The Atlantic

An estimated 67,000 Israelis traveled thousands of miles to cast their votes in what many feel is a pivotal election—and the photographer Dana Golan accompanied a group of these expats on their journey home:

Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere else—yet this difference hardly ever comes up in domestic debates about America’s international mediocrity in education, Amanda Ripley wrote in 2013. theatln.tc/S45vz8wt

A24 is driving a cultural rethinking of the meaning of “cinematic”—and not just in film, writes @skornhaber.bsky.social:

Bernie Sanders is in huge demand on the campaign trail, @russellberman.bsky.social reports. He spoke with the 85-year-old senator about how the Democratic Party has shifted toward his policies.

Play today’s Rabbithole, which starts with a question inspired by Sarah Hepola’s article on the limiting convenience of self-pleasure. theatln.tc/VOPzuHE5

After decades of the party avoiding explicit morality, Democratic midterm candidates are speaking of good and evil, @galbeckerman.bsky.social argues. He examines a new book by Susan Neiman, “Call It Evil,” and the potential for a moral realignment:

See some of the top images from the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, selected from more than 26,000 entries from 46 countries:

What would a Christian political agenda look like if it were measured by the lives that could be saved, sheltered, and healed? Peter Wehner asks:

Every Halloween for the past 18 years, @ssdai.bsky.social’s husband has worn the same costume—a grimy, furry thing called Wolf Dawg. It’s exactly as absurd as it sounds, she writes:

Every Republican wants to paint Obama as an out-of-touch elitist for his Cheesecake Factory comment—except one, @jonathanbchait.bsky.social argues.

“Running connects me to my father, reminds me of my father, and gives me a way to avoid becoming my father,” @nxthompson.bsky.social wrote in an excerpt from his 2025 book, “The Running Ground.”

Big holiday get-togethers can be stressful. Can you still be a good family member if you skip them? @faith-hill.bsky.social finds out: (From 2024)

After Cuba’s 1959 revolution, Fidel Castro’s atheist government exiled prominent Catholic figures and sent believers to reeducation camps. Now, as the state collapses, destitution is driving Cubans back to religion, Robert F. Worth reports: theatln.tc/wuKldkec

“I’ve seen parents running to their kids, lovers sprinting toward a kiss, and friends handing a runner a beer so they can shotgun it together.” In 2025, Mariana Labbate wrote about how marathons have gathered strangers for more than a century.

Donald Trump won big in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley in 2024—but now the votes of many Latinos are in flux, @nickmiroff.bsky.social reports. He spoke with men in the electorally crucial area about their frustrations and the region’s likely political realignment:

“It wasn’t attempting highbrow elegance but, rather, embracing a kind of madcap largesse, like a zany aunt who wears a lot of bracelets,” @elainegodfrey.bsky.social writes. She defends the Cheesecake Factory’s place in American society:

A great movie soundtrack can be just as memorable as the film itself, Rafaela Jinich writes. She asked six Atlantic staffers to share their favorite film soundtracks of the 21st century:

One of the oldest tricks in politics is making its way into the Michigan U.S. Senate contest, @davidfrum.bsky.social argues.

A24 is driving a cultural rethinking of the meaning of “cinematic”—and not just in film, writes @skornhaber.bsky.social:

As Israelis go to vote, many are “trembling for the future of their country, no matter which candidate they prefer,” @gcaw.bsky.social reports.

The Classic Learning Test is trying to replace the SAT and ACT, @rosehorowitch.bsky.social writes. She reports on why red states are adopting the CLT at an astonishing rate—and why the test may be lowering standards for students:

After decades of the party avoiding explicit morality, Democratic midterm candidates are speaking of good and evil, @galbeckerman.bsky.social argues. He examines a new book by Susan Neiman, “Call It Evil,” and the potential for a moral realignment:

Every Halloween for the past 18 years, @ssdai.bsky.social’s husband has worn the same costume—a grimy, furry thing called Wolf Dawg. It’s exactly as absurd as it sounds, she writes:

Love stories, with all their joys and sorrows, are an organizing principle of life and literature. Here are 50 standout titles, chosen by The Atlantic:

Boosters claim that the peptide BPC-157 can treat ulcers, dementia, and nearly every other ailment. @tombartlett.bsky.social traveled to Croatia to meet the scientist who has spent decades trying to prove its efficacy:

After Cuba’s 1959 revolution, Fidel Castro’s atheist government exiled prominent Catholic figures and sent believers to reeducation camps. Now, as the state collapses, destitution is driving Cubans back to religion, Robert F. Worth reports: theatln.tc/wuKldkec

Autumn—the season of harvests, festivals, migrations, and spectacular colors—has arrived. See a collection of images from this year:

Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life,” released 50 years ago, had a simple message, Anna Holmes writes: “To express love for America requires not only celebrating it with fireworks and flags but also acknowledging its missteps and failings.”

