Plus: Many presidents wrote books. Were any of them any good?

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.

Spend time with nine great recent stories, selected by our editors. Then explore some presidential history from the Atlantic archives.

Your Reading List

Polyamory, the Ruling Class’s Latest Fad

By Tyler Austin Harper

Americans who most reap the benefits of marriage are the same class who get to declare monogamy passé and boring.

Read the article.

Why Parents Struggle So Much in the World’s Richest Country

By Stephanie H. Murray

Raising kids shouldn’t be this hard.

Read the article.

Why the Most Educated People in America Fall for Anti-Semitic Lies

By Dara Horn

At Harvard and elsewhere, an old falsehood is capturing new minds.

Read the article.

To Stop a Shooter

By Jamie Thompson

Why would an armed officer stand by as a school shooting unfolds? (Our March cover story)

Read the article.

Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out

By Derek Thompson

Too much aloneness is creating a crisis of social fitness.

Read the article.

You Should Go to a Trump Rally

By McKay Coppins

For many Americans, the former president has become an abstraction. They should see for themselves what his campaign is really about.

Read the article.

Nine New York Jurors Saw Trump for Who He Really Is

By George T. Conway III

I teared up as I watched news coverage of the Carroll verdict. Trump is not above the law.

Read the article.

Biden’s Age Is Now Unavoidable

By Helen Lewis

Joe Biden looks like he is turning into a statue of Joe Biden.

Read the article.

Caffeine’s Dirty Little Secret

By Yasmin Tayag

“How much is too much?” is an impossible question.

Read the article.

On President’s Day

This year, perhaps more than in many years past, Americans are thinking about the presidency: previous holders and present seekers of the office, qualifications and disqualifications, and the nature of executive power.

Below are some highlights from the Atlantic archives about Presidents’ Day and presidential history:

— Shan Wang, programming director

Culture Break

Read. “Anita’s Secrets,” an excerpt from the first chapter of Xochitl Gonzalez’s forthcoming novel, Anita de Monte Laughs Last.

Watch. Check out one of these 30 movies that are unlike anything you’ve seen before, compiled by our writer David Sims in 2020.

Play our daily crossword.

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