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. The stories that resonated most with our readers this year include reporting that led the political conversation, analysis that unraveled deep mysteries, and meditations on our evolving culture. Spend time with some of our most popular stories of the year.
Good morning, and happy whatever-you're-celebrating today. There may come a moment later perhaps shortly after someone has eaten their body weight in roast dinner when the family begins to drift into nap mode. That is your cue. Produce this quiz from your pocket. Read the questions aloud in your best posh BBC continuity announcer voice. Watch as the room divides over how much ice has been lost in the Antarctic, exactly when Donald Trump and Elon Musk fell out,
Rob's achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people-and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.
Bonnie's most effective way of advertising her X-rated content to the masses now is by generating enough controversy to get her publicly talked about, and she's very good at making just enough noise (this time in the Spectator, of all places) to drum up a bit of traffic. But to say that diversifying into hard-right politics makes her an outlier for her existing young fanbase is nonetheless an understatement, given Reform is now polling at just 5% among under-24s.
Newly-hired LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin on Thursday had some fun at the expense of ESPN's Paul Finebaum by referencing the commentator's rumored move to politics. Days earlier, Kiffin announced that he'd stepped down as the head coach of Ole Miss and taken the job at rival LSU. The move sent shockwaves across the sports landscape and even reached the world of politics, with many criticizing Kiffin's sudden departure from a team with national championship aspirations.
Plaisance Theatre Pantomimes and politics: Both thrive on performance, exaggeration and audience participation. In pantomimes, the audience boos the villain and cheers the hero; in parliament, political leaders are cast in these roles with MPs jeering. It's a comparison Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn understands. "Panto every day would be a good thing. Mind you, I work in Parliament so I get that already," he said.
On Nov. 16,1988, Benazir Bhutto was voted prime minister of Pakistan, the first woman elected to lead a Muslim-majority country. Also on this date: In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the union. In 1914, the newly created Federal Reserve Banks opened in 12 cities. In 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into law, authorizing the construction of an 800-mile (1,290-kilometer) oil pipeline from the Alaska North Slope to the port city of Valdez.
* Trump claims he has an obligation to sue the BBC for showing an edited version of his January 6 speech, and not the full, contextual "very calming speech" that didn't immediately lead into a riot. [ BBC] * Latham trains associates to embrace AI. [ Business Insider] * Visa and Mastercard ink massive settlement with merchants over swipe fees. [ NPR] * Kim Davis faces steep fees after Supreme Court bid failed. [ Newsweek]
I write camouflage in inverted commas because it was blue and, amid the dusty devastation of Gaza, there was nothing about it or the bumbag he wore with it that helped Witkoff blend in. It's an odd paradox that a pattern designed to melt military personnel into their surroundings the word is derived from the French camoufler, to disguise when worn by certain people, in certain ways, does the opposite. Witkoff being a glaring example.
The software platform reported $1.18 billion in earnings for the third quarter, which narrowly beat analysts' forecasts. Analysts shared concerns that the tech giant's performance and guidance don't justify its valuation. But what a valuation, though. Despite Tuesday's sell-off, Palantir shares are up a whopping 154% year-to-date. Karp attributes the continued growth of his company to a strong allyship with the U.S. government and a business that supports "the American worker that we helped make rich."
"You might think this is about Andrew," a senior Whitehall figure wonders out loud. "But put this in your diary as a pivot point in the relationship between Palace and Parliament." Will this royal mess usher in a new era? And despite their conventional refusal to comment, could politicians become quicker to point out the monarchy's flaws, and more willing to speak out?
"People often think of climate change as a separate bucket at the end of a long row of other buckets of problems we're trying to fix that are wrong in the world," Hayhoe told Axios. This includes poverty, disease and access to clean water. "Climate change is not a separate bucket," Hayhoe said. "The reason we care about climate change is that it's the hole in every bucket."
I mean, it's incredibly tricky to know what to do. And I don't even know how you're going to answer this question. I don't know either, actually. So let's see. Silicon Valley's gotten more political. And when I came to Silicon Valley, maybe it was more left, but it kind of felt more moderate. And it didn't feel as much like it was as political.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed legislation to study inequalities in youth sports, a move likely to draw ire from Republicans who believe the measure is intended to support transgender athletes. The legislation, Assembly Bill 749, creates a commission to examine whether a new state board or department is needed to improve access to sports regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, income or geographic location.
Even in retirement, the space shuttle Discovery exudes power, seen across a hangar crowded with planes and jets at its museum home in Chantilly, Va. Charred and worn from its record 39 missions to space, the stalwart of NASA's shuttle fleet evokes awe in its one-million-plus visitors every year. But it won't be there for much longer, perhaps. Discovery, the showpiece of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum,
