tmz takes on dc

ALSO: the first ban on large data centers, Jill Biden could've been in Heated Rivalry, data that proves that everyone loves Dolly Parton, and more

Apr 17, 2026

Happy Friday, April 17th!

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 Chris Pappas for Senate and the Movement Voter Project.

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This week, I wrote about a topic I have a deep passion for and have been engaged in lots of research in: Coachella 2026 content and how it evidences my thesis that LA is replacing New York as the influencer capital of the US again lol.

If this picture also makes you feel wistful, you should read it!

A Progressive Group Rolls Out a Campus Competitor to Turning Point

On Wednesday, More Perfect Union announced an initiative called More Perfect University, a college campus effort pitched as a liberal antidote to Turning Point USA, the conservative activist group that has spread right-wing cultural values at universities and mobilized young voters for President Trump. (NYT gift link, 4/15)

Can America’s Working Class Organize Before AI Crushes It?

Concerns over automation present a challenge for organized labor as it seeks to rebuild its former standing. As policymakers on the left and right look to bring back manufacturing — a traditional bastion for unions — some posit that many if not all returning jobs would be automated, highlighting growing automation in China and the rise of “lights out” factories that have automated to the point that lighting is no longer needed. (Rolling Stone, 4/16 – Google Docs version)

TMZ Gets Political

But even some of TMZ’s usual detractors have applauded its pivot to name-and-shame political coverage. Commenting on a Times story about the phenomenon, one commenter wrote, “I don’t trust TMZ as far as I can throw them but this is a friendly reminder that we do have a voice.” “Sad do-nothings,” another reader quipped, adding, “Give them the B-lister treatment, TMZ!” (The New Yorker, 4/15 – free version)

Allbirds, the quarter-zip of footwear, is leaving shoes behind to become an AI infrastructure company

Shares of onetime elder millennial footwear fave Allbirds are going absolutely vertical in Wednesday trading, following the company’s announcement that it is pivoting from shoes to, what else, AI. Allbirds shares spiked Wednesday after the company’s announcement, which comes a few weeks after it entered into an agreement to sell its brand and footwear assets to American Exchange Group for $39 million. (Sherwood, 4/15)

Maine lawmakers pass nation’s first statewide ban on large data centers

Legislators in Maine on Tuesday passed the nation’s first statewide ban on large data centers, part of a growing backlash to the energy-intensive facilities that fuel the rise of artificial intelligence. The measure would block the creation of new data centers that draw more than 20 megawatts of power until the fall of 2027 and establish a mechanism to study their impact on the electrical grid. (WaPo, 4/14 – free version)

Dolly Parton tops list of global figures in US favorability poll

A poll of Americans’ opinions about more than 20 international luminaries established as much, with the 11-time Grammy winner and philanthropist leaving her two closest competitors – Barack Obama and Volodymyr Zelenskyy – in the dust by more than 50 percentage points. (The Guardian, 4/14)

Rom-Coms Make Money. Why Is Hollywood So Afraid to Put Them in Theaters?

For the Hollywood execs who haven’t abandoned the theatrical system as a lost cause, it’s clear that filling theater seats has become a desperate mission; the only risks they seem willing to take are on superhero movies — which they see as barely a risk at all. The humble rom-com is never going to rake in the cash that major IP and superhero films do. But box-office figures from the past five years show a steep decline in audience interest in the status quo. (Rolling Stone, 4/16 – Google Docs version)

The most popular male and female names in the US, according to the latest Census

In all, American females had far more first-name diversity than male counterparts: 16% of US males had one of the top 10 most frequent names among men, compared with 7.8% of women. Zooming out, almost 3x as many given names were needed to cover a quarter of the US female population than that of males. (Sherwood, 4/15)

It’s giving... lack of social skills: Why Gen Z has adopted the infuriating silent scream

This is the Gen Z silent scream: the new behavioral motif used by the young to convey a muted kind of elation. The gesture has been picked apart endlessly online, with many filing it among a growing lexicon of supposedly baffling Gen Z-isms: the blank “Gen Z stare” when asked a question; the carefully calibrated “Gen Z pout”; the ongoing discourse around crew socks, baggy jeans, and an almost reflexive fluency in therapy-speak. (The Independent, 4/15)

Jill Biden Bids $35,000 For Chance to Win ‘Heated Rivalry’ Walk-On Role During LGBTQ Benefit Auction

Jill Biden is a “Heated Rivalry” fan. So much so that the former First Lady, just minutes ago during the live auction at the NYC LGBT Community Center’s Center Dinner, bid $35,000 to have a walk-on role in the queer hockey series’ second season along with a dinner with the cast, according to sources. However, she was outbid. The package ending up selling twice to two bidders at $125,000 each. (Variety, 4/16)

I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread in America

At some point within this text, I will reveal to you what—after 555 responses, 13,000 miles of travel, and months of monomaniacal research—I have determined to be the best free restaurant bread in America. I will not attempt to slither to the moral high ground, arguing that best is a meaningless measure, or insisting that all bread is dear in its own way. Even if you attempt to betray me—for instance, by merely scanning the text that follows for the phrase Here it is: the best free restaurant bread in America—I will uphold my end of the bargain. (The Atlantic, 4/14 – free version)