Zohran Mamdani ran an online campaign based on real people and a real message. @cwarzel.bsky.social on why it worked:

Those who believe in liberty and dignity must never give in to the forces arrayed against the things they hold dearest, Nancy Pelosi argues: https://theatln.tc/VJrhMhNd

“I’ve seen parents running to their kids, lovers sprinting toward a kiss, and friends handing a runner a beer so they can shotgun it together.” Mariana Labbate on how marathons have gathered strangers for more than a century in Time-Travel Thursdays:

Police spent more than 50 days searching a lake for Ryan Borgwardt, a kayaker they assumed had drowned. Then they told his wife that they’d come to believe something different. Jamie Thompson spoke with the people involved in the case that rattled a Wisconsin town:

Few features are more beloved by drivers than Apple CarPlay. Enjoy it while you still can, writes Patrick George. https://theatln.tc/sBsAA2h0

Answer today’s trivia question from Julie Beck's story “The Pantsless Trend Reaches Its Logical Conclusion.” Check your response and sign up for Atlantic Trivia in your inbox every day: https://theatln.tc/XsvZ3sNh

When Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor of New York “he will govern in a perilous landscape, and he will need to prove his bona fides quickly,” Michael Powell argues:

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent bucking of the Republican party line might be more than just revenge against the president, @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues: “She may be planning for a day when the MAGA movement is not led by Trump.”

“What keeps people in love is not what makes them fall in love in the first place.” Arthur C. Brooks on what qualities are most important for true, long-term companionship:

Suburbs have a financial secret—one that’s dividing rich towns from poor towns, Michael Waters argues.

Conflict is expanding between Trump’s immigration policies and the Catholic faith, Elizabeth Bruenig writes. “The religion’s call to radical love can’t countenance this much cruelty.”

Those who believe in liberty and dignity must “never give in to the forces arrayed against the things we hold dearest,” Nancy Pelosi argues. “And as I soon begin my final year in Congress, I believe as fervently as ever that this must be our path forward.”

Trump, who has criticized America’s past “forever wars” and spent much of this year focused on ending major foreign conflicts, might be about to start one in his own backyard. The Atlantic reports on the president’s endgame in Venezuela:

A recent essay, “The Great Feminization,” posits that the growing influence of women is harming U.S. institutions. @sophiegilbert.bsky.social argues that the real problem facing American culture is quite different:

Zohran Mamdani’s campaign promise of universal child care in New York City would “transform New York’s demography and economy”—if he can pull it off, @annielowrey.bsky.social argues:

“If Trump’s impulsive, short-horizon leadership style is what finally does the filibuster in, then Democrats should help make it so,” @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues: “Its demise would benefit the whole country.”

“Maybe it was easier to say everything like this, with a crowd at your feet and a rope around your neck.” Read a short story from our December 2025 issue by George Packer:

The elections this week were the first time that voters across the country got to voice their opinion since Trump was reelected. On “Radio Atlantic,” @hannarosin.bsky.social speaks with @dgraham.bsky.social on gerrymandering, why this was a test run for 2026, and more.

Bird watching! Unclenched jaw. Catching up on "The Gilded Age"! @petridishes.bsky.social imagines Speaker Mike Johnson's break from the news:

The best picture books are mind-expanding, psychology astute, vividly illustrated, and fun. The Atlantic compiled 65 of these essential titles—and on Reddit this Friday, Emma Sarappo and Boris Kachka are answering your questions about the recommendations: https://www.reddit.com/r/childrensbooks/

Police spent more than 50 days searching a lake for Ryan Borgwardt, a kayaker they assumed had drowned. Then they told his wife that they’d come to believe something different. Jamie Thompson spoke with the people involved in the case that rattled a Wisconsin town:

Bees landing on flower petals, spiders building their webs: See short-listed images from the 2025 Close-Up Photographer of the Year, celebrating close-up, macro, and micro photography.

Trump, who has criticized America’s past “forever wars” and spent much of this year focused on ending major foreign conflicts, might be about to start one in his own backyard. The Atlantic reports on the president’s endgame in Venezuela:

Tech companies have long promised to deliver a golden age of human connection—but with AI companions, what’s actually unfolding is a digital age “more actively anti-social than the last,” @damonberes.com argues:

A recent essay, “The Great Feminization,” posits that the growing influence of women is harming U.S. institutions. @sophiegilbert.bsky.social argues that the real problem facing American culture is quite different:

Headphone listening "is a surprisingly radical invention, and we’re only beginning to contend with its implications," writes Jonathan Garrett. Not only does it isolate the listener; "it shrinks music’s cultural footprint."

