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David A. Graham

@dgraham.bsky.social
37K followers 759 following 3.5K posts

Journalist, nouvelle-lettrist, and unionist at The Atlantic. Rubber City -> Bull City. dgraham@theatlantic.com NYT bestseller THE PROJECT out now: smarturl.it/GHz99R

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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 13h
You'll be shocked to learn that Episcopalians love process
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 18h
What time.com/article/2026...
Well, look, you know, this isn't like I'm building a building, which I can do out of my back pocket. It's easier to do that for me, and it's what I've been doing. This is a whole new world, probably mostly good, but some bad too. And it's a very powerful world. It's a very—potentially really could be good for medical. I mean, some of the things they're coming up with now that they never even thought about. But with good comes bad, and we want them, we want all of them to behave for themselves.We're selling millions of barrels of oil—that's ours—and it's been amazing. But we fought that war, it was less than one day. It was over. We're doing very well in Iran too. But it's a much bigger area, much bigger country, much further away. And—but the result is going to be the same. They want to make a deal. As soon as I make a deal, oil prices will drop to what they were. You know, when I was—you've heard me say this—When I was part of the going in, I was in Iowa, helping them campaign a little bit for the thing that we have coming up. And in Iowa, I mean, it was—oil was $1.90. I mean, it was like almost nothing. We broke the $2 barriers. One station was $1.85. One was $1.95. One was $1.99, and it was coming down all over the country. Now California is a little bit fictitious because in California they judge every time you lower the oil, they judge that. But I had no other way down there. And then I said to my people, including him, I said, "I hate to do this, you guys, but we have to take the nuclear weapon away from you."
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Sen. Pumpkin Gogurt @ugarles.bsky.social · 18h
good ol' @jessefarrar.com from the top rope www.cnn.com/2026/10/01/u...
“I think if you keep betting on ‘Nothing happens,’ you’re only wrong once, and then it’s like, ‘Well, great. I’m glad I was wrong,” Farrar said. “But until then, I’ve racked up a million victories on ‘Bad things don’t happen to powerful people.’ That’s how the world is organized, you know.”
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 18h
"Piker? I barely know 'er"
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Howard A. Rodman @rodman.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
This story was broken by The Cornell Sun, which @nytimes.com nowhere cites. As a former editor-in-chief of The Sun — and in the name of brave, amazing college newspapers everywhere — do not treat student journalists as truffle pigs, taking what they've sniffed out without credit or compensation.
nytimes.com
Cornell President’s Car Bumps Into Students After Confrontation Over Gaza
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
@bartsmith.bsky.social Ryan Davis Thursday?
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 30/09/2026
A Justice Department probe into a supposed “grand conspiracy” to politically persecute Donald Trump is collapsing, @dgraham.bsky.social writes. He explores the flaws in the DOJ’s plans:
bit.ly
The DOJ’s Collapsing Probe Into a Supposed Anti-Trump Conspiracy
It’s buckling under the weight of strategic errors, staff turnover, and, most of all, the facts.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Fascinating transformation from denying that racial dog whistles were present to demanding that they be present
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I'm not a small business owner. Is it considered good to alienate and feud with your prospective customer base before you open?
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Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is the funniest thing to happen in the Senate in a long time
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is not what I want for my kids and I doubt it's what most other parents want, either.
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Johannes Franzen @johannesfranzen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Incredible stuff.
Commentary|Essay
        

AI and the crisis of the author
        

By Anchit Sathi

September 4, 2026
Read this issue

Editor’s note (September 21, 2026): We have removed this essay. AI was used in its preparation. The TLS editorial guidelines prohibit the use of AI in the writing and editing process. The author states that he was unaware of the policy.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I am once again reminded of the joke about the man who, upon being convicted for the murder of his parents, throws himself at the judge’s feet and begs for mercy on a poor orphan. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
theatlantic.com
Trump Is Asking to Be Bailed Out Again
The president’s eagerness to act keeps getting him into difficult spots—which he then demands that legislators and the public help him escape.
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Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“It is only a slight exaggeration to say that since Republican lawmakers do not have control of Congress, they cannot really lose it.” www.ft.com/content/7b9d...
ft.com
A Republican midterm defeat will not be an earthquake
Democrats are likely to make gains in Congress but divided government is unlikely to derail Trump’s agenda
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
So it seems, rather than is?
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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 28/09/2026
pretty sure "lands" is the wrong word here for at least two reasons
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Trump vs. the Shallow State www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
theatlantic.com
The Absences Haunting the Trump Administration
The president has left hundreds of appointed roles open—including those that would have a central role in implementing his priorities.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Donald Trump is trying to fight a war without an Army secretary or several top generals, do mass deportations without an ICE director, and politicize the Justice Department without a deputy attorney general www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
theatlantic.com
The Absences Haunting the Trump Administration
The president has left hundreds of appointed roles open—including those that would have a central role in implementing his priorities.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
".... That'll be the day I go back to Annandale" www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
theatlantic.com
The Edge of California Is Falling Into the Ocean
Storms driven by El Niño are pulling chunks of coast away.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Morose Alt-Country Autumn
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
SMEAR TACTICS
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Good piece from @dgraham.bsky.social on how the failure to appoint people to key positions undermines Trump's ability to get things done. The mass gutting of civil service positions compounds the problem. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
theatlantic.com
The Absences Haunting the Trump Administration
The president has left hundreds of appointed roles open—including those that would have a central role in implementing his priorities.
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m @keptsimple.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
?
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
They're trying to shelter the lawmakers, obviously www.washingtonsun.com/congress/hou...
washingtonsun.com
The Best Place to Catch a Lawmaker? Where They Pee.
The facilities next to the lavish antechamber off the House floor are where many senior lawmakers make frequent stops.
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mcc @dryad.technology · 25/09/2026
Why is billionaire-owned media suddenly coming all at once with pieces against drinking fluids. What is this manufacturing consent for. Is it building toward something. Should I be afraid
@wsj.com‬
You don’t need to make drinking water a part-time job since too much of it doesn’t have any real health benefit. @washingtonpost.com‬
Is asking someone to leave the beverages at home for an interview as fussy as reminding a lady to wear pantyhose or a gentleman to ask before lighting a cigarette?

We assembled a team of Post staffers across the newsroom — and commenters — to find out:
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Great news, folks: We found the waste, fraud, or abuse www.axios.com/2026/09/25/i...
axios.com
ICE wasted millions in rush to expand detention, government watchdog finds
Warehouses, unused meals and unusable tents contributed to millions in waste.
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Phil Gentry @pmgentry.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Basically I don't know what to make of the the most hegemonic publication in the US getting rid of professional arts criticism in favor of these glossy packages (c.f. the songwriters one in April) that have no real authors but lots of clips of famous people.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Take a leak, get a leak
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
NOLO: A CONTENDER www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/w...
nytimes.com
Hurricane Nolo Takes Aim at Hawaii
Though likely to avoid a direct hit, parts of the state could receive nearly three feet of rain, forecasters warned.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Trump DOJ's plan to prove a political vendetta against him by convincing FBI agents it baselessly fired to testify on its behalf is, somehow, not working out as intended www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
nytimes.com
Ex-F.B.I. Agents Crucial to ‘Grand Conspiracy’ Case Suggest Testimony Won’t Help
Lawyers for the agents said that their clients would testify about “a properly predicated allegation that then-citizen Trump had unlawfully retained hundreds of highly classified documents.”
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Republican can run from Trump, but they can't hide www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
theatlantic.com
The Doomed Midterm Strategy Some Republicans Are Trying
GOP incumbents are seeking distance from President Trump, but that’s not likely to save them.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Great headline www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-loil...
Trump L’Oil: A Fake Fix for High Diesel Prices
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"Music’s most consequential confrontation over Israel and Palestine has been driven by two of the least cool people in all of popular culture." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
theatlantic.com
Why Macklemore Was Kicked Off the Ed Sheeran Tour
Music’s most consequential confrontation over Israel and Palestine has complicated the idea of the apolitical concert.
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Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
#ELB: ‘‘Love Me’ Ad Promotes Trump With Public Money Ahead of the Midterms’ electionlawblog.org/2026/love-me-ad…
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Convenience store chains are consistently and egregiously baiting and switching people with overcharges: www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Amid soaring living costs, America’s biggest convenience-store chains quietly overcharge consumers
Guardian investigation: 7-Eleven and Circle K stores often fail to honor advertised prices – charging more at pump and register for gas, snacks, and other items
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Here is a headline I wrote and somehow got published during a visit to the U.S. by China's now-leader in 2012 www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
theatlantic.com
Xi Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
Barnstorming through Iowa, the Chinese vice president gets a taste of the campaign-trail life.
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Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
There's a lot to say about this, and other folks are saying most of it. I just want to focus on one thing: the claim about the relationship between universities and "the real world."
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Reminder that no one needs to take this man seriously ever again www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
theatlantic.com
Seriously, Tucker Carlson? Come On.
Media figures who have turned against Trump only in recent weeks have forfeited the right to be taken seriously in the future.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Sorry, the what now? google.com/url?q=https://us.list-manage.com/puAuaGeBZyL?e%3D9daf4e39e8%26c2id%3Dd368c06de7ce22eacfa953e270cbcc39%26m%3DCoxUoYb4v8uG1hMBGwod9-XPaNKqXPka1LdhHqEdgLVXOVauhYm428OwwnDd&source=gmail&ust=1790335433804000&usg=AOvVaw002HsBoB8qGVOpvCJAwpL6
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Today, in co-bylines
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I would like John Schneider to walk into Lake Ontario
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It's a (bleak) sign of the times that my first thought was, "Like on Polymarket?"
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
You win, Marie
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It's OK, there's no history of fires at the White House
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Journalists at CNN, MS NOW and Politico failed to maintain “standards of professionalism,” according to lawyers working for President Trump, who recently told a female reporter, “Quiet, piggy.”
The Trump administration accused media outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico of publishing sensitive or classified information and failing to maintain "standards of professionalism" in a court filing Tuesday, days after President Donald Trump said the news organizations would be banned from White House grounds.
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This would be a more interesting, braver, and useful piece if it had any specific examples of what it is talking about www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-s...
nationalreview.com
The Scourge of Obsessive Positioning in the Right’s Media and Politics | National Review
Unfortunately, so much of what we see these days is people deliberately trying to position themselves within the right, rather than advance anything larger.
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 22/09/2026
President Trump seems to believe that banning certain news outlets is the answer to his political problems—but his unpopularity with voters is a predicament of his own creation, @dgraham.bsky.social argues. theatln.tc/XDvlYmYw
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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David A. Graham @dgraham.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Perverse admiration for the @newsobserver.com determinedly burying mention of Duke in their story on the US News rankings www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...
newsobserver.com
An NC school is the best regional college in the South, according to US News
U.S. News released its 2027 list of the best places to go to college on Tuesday, and North Carolina schools are well-represented.
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