Weather Report #25: A haunting portrait of (fictional) extremist radicalization; an unexpectedly good and layered thriller about collective memory; and more...

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

I'm writing this after Category 5 Hurricane Erin passed about 145 miles north of Puerto Rico. Although there were reports of flooding, downed trees and electric lines, and one explosion at a power station, the damages have been minor across the archipelago so far. I previously wrote about how the Trump administration's gutting of emergency response agencies would be catastrophic for hurricane season, and this was a tiny preview of what will happen when/if a hurricane directly impacts Puerto Rico or any other part of the United States.

Anyway, here's what you're getting this week:

1. The former governor of Puerto Rico tried to change the narrative around her charges being diminished, then a judge called her a liar in court.
2. A haunting portrait of extremist radicalization during a fictional second American Civil War.
3. Essays, articles, and columns about: micro-seasons, surviving occupation, high-speed operators, the three American economies, and the Japanese economy that never was
4. An unexpectedly good and layered thriller about French collective memory, and how people/the nation-state choose to purposefully ignore their sins.
5. Three great tracks that continue the LATAM vibe I've been on.

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.

DOJ Calls Former Puerto Rico Governor a Liar in Court

Earlier this week, former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced filed an informative motion to "clarify the record to reflect the truth" about why the felony bribery and wire fraud charges against her and her co-defendants were dropped in favor of a single misdemeanor illegal contribution from a foreign national. She alleged that the federal government's case against her had "collapsed."

A day later, the Assistant U.S. Attorney for Puerto Rico stopped short of calling her a bald-faced liar by saying that their case did not "collapse," but that the reduced charges are "consistent with the enforcement priorities of the Justice Department." (Reportedly, DOJ leadership "ordered" prosecutors to reach a more lenient deal. Vázquez Garced is a Trump supporter and her co-defendant, Julio Herrera Verlutini, is represented by Trump's personal lawyer)

Vázquez Garced's 28-page motion laid out her side of the story, alleging that no undue political pressure was applied from the DOJ, but that "previously unknown facts" were discovered that led to the charges being reduced. Meanwhile, the DOJ's response called pretty much all of the document hogwash, stating that "quotations attributed to government counsel and Department leadership in Vázquez's motion [were] completely fabricated" and that their case did not collapse. They're ready to proceed to trial if necessary, they wrote.

Vázquez Garced, Herrera Verlutini and former FBI agent Mark Rossini have not signed the plea agreements for the misdemeanor charge, according to the court docket.

Truth be told, I don't think these filings will change anything about the case in any material way because it's just Vázquez Garced trying to get her side of the story in the news. Maybe they though the DOJ wouldn't respond or maybe that her version would take hold. Who knows.

Also, worth saying that I've been the first person, or one of the first people, to publish the court documents and their contents in their entirety pretty much exclusively because I have Courtlistener notifications turned on (lol).

You can find the original informative motion from Wanda Vázquez Garced here, and you can find the DOJ's response here.

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.