Scott Stossel
@stossel.bsky.social
National Editor, The Atlantic. Author of My Age of Anxiety and Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver. Bostonian in DC.
"McGuane also reminded me that Hemingway was, to put it politely, a complicated personality, a domineering figure prone to brawling, affairs, and cask-strength egoism. 'Until Bill Belichick came along, I can’t think of anybody more disagreeable.'"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Thomas McGuane Is the Last of His Kind
What will we lose when we lose the “literary outdoorsman”?
www.theatlantic.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:38 PM
"McGuane also reminded me that Hemingway was, to put it politely, a complicated personality, a domineering figure prone to brawling, affairs, and cask-strength egoism. 'Until Bill Belichick came along, I can’t think of anybody more disagreeable.'"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Reposted by Scott Stossel
This story is *really* that good www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
November 7, 2025 at 1:47 PM
This story is *really* that good www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Scott Stossel
I've been an editor for more than three decades. Of the thousands of pieces I've worked on during that time, this one is among the most astonishing. Please read.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The Missing Kayaker
What happened to Ryan Borgwardt?
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I've been an editor for more than three decades. Of the thousands of pieces I've worked on during that time, this one is among the most astonishing. Please read.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
An excerpt from the forthcoming novel by George Packer, our American Orwell.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
We Are Not One
A short story
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:51 PM
An excerpt from the forthcoming novel by George Packer, our American Orwell.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
I've been an editor for more than three decades. Of the thousands of pieces I've worked on during that time, this one is among the most astonishing. Please read.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The Missing Kayaker
What happened to Ryan Borgwardt?
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I've been an editor for more than three decades. Of the thousands of pieces I've worked on during that time, this one is among the most astonishing. Please read.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
"A curtain of darkness is settling over our nation. And it’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots."
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Trump’s Plan Is Now Out in the Open
It’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots.
www.theatlantic.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:56 PM
"A curtain of darkness is settling over our nation. And it’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots."
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
"For the right, now in power, the abandonment of the American idea is license to build an authoritarian regime. The left, having spent decades proving that the idea is a sham, can hardly protest its dismantling."
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
I Don’t Want to Stop Believing in America’s Decency
I want to feel, as Walt Whitman did, that America and democracy are inextricable.
www.theatlantic.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:59 PM
"For the right, now in power, the abandonment of the American idea is license to build an authoritarian regime. The left, having spent decades proving that the idea is a sham, can hardly protest its dismantling."
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
"The only way to be a patriot is to work together with those fools, your fellow Americans, to stop this growing tyranny so that we have a chance to redeem ourselves."
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
I Don’t Want to Stop Believing in America’s Decency
I want to feel, as Walt Whitman did, that America and democracy are inextricable.
www.theatlantic.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:58 PM
"The only way to be a patriot is to work together with those fools, your fellow Americans, to stop this growing tyranny so that we have a chance to redeem ourselves."
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
"To be a patriot in Donald Trump’s America is like sitting through a loved one’s trial for some gruesome crime."
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
America Needs Patriotism
The experiment only works if people believe in it.
www.theatlantic.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:52 PM
"To be a patriot in Donald Trump’s America is like sitting through a loved one’s trial for some gruesome crime."
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
"Perhaps expecting Americans to live up to the extraordinary ideals that they proclaimed in the 18th century was always unreasonable, but that language nevertheless shaped the way we thought about ourselves."
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
The Beacon of Democracy Goes Dark
For nearly 250 years, America promoted freedom and equality abroad, even when it failed to live up to those ideals itself. Not anymore.
www.theatlantic.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:50 PM
"Perhaps expecting Americans to live up to the extraordinary ideals that they proclaimed in the 18th century was always unreasonable, but that language nevertheless shaped the way we thought about ourselves."
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
"If you think Trumpism will simply end in three years, you are naive. This could be the rest of our lives, and our children’s, too.
So why are we doing so little? Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
So why are we doing so little? Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
America Needs a Mass Movement—Now
Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.
www.theatlantic.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
"If you think Trumpism will simply end in three years, you are naive. This could be the rest of our lives, and our children’s, too.
So why are we doing so little? Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
So why are we doing so little? Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
"Trump offers people an identity, status, self-respect, and a comprehensive political ethic. Populists are not trying to pass this or that law; they are altering the climate of the age. And Democrats think they can fight that by offering some tax credits?"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
America Needs a Mass Movement—Now
Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.
www.theatlantic.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:40 PM
"Trump offers people an identity, status, self-respect, and a comprehensive political ethic. Populists are not trying to pass this or that law; they are altering the climate of the age. And Democrats think they can fight that by offering some tax credits?"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
"He never left the house without a book. He never left the house without a gun. Both were equally unthinkable.”
www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture...
www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture...
Two Years After Cormac McCarthy's Death, Rare Access to His Personal Library Reveals the Man Behind the Myth
The famously reclusive novelist amassed a collection of thousands of books ranging in topics from philosophical treatises to advanced mathematics to the naked mole-rat
www.smithsonianmag.com
October 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM
"He never left the house without a book. He never left the house without a gun. Both were equally unthinkable.”
www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture...
www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture...
"It’s no longer an interesting question as to why Trump is an almost perfect inversion of the moral teachings of Jesus...What is an interesting question is why those who claim that the greatest desire of their life is to follow Jesus revere such a man?"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Fully MAGA-fied Christianity
Politics, especially culture-war politics, now provides many fundamentalists and evangelicals with a sense of community and a common enemy.
www.theatlantic.com
September 29, 2025 at 6:07 PM
"It’s no longer an interesting question as to why Trump is an almost perfect inversion of the moral teachings of Jesus...What is an interesting question is why those who claim that the greatest desire of their life is to follow Jesus revere such a man?"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"The Justice Department should never have brought such an astoundingly shoddy case. The decision to do so, under intense pressure from the president to harass his old enemy, is an indication of how thoroughly Trump has been able to corrupt the department."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Comey Indictment Is an Embarrassment
The Justice Department should never have brought such a shoddy case.
www.theatlantic.com
September 26, 2025 at 6:02 PM
"The Justice Department should never have brought such an astoundingly shoddy case. The decision to do so, under intense pressure from the president to harass his old enemy, is an indication of how thoroughly Trump has been able to corrupt the department."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"One by one, American leaders supposedly committed to principles of free speech, due process, democracy, and equality have abandoned those ideals when menaced by the Trump administration."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Lower Than Cowards
The surrender of America’s elites
www.theatlantic.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:38 PM
"One by one, American leaders supposedly committed to principles of free speech, due process, democracy, and equality have abandoned those ideals when menaced by the Trump administration."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"We are living in an authoritarian state....
It sometimes seems as if the only check on Trump’s power is his own attention span."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
It sometimes seems as if the only check on Trump’s power is his own attention span."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
American Tyranny
Free-speech hypocrisy is a symptom of the democratic decay that leads to authoritarianism.
www.theatlantic.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:24 PM
"We are living in an authoritarian state....
It sometimes seems as if the only check on Trump’s power is his own attention span."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
It sometimes seems as if the only check on Trump’s power is his own attention span."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Scott Stossel
Most Fed experts “have never contemplated what could happen if an institution with so much unchecked power came under the control of one man,” Rogé Karma writes. “Perhaps it’s time to start imagining.”
Taking Over the Fed Could Give Trump Unimaginable Power
If Donald Trump takes over the central bank, he will have extraordinary power to reward his friends and destroy his enemies.
bit.ly
September 22, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Most Fed experts “have never contemplated what could happen if an institution with so much unchecked power came under the control of one man,” Rogé Karma writes. “Perhaps it’s time to start imagining.”
"Richard Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, served 19 months in prison for his crimes during Watergate. If Trump’s hold on power loosens, Pam Bondi could share Mitchell’s fate."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Trump Might Be Losing His Race Against Time
The president is gambling that he can consolidate authority before the public turns too sharply against him.
www.theatlantic.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:33 PM
"Richard Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, served 19 months in prison for his crimes during Watergate. If Trump’s hold on power loosens, Pam Bondi could share Mitchell’s fate."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"The idea that the Democrats can take back the Senate in 2026 without fielding candidates who are willing to publicly renounce some left-wing orthodoxies is delusional."
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Democrats Don’t Seem Willing to Follow Their Own Advice
Party leaders know they need to moderate on cultural issues to win back working-class voters—so why don’t they?
www.theatlantic.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:29 PM
"The idea that the Democrats can take back the Senate in 2026 without fielding candidates who are willing to publicly renounce some left-wing orthodoxies is delusional."
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
50 percent lower risk of reincarnation!
(Autocorrect strikes again)
(Autocorrect strikes again)
Should we start meds for #opioid use disorder like buprenorphine in jail?
Yes. Associated with 50% lower overdose risk and lower risk of reincarnation:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40929...
Evidence grade: Moderate (5/10)
chrisaikenmd.com/ebm/
▪ 13% of US jails provide it
Art: Van Gogh
Yes. Associated with 50% lower overdose risk and lower risk of reincarnation:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40929...
Evidence grade: Moderate (5/10)
chrisaikenmd.com/ebm/
▪ 13% of US jails provide it
Art: Van Gogh
September 19, 2025 at 12:22 PM
50 percent lower risk of reincarnation!
(Autocorrect strikes again)
(Autocorrect strikes again)
"Goldberg suggested in his interview with David Letterman that Jimmy Fallon was a less 'sharp-tongued' critic of Trump than other late-night hosts. Letterman shot back, 'Why do you think that is? Has something to do with IQ, is that what you’re saying?'”
www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
David Letterman’s Jimmy Kimmel Reaction: ‘We All See Where This Is Going, Correct?’
The comedian spoke about Kimmel’s suspension from late-night TV at The Atlantic Festival.
www.theatlantic.com
September 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
"Goldberg suggested in his interview with David Letterman that Jimmy Fallon was a less 'sharp-tongued' critic of Trump than other late-night hosts. Letterman shot back, 'Why do you think that is? Has something to do with IQ, is that what you’re saying?'”
www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
Robert McNamara "was a war proponent in the Johnson administration and a war opponent in private, at once driven by a lust to succeed in the president’s eyes and horrified by the human toll of what he came to see as an unwinnable war."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The War Hawk Who Wasn’t
Newly discovered documents reveal Robert McNamara’s private doubts about Vietnam.
www.theatlantic.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Robert McNamara "was a war proponent in the Johnson administration and a war opponent in private, at once driven by a lust to succeed in the president’s eyes and horrified by the human toll of what he came to see as an unwinnable war."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"What happened to Jimmy Kimmel is not about one comedian who said something he should not have said. The Trump administration and its enforcers want to control your speech, your behavior, even your public expressions of mourning."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Constitution Protects Jimmy Kimmel’s Mistake
Free speech is under assault.
www.theatlantic.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:03 PM
"What happened to Jimmy Kimmel is not about one comedian who said something he should not have said. The Trump administration and its enforcers want to control your speech, your behavior, even your public expressions of mourning."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"Seeing a real left-wing American killer, motivated by ideology, is like seeing a passenger pigeon or a saber-toothed tiger. The rarity of left-wing political violence is well established."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Why People Fell for an Outlandish Charlie Kirk Theory
Political violence is a curse for which both the left and right have, at different times, been responsible.
www.theatlantic.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:01 PM
"Seeing a real left-wing American killer, motivated by ideology, is like seeing a passenger pigeon or a saber-toothed tiger. The rarity of left-wing political violence is well established."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...