Alex Slater

Zohran Mamdani scores 17-point lead with Jewish voters in NYC mayoral race Mamdani's support among Jewish voters comes after accusations from opponents and some community leaders that his criticism of Israel represents antisemitism.

it’s almost like all the attacks calling Mamdani antisemitic were vapid bad faith bullshit created by politicians with no policy plan other than smashing the “scary muslim” button

60,000 Gazans have been killed. 18,500 were children. These are their names. Palestinian children have been killed at a rate of more than one per hour since the war began.

This is a historic horror that the United States government allows to get worse every day.

“Don’t be surprised.”

"The world"

Two sadly relevant books about the aftermath of wildfires: @baronchrisbaron.bsky.social @mackidsbooks.bsky.social SPARK and @breenabard.bsky.social @littlebrownyr.bsky.social WILDFIRE. msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2025/07/poet...

WOW!!!

#sdcc

Gazans Are Dying of Starvation

My overwhelming memory from Hebrew school is being young and seeing images of ancestors starving in the camps. “Never again” was our religion. Here is the paper of record today. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/w...

“One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This”

Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files Bondi told president at the meeting that Justice also decided to not release more Jeffrey Epstein documents because of the presence of child pornography and the need to protect victims.

Exclusive: The Justice Department told President Trump in May that his name is among many in the Epstein files.

Jeffrey Epstein-related books and TV shows have exploded amid Trump’s case-closed claims | CNN Business A sudden resurgence of interest in the late convicted sex offender, and unanswered questions about his crimes, has been measurable this month in book sales, Netflix streams and YouTube searches.

HarperCollins (sister company to WSJ) is working like crazy to get Julie K. Brown's book back in print.

via @brianstelter.bsky.social
www.cnn.com/2025/07/20/m...

‘Those days are over’: Trump books draw lackluster sales While books about Donald Trump sold big in his first term, a slate of similar works isn’t seeing the same success in his second administration.

The Trump Slump

www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

Was recently interviewed for this podcast.

Young Readers Help German Book Market Hold Steady The German book industry reported a 1.8% increase in revenue for 2024, reaching €9.88 billion; adjusted for inflation, the market fell by 0.4%. Younger book buyers bolstered the market, with those…

The German book industry reported a 1.8% increase in revenue for 2024, reaching €9.88 billion; adjusted for inflation, the market fell by 0.4%. Younger book buyers bolstered the market, with the number of buyers ages 16 to 19 increasing by 9.6%.

Awards

ALA's Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable is coming out with Outstanding Comics Awards. In 2026, they will honor winners in 9 categories from children's to adult.
www.ala.org/gncrt/awards

Imogen Heap to Reissue Speak for Yourself for 20th Anniversary The new edition of Heap’s highly influential 2005 album is led by a remastered version of “Hide and Seek”

Where are we?
What the hell is going on?
pitchfork.com/news/imogen-...

"...the artist was disappointed that the visitor had considered the fruit itself to be the artwork, instead of eating the skin and the tape that held it in place as well."

The End of Colbert's Show Signals Trouble One of the first signs of authoritarianism is headwinds against comedians

You can measure a society’s political freedom by how openly comedians are able to mock or satirize the government. CBS’s decision to silence Stephen Colbert, announcing the impending end of The Late Show, is another incipient sign of trouble in the United States.

open.substack.com/pub/fridains...

Sounds familiar.

Justice Ministry Investigating TV Presenter Urgant Over Alleged Foreign Influence - The Moscow Times Russia’s Justice Ministry is considering adding former late-night talk show host and actor Ivan Urgant to its list of “foreign agents” over allegations of “foreign influence,” the state-run news agenc...

'Evening Urgant,' the Russian equivalent of the Tonight Show, was "suspended" in 2022 when the host Ivan Urgant expressed his opposition to the invasion of Ukraine.

In fact, Urgant is now considered an "enemy of the state."

www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/09/j...

Hi. Hey. Mike here. When media companies cancel Late Night shows to appease fascist presidents, America fucking ends.

Publishers Await Answers on Inventory Tied Up in Diamond Bankruptcy Seven months after Diamond Comic Distributors’ January 15 bankruptcy filing, the inventory of 128 publishers is still in limbo, pending a court decision on whether Diamond will be allowed to…

Six months after Diamond Comic Distributors’ January 15 bankruptcy filing, the inventory of 128 publishers is still in limbo, pending a court decision on whether Diamond will be allowed to liquidate the comics, graphic novels, and other merchandise in its warehouse...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Las...

Martin Sheen Narrates ‘Ghosts of Hiroshima’ Book Trailer Ahead of James Cameron Film Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE) The trailer for the book "Ghosts of Hiroshima," narrated by Martin Sheen, is here. It will be made into a film by James Cameron.

How is this book different from what this author published 15 years ago with Holt that had to be pulled because his sources turned out to be fake?

variety.com/2025/film/ne...

Hi Philly!

This is tomorrow! Hope to see you there!

WeTransfer TOS says they can use all your uploaded content for genAI

Bye forever, WeTransfer.

Romantasy: A Starter Pack

"Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses” began as a Y.A. series before transitioning to the adult section of the bookstore."
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/b...

The Politics of Printing in China Publishers printing graphic novels and other illustrated titles in China can run into problems when the censors come knocking.

“We were going to print it in China...But they objected to maps that depicted borders in ways they didn’t like.”

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Translating is the closest reading you can give to any text. Using AI for translation, particularly fiction, is no different than reading something completely authored by AI. It will be the empty uncanny valley of literature.

Elon Musk's Grok Chatbot Goes Full Nazi, Calls Itself 'MechaHitler' Elon Musk's Grok chatbot unleashed a slew of antisemitic commentary and praised Hitler after apparent change allowed it to be 'politically incorrect'

boy is Grok the quintessential Elon Product. just barreling ahead with a thrown-together product that fucks up constantly because of his stupidity and sloppiness, powered by gas turbines he didn't get permits for www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

'My Life with the Walter Boys': Jackie Faces Consequences for Her Actions After 'Spiraling' All Summer in Season 2 Teaser In the first teaser for 'My Life with the Walter Boys' season 2, Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) has a harsh reality to face when she returns to Silver Falls after a summer away in New York City.

Season 2 of My Life with the Walter Boys premieres Aug. 28 on Netflix!

people.com/my-life-with...