Will Gordon

The Democrats Aren’t Built for This They say they want to save democracy. First they’ll need to get out of their own way.

"Shortly after Martin became chair, he announced that the DNC would be producing its own report on the lessons of 2024. He purposely called it an 'after-action review' and not an autopsy, to emphasize that the party is 'not dead.' That was reassuring." www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

A Cartoonist’s Complicated Search for the Truth In his newest book, Joe Sacco worries about the kind of future that political violence might create.

For @theatlantic.com I wrote about Joe Sacco's search for the essential truth, from Bosnia to Gaza to Uttar Pradesh: www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...

A Cartoonist’s Complicated Search for the Truth In his newest book, Joe Sacco worries about the kind of future that political violence might create.

"Today Sacco’s drawings are still loose, dynamic, even a bit cartoonish—but he always senses when caricature should end and the facts should take over." www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...

The Legend of Barry Bonds, Baseball’s Greatest Antihero He was the game’s ultimate slugger—and its biggest heel. Two decades after the steroid scandal that upended his career, America still doesn’t know what to do with him.

A new generation is marveling over Barry Bonds’s accomplishments—but his entrance into the Hall of Fame feels further away than ever, Jeremy Collins reports:

The Legend of Barry Bonds, Baseball’s Greatest Antihero He was the game’s ultimate slugger—and its biggest heel. Two decades after the steroid scandal that upended his career, America still doesn’t know what to do with him.

"What I kept hearing was that to understand Barry, you had to understand Bobby. You had to understand what it was like to live in the house of Bobby Bonds, the man who never became the next Willie Mays." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...

What Josh Shapiro Believes The Pennsylvania governor has spent his life preparing to lead an America that might no longer exist.

Josh Shapiro believes he is uniquely suited to win over Trump voters—but he’ll need to overcome distrust among some in his own party first, Tim Alberta reports:

What Josh Shapiro Believes The Pennsylvania governor has spent his life preparing to lead an America that might no longer exist.

"Shapiro seems to believe that he is uniquely equipped to run for president and repair the Democratic Party’s deficit of trust and authenticity. Any such campaign, however, would expose deficits of his own." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

What Josh Shapiro Believes The Pennsylvania governor has spent his life preparing to lead an America that might no longer exist.

Josh Shapiro believes he is uniquely suited to win over Trump voters—but he’ll need to overcome distrust among some in his own party first, Tim Alberta reports:

Growing Up at the Movies Adventures with sharks, talking dolphins, and my father

"Was real life ever like that? It was in the movies." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

What Climate Change Will Do to America by Mid-Century Many places may become uninhabitable. Many people may be on their own.

"Over the next 30 years or so, the changes to American life might be short of apocalyptic. But miles of heartbreak lie between here and the apocalypse, and the future toward which we are heading will mean heartbreak for millions." www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

Will 2026 Be a Fair Fight? Democrats swept the 2025 elections. But Donald Trump is already laying the groundwork to subvert the next vote.

" @dgraham.bsky.social ... warns that Trump is already laying the groundwork to subvert the next vote. We talk about this week’s election as a test run for 2026, gerrymandering, and future possible scenarios of election meddling." www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...

Rahm Emanuel … For President? He’d like you to keep an open mind.

Rahm Emanuel is almost certainly running for president in 2028, and I spent the past few months with him. My profile on the impish, maddening, relentless Kiehl's lotion devotee, hoping to equal parts charm and bulldoze his way to the Oval Office: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Rahm Emanuel … For President? He’d like you to keep an open mind.

Rahm Emanuel has been a key player in nearly every major victory, defeat, negotiation, controversy, and innovation of the modern Democratic Party. In 2028, is he what Democrats need—or exactly whom they want to leave behind? @ashleyrparker.bsky.social reports:

Rahm Emanuel … For President? He’d like you to keep an open mind.

"He wound down his breakfast talking points in typical Rahm fashion: pretending not to care while caring a great deal. 'I am a political animal, full stop. But I’m equally a policy animal,' he told me. “I don’t give a fuck what else you say.'" www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

How ‘Big Tent’ Are Democrats Willing to Go? Many in the party say it needs a wider range of candidates to run. Does that include people with Nazi tattoos?

"Platner’s candidacy looks like a test—of how 'big tent' the Democrats want to be, and how willing its voters are to accept baggage, from social media and beyond, that less polished candidates can carry." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...

Testing Teachers for ‘Wokeness’ A vision of public schools by conservatives, for conservatives. The second episode in a two-part series.

"Schools ... evolved in a democracy over centuries, towards the consensus that they should be free, open to everyone, and secular. But as we’re learning lately about those institutions, they can be gone faster than you can fall asleep in civics class." www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/arc...

Is Oklahoma Breaking Public Schools? “Woke”-teacher screenings. Trying to get Bibles in schools. A two-part series on how one state is remaking American education.

"Walters and a larger conservative movement seem to be trying to redefine public schools as only for an approved type: 'If you’re going to come into our state,” he said, 'don’t come in with these blue-state values.'" www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/arc...

The Neighbor From Hell Israel and the United States delivered a blow to Iran. But it could come back stronger.

Israel and the United States delivered a blow to Iran. But it could come back stronger, Graeme Wood reports.

The Neighbor From Hell Israel and the United States delivered a blow to Iran. But it could come back stronger.

"Now that talk of what happens after war is back, I rise to make the case for déjà vu. The region risks reverting to its default setting, which is peace that has characteristics of war." www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Was Language a Parental Invention? A new book argues that child care drove the evolution of human speech.

"The complicated and enriching work of raising individual babies was also important, pushing humans to discover new internal capacities and modes of connection."

www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...

My Father, Guitar Guru to the Rock Gods When the greatest musicians of the 1970s needed an instrument—or a friend—my dad was there.

This is beyond great. A wonderful story by @nancywalecki.bsky.social, full of love (and rock stars!) www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

And here’s a non-exhaustive list of the amazing people who made this piece possible

My Father, Guitar Guru to the Rock Gods When the greatest musicians of the 1970s needed an instrument—or a friend—my dad was there.

When the greatest rock musicians of the 1970s needed an instrument—or a friend—Fred Walecki was there. @nancywalecki.bsky.social writes about her father’s work:

My Father, Guitar Guru to the Rock Gods When the greatest musicians of the 1970s needed an instrument—or a friend—my dad was there.

When Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, and other 1970s music legends needed an instrument—or a friend—my dad, Fred Walecki, was there. My love song to him in @theatlantic.com September issue: bit.ly/45eZIfa

My Father, Guitar Guru to the Rock Gods When the greatest musicians of the 1970s needed an instrument—or a friend—my dad was there.

"My father has been there since the 1960s—doing his work so that some of America’s greatest artists can do theirs." www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Floodlines Part IX: Rebirth A visit with Le-Ann Williams, and her daughter, Destiny, 20 years after Hurricane Katrina

"We learn how trauma from Katrina still lives on in the hearts and minds of its survivors, and how, for the generation born after the flood, a disaster they never witnessed still governs their lives." www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/arc...

A Democrat for the Trump Era Jasmine Crockett is testing out the coarse style of politics that the GOP has embraced.

Democratic voters have said they want a fighter, and now they might have one in Jasmine Crockett, @elainegodfrey.bsky.social writes. She spoke with Crockett about testing out the coarse style of politics that the GOP has embraced.

A Democrat for the Trump Era Jasmine Crockett is testing out the coarse style of politics that the GOP has embraced.

"Crockett is testing out the coarser, insult-comedy-style attacks that the GOP has embraced under Trump, the general idea being that when the Republicans go low, the Democrats should meet them there." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

I Fought Plastic. Plastic Won. My futile quest to avoid the material that my entire world is made out of

"More than I wanted to spend hundreds of dollars at Williams-Sonoma, I wanted to know my enemy." www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

This Pride Month, the Backlash Has Officially Arrived Young LGBTQ people are facing the prospect of losing rights they thought they’d never have to worry about.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges. The intervening decade has been a trip—especially for Generation Z. I wrote about the vibes this pride: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...