the nuuly-fiction of american 20somethings

ALSO: Trump and the Emoluments Clause collide in Miami, a spammer explains why the feed is fake, Instants on IG, and more

May 15, 2026

Happy Friday, May 15th!

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 Wisco Project and Trilogy Interactive.

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QUICK NOTE: Reminder that I am OOO next week, so no newsletter! And please send me Barcelona and Madrid recs if you have them ☀️☀️☀️

I returned to my old, beloved stomping grounds this week for an edition of FWIW. We’re diving into the wild ride that is the Michigan Dem Sen primary 👇👇👇

FWIW

A Great Blue Battle in the Great Lakes State

This newsletter is brought to you by the donor acquisition approach that helps you turn $1 into $2…

10 days ago · 13 likes · Lucy Ritzmann

Miami residents sue Trump, claiming Florida land gift for library unconstitutional

The lawsuit is being brought under the Emoluments Clause, which bars the president from accepting gifts, payments or other benefits from state, federal or foreign entities beyond an official salary. The land where the skyscraper library is set to be built — in a prime waterfront location downtown — was first transferred by Miami Dade College to the state. (POLITICO, 5/13)

Eating Healthy? No, They’re Eating Biblically.

For years, some Christians have also participated in “Daniel fasts,” 21-day fasts based on the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament, in which Daniel consumes only vegetables and water. (There’s also, of course, the long tradition of religious diets, such as keeping kosher or halal, or following a Levitical diet. Jesus, himself, presumably kept kosher.) On social media, however, biblical eating has appeared to have a resurgence in recent months. (NYT gift link, 5/13)

What Spencer Pratt’s rise can teach both parties about AI-age campaigning

He started making Pratt fan content just nine days ago. It’s now impossible not to see it, if you follow famous conservatives on X, read the New York Post, or watch TMZ. The former star of The Hills has linked homelessness to “super meth” despite mixed evidence of its rising use and promised to clean up encampments weeks after being sworn in. (Semafor, 5/13)

Politics Is Breaking Us — Just Ask These Therapists

65 percent of Americans said politics was a significant source of stress in their lives last year, according to a survey from the American Psychological Association. In fact, the leading cause of stress was concern about the future of the nation, at 76 percent, above the economy or work or money. (POLITICO Magazine, 5/15)

The Feed Is Fake

Joe Lim estimates that 90 percent of what you see on the internet is advertising in disguise, and he should know. For three years, Lim ran a company called Floodify, which at its peak operated 65,000 dummy social-media accounts used to drum up attention on behalf of paying clients. On a typical day, he says, Floodify posted 50,000 videos across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X, all of them designed to pass for the unscripted output of ordinary users. (Vulture, 5/15 – free version)

Instagram launches new Instants photo feature. Here’s how it works

Similar to Instagram’s Stories feature, which allows users to post photos or videos that last 24 hours on their accounts, Instants provides a temporary option to share photos without filters, text, or stickers to their Close Friends (a private, curated group of followers) or mutuals. (USA Today, 5/13)

Meta’s New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

Widening pay gaps among employees, courtroom losses for the company, and mandatory role changes for hundreds of top engineers have also contributed to what employees view as a uniquely grim atmosphere inside Meta. Yet another issue has been the recent installation of corporate software on employees’ computers to track their activity solely in the name of training AI, according to 16 current and former employees from a variety of roles who spoke with WIRED. (WIRED, 5/14 – free version)

Conservative Influencers Tap a Nonprofit to Pay for Their Security

The nonprofit, called the Blackline Guardian Fund, was created after last fall’s assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The shooting elevated fears of politically motivated violence against other conservative media figures. So far, the organization has collected at least $436,000 in donations to pay for executive protection for Mr. Shirley and a handful of other right-wing content creators. (NYT gift link, 5/14)

How Nuuly turned clothing rental into the new shopping

The Nuuly sisterhood now includes nearly a half-million monthly active users. Most fit the profile of “that 25- to 35-year-old woman who’s just getting going in her career,” says Sky Pollard, Nuuly’s head of product. She travels, she brunches, “she’s got a million events.” (WaPo, 5/14 – free version)

Lucy’s note: I fear I switched to BNTO after realizing I had seen literally everyone’s outfits in DC + NYC, including mine, on Nuuly… and I’ve never looked back tbh

Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Weezer Recordings Enter Library of Congress’ National Registry

The National Recording Registry now recognizes 700 recordings, a sliver of the four million recordings in the Library. Public nominations for next year’s class will be collected through Oct. 1. Newlen was appointed acting Librarian after President Trump fired the previous Librarian, Carla Hayden, in 2025. (Rolling Stone, 5/14 – Google Docs version)

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ World Tour Set By Netflix

K-pop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s most popular film ever. The animated musical produced by Sony Pictures Animation added another 25.4M views from August 18 to 24, bringing its total since its June 20 premiere to 236M views. The streamer also noted on its biannual engagement report that the film was also the most-watched title in its history over a six-month period. (Deadline, 5/13)

The condition PCOS is now called PMOS. What to know about the name change and what it means for care

Researchers and supporters of the change said the old name, often shortened to PCOS, is inaccurate. It reduced a complex hormonal or endocrine disorder to a misunderstanding about cysts and a focus on ovaries, contributing to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment, said the Endocrine Society, a global group of physicians and scientists. (AP, 5/14)

Neanderthals may have drilled out a cavity 59,000 years ago

“This [hole] was created by a stone tool handled by a Neanderthal between the thumb and the forefinger,” he says. The tool was used “to rotate that on the chewing surface of the tooth to expose the pulp and clean it out.” (NPR, 5/13)

Lucy’s note: guys, what is going on, I have seen this story literally EVERYWHERE (don’t get me wrong, I love it… but like is there some secret archeology PR team running a wildly successful strategy here??)