i can’t stop watching ashley st. clair tell-alls on tiktok
ALSO: Virginia is NOT for lovers of voter-chosen maps ig, a new AI pet called "the Familiar," the tidal wave of podslop, and more
Happy Friday, May 8th!
WELCOME :)
Just a reminder: every Tuesday and Friday, I’ll be in your inbox with the latest in politics, tech & social media, culture, and other relevant topics – and I’ll share some notes and tips on what I’m keeping my eye on.
REMINDER: the jobs corner is at the bottom of the newsletter! Today, we’ve got the Office of Mayor Zohran Mamdani (literally a dream job) and Voto Latino!
ALSO want to do a super fun, super cool rapid interview for this newsletter??? Reply to this email or hit the button below. Tips, thoughts, concerns, good jokes, bad jokes, ☕️, etc?
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When I saw this story come through about the CEO of Axios’s 21-year-old son launching a civic engagement app called Politik, I was… nepo-skeptical (sorry, but y’all get it). But if you know me, you know I will try just about any app once. And overall, I actually think this is a pretty good idea. Here is what you see first (my home district included in addition to DC because this app doesn’t seem to count our shadow reps… which is fair tbh).
If you scroll, you hit these two sections that I thought were the most helpful – I think the Browse feature for New Bills is glitching for me (took me back to 2024 and 2025), but I'm interested to potentially see that in action.
I’m also curious about the AI integration here, which I mainly saw in the bill summaries and in its own dedicated tab, which prompts users to “ask about politics.” This seems pretty helpful (especially, to me, the bill summaries with an explanation of stakes), but I am interested to know more about how they’re protecting against error.
All in all, with some of the wrinkles ironed out and greater AI transparency… I think this is not not a useful tool, especially for when GOTV rolls around.
Virginia supreme court strikes down new congressional maps in win for Republicans
The ruling is a setback for Democrats’ efforts nationwide to counter gerrymanders approved by Republican-led states that may oust Democratic House representatives and boost their party’s chances of retaining the majority in the November midterm elections. (The Guardian, 5/8)
Inside a MAGA influencer’s turn against the right-wing machine
St. Clair’s transformation from a self-described “good little foot soldier” to MAGA turncoat has unspooled in near-daily monologues to more than 77,000 followers on her TikTok feed, where she applies makeup from her New York apartment and claims to expose the secrets of her former allies and the hidden machinery that made them social media stars. (WaPo, 5/7 – free version)
Lucy’s note: I have been really enjoying her content ngl
The DOJ Wants to Bail Trump Out of Paying Massive E. Jean Carroll Judgement
According to a Wednesday report from Bloomberg, the DOJ is hoping the court will bless a plea to swap Trump with the federal government as the party responsible for the judgement. The government cannot be sued for defamation, however, which means that if the Supreme Court allows the DOJ to substitute itself for the president, the case would be dismissed and Trump would be let off the hook. (Rolling Stone, 5/6 – Google Docs version)
Lucy’s note: so glad our tax dollars are going towards efforts like this
The clippening
Hundreds or even thousands of clipping accounts might be sharing similar videos, all in competition with one another. You have perhaps learned about a TV show moment, a celebrity podcast appearance, or a new band via clippers without even realizing it; it just looks like someone sharing something. Clippers do not need to be affiliated in any real way with the subjects they are clipping, and the clipped content does not need to be creative, transformative, or even interesting. (The Verge, 5/6 – free version)
The Audio Industry Is Grappling with the Rise of ‘Podslop’
And the Inception Point team isn’t the only one who’s executing on this type of strategy. In the past nine days or so, 10,871 new podcast feeds have been created; approximately 4,243, or 39%, might have been AI-generated, according to the Podcast Index, an open-source platform that tracks the ecosystem. (Bloomberg, 4/30 – free version)
Using AI for Just 10 Minutes Might Make You Lazy and Dumb, Study Shows
Some participants were given access to an AI assistant capable of solving the problem autonomously. When the AI helper was suddenly taken away, these people were significantly more likely to give up on the problem or flub their answers. The study suggests that widespread use of AI might boost productivity at the expense of developing foundational problem-solving skills. (WIRED, 5/6 – free version)
Roomba pioneer aims to crack the household market again with an AI-powered pet robot
Colin Angle unveiled a four-legged prototype of that artificial pet, called the Familiar, on Monday. Imagine a creature the size of a bulldog with doe-like eyes and bear cub ears and paws, extending itself into a greeting stretch that invites you to pat its touch-sensitive fake fur. (AP, 5/4)
These Are the Hiring Hot Spots Where College Grads Are Landing Good Jobs
Birmingham, Ala., tops the list of the places where newly minted graduates are landing jobs with a college-level career track, followed by Tampa, Fla., according to the new study by payroll processor ADP. In fact, six of the list’s top 10—including Raleigh, N.C.; Tulsa, Okla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Charlotte, N.C.—are in the South. (WSJ gift link, 5/3)
How college students are learning to socialize without cellphones
It’s not like the movement sweeping K-12 schools to ban cellphones in classrooms. It’s both more ambitious and less heavy-handed. NYU leaders are hoping to encourage a student-led culture change, a shared effort to spend less time online and more time living life. They want students to have more fun in person, together. The university president’s goal: “Collective effervescence.” (WaPo, 5/6 – free version)
NCAA men’s, women’s basketball tournaments expand to 76 teams
The expansion from 68 teams to 76 teams marks the men’s tournament’s largest increase since it moved to 64 teams in 1985. It went from 64 to 65 in 2001 and then added three more teams in 2011 to form the First Four. (ESPN, 5/7)
SpaceX’s compensation plan for Musk is partially tied to creating a permanent human colony on Mars, America’s favorite planet
While the compensation plan, approved by the SpaceX board in January, includes a sky-high valuation target of $7.5 trillion, it turns out Musk will only be awarded 200 million in super-voting restricted shares if he also establishes a permanent human colony on Mars with more than a million people, according to excerpts from the statement. (Sherwood, 5/1)
Hantavirus, COVID, norovirus, legionnaires’: why are cruise ships so prone to disease outbreaks?
A well-known outbreak among cruise passengers was linked to a whirlpool spa, and recent reports from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have described other cruise-associated legionnaires’ disease outbreaks linked to ship water systems. (The Conversation, 5/5)
One kind act really does set off a chain reaction
That suggests the “pay it forward” instinct is something many of us grow into, not something we’re simply born with. Broadly, the country is doing better than cynics might expect: More than 60% of Americans across every region said they’d experienced kindness multiple times in just the past week. (Axios, 5/6)
Extra Credit 🤓
“Inside the Artemis II social media strategy” from Rachel Karten of Link in Bio
this is SO COOL
“The Redistricting Loss Means Democrats Must Moderate to Win” from Josh Barro + Very Serious
I think this is an important take – but also these past two years have shown us that you can be populist and actually progressive and still win in many places
That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!
Have a job or opportunity (full-time, part-time, contract, or a secret fourth option) to share? SUBMIT IT HERE!
Deputy Press Secretary, New Media & Creative Partnerships, Office of Mayor Zohran Mamdani
JD HERE, $90,000-100,000 per year
Social Media Manager - Content Creator & Video Engagement, Voto Latino
JD HERE, $70,000-75,000 per year