AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Activist who collaborated with NYC first lady mocks Jewish people for 'whining' about the Holocaust
Susan Abulhawa, an anti-Israel activist who worked on an art project with Mayor Zohran Mamdani's wife, posted a screed on social media dismissing the Holocaust and accusing Jews of dominating government and media, and City Hall has said nothing. Abulhawa took to X on July 31 to attack Jewish Americans who had raised concerns about […] The post Activist who collaborated with NYC first lady mocks Jewish people for 'whining' about the Holocaust appeared first on American Almanac .
Susan Abulhawa, an anti-Israel activist who worked on an art project with Mayor Zohran Mamdani's wife, posted a screed on social media dismissing the Holocaust and accusing Jews of dominating government and media, and City Hall has said nothing. Abulhawa took to X on July 31 to attack Jewish Americans who had raised concerns about Mamdani's 18-member judicial screening panel, which contains zero Jewish members . The backlash over that panel had been building for a day when Abulhawa weighed in, not to defend the mayor's appointments on the merits, but to mock the people objecting. Her post dismissed the murder of six million European Jews as a spent talking point. She accused Jewish Americans of holding outsized power. And she closed with…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Jonah Adams) - Wisconsin Democratic frontrunner Francesca Hong faces backlash over deleted 'Cancel Thanksgiving' post
Francesca Hong, the Democratic Socialists of America-backed frontrunner in Wisconsin's gubernatorial primary, is drawing fire after deleted social media posts resurfaced, including a 2020 call to "Cancel Thanksgiving" and a 2019 complaint about "old white people" at a Culver's restaurant. With fewer than two weeks before the August 11 primary, Hong's old posts on X […] The post Wisconsin Democratic frontrunner Francesca Hong faces backlash over deleted 'Cancel Thanksgiving' post appeared first on American Almanac .
Francesca Hong, the Democratic Socialists of America-backed frontrunner in Wisconsin's gubernatorial primary, is drawing fire after deleted social media posts resurfaced, including a 2020 call to "Cancel Thanksgiving" and a 2019 complaint about "old white people" at a Culver's restaurant. With fewer than two weeks before the August 11 primary, Hong's old posts on X handed conservative critics fresh ammunition and raised questions about whether the likely Democratic nominee can compete statewide in a battleground that often turns on the votes of the very people she once described as a source of anxiety. The New York Post reported that both posts drew widespread mockery online Friday, with commentators from across the right seizing on the…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Jonah Adams) - Troy Jackson's own hometown can't agree on whether he deserves a Senate seat
Democrat Troy Jackson is selling his rural Maine roots as the centerpiece of his U.S. Senate campaign against Susan Collins, but a Washington Post visit to his tiny hometown of Allagash found neighbors deeply divided over whether the 58-year-old former logger has earned their trust. Jackson replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee after Platner […] The post Troy Jackson's own hometown can't agree on whether he deserves a Senate seat appeared first on American Almanac .
Democrat Troy Jackson is selling his rural Maine roots as the centerpiece of his U.S. Senate campaign against Susan Collins, but a Washington Post visit to his tiny hometown of Allagash found neighbors deeply divided over whether the 58-year-old former logger has earned their trust. Jackson replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee after Platner formally dropped out of the race in July amid a sexual assault allegation Platner denies. Democrats are betting that Jackson's biography, a former logger who served two decades in the Maine Legislature and led the state Senate as president, can pull rural voters back to a party that has steadily lost ground in northern New England's small towns. The trouble is that Allagash, a one-road…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Sen. Bernie Moreno demands ex-son-in-law Rep. Max Miller resign from Congress over abuse allegations
A sitting Republican senator publicly called on his former son-in-law, a Republican congressman from Ohio, to leave office and seek "serious psychological help", escalating a bitter family and political dispute just days before a ballot-replacement deadline. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, issued a lengthy written statement on X on Sunday, roughly one hour after Rep. Max […] The post Sen. Bernie Moreno demands ex-son-in-law Rep. Max Miller resign from Congress over abuse allegations appeared first on American Almanac .
A sitting Republican senator publicly called on his former son-in-law, a Republican congressman from Ohio, to leave office and seek "serious psychological help", escalating a bitter family and political dispute just days before a ballot-replacement deadline. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, issued a lengthy written statement on X on Sunday, roughly one hour after Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, went live on the platform to deny domestic abuse allegations made by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the senator's daughter. Moreno did not mince words about the man who once married into his family. The clash between two Republicans from the same state, one a freshman senator, the other a sitting congressman and former Trump administration adviser, has turned…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Only 61 Malibu homes are rebuilding 18 months after the Palisades Fire — and residents blame red tape
Eighteen months after the Palisades Fire destroyed at least 700 structures along Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway, just 61 homes are being rebuilt, and homeowners say city permitting, state regulations, and insurance gaps have turned recovery into a second disaster. The fire broke out on January 7, 2025. Nearly 600 of the structures lost were single-family […] The post Only 61 Malibu homes are rebuilding 18 months after the Palisades Fire — and residents blame red tape appeared first on American Almanac .
