This week, is Donald Trump smarter than we think he is on foreign policy? Could he, as some say, be pulling a "Reverse-Nixon"? Our colleague George Pendle joins us with his insights. Then, Tesla used to be the car of choice for virtue-signaling Democrats. Now, as liberals all over the world unload what some are calling their "Swasticars," in anger at Elon Musk, our writer Simon Mills asks if MAGA loyalists will step in to help with the drop in sales. And finally, Linda Wells stops by with the latest news on all things health- and beauty-related, including a report on "Spermageddon" among men and what they can do to increase their odds of becoming fathers.

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This week, Air Mail Co-Editor Alessandra Stanley explains how Trump has replaced D.E.I. with his own brand of affirmative action. Something you might call L.O.O.—loyalty, obsequiousness, and obedience. Then, everyone knows Annie Hall as one of the great movies of the past 50 years. But Alex Belth reveals how Woody Allen’s 1977 love story was considered a total fiasco when he first edited it and how the director and his team reconceived the movie in the cutting room. And finally, as the founders of MGM, Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg were among the most consequential figures in the history of Hollywood, and Sam Wasson joins us from L.A. to discuss their role in creating movies as we know them today. 

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Elon Musk is all over Washington, D.C., these days. But did you know that before he became the emperor of DOGE, he was a needy recipient of government spending? Oz Woloshyn reveals all the details. Then Lesley M. M. Blume tells the riveting story of a woman who discovered her grandfather’s secret history: he survived a Nazi death camp and was the subject of a powerful profile written by one of the great journalists of World War II. And finally, here at Air Mail, we have a new podcast. It’s called Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli, and it is all about The Godfather, and co-hosts Mark Seal and Nathan King stop by to tell us about it.

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It’s become a common worry in America: why can’t we listen to each other? Well, 60 years ago, the great American writer Studs Terkel showed us all what happens when we do listen to the stories and perspectives of others, when he wrote his landmark book, Division Street, and Ash Carter tells us why the book is more relevant than ever. Then Simon Mills joins us from London with his investigation into how and why Aperol has, like a bubbly orange tsunami, overtaken cocktail lounges from Naples to New York—and why Italians fear it’s keeping down birth rates. And finally, Jennifer Gould reports from New York City on how Trump is rolling out the red carpet for kleptocrats and anyone looking to bribe U.S. government officials.

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Tom Goldstein was one of Washington, D.C.’s top lawyers, arguing 44 cases before the Supreme Court. Yet few knew he was also one of the world’s highest-rolling—and most reckless—poker players, racking up millions of dollars in winnings and losses. Then his worlds collided. Our writer George Pendle has the full, jaw-dropping account. Then, after an almost 10-year absence, a new Bridget Jones movie is coming to theaters, and two of our writers, Carolina de Armas and Victoria Herman, couldn’t help but wonder: How would Bridget navigate the Gen Z New York City of 2025? And speaking of movies, Stuart Heritage joins us from London with his report on the Prince Charles Cinema. For years, this independent movie theater has been beloved by such movie greats as Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson, who are just a few cinephiles who consider it perhaps the greatest movie house in the world. But now it is under threat of closure, and Stu will tell us if it is indeed the last picture show.

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Under Donald Trump, crypto-currency is challenging the dollar’s supremacy, and Jacob Silverman is here to explain why, in doing the bidding of crypto’s boosters, Trump has inadvertently revealed the industry’s true face—and it’s not pretty. Then Howard Blum has an update on the story of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students. And finally, Johanna Berkman tells us about her exclusive interview with Alice Nderitu, the former U.N. special adviser on the prevention of genocide. It’s a revealing conversation. 

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This week, David Christopher Kaufman explains why Trump’s first shot in the war on woke could backfire. Then, it was a cold-blooded murder that shocked the country when Luigi Mangione allegedly gunned down Brian Thompson, the C.E.O. of UnitedHealthcare. Bethany McLean will join us with her perspective on the case that’s riveted the nation. And finally, Nick Turse will tell us why a shot of a certain bourbon costs $300 and bottles of it trade for $100,000 on the black market.

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Across the U.S. and Europe it’s ski season, and Simon Mills will join us with his report on an exclusive destination in France that was once the domain of oligarchs and that has now been taken over by a very different group of high-rollers. Then, if you were in New York in the 1980s, you surely remember the infamous “Preppy Killer”—a 19-year-old named Robert Chambers who met an 18-year-old Jennifer Levin in an Upper East Side bar and strangled her later that night in Central Park. It was a killing that captivated the city, and Cynthia Weiner is out with a new novel that revisits the crime. She’ll be with us to talk about her connection to the story. And finally, Linda Wells joins us to discuss the latest trends in health and wellness.

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Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni—it’s the battle that has captivated Hollywood. But just what the hell’s going on and who is to be believed? Stuart Heritage gives us his insights. Then Carrie Monahan, who worked as a fact-checker at Facebook, has some thoughts about Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to kill off fact-checking at Meta. And finally, you may have missed some news on the street—Sesame Street, to be exact. The long-running series finds itself looking for a new home on television. Warner Bros. Discovery has opted not to renew its deal with the beloved children’s show, and David Kamp joins with a look at just where Bert, Ernie, and Elmo might end up.

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It’s the beginning of a new year and a time of resolutions, and if you are thinking of taking time to reflect on what you want to do in 2025, Pico Iyer joins us from Tokyo to share what he learned during his time at a secluded monastery perched high above the Pacific. Then, if seclusion is less your thing and indulgence is where you live, Rob LeDonne joins us from Williamsburg, the New York neighborhood where almost everything has changed, except for Bamonte’s, the beloved 125-year-old Italian restaurant that is hotter than ever. And finally, Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms is one of the literary masterpieces of the past 100 years, and Amanda Vaill will share the story of unrequited love that inspired Hemingway to write his novel.

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