It’s time to get up!
Last week marked the end (sort of) of the first phase of the crucial mayoral primary in New York City, a race which I covered in depth on this newsletter. It also was the start of month three here at The Uprising.
There have been no changes to that race since the last update. New numbers should start coming in after tomorrow, which is the deadline for absentee ballots to be received. In the meantime, I want to talk to you, dear readers, about some of the stories this newsletter will focus on next.
RECAP: But first, as I did about a month ago, I would like to highlight some of the articles you may have missed from the second month of The Uprising. The mission of this newsletter is to provide original, exclusive reporting you won’t find anywhere else. I think these pieces provide ample proof The Uprising is delivering.
In the second month of this newsletter, I took you inside Mar-A-Lago with unreported video of former President Trump mocking “rough” treatment of the press by North Korean guards and a photo of Trump meeting with a man who runs a website that was used to organize “patriot caravans” to the January 6 protests. The Uprising was all over the mayor’s race with a series of stories on the chaos that unfolded on Dianne Morales’ campaign, a major endorsement scoop, and the first news of infighting and finger pointing after Andrew Yang’s concession.
While I focused on the wild fight for City Hall, the newsletter also included looks at the California recall, a district attorney’s race with a massive infusion of Wall Street cash, and a longshot primary challenge to Paul Gosar, the Arizona congressman who has emerged as one of the most active revisionist defenders of the Capitol rioters.
Going forward, I plan to keep up the campaign coverage. A few of the races that I have my eye on include the Ohio special election where Bernie Sanders ally Nina Turner has emerged as a frontrunner. The California recall and the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia should become more regular features around here too.
I have some reporting trips planned for late summer and fall, but for the next few weeks I plan to spend a lot of time in the swamp with stepped up coverage of Capitol Hill and from inside the White House briefing room. There are several issues that I want to keep on my radar including criminal justice reform and police violence, continuing to examine what happened on January 6th, and getting answers about the shocking Juneteenth votes from earlier this month. In addition to sticking with these topics, which have already been a big part of The Uprising, I am working on stories about poverty and homelessness, two issues that are far too rarely discussed in the political press.
If you’re as excited about this as I am it’s a great time to sign up! To make things even better, I am launching a 20 percent off summer sale!
HOUSEKEEPING: Along with digging into some new storylines, I am focusing on beginning the exclusive events for paid subscribers. Expect an announcement about The Uprising Book Club later this week!
I’m also continuing to experiment with this newsletter format. One thing I have noticed so far is that folks are not clicking through links to longer stories when the newsletter has multiple items. I believe in giving the people what they want! So, going forward, when I have an original, reported story, I am going to send it out individually rather than as part of a newsletter. I will reserve multi item roundups for days when I have smaller tidbits or am curating stories from other outlets.
Another thing I have found is that most of you are reading these emails regardless of when I send them out. Open rates on morning, midday, evening, and even late night emails have all been about the same — and quite good! Thanks for that! When I initially started this thing, I figured it should be a morning newsletter because that is what typically works and also because I enjoyed the pun with the name. For this month, I am going to lead into the rebellious and unconventional aspect of this newsletter and make it fairly unscheduled. This will allow me to focus exclusively on trying to bring you the most quality stories I can.
So, keep an eye on your inbox! The Uprising could happen at any moment!
FUN FACT: The sophisticated analytics here at Uprising World Headquarters in Adams Morgan have also made clear that you folks enjoy the fun facts at the end of these newsletters. It is my solemn promise to you that, except for major bits of breaking news, whether an issue is an individual story or a bulletin, I will give you the fun facts you crave!
The wee hours of this morning were the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which was the first major gay rights protest. This watershed moment took place in 1969 after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in the heart of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.
At the time, the majority of New York’s gay clubs were owned by the mafia due to the fact the State Liquor Authority considered it unlawful to serve alcohol at establishments that catered to gay customers. This pushed the bar scene underground. “Fat Tony” Lauria, a Genovese family member, decided to capitalize on the opportunity and turned a straight bar on the site into the Stonewall, which was ostensibly a private club. Lauria, who was rumored to be a front for a higher ranking mobster, reportedly paid police $1,200 a month and sometimes blackmailed his own closeted patrons.
That’s all for today! If you haven’t already, please subscribe to The Uprising and tell your friends! And if you work in politics, please don’t forget to leave a (news) tip on your way out→ hunter.walker@protonmail.com
The Fun Facts are indeed appreciated! (As is the rest of the newsletter content!)