Eighteen months after the Palisades Fire destroyed at least 700 structures along Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway, just 61 homes are being rebuilt, and homeowners say city permitting, state regulations, and insurance gaps have turned recovery into a second disaster. The fire broke out on January 7, 2025. Nearly 600 of the structures lost were single-family homes, according to figures then-Mayor Marianne Riggins provided to Realtor.com. As of late July 2026, the City of Malibu has issued 1,076 permits for damages, repairs, debris removal, and structures along PCH, but only 88 of those are for new home construction. The gap between destruction and rebuilding is staggering, and the people who lived there say the government response explains…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Mamdani's pied-à-terre tax is one month old — and Manhattan's luxury market is already paying the price
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's new tax on high-end second homes took effect July 1, and real estate brokers say it is already freezing buyers, inflating the luxury rental market, and pushing wealthy purchasers out of New York City altogether. A month into the policy, the picture emerging from Manhattan's brokerage offices is blunt: international buyers are […] The post Mamdani's pied-à-terre tax is one month old — and Manhattan's luxury market is already paying the price appeared first on American Almanac .
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's new tax on high-end second homes took effect July 1, and real estate brokers say it is already freezing buyers, inflating the luxury rental market, and pushing wealthy purchasers out of New York City altogether. A month into the policy, the picture emerging from Manhattan's brokerage offices is blunt: international buyers are walking away from signed deals, sellers are listing properties they once planned to keep, and six-figure-a-month rental units are filling up with people who would have bought if the city had not added a new annual bill on top of already steep property taxes. The tax applies to second homes valued above $5 million, starting at a 4-percent annual rate and climbing to 6.5 percent under the first…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Aaron Rodgers credits his wife for ending years-long family estrangement
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, now 42 and entering his 22nd NFL season, told reporters at training camp that his wife played a central role in reuniting him with his estranged family, a rift he acknowledged but refused to explain. Rodgers spoke to NFL Media's Kyle Brandt about a reconciliation he described as "a couple-year […] The post Aaron Rodgers credits his wife for ending years-long family estrangement appeared first on American Almanac .
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, now 42 and entering his 22nd NFL season, told reporters at training camp that his wife played a central role in reuniting him with his estranged family, a rift he acknowledged but refused to explain. Rodgers spoke to NFL Media's Kyle Brandt about a reconciliation he described as "a couple-year process," one that culminated in a long weekend spent with his parents, his brother Luke, and Luke's family in Nashville shortly before camp opened. He offered no details about what caused the split, saying only that there were reasons "that don't need to be talked about." But he was direct about who helped him get past it. "Having those conversations with my wife, that allowed me to open up to the…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Emma Roberts' five-year-old son walked her down the aisle after father Eric Roberts missed Idaho wedding
Emma Roberts married actor Cody John in Idaho last weekend with her five-year-old son, Rhodes, walking her down the aisle, a moment made more pointed by the absence of her father, Eric Roberts, and his long-acknowledged failures as a parent. Rhodes wore a white tux for the walk, escorting his mother to the altar where […] The post Emma Roberts' five-year-old son walked her down the aisle after father Eric Roberts missed Idaho wedding appeared first on American Almanac .
Emma Roberts married actor Cody John in Idaho last weekend with her five-year-old son, Rhodes, walking her down the aisle, a moment made more pointed by the absence of her father, Eric Roberts, and his long-acknowledged failures as a parent. Rhodes wore a white tux for the walk, escorting his mother to the altar where she exchanged vows with John. Emma Roberts wore a custom off-white gown designed by Monique Lhuillier, paired with a matching veil and an asymmetrical shawl. Her aunt, Julia Roberts, attended the ceremony. Her father did not. Eric Roberts, known for his role in "The Dark Knight," confirmed his absence in a brief statement to Page Six . He offered no explanation for why he was not there. "I love my daughter, always have,…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Bill Belichick downplays UNC turmoil as GM Michael Lombardi faces university investigation
Bill Belichick addressed reporters for the first time since UNC placed his longtime ally and football GM Michael Lombardi on paid administrative leave, offering little clarity as a formal university investigation moves forward. The eight-time Super Bowl champion, now 74 and heading into his second year coaching the Tar Heels, spoke at training camp in […] The post Bill Belichick downplays UNC turmoil as GM Michael Lombardi faces university investigation appeared first on American Almanac .
Bill Belichick addressed reporters for the first time since UNC placed his longtime ally and football GM Michael Lombardi on paid administrative leave, offering little clarity as a formal university investigation moves forward. The eight-time Super Bowl champion, now 74 and heading into his second year coaching the Tar Heels, spoke at training camp in Chapel Hill as the program opened preparations for the upcoming season. His comments were brief and carefully measured, even as the university's chancellor delivered a far blunter assessment of the distraction engulfing the football program. UNC announced July 27 that Lombardi had been placed on paid administrative leave following an internal human resources complaint filed by a former…Open