As the days grow shorter and the weather cools, fall offers plenty of reasons to slow down and indulge in life’s little comforts, Rafaela Jinich writes. In The Wonder Reader, she shares recommendations to make the most of the season:

The Classic Learning Test is trying to replace the SAT and ACT, @rosehorowitch.bsky.social writes. She reports on why red states are adopting the CLT at an astonishing rate—and why the test may be lowering standards for students:

Tomorrow Israelis will vote, and many are "trembling for the future of their country, no matter which candidate they prefer," Graeme Wood reports:

Trump has been hosting rallies nationwide, while his super PAC is pumping millions into midterm races. On Radio Atlantic, @ashleyrparker.bsky.social and @michaelscherer.bsky.social break down both parties’ closing messages and what’s behind this final spending blitz. Watch more:

“I came to Cuba expecting to see suffering. What I did not anticipate was the near-total collapse of the state,” Robert F. Worth writes. He reports from the island on what daily life is like:

Trump's anti-Muslim remarks about Abdul El-Sayed at a recent rally in Michigan are astonishing—even by recent standards, @dgraham.bsky.social argues. In The Atlantic Daily, he explores the damage of the president's bigotry:

One of the oldest tricks in politics is making its way into the Michigan U.S. Senate contest, @davidfrum.bsky.social argues.

“The internet isn’t what we think. It is physical, subject to the vagaries of nature and time, just as our bodies are,” John West writes. We must pay attention to the data and infrastructure that the cloud cloaks, he argues:

“It wasn’t attempting highbrow elegance but, rather, embracing a kind of madcap largesse, like a zany aunt who wears a lot of bracelets,” @elainegodfrey.bsky.social writes. She defends the Cheesecake Factory’s place in American society:

Have you read @tyrangiel.bsky.social's latest cover story yet? Because you really should: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

“When I was making a TV ad a couple of weeks ago, a guy pointed to his truck in the front yard and said, ‘That fucking thing has become a lawn ornament because I can't afford to drive it.’”

It is once again time to revisit what is officially considered my Worst Take.

"Lefkés took to modernity late. Narrow streets, built centuries ago, honored human scale and could never be claimed by cars." The photographer Platon describes the mountain village on the Greek island of Paros that has inspired him since childhood:

The Classic Learning Test is trying to replace the SAT and ACT, @rosehorowitch.bsky.social writes. She reports on why red states are adopting the CLT at an astonishing rate—and why the test may be lowering standards for students:

Bird flu has devastated not just birds but wide swaths of the animal kingdom. But as far as humans are concerned, sick mink might be the most concerning, @yeahyeahyasmin.bsky.social wrote in 2023:

In “The Permanent Questions,” David Brooks is joined by the religious historian Carlos Eire to discuss his experience as a refugee in the U.S., what it means to believe in miracles, and the concept of radical empathy.

“Who shall arrange the stars / to set us straight?” Read “Peeling the Orange,” a new poem by Howard Altmann:

“Any high-profile criminal case brought by the Trump administration arrives with an air of suspicion,” @qjurecic.bsky.social argues after charges were announced today against two former FBI officials: theatln.tc/kCbAXdwm 📸: Andrew Harnik / Getty

Young adults have found a new outlet for their existential stress: running a marathon, Maggie Mertens reported in 2024.

The Trump administration and the Venezuelan government have struck a deal to exploit Venezuela’s oil—but their partnership is good for the rich and no one else, @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu reports. theatln.tc/PANSlDZN

Start today’s Rabbithole game with this question drawn from Isaac Stanley-Becker’s reporting on how a group of countries is preparing to fend off any future Russian attack. theatln.tc/SXbrPt6m

Tomorrow Israelis will vote, and many are "trembling for the future of their country, no matter which candidate they prefer," Graeme Wood reports: