Weather Report #19: A war reporting memoir, a conspiracy thriller about political disappearances, the only "Great American Video Game," and more...

Good afternoon, dear reader! Welcome to your Weather Report, a weekly column where I recommend a book, a movie, some possibly underlooked articles, and music for paying subscribers.

Here's what you're getting this week:

1. Heavy Weather is now available in video form
2. An update in a former Puerto Rico governor's bribery case that shows how normalized political corruption has become at all levels
3. A visceral and raw memoir about war reporting
4. Essays, articles, and columns about: space satellites, Texas flooding, "Alligator Alcatraz," The New York Times' eugenics tipster, and luxury megaprojects.
5. A slow-burn conspiracy thriller about the international banks that make a dictatorship work
6. The only "Great American Video Game" as far as I'm concerned
7. Three songs I've been bumping lately

If you're interested in seeing the recommendations – and supporting Heavy Weather's quest to keep tabs on collapse – you can become a paid subscriber by clicking the button below. Paid subscribers get access to the MEDIA LIST, a comprehensive list of every book, movie, and video game I've ever recommended. If you're already a paid subscriber, thank you very much! This newsletter would literally not be possible without your support.

Heavy Weather on Video:

As promised, I've started turning some of this newsletter's evergreen posts into short-form videos. I posted the first one a couple of days ago. And I'm extremely relieved to see that it's gotten a good reception from people, especially on TikTok, which seems to be the only social media platform where somebody can develop a fanbase if they don't have any pre-established popularity.

Pretty much all of the videos will be in Spanish to cater towards a Puerto Rican audience. Meanwhile, the newsletter will remain in English to cater to a wider audience. I might expand into making longer videos, but that all really depends on whether there's sufficient interest.

You can find Heavy Weather on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

The story this video is based on can be found here:

Puerto Rico was an “Exceptional Training Location” for Counterintelligence Exercise, New Documents Reveal

The Army Reserve said it was not able to provide more documents, “in part,” because records were “not properly archived.”

Heavy WeatherCarlos Berríos Polanco

Updates:

I would normally place this below the paywall. But since I've talked about Wanda Vázquez Garced's corruption case in the updates section, I figure this should go here as well.

Leadership at the DOJ reportedly ordered prosecutors about to start Vázquez Garced's bribery trial to "reach a more lenient deal," according to Bloomberg Law. Julio Herrera Verlutini, one of her co-defendants, is being represented by Trump's personal lawyer. So, you do the math.

The mandate from a department political appointee, delivered during a day-long meeting May 29 at DOJ headquarters, overruled prosecutors who had pursued much stricter felony bribery and wire fraud charges carrying up to 20 years in prison, according to court filings and interviews.

Instead, the parties agreed to allow Vázquez Garced, her consultant and ex-FBI agent Mark Rossini, and Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini to all plead to a single misdemeanor in which they may avoid prison time, court documents show.

DOJ Overruled Prosecutors to Get Deal for Trump-Linked Governor

Justice Department leadership ordered prosecutors about to start a major bribery trial to reach a more lenient deal with Puerto Rico’s former governor, who had endorsed President Donald Trump, and a billionaire represented by Trump’s personal lawyer, said two people familiar with the matter.

Bloomberg LawSeth Stern

That's it for this week's free stuff. If you want to see the media recommendations and the link roundup, you can become a paid subscriber today.