Funny, Sad, Stupid News
Welcome to another edition of my curated news. On my plate: socialists in my backyard, the baby terrorism czar, journalists in peril, literary fashion and, yes, Jeff and Lauren.
New York Is Going Socialist. Who Knew?
I’m one of those old fogies who did not vote for the charismatic leftist Zohran Mamdani in the mayoral primary in New York City on Tuesday. I’m more the liberal capitalist type who reads the New York Times, insists that pasta be served “al-dente” and virtue signals by composting.
Mamdani seems too wet-behind-the-ears (he’s only 33) and pie-in-the-sky for my establishment taste (he’s a democratic socialist — whatever that means). His platform includes rent freezes, free bus transportation, and cancelling tax breaks for elite universities like Columbia University to support the public university system. (Poor Columbia, as if it hasn’t been punished enough under Trump.)
But his strangest idea yet: he wants the government to operate grocery stores. Really? We want Trader Joe to run like the DMV?
Anyhoo, give Mamdani credit for being a great communicator. He was incredibly effective on social media (he posted a video of himself plunging into the cold Atlantic to dramatize his stand on rent freezes) and stayed on message throughout the campaign. Despite having an extremely skimpy resume (he served five years in the New York Assembly and didn’t leave much of a mark), he’s now on track to run this beautiful, dysfunctional city of eight million neurotics.
I’m still trying to figure out his appeal but I don’t think it hurts that he and his wife Rama Duwaji (above) project a distinctly cool, downtown vibe. As one of my daughters dryly asked: Do you think this guy would have won if he wasn’t such a cutie pie?
The Terrorism Czar Is How Old?
Concerned that Americans will be targets now that Trump has plunged into the Middle East conflict and bombed Iran? Speaking as someone who still remembers 9-11 vividly, that thought is definitely on my mind.
But why worry? Because wunderkind Thomas Fugate is now in charge. The 22-year-old (yes, you read that right), who’s been out of college for one whole year, was recently appointed to lead the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships. The CP3, as it’s known, is a division of Homeland Security, tasked with coordinating with federal, state, and local government agencies, and other groups to fund, research and prevent terrorism. You could call that a mighty big job.
So what are Fugate’s qualifications? Well, he graduated from the University of Texas in San Antonio and interned at the Heritage Foundation. Plus, his LinkedIn page listed “lawn care around the neighborhood” and a part-time job at H-E-B supermarket. (Those last two items have since disappeared from his profile.)
No Doogie Howser is he. Which is most unfortunate for the country.
Journalists in Peril. There’s no shortage of distressing news but permit me to spotlight two items that I find personally chilling:
Mario Guevara, an independent journalist who’s been in the U.S. for 20 years, is now facing deportation after being arrested while reporting on a “No Kings” protest in Georgia. A Salvadoran, Guevara was accused of obstructing the police and unlawful assembly.
Turki al-Jasser, a Saudi journalist was executed in Riyadh last week for “high treason by communicating with and conspiring against the security of the Kingdom with individuals outside it.” His actual crime: he had an anonymous Twitter account in which he criticised the Saudi royal family.
Ending on a Lighter Note:
The humble quotation mark is out of fashion. The Economist reports that the “inverted comma” – the British term for quotation marks – is going the way of doilies. Literary darlings like Sally Rooney simply can’t be bothered with those punctuation marks in dialogue (though I’ve also noticed that acclaimed novelist Louis Begley dispensed with them decades ago). The new aesthetic is speech-without-signposts; it’s edgy, minimalist and achingly cool.
Finally, you can’t escape Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding celebration that’s happening in Venice. There’s been a lot of negative press about its obscene expense (the three day affair is estimated to cost about $56 million) and inevitable ostentation. And, of course, the not-so-demure Sanchez is getting pilloried. As the fabulous Tina Brown quips, “landing the fourth richest man in the world requires the permanent display of breasts like genetically modified grapefruit and behemoth buttocks bursting from a leopard-print thong bikini.”
Oh, Tina, don’t be so hard on Sanchez! She’s 55 years old, and she’s got Bezos wrapped around her manicured fingers. Give her props for raising the age ceiling for trophy wives. Now, that’s empowering.
HAPPY SUMMER!
Vivia