Michael Leibel
@michaelleibel.com
senior editor for @theatlantic.com | opinions are my own and bad | UNC 2014
“There’s but a hair’s breadth between slop and goop.”
Gwyneth Paltrow Is Very Sorry to Postpone Her Dinner
Is controversy not all the more reason to take a conversation alfresco?
www.theatlantic.com
August 28, 2026 at 11:45 PM
“There’s but a hair’s breadth between slop and goop.”
I can’t believe it. Both the Canes and Knicks in their finals. Wow.
May 30, 2026 at 2:19 AM
I can’t believe it. Both the Canes and Knicks in their finals. Wow.
There should be more horses involved in journalism
May 2, 2026 at 11:18 PM
There should be more horses involved in journalism
They should allow Gary, Ron and Keith to drink in the booth
April 19, 2026 at 8:45 PM
They should allow Gary, Ron and Keith to drink in the booth
Reposted by Michael Leibel
A request for “breaching equipment”—normally used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings—was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The FBI Director Is MIA
Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.
www.theatlantic.com
April 17, 2026 at 11:25 PM
A request for “breaching equipment”—normally used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings—was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Michael Leibel
This is a big one. Stellar reporting from Sarah Fitzpatrick. To call it a must-read is an understatement: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job
The FBI director has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.
www.theatlantic.com
April 17, 2026 at 10:22 PM
This is a big one. Stellar reporting from Sarah Fitzpatrick. To call it a must-read is an understatement: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Since hush puppies count as bread I have a vastly different (and under-researched) answer than @caity.bsky.social here
I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread in America
Thirteen thousand miles. Infinite contenders. One beautiful loaf.
www.theatlantic.com
April 15, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Since hush puppies count as bread I have a vastly different (and under-researched) answer than @caity.bsky.social here
Reposted by Michael Leibel
oh no he’s got Mr Marbury www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
I Am Here to Watch the Birthright-Citizenship Arguments, but Not in a Threatening Way
Can’t a president go watch his justices?
www.theatlantic.com
April 2, 2026 at 1:36 AM
oh no he’s got Mr Marbury www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Reposted by Michael Leibel
Cash hasn't killed caring or quality in college ball. My latest after that stunner of a @ncaa.bsky.social Sweet 16, looking forward to #FinalFour www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
College Basketball Is Not Dead
Nostalgists worried that giving players more rights would ruin the game. This year’s NCAA tournament is proving them wrong.
www.theatlantic.com
April 1, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Cash hasn't killed caring or quality in college ball. My latest after that stunner of a @ncaa.bsky.social Sweet 16, looking forward to #FinalFour www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
Reposted by Michael Leibel
I will read everything Cullen Murphy writes, obviously, and this one is particularly lovely. Not to be missed: www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
What Tracy Kidder Stood For
His deep, immersive writing had moral stakes and changed people’s lives.
www.theatlantic.com
April 1, 2026 at 8:49 PM
I will read everything Cullen Murphy writes, obviously, and this one is particularly lovely. Not to be missed: www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
"For all of the economic evolutions in the NCAA, the qualities of a championship team haven’t changed," @sallyjenx.bsky.social writes
The Lesson of a Thrilling March Madness
Nostalgists worried that giving athletes more rights would ruin college sports. This year’s NCAA basketball tournament is proving them wrong.
www.theatlantic.com
April 1, 2026 at 2:36 PM
"For all of the economic evolutions in the NCAA, the qualities of a championship team haven’t changed," @sallyjenx.bsky.social writes
Reposted by Michael Leibel
Tottenham Hotspur owners Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis turned a mid-table football team into a European heavyweight. Now the partnership is collapsing spectacularly — just as the club faces being dumped from the Premier League. Read more: bloom.bg/4bVPG5Z
📷: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
📷: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
March 31, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Tottenham Hotspur owners Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis turned a mid-table football team into a European heavyweight. Now the partnership is collapsing spectacularly — just as the club faces being dumped from the Premier League. Read more: bloom.bg/4bVPG5Z
📷: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
📷: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
My favorite comment on Elizabeth Bruenig's latest Atlantic story: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
March 27, 2026 at 12:31 PM
My favorite comment on Elizabeth Bruenig's latest Atlantic story: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The wisdom of the 5:30 am diaper package. Take note, UNC Athletics.
March 20, 2026 at 9:37 AM
The wisdom of the 5:30 am diaper package. Take note, UNC Athletics.
After working at Bloomberg for eight years, it's been very difficult to adjust to a Terminal-less world. News alerts and stock-watching just feel different. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/bloo...
