Grim Start To 2026: ICE Custody Deaths Pile Up After Deadliest Year On Record
Four migrants died while in custody of U.S. immigration authorities over the first 10 days of 2026, while at least 30 people died in ICE custody in 2025.
Today's Liberal News
Donald Trump Interview Takes Very Awkward Turn: ‘When Did I Do That?’
The president awkwardly appeared to lose track of a promise during a sit-down with The New York Times.
Trump-Friendly Rep Sparks Outrage With ‘Pathetic’ Greenland Idea
Florida Republican Randy Fine’s move was slammed as “insane” and “deplorable.
Grok is Gross
Lizzie O’Leary joins to break down the story of the disturbing deepfakes being created by X’s AI chatbot.
The CBS Evening Debut of Tony Dokoupil Was Embarrassing in Ways I Didn’t Know Possible
At least the debut of the “America-loving” newscast was an apt metaphor for America right now.
Money Talks: The Agony and Ecstasy of Barbie
Barbieland author Tarpley Hitt tells us all about the checkered past of the world’s most famous doll.
So Was it a Good Year for US Markets or Nah?
2025 was an interesting year for US stock markets and global dealmaking.
What Was The Hottest Take This Year?
Rating the spiciness and truthiness of the hottest takes we heard in 2025.
RFK Jr.’s theories about vaccines are about to be tested
American kids are no longer routinely being recommended shots against hepatitis A, meningitis, rotavirus and the flu.
Parents on RFK Jr.’s advice on sweets: ‘Completely unrealistic’
The health secretary’s new dietary guidelines tell parents to cut the added sugar until their kids turn 11.
Trump’s plan to strong-arm insurers into lower prices is met with skepticism
There are reasons to be skeptical that voluntary cuts by insurance companies could bring significant, lasting health care savings for Americans.
The GOP’s Obamacare defectors were more numerous than expected
The group was led by members in swing seats and those who represent many constituents facing rising health insurance premiums.
The big plan behind Kennedy’s overhaul of childhood vaccines
Here’s how the downgrading of shots could make it easier for people who claim vaccine injuries to sue for millions, driving manufacturers from the market.
When Church Was a Queer Space
Outward’s hosts sit down with the host and co-creator of When We All Get to Heaven.
Remembering, with the People of MCC San Francisco, AIDS Still Isn’t Over.
The neighborhood changes, the church moves, people forget and remember “the AIDS years,” but AIDS isn’t over.
What Happens When You Organize Church Around AIDS – and AIDS Changes?
The AIDS cocktail opens new possibilities. And MCC San Francisco tries to use the experience of AIDS to make bigger social change.
The Church’s Pastor Gets Diagnosed with AIDS. And the Church Wonders How Much They Might Lose.
The church’s minister gets sick and everyone knows it.
A Church Romance Between a Hula Dancer and a Lumbersexual Blossoms in a Dangerous Time.
The church’s “it couple” faces AIDS, caregiving, and loss as part of a pair, part of families, and part of a community.
Vance tries to thread affordability needle in Rust Belt
The vice president fine-tunes Trump’s economic message, but he’s only got so much wiggle room.
Ex-Trump voters swung hard to Democrats over costs in NJ & VA, new research shows
Voters who backed Donald Trump in 2024 and swung to Democrats in this year’s Virginia and New Jersey elections did so over economic concerns, according to focus groups conducted by a Democratic pollster and obtained by POLITICO.
Democrats think they’ve found their 2026 message — and Miami just backed it up
In races across the country, Democrats focused on promises to make life more affordable — even as they offered contrasting approaches.
Voters sour on Trump’s handling of the economy in new poll
The White House plans to make affordability a key selling point for Republicans across the board as the 2026 midterm elections come into focus.
“Holding Liat”: Former Israeli Hostage Says “There Aren’t Any Conflicts That Are Unsolvable”
Israeli American Liat Beinin Atzili was taken captive during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Over the next two months, her family members, including film director Brandon Kramer, tirelessly advocated for her release, an endeavor now documented in Kramer’s new film, Holding Liat. We speak to Atzili and Kramer about their family’s ordeal and Atzili’s captivity in Gaza, where she was held in isolation alongside another Israeli woman by members of Hamas until November 2023.
Mary Trump Drops Heartwarming Personal Announcement: ‘There Is Always Light’
“Today, I continue to be stunned by my greatest good fortune,” said the niece of President Donald Trump.
A Breathtaking Week of Pure Trump Id
Scarcely a week ago, U.S. warplanes and drones were streaking across the Caracas night sky to deliver a swift end to the reign of the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. The extraordinary display of kinetic violence delivered a stunning reminder about the reach of the world’s most powerful military—and symbolized the start of a new chapter for the man who commands it.
Donald Trump has been emboldened.
The Candor of Jerome Powell
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.
Jerome Powell isn’t known for his expressiveness. The chair of the Federal Reserve has kept quiet over the past year as President Trump has repeatedly attacked him—often with crude language (think moron, numbskull, dumb, and loser).
Some Other Things Donald Trump Will Probably Try to Buy
President Trump keeps talking about buying Greenland. Perhaps via a lump sum to Denmark, perhaps through individual payments to each Greenlander? We have reached the stage of the imperial presidency where we just start pointing at the map and demanding the things we see there. Formerly, when something bad happened in the news, the only people allowed to become immediately richer were defense contractors.
Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Our Deer Departed
Welcome back to Atlantic Trivia! Are you hungry for more?
I hope that while I’ve been away, you have been enjoying plenty of food for thought—literally. Research shows that berries help improve memory and that a walnut-heavy diet is associated with higher cognitive performance. Fatty fish and leafy greens are linked to slower cognitive decline. Caffeine is a brain boost too.
A challenge: Combine all these ingredients, Chopped-style, into the perfect pre-trivia meal.
The Soul of the Grateful Dead
In the summer of 1968, three years into the Grateful Dead’s existence, the band fired singer and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir. Jerry Garcia, the band’s other guitarist and its reluctant leader, and bassist Phil Lesh had decided that Weir and keyboardist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan were dragging the band down musically. Weir was just 20 years old, the youngest member of the group and the least technically accomplished.
“All the Walls Came Down”: L.A. Fire Survivors Fight Foreclosure & Demand Justice in Altadena
We look at All the Walls Came Down, a new short documentary directed by filmmaker Ondi Timoner that looks back at the devastating 2025 fires in Los Angeles, which destroyed Timoner’s home and left the historically Black community of Altadena in ruins. The film, which has been shortlisted for an Academy Award, follows community organizer Heavenly Hughes as residents confront the aftermath of the fires and organize to rebuild their town.