Weather Report #21: A gruesome urban horror manga about class war, the best show to get into Gundam, and more

Hello, dear reader! Welcome to your weekly Weather Report, a 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. Updates on former Puerto Rico governor's court case and the tourist who allegedly burned down a hotel in Cabo Rojo.
2. A gruesomely detailed urban horror fantasy manga that correctly analyzes the power dynamics of a world where some people use magic and other people can't.
3. Essays, articles, and columns about: reporting on white supremacists, ICE detention, doomer leftism, and AI in journalism.
4. The best show to get you into Gundam.
5. Three songs to vibe to while walking your dog on a sunny day.

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.

Updates:

Wanda Vázquez Case

A date has finally been set for Wanda Vázquez Garced, Julio Herrera Verlutini, and Mark Rossini to plead guilty, according to court documents. Mark your calendars for August 27, 2025 at 2pm. They will be charged for a single misdemeanor and they'll likely avoid prison time.

As Ben Penn of Bloomberg Law reported, the DOJ overruled prosecutors to give Vázquez Garced and her co-defendants a better deal. A few days later, the judge in charge of the case let it be known that she was pissed off they were getting off easy, and she let it be known:

Strikingly, the penalty for violating Section 30121 of the FECA is a mere slap on the wrist when compared to the sentencing exposure the Defendants faced if convicted of the conduct charged in the Indictment. But alas, the Government’s decision to shift gears at the eleventh hour is allowed because ultimately the Government decides how it will exercise its prosecutorial discretion.

...

While the Defendants are now charged with a misdemeanor offense, it is still an offense that lacerates the integrity of our democratic electoral process. The offense charged represents an attack on a fundamental principle of our democratic society: free and fair elections. Accordingly, the Court will not exercise its discretion to allow the arraignment and plea hearings to be held by video-teleconference.

Danielle Bertothy Case

At the beginning of 2025, an American tourist allegedly burned down a hotel and a restaurant in the seaside municipality of Cabo Rojo, then fled back to Missouri a few hours after.

On Wednesday, the government and her lawyers reached an agreement and scheduled a change of plea hearing for July 22, 2025, according to court documents. The government has already signed the plea agreement and provided it to Bertothy's lawyer. A later filing says that the signed plea agreement will be filed by Thursday, July 17.

However, if the agreement has been filed, it has not been uploaded to PACER yet. If/when it is eventually uploaded, I will upload it to my social media and make it part of next week's Weather Report.

You can read my previous coverage of the alleged arson and the Bertothy case for The Latino Newsletter, here:

https://thelatinonewsletter.org/p/rental-manager-alleged-arsonist

https://thelatinonewsletter.org/p/american-tourist-arrested-and-indicted-for-burning-down-puerto-rico-businesses

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.