Finance Bros to Tech Bros: Don’t Mess With My Bloomberg Terminal
Some spend more time with the computer system than they do with their spouse. So when techies declared it “cooked,” it was war.
www.wsj.com
March 17, 2026 at 1:24 PM
After working at Bloomberg for eight years, it's been very difficult to adjust to a Terminal-less world. News alerts and stock-watching just feel different. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/bloo...
“The pattern is everywhere: Condition people to rely on the system. Erode their vigilance. Then, when something breaks, point to the terms of service and blame them for not paying attention.”
My Self-Driving Car Crash
The Tesla was driving perfectly—until it wasn’t.
www.theatlantic.com
March 17, 2026 at 11:06 AM
“The pattern is everywhere: Condition people to rely on the system. Erode their vigilance. Then, when something breaks, point to the terms of service and blame them for not paying attention.”
Reposted by Michael Leibel
Last year, The Atlantic gave me $10,000 to gamble with. What started as a journalistic gimmick turned into something more... unnerving.
My cover story on the online betting boom that's warping sports, culture, politics, and the psyches of millions of young men: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
My cover story on the online betting boom that's warping sports, culture, politics, and the psyches of millions of young men: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
March 12, 2026 at 12:10 PM
Last year, The Atlantic gave me $10,000 to gamble with. What started as a journalistic gimmick turned into something more... unnerving.
My cover story on the online betting boom that's warping sports, culture, politics, and the psyches of millions of young men: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
My cover story on the online betting boom that's warping sports, culture, politics, and the psyches of millions of young men: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
In which @elcush.bsky.social explains why scarcity is in demand for companies (and uses variations of the word “drop” 23 times in doing so):
The Highly Exclusive Way That Everybody Shops Now
When everything’s a drop, what’s the point of a drop?
www.theatlantic.com
March 11, 2026 at 6:10 PM
In which @elcush.bsky.social explains why scarcity is in demand for companies (and uses variations of the word “drop” 23 times in doing so):
Reposted by Michael Leibel
Exclusive: HSI, a branch of DHS that usually investigates drug cartels and human-trafficking networks, is probing the 2020 election results in Arizona, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Sarah Fitzpatrick, and Nick Miroff report.
Arizona Is Now at the Center of Election Investigations
Both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are probing the results of the 2020 election in Arizona.
bit.ly
March 10, 2026 at 9:27 PM
Exclusive: HSI, a branch of DHS that usually investigates drug cartels and human-trafficking networks, is probing the 2020 election results in Arizona, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Sarah Fitzpatrick, and Nick Miroff report.
Reposted by Michael Leibel
Wrote about the central lie of prediction markets. How they are the perfect technology for a low-trust society, simultaneously exploiting and reifying an environment in which believing the motives behind any person or action becomes harder. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The Central Lie of Prediction Markets
Polymarket and Kalshi promise the wisdom of the crowds. They deliver something very different.
www.theatlantic.com
March 5, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Wrote about the central lie of prediction markets. How they are the perfect technology for a low-trust society, simultaneously exploiting and reifying an environment in which believing the motives behind any person or action becomes harder. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Michael Leibel
Trump is burning through missile stockpiles as if the inventories were endless. And they aren’t. And China and Russia are watching.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
The US Has Enough Missiles for This War But Not the Next One
The decline of missile stockpiles, which spurred the Department of Defense’s arm-twisting in January for Lockheed Martin Corp. and RTX Corp. to boost production, is worsening by the day.
www.bloomberg.com
March 4, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Trump is burning through missile stockpiles as if the inventories were endless. And they aren’t. And China and Russia are watching.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted by Michael Leibel
While he was detained at Dilley for over four months, 13-year-old Gustavo Santiago said he felt as if he would “never get out.”
“I just ask that you don’t forget about us,” he told ProPublica in a video call.
“I just ask that you don’t forget about us,” he told ProPublica in a video call.
The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center
ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of...
www.propublica.org
February 21, 2026 at 2:00 AM
While he was detained at Dilley for over four months, 13-year-old Gustavo Santiago said he felt as if he would “never get out.”
“I just ask that you don’t forget about us,” he told ProPublica in a video call.
“I just ask that you don’t forget about us,” he told ProPublica in a video call.
This is actually a fun all-star game
February 16, 2026 at 12:11 AM
This is actually a fun all-star game
Normalize Heelys
Nike's battery-powered footwear system, which propels wearers forward, is part of a broader push to help humans move farther and faster.
'E-bike for your feet': How bionic sneakers could change human mobility
Nike's battery-powered footwear system, which propels wearers forward, is part of a broader push to help humans move farther and faster.
n.pr
February 14, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Normalize Heelys