Today's Liberal News

High Stakes, and a Low Bar, For Markwayne Mullin at DHS

During the 14 months of Kristi Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security, I regularly heard from staffers—career law-enforcement officers and political appointees alike—who were desperate for a return to institutional normalcy. Their concerns weren’t ideological. They felt, instead, that Noem was running the department and its law-enforcement agencies as an attention-grabbing spectacle, undermining their mission.
Consider Noem’s appearance at a Salvadoran megaprison.

A Test for Trump’s Most Faithful

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.
Let’s get this out of the way: Rumors of a major MAGA schism have been greatly exaggerated.

The Movie Star Hiding in Plain Sight

Look at a list of the highest-grossing actors of all time, and you’ll see a lot of familiar names. The group includes franchise-hopping performers such as Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Zoe Saldaña; legacy A-listers such as Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks; and one 74-year-old Swede who has built a bustling, storied career doing a little bit of everything.

General McChrystal’s Dolly Parton Doctrine

The name Stanley McChrystal might bring a few things to mind: the U.S. Army general who led NATO forces in Afghanistan; a legendary Special Forces operator; a decorated military career cut short by reported tactless remarks about a vice president; a daily food intake of just one meal—a “reward” dinner after a hard day. One thing that might not come to mind: a Dolly Parton fan.

Economist Jeffrey Sachs: U.S.-Israeli “War of Choice,” Assault on U.N. Charter Could Lead to WWIII

The global economy has been rocked by the war in the Middle East, with Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatening energy flows and sending the price of oil soaring to its highest level in years. The United Nations Security Council responded to the unprovoked U.S.-Israeli war by passing a resolution this week condemning Iran — specifically for its attacks on U.S.

Israeli Journalist Gideon Levy: Israel Will Not Stop Wars & Occupation Until U.S. Pulls Support

Inside Israel, “there is no room for any question marks or doubts about this war,” says journalist Gideon Levy, a columnist for Haaretz and a member of the newspaper’s editorial board. He says war fever has taken over the country, with polls showing 93% support for the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, Lebanon and beyond — at least among the Jewish public. “Israel is doing as much as it can,” he says. “As long as the American support is so massive, so blind and so automatic, this will go on.

Report from Beirut: Israel Expands Bombing Campaign & Mass Displacement in Lebanon

We speak with journalist Lylla Younes in Lebanon, where she says Israel’s “massacres are multiplying” amid the broader U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Israeli strikes have killed nearly 700 people in Lebanon over the past two weeks, while attacks have expanded to include areas of central Beirut, which Israel claims are aimed at the powerful Hezbollah militia. This comes as Israel has vowed to expand its incursion into southern Lebanon.

Ex-Marine, Senate Candidate Speaks Out After Arrest, Arm Broken During Iran War Protest in Senate

A Marine Corps veteran suffered a broken arm last week after he disrupted a Senate hearing to voice his opposition to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Democracy Now! speaks with the veteran, Brian McGinnis, who is also a Green Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina. McGinnis is critical of U.S. policy in Israel and the Trump administration’s decision to go “full speed ahead with military action” in the Middle East.

Raymond Chandler and the Case of the Split Infinitive

This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here.
Early in 1948, Raymond Chandler had two main gripes. One was with the Oscars; the other was with The Atlantic’s editorial department. The famous detective novelist and screenwriter had written an essay for the magazine excoriating the motion-picture industry and its tolerance for—indeed celebration of—mindless mediocrity.

The Pentagon’s Lawyers Are Now Under Review

One of Pete Hegseth’s first actions after taking charge at the Pentagon was to fire top lawyers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force—senior officers who the defense secretary said functioned as “roadblocks” to the president’s orders. The former National Guardsman has a history of hostility toward military lawyers and the legal restraints they impose on the use of military might. They are known as judge advocates general. Hegseth calls them “jagoffs.