A government of the people, by the people, and for the people: That was the idea behind the American experiment. But there has always been tension between the idea and the reality.Inspired by great works of American inquiry, The Atlantic and WNYC Studios earlier this month launched a new podcast, The Experiment: stories from an unfinished country.
Having moved from the teeming cityscape of Taipei to the rural American South in the 1970s as a preteen, I know something of the shock, at once awe-inspiring and estranging, of that first sight of the great American landscape—just sheer land—that seems to stretch on forever.
Each installment of The Friendship Files features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship.This week she talks with a group of friends who have been going on monthly hikes for 25 years. They discuss why the hike organizer has absolute authority, how they’ve shown up for one another through tragedies, and why hiking together has bonded them more deeply than other ways of keeping in touch.
Democracy Now! first aired on nine community radio stations on February 19, 1996, on the eve of the New Hampshire presidential primary. In the 25 years since that initial broadcast, the program has greatly expanded, airing today on more than 1,500 television and radio stations around the globe and reaching millions of people online.
Parenting advice on adult ADHD, new mom support, and infidelity revelations.
Some governors are increasingly rankled by federal maneuvers like moving vaccine out of their control, creating early friction as Biden wraps up his first month.
President Biden’s plan would actually do a lot of good—but it could do even more.
From the Capitol riot to LGBTQ representation, reality is intruding on the company’s traditional, conservative fantasy.
Thanks to the pandemic, it’s never been easier to give your mayor an earful.
It turns out the pandemic may not have been the budget wrecker everyone feared.
Downtowns won’t recover from the pandemic anytime soon. Public transportation must look elsewhere.
Jamilah and williambryantmiles take on topics of race, sex, and identity.
The South’s winter storm crisis raises a difficult question for the movement against gas stoves.
Allies laud Brian Deese’s leadership on the stimulus negotiations, but he’s rubbed some the wrong way.
The U.S. wants to stop new coal projects, but risks losing poor countries to Beijing’s “Belt and Road” agenda.
Investors are pumping up bubbles across markets, with excitement growing about more stimulus and widespread vaccinations.
As the critical swing vote in a 50-50 Senate, Joe Manchin has emerged as the most powerful man in Washington.
The decision breaks with the Trump administration’s opposition to Okonjo-Iweala and brings the U.S. in line with much of the rest of the world.
Lava flows on Mount Etna, ski championships in Italy, scenes from the Australian Open, ice skating in the Netherlands, an image from New York Fashion Week, freezing conditions in Texas, a monument to cosmonaut Yury Gagarin, snowy scenes in Greece, and much more.
Decades of inaction by corrupt politicians, groveling at the oily feet of the fossil fuel industry led to a natural disaster-turned epic disaster in Texas. A winter storm took advantage of an archaic fossil fuel-soaked energy grid. Then conservative officials, their party, and their media propaganda machines attempted to place blame for this failure on renewable energy—which makes up less than 20 percent of the grid.
Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.
Philip Eil at the Columbia Journalism Review writes—What the Trump administration meant for freedom of information requests:
THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP PROMISED AN EPIC TEST for the Freedom of Information Act. On one side, the powerful, yet deeply flawed, transparency law that turned 50 years old a few months before Trump’s 2016 election.
Student debt has become an extremely profitable industry over the past quarter century. It’s also devastated a generation-and-a-half due to predatory terms and practices that the government has created, allowed to persist, and failed to address. Republicans have successfully framed the crisis as one of lazy freeloaders—those who hold the nation’s $1.
I don’t know if this is just a quirk peculiar to me or what, but when the weather’s cold and sucky, I find myself taking a little extra time with my breakfast.
Whether it’s oatmeal or yogurt fancied up with fruit and granola or just plain cereal, winter weather somehow makes me want to actually sit down and enjoy breakfast with my coffee (as opposed to slurping it down hurriedly while I peruse morning headlines).
Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis continues his inability to properly address the COVID-19 pandemic with his unveiling of a “pop-up” vaccine clinic. Since the start of the pandemic, DeSantis has followed Donald Trump’s actions in downplaying the virus and its severity. He refused to not only issue a statewide mask mandate but to close beaches and businesses despite a rise in cases.
The “View” co-host also warned that heads would roll for the mess in Texas.
After leaving in disgrace following his impeachment for inciting a mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, the former president wants to consolidate his hold on the GOP.
Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. All major indicators of COVID-19 transmission in the United States continue to fall rapidly. Weekly new cases have fallen from 1.7 million at the national peak in early January to fewer than 600,000 this week, and cases have declined in every state.
Poor countries and global health advocates have been pushing wealthy nations to share some of their supply, warning that the inequitable vaccine rollout could leave them playing catch-up for years.
First they hid behind obscure interpretations of the Constitution and false claims of voter fraud. Then, even after a violent mob came for them, they chose a pathological liar and would-be authoritarian over the rule of law.Now that Donald Trump’s second impeachment has ended in acquittal, we can look to the objections lodged by 147 Republicans against certifying the presidential-election results on January 6 as an omen.
Suzanne Kaye filmed herself drinking cinnamon Jack Daniels and citing her “Second Amendment right to shoot your f**king ass.