Today's Liberal News

A Great Day for The Atlantic

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
Pardon the interruption, but I’m breaking into our regular programming to share some good news about The Atlantic.
First, here are three new stories that are worth your time:
The coming birth-control revolution
The politics of gun safety are changing.
There is more good than evil in this country.

The Atlantic’s 2024 National Magazine Award Winners and Finalists

For the third consecutive year, The Atlantic has won the top honor of General Excellence for a News, Sports, and Entertainment publication at the 2024 National Magazine Awards.
Below is a list of the stories that received recognition from the American Society of Magazine Editors:
Winner: Profile Writing
“Inside the Meltdown at CNN”
Mark Peterson / Redux for The Atlantic
By Tim Alberta
CEO Chris Licht felt he was on a mission to restore the network’s reputation for serious journalism.

Seven Books to Read in the Sunshine

As spring takes hold, the days arrive with a freshness that makes people want to linger outside; the balmy days almost feel wasted indoors. While you’re taking in the warm air, you might as well also be reading. Enjoying a book at a park, a beach, or an open-air café encourages a particular leisurely frame of mind. It allows a reader to let their thoughts wander, reflecting on matters that for once aren’t workaday or practical.

Ex-Israeli Negotiator Slams U.S. Arming of Israel Following Aid Convoy Attack & Iran Consulate Bombing

As Benjamin Netanyahu faces mass protests at home and increasing diplomatic pressure abroad, we speak with Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator and president of the U.S./Middle East Project. He says Netanyahu is desperate to save his political prospects, primarily by continuing the war on Gaza for as long as possible and undercutting ceasefire talks.

There Is More Good Than Evil in This Country

When Upton Sinclair published his novel The Jungle, the reaction was different from what he’d imagined. He had hoped to expose the deplorable working conditions in Chicago’s slaughterhouses, but most readers, instead of championing the workers, came away flinching at the depictions of all the unsanitary ways meat was produced. Of his readers’ response, Upton famously said, “I aimed at the public’s heart and by accident I hit it in the stomach.

“A War Machine Out of Control”: Israel Keeps Attacking Aid Workers as Gaza Faces Famine

We speak with Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, about Israel’s ongoing attacks against aid workers in the Gaza Strip. Israel has admitted it killed seven volunteers with World Central Kitchen on Monday after repeatedly bombing their clearly marked vehicle convoy, leading the humanitarian relief group to suspend its operations in Gaza and further restricting distribution of badly needed food amid a growing famine in the territory.

Haitians Resist Foreign Intervention as U.S. Pushes for Unelected “Transition Council” to Rule Island

We get an update on the crisis in Haiti, where deadly violence has continued to escalate between armed groups and police fighting for control of the capital Port-au-Prince. The country’s political future remains unclear, with recently resigned Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is stranded outside of Haiti, raising questions this week over the constitutionality of a “transitional council” formed to serve as an interim governing body until elections are scheduled.

The Coming Birth-Control Revolution

This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here.
Within the next couple of decades, a new generation of contraceptives could hit the American market. One, a pill that blocks certain cells from accessing vitamin A, might be able to limit fertility without flooding the body with hormones; another is an injection that temporarily blocks up the reproductive plumbing.

The Big Money of College Basketball

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
My personal foray into college-basketball fandom comes at a transformational time for the sport, as players accept major promotional deals and gambling reshapes the economics of the game.