Celebrities have embraced “a new sort of garment, more micro than micro-shorts, bulkier than lingerie,” Julie Beck writes. She calls it “the fashion diaper”:

The most effective scary movies tend to do more than just terrify us—they prompt us to question why we’re so afraid in the first place. Here are nine films that do just that:

Bees landing on flower petals, spiders building their webs: See short-listed images from the 2025 Close-Up Photographer of the Year, celebrating close-up, macro, and micro photography.

With millions of Americans stuck in food-stamp limbo, healthy foods are a luxury now more than ever, Nicholas Florko argues:

Yesterday’s election results cast doubt on the wisdom of the GOP’s gerrymandering war, Russell Berman reports. “None of this is good for Republicans,” one longtime GOP strategist told him.

Zohran Mamdani’s campaign promise of universal child care in New York City would “transform New York’s demography and economy”—if he can pull it off, @annielowrey.bsky.social argues:

A new digital era is emerging, and it’s even more anti-social than the last. Damon Beres reports on the false promise of AI companionship:

A non-profit has built a massive internet database—and served training data to AI firms despite pleas from publishers to stop, Alex Reisner reports:

Richard Linklater, best known for his low-key hangout movies, finds two surprising subjects for his latest works: prickly artists who didn’t care if people liked them, writes David Sims: https://theatln.tc/8D2ldLna

Venezuelan editor Quico Toro joins @davidfrum.bsky.social to talk about the Trump administration’s brinksmanship with Venezuela—and why a conflict in the Caribbean could be a disaster for everyone involved. Watch "The David Frum Show":

Celebrities have embraced “a new sort of garment, more micro than micro-shorts, bulkier than lingerie,” Julie Beck writes. She calls it “the fashion diaper”:

On the surface, grade inflation might seem simple to address, @ibogost.com writes. But it’s a strange and wicked problem on campus, with no single cause or obvious solution: https://theatln.tc/ds5cBJAV

Democrats won up and down the ballot yesterday, riding a backlash to Donald Trump’s second term, David A. Graham argues:

A recent essay, “The Great Feminization,” posits that the growing influence of women is harming U.S. institutions. @sophiegilbert.bsky.social argues that the real problem facing American culture is quite different:

Bees landing on flower petals, spiders building their webs: See shortlisted images from the 2025 Close-Up Photographer of the Year, celebrating close-up, macro, and micro photography.

Spend enough time online and reality starts to feel surreal. Galaxy Brain, The Atlantic’s new weekly podcast hosted by @cwarzel.bsky.social, is a space for conversations, explanations, and tangents to help you understand what’s going on. Premiering November 14: theatln.tc/j9m1uT84

“If Trump’s impulsive, short-horizon leadership style is what finally does the filibuster in, then Democrats should help make it so,” @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues: “Its demise would benefit the whole country.”

Americans still find animal cloning creepy, but it’s happening every day. In June, Bianca Bosker reported on the big business that has sprung up to produce faster horses, superior cattle, and immortal pets:

A new digital era is emerging, and it’s even more anti-social than the last. Damon Beres reports on the false promise of AI companionship:

If the Supreme Court grants Trump the power to implement his tariff regime, then “the doctrines that conservative jurists have painstakingly advanced would be intellectually diminished,” @imkahloon writes:

Colombia's president seems to enjoy provoking Trump, Gisela Salim-Peyer argues. But their spat is straining an alliance on which much of Colombia's economy and America's anti-drug efforts depend:

Democrats won up and down the ballot yesterday, riding a backlash to Donald Trump’s second term, David A. Graham argues:

Scholars can’t seem to resist the pull of literary mythmaking—but two new books on the English Renaissance serve as timely reminders that no single artist can create a golden age, Isaac Butler writes:

Popular ideas about inflammation have lost touch with medical reality, Jason Liebowitz writes—even as conventional treatments for diseases that cause inflammation have become more effective than ever: