaus, told the publication in an email, “Unfortunately, we are unable to speak on this subject.”

Compliant has argued in the past that its devices are “humane” and do not cause injury.

“The technology is safe as it does not penetrate the subject’s body, while also allowing other officers to grab the individual being stimulated with no fear of feedback into their bodies,” the manufacturer says on its website.

However, Compliant recommends avoiding use of the device on “higher risk” individuals, including the elderly, small children, pregnant people and those with severe disabilities. Officers must also complete a course to use the gloves and be recertified every two years, according to the company.

The notice, listed as a no-bid contract, could be published by Friday.