summering in the tiktok farlands

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It is the latest example of the mix of ambition, bravado and corner-cutting that Moraff has shown in a political career that has had a measure of success in elevating populist, Bernie Sanders-style candidates but also a trail of missteps that has left some political partners feeling betrayed. (WSJ gift link, 6/21)

A Republican-linked group was the sole funded of two pop-up super PACs that spent more than $4.3 million across a swath of Democratic congressional primaries to support candidates seen as less electable. Democrats had speculated that the two groups, Real Change PAC and Lead Left, were Republican meddling as they spent heavily across Democratic primary races in Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nebraska and Maine in recent months. (POLITICO, 6/21)

That crisis of trust accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with fights over masks and vaccines spilling out from social media into everyday life. Now it extends to other health matters, such as taking blood pressure medication or seeing a doctor for chest pains. (Fast Company, 6/19)

Hearn told BBC News that he had removed his cycling glove to simply touch a long strip of rubbery material which appeared to have "delaminated" from the bottom of the pool, when he was stopped by US Park Police and National Guard troops. (BBC, 6/21)

The goal of "entering" the Farlands is uncovering hard-to-find videos. Some are genuinely weird, made by people who don't understand or care about the norms of social media. Other videos are intentionally artistic or edgy. But some of these supposedly "obscure" Farlands posts have millions of views. (BBC, 6/19 – free version)

The public is still divided on data centers, with direct opposition not yet a majority view. But nearly half of respondents support a temporary construction ban, according to Milltown's findings. 38% of respondents said they would support a data center being built near their home, while 34% would oppose it. Meanwhile, 49% say they support a moratorium on construction of new data centers, while only 16% oppose a moratorium. (Axios, 6/22)

In this environment, newsletter-based personals have a lot going for them. As you might imagine, readers of The Eastside Rag are likely to have a good deal in common with one another. They probably live on L.A.’s east side and have access to a fair amount of disposable income. In many cases, newsletter readers may also be somewhat like-minded. (The Atlantic, 6/22 – free version)

For all their squealing about fealty, the assumptions that some fans, armchair historians, and trillionaire rocketeers bring to The Odyssey tend to betray their now narrow understanding of the works they claim to hold so dear. Likewise, describing Odysseus as “complicated,” or casting a Black actress as Helen of Troy, raise hackles not because it is ahistorical—neither Homer’s hero nor Helen were actual historical figures—but because it disturbs modern, conservative assumptions about male heroism and female beauty. (WIRED, 6/23 – free version)

The collaboration, dubbed The Hollister Collection at Target, will launch online, in most Target stores and select Hollister locations on June 28 and will feature almost 60 items across men’s and women’s apparel and bedding. Hollister’s tie-up with Target comes as both companies contend with declines in discretionary spending and waning consumer confidence, which have forced retailers to get creative to entice shoppers to spend. (CNBC, 6/18)

Cottage cheese is in a squeeze as consumer protein trends have led to a shortage of the dairy product. On top of that, private equity firm L Catterton has purchased a major stake in cottage cheese maker Good Culture. (Yahoo Finance, 6/22)

Facts by day, fiction by night! At the end of a long day in the newsroom, many of our journalists head home and escape into novels of all types. We asked our NPR colleagues what fiction they've enjoyed reading so far this year, and these are the titles they shared. (NPR, 6/23)

Extra Credit 🤓

The hot-or-nots for this week:

HOT

NOT

That’s all for now – I’ll see you next week!