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.
Reposted by Scott Stossel
This story alone may have completely justified my annual subscription
Police spent more than 50 days searching a lake for Ryan Borgwardt, a kayaker they assumed had drowned. Then they told his wife that they’d come to believe something different. Jamie Thompson spoke with the people involved in the case that rattled a Wisconsin town. theatln.tc/EpGemzk9
November 22, 2025 at 2:49 PM
This story alone may have completely justified my annual subscription
Thirty years ago, we launched theatlantic.com—before the New York Times or the Washington Post had websites. And, yes, we really did use **HTML for Dummies** to learn coding and we looked into having monks digitize our archive.www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...re
https://theatlantic.com—before
November 21, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Thirty years ago, we launched theatlantic.com—before the New York Times or the Washington Post had websites. And, yes, we really did use **HTML for Dummies** to learn coding and we looked into having monks digitize our archive.www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...re
"Trump has proved himself time and again to be entirely self-seeking, totally amoral, cruel by nature, and impossibly fragile. And the rewards he’s gained in the process have emboldened others to be just as unabashedly themselves as he is."
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
President Piggy
This is what consequence-free misogyny looks like.
www.theatlantic.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
"Trump has proved himself time and again to be entirely self-seeking, totally amoral, cruel by nature, and impossibly fragile. And the rewards he’s gained in the process have emboldened others to be just as unabashedly themselves as he is."
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
"A set piece in which the bad guy, under suspicion of misogynistic conduct and consorting with a trafficker of teenage girls, launches a sexist attack on an inquisitive female journalist would be too ham-handed even for the writers at the Hallmark Channel."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Trump’s Toddler Response to the Epstein Saga
The president baits, deflects, and chews the scenery in a drama that just won’t die.
www.theatlantic.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:05 PM
"A set piece in which the bad guy, under suspicion of misogynistic conduct and consorting with a trafficker of teenage girls, launches a sexist attack on an inquisitive female journalist would be too ham-handed even for the writers at the Hallmark Channel."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Scott Stossel
Josh really doesn't get enough credit as a digital journalism pioneer — and as an entrepreneur who built something meaningful and lasting.
PHOTOS: TPM Celebrates Our 25-Year Anniversary in NYC talkingpointsmemo.com/gallery/phot...
PHOTOS: TPM Celebrates Our 25-Year Anniversary in NYC
We rang in our 25th anniversary in style last week, hosting a...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Josh really doesn't get enough credit as a digital journalism pioneer — and as an entrepreneur who built something meaningful and lasting.
"All of the best parts everyone would have loved were cut by my psychotic editor... I’m not worried about him reading these words, because a low-class butcher like that doesn’t possess enough humanity to subscribe to The Atlantic"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Pennies Are Trash Now
The government has no plan for America’s 300 billion pennies.
www.theatlantic.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:01 PM
"All of the best parts everyone would have loved were cut by my psychotic editor... I’m not worried about him reading these words, because a low-class butcher like that doesn’t possess enough humanity to subscribe to The Atlantic"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
"Moral clarity is perishable and—at least in practice— subjective. Many of the protesters who assaulted police officers in the summer of 2020, for example, did so with the same ethical certitude as those who stormed the Capitol in January 2021."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
The Left’s New Moralism Will Backfire
Under Trump, progressives have embraced the rhetoric of “moral clarity.” It won’t help their cause.
www.theatlantic.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:59 PM
"Moral clarity is perishable and—at least in practice— subjective. Many of the protesters who assaulted police officers in the summer of 2020, for example, did so with the same ethical certitude as those who stormed the Capitol in January 2021."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
"If you fear your country is slipping toward authoritarianism, isn’t sacrificing your late-night Subway snack the least you should do?"
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Inside the Sandwich Guy’s Jury Deliberations
Can a flung sandwich cause bodily harm?
www.theatlantic.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:47 PM
"If you fear your country is slipping toward authoritarianism, isn’t sacrificing your late-night Subway snack the least you should do?"
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
“'Trump’s Superman mythology just had 100 pounds of kryptonite shoved down its throat.'”
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Donald Trump Is a Lamer Duck Than Ever
Even though he doesn’t want you to think so
www.theatlantic.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:40 PM
“'Trump’s Superman mythology just had 100 pounds of kryptonite shoved down its throat.'”
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
"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...