On this week's 51%, we speak with author and playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes about her debut novel, The White Hot. Hudes is the Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright of Water by the Spoonful and the musical In the Heights, which she also adapted for the screen. The White Hot takes the form of a letter written by a mom to her 18-year-old daughter, explaining — but not apologizing for — why she suddenly abandoned her nearly a decade prior. WAMC’s Sarah LaDuke speaks with Hudes about why she decided to write the tale, an unflinching exploration of one mom’s rage and journey toward self-discovery.

Up to 300 people gathered in downtown Buffalo late Thursday afternoon, standing and chanting outside the building where the local US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office is housed.

While the agent wore a mask in videos taken of the event, he appeared to be unmasked in many social media posts. That image appeared to have been generated by xAI's generative AI chatbot, Grok.