Today's Liberal News

What Setting Personal Goals Is Really About

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.
New Year’s might as well be called the Day of the Goal.

The Future of the Democratic Party

Editor’s Note: Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here.
Democrats have veered into identity politics and away from the interests of the working class. On Washington Week With The Atlantic, George Packer joins Jeffrey Goldberg to discuss his recent reporting on the Democratic Party’s illusions and the future of American politics.

The Ideal Mental-Reset Movie

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.
Time is weird right now. During the “dead week” between Christmas and New Year’s, minutes, hours, and days may feel as though they’re either speeding up or slowing down, leaving you feeling refreshed and anchored or, alternately, anxious and adrift.

The Nine AI Stories That Defined 2024

This is Atlantic Intelligence, a newsletter in which our writers help you wrap your mind around artificial intelligence and a new machine age. Sign up here.
Thank you for reading Atlantic Intelligence this year: It’s been a pleasure appearing in your inbox each week, and we can’t wait to bring you new coverage in 2025. Collected below are some of the standout stories we published this year, which explore new frontiers for AI and the risks that come with advancement.

The Most Memorable Advice of 2024

In a year that brought both deeply polarizing moments and events of global camaraderie, these Atlantic writers, contributors, and experts tackled the quandaries and questions we encounter in our everyday lives.
Their advice, grounded in experience and expertise, offers new ways to think about topics such as parenting, cooking, and building relationships. Their words of wisdom provide guidance on when to give children a phone, why we should reconsider plus-ones at weddings, and more.

Big Tech Backs Trump to Cut Taxes, Boost Crypto, Replace Workers with AI: Tech Investor Roger McNamee

Silicon Valley and tech billionaires are lining up to support the incoming Trump administration. With the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, as one of Trump’s closest advisers, Trump has hosted Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for dinners at Mar-a-Lago. Amazon, Meta and OpenAI’s Sam Altman have all announced donations of $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural committee.

Imperialist Fantasy: Historian Greg Grandin on Trump Threat to Retake Panama Canal, Invade Mexico

Donald Trump has set his sights on the Americas, threatening to retake the Panama Canal if Panama doesn’t lower fees for U.S. ships. The United States controlled the waterway until 1977, when President Jimmy Carter signed a landmark treaty to give Panama control of the canal. Trump has also recently floated the idea of annexing Canada, and even a possible “soft invasion” of Mexico.

“We’re Not for Sale”: Greenlandic Member of Danish Parliament Responds to Trump’s Vow to Buy Island

We speak with a Greenlandic member of the Danish Parliament, Aaja Chemnitz, about incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to make America larger, in part by taking ownership of Greenland, which is controlled by Denmark. Greenland’s prime minister rejected the idea this week, saying, “We are not for sale and will never be for sale.” Trump’s statement on Greenland was made as he announced he was picking PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as his pick for United States ambassador to Denmark.