Experts say FEMA's publicly available flood maps give homeowners a false sense of security about their actual flood risk, a gap that left fewer than 1% of homes in one hard-hit North Carolina county carrying insurance when Hurricane Helene struck. Liz Barker woke to a flash flood emergency alert on her phone the morning of […] The post FEMA flood maps leave millions of homeowners exposed, and the agency knows it appeared first on American Almanac .
Experts say FEMA's publicly available flood maps give homeowners a false sense of security about their actual flood risk, a gap that left fewer than 1% of homes in one hard-hit North Carolina county carrying insurance when Hurricane Helene struck. Liz Barker woke to a flash flood emergency alert on her phone the morning of September 27, 2024. A mandatory evacuation was already in place for her home in Swannanoa, North Carolina, a small community just outside Asheville. She grabbed her teenage daughter and their dog and left. When the water from the Swannanoa River finally dropped days later, Barker came back to find her house had been submerged to the attic. It was uninhabitable. She had no flood insurance. Barker was not alone.…Open
Atria Books, a prestigious imprint of Simon & Schuster, has agreed to republish two novels by Palestinian writer Susan Abulhawa, an author whose social media history includes calling Jews "ghouls," "cockroaches," "demons," and worse. The publisher's spokeswoman, Jessica Laino, sent a press release to the Washington Free Beacon in July praising Abulhawa's "signature lyrical voice" […] The post Simon & Schuster signs Palestinian author with a long trail of antisemitic posts appeared first on American Almanac .
Atria Books, a prestigious imprint of Simon & Schuster, has agreed to republish two novels by Palestinian writer Susan Abulhawa, an author whose social media history includes calling Jews "ghouls," "cockroaches," "demons," and worse. The publisher's spokeswoman, Jessica Laino, sent a press release to the Washington Free Beacon in July praising Abulhawa's "signature lyrical voice" and "nuanced characters." Atria plans to rerelease her novels Mornings in Jenin and The Blue Between Sky and Water on September 29, 2026. Neither Simon & Schuster nor its parent company, the private equity firm KKR, responded to requests for comment about Abulhawa's public statements. Those statements are not ambiguous. They are not buried in old archives. And…Open
Rep. Wesley Bell and former Rep. Cori Bush square off Tuesday in a Missouri congressional rematch that has become a proxy fight over Israel, AIPAC money, and the Democratic Party's ideological future. The Aug. 4 primary in Missouri's 1st Congressional District, a deep blue seat covering St. Louis and its northern suburbs, pits two Black […] The post Wesley Bell and Cori Bush face off again in Missouri primary defined by Democratic infighting appeared first on American Almanac .
Rep. Wesley Bell and former Rep. Cori Bush square off Tuesday in a Missouri congressional rematch that has become a proxy fight over Israel, AIPAC money, and the Democratic Party's ideological future. The Aug. 4 primary in Missouri's 1st Congressional District, a deep blue seat covering St. Louis and its northern suburbs, pits two Black Democrats who both rose to prominence during the Ferguson protests against each other for the second time in two years. Bell, 51, beat Bush, 50, by roughly six points in 2024. Limited polling in the current race shows a statistical tie. Both candidates carry baggage into the rematch. Bush faces a Department of Justice investigation into alleged use of campaign funds to pay her husband for security work,…Open
Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" pulled in a staggering $927 million worldwide in its opening weekend, falling just short of the all-time domestic record held by "Avengers: Endgame." Tom Holland's fourth outing as Peter Parker earned $355 million from 4,487 North American theaters, Variety reported on August 2, a figure that slots the […] The post Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens to $355 million, lands second-biggest debut in box office history appeared first on American Almanac .
Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" pulled in a staggering $927 million worldwide in its opening weekend, falling just short of the all-time domestic record held by "Avengers: Endgame." Tom Holland's fourth outing as Peter Parker earned $355 million from 4,487 North American theaters, Variety reported on August 2, a figure that slots the film into second place on the all-time domestic opening weekend list, just $2 million behind the $357 million that "Endgame" collected in 2019. Internationally, the film added $573 million, pushing its global debut to $927 million. The numbers amount to a vindication for Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures after a stretch of uneven results that had prompted widespread talk of superhero fatigue.…Open
Ariana Grande has pulled out of a high-profile London stage production and plans to step away from public appearances after her current tour wraps, citing what her team calls "endless, ongoing public scrutiny." Grande's representative confirmed to People Magazine that the pop star will not appear in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday […] The post Ariana Grande exits West End revival, announces retreat from public life appeared first on American Almanac .
Ariana Grande has pulled out of a high-profile London stage production and plans to step away from public appearances after her current tour wraps, citing what her team calls "endless, ongoing public scrutiny." Grande's representative confirmed to People Magazine that the pop star will not appear in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, which had been slated for London's Barbican Centre in summer 2027. She was set to star opposite Jonathan Bailey, her co-star from the Wicked films. The withdrawal came alongside a broader announcement: Grande intends to disappear from public-facing work once she finishes her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which still has ten shows remaining at London's O2. Grande's team…Open
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit — operating as Littoral Combat Force 24 — recently transited the Panama Canal aboard the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio, marking the first time a Marine expeditionary unit has navigated the canal since 2008.