Surgeon general’s call for alcohol warning label likely to fall flat in Congress
Vivek Murthy says alcohol causes cancer, but the industry still has many friends on Capitol Hill.
Today's Liberal News
How ‘the End’ Helps Us Find New Beginnings
This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here.
You have a plethora of metaphors to pick from when describing these early days of 2025. January is a phoenix rising from the ashes; a butterfly wriggling free of its chrysalis. If you like, picture a bouncing baby New Year in your arms, powder fresh. The images all amount to the same thing: January is a time to (metaphorically) turn the page.
What Taylor Swift Understands About Love
In the weeks before I took my 11-year-old daughter to Taylor Swift’s Eras concert in Toronto, things started to go wrong, logistically. Our Airbnb host canceled on us, and I scrambled in a sea of expensive options to find a backup. Then, I realized that my daughter’s passport had expired. You need a passport to fly to Canada. Underneath my stress—and my annoyance that something that was supposed to be fun had become stressful—I began to feel shame.
Georgia O’Keeffe at Home
Photographs by Todd Webb
The photographer Todd Webb met Georgia O’Keeffe in the 1940s, at Alfred Stieglitz’s gallery An American Place. O’Keeffe liked Webb and his work, and they became friends for life. Partly at O’Keeffe’s urging, Webb moved to New Mexico in the early 1960s, and he was a frequent guest at O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiu. He often brought his camera.
Driving, 1959 (Todd Webb Archive)
Dogs in the Abiquiu garden, ca.
U.S./Israeli Yemen Strikes Won’t End Houthi Resistance. Ending Gaza Genocide Will: Shireen Al-Adeimi
The Pentagon announced this week it launched a wave of airstrikes on Sana’a and other parts of Yemen on Tuesday. U.S. Central Command said it targeted command and weapons production facilities of Ansarallah, the militant group also known as the Houthis that rules most of Yemen. The attacks came just after Israel bombed the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah and the main airport in Sana’a, killing at least six people.
“From Ground Zero”: Oscar-Shortlisted Film Features Stories from Palestinian Filmmakers in Gaza
As the genocide in Gaza enters its 15th month, we look at From Ground Zero, a collection of 22 short films made in Gaza by Palestinian filmmakers surviving Israel’s bombings and brutal blockade. The film has been shortlisted for this year’s Academy Awards in the category for best international feature. “In spite of all what happened, we were trying to search for hope,” says filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, director of From Ground Zero, now playing in U.S. theaters.
New Year’s Attacks by Green Beret & Army Veteran: Does U.S. Militarism Abroad Fuel Violence at Home?
We look at what we know about two deadly incidents that unfolded in the United States on New Year’s Day: a truck attack in New Orleans in which a driver killed at least 14 people before being shot dead by police, and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, part of an apparent suicide. The FBI has identified the New Orleans suspect as 42-year-old U.S.
Why Is This Simple Wardrobe Staple in Decline?
The humble white tee shows us just how much fast fashion has affected our relationship to clothing.
Paul Krugman Explains Trump’s Tariff Plan
The economy expert joins to talk us through tariffs, Biden’s economic legacy, and more.
From Behind the Money: Why Northvolt Failed to Become Europe’s Battery Champion
The story behind the Swedish start-up’s ambitious rise and massive downfall
Bogotá’s Open Streets Program Is the Most Successful in the World. I Went to Find Out Why.
If you ask a Bogotáno where they learned to ride a bike, they all have the same answer.
The government can’t ensure artificial intelligence is safe. This man says he can.
Brian Anderson is ready to shape the future of AI in health care — if Donald Trump will let him.
WHO names likely source of ‘mystery disease’ in the Congo
A combination of viral respiratory infections, malaria and malnutrition has killed nearly 50 people in the African country.
Bird flu mutations raise fears of a broader outbreak
Experts warn of inadequate testing by the CDC, which maintains the risk to humans “remains low.
Mark Zuckerberg and Meta got a big win. They have the House GOP to thank.
The billionaire and his company needed Speaker Mike Johnson’s help to stop legislation that would have regulated social media for the first time.
Biden administration scraps rules to expand birth control access
The move, welcomed by conservative organizations, leaves in place a Trump rule allowing more employers to opt out of providing coverage.
Is Aziz Ansari Sorry?
The Waves also discusses the Riverside Church controversy and the case of Sarah Milov.
Your Opinions on Her Wardrobe Are Probably Unwelcome
What we say matters, especially depending on whom we say it to.
What Role Does HR Play in the #MeToo Era?
The Waves also discusses the case against Jeffrey Epstein and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble.
Stephen Miran is Trump’s pick to lead Council of Economic Advisers
Miran has called for a sweeping overhaul of the Fed to ensure greater political control over the central bank, including giving the president the power to fire board members at will.
Biden: Trump’s tax and tariffs plans are a ‘major mistake’
Five weeks after the election, the president took his sharpest swing at Trump’s policy plans.
Trump voters feel very differently about things now that he’s won, our new poll shows
A pair of POLITICO|Morning Consult polls, one conducted in the final days of the election and the other conducted after Trump won, show how public opinion has changed.
It’s still the economy: What TV ads tell us about each campaign’s closing message
The final paid messages: Economy, culture wars and character.
Trump Escalates War on Press & Some Outlets Are “Capitulating Preemptively” to Pressure
We speak with The Nation’s Chris Lehmann about President-elect Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on the press and how major media figures and institutions are “capitulating preemptively” to the pressure. ABC News recently settled a defamation suit brought by Trump by making a $15 million donation to his future presidential library, despite experts saying the case was easily winnable.
“Surveilled”: Ronan Farrow on the Spyware Technology the Trump Admin Could Use to Hack Your Phone
We continue to discuss the new HBO Original film Surveilled and explore the film’s investigation of high-tech spyware firms with journalist Ronan Farrow and director Matthew O’Neill. We focus on the influence of the Israeli military in the development of some of the most widely used versions of these surveillance technologies, which in many cases are first tested on Palestinians and used to enforce Israel’s occupation of Palestine, and on the potential expansion of domestic U.S.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Should Not Exist
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.
On New Year’s Day, while looking for something to watch, I came across a channel with a loud, gray-haired British guy in a nice suit and a scarf bellowing about something or other.
Invisible Habits Are Driving Your Life
You probably remember when you took your last shower, but if I ask you to examine your routine more closely, you might discover some blank spots. Which hand do you use to pick up the shampoo bottle? Which armpit do you soap up first?
Bathing, brushing your teeth, driving to work, making coffee—these are all core habits. In 1890, the psychologist William James observed that living creatures are nothing if not “bundles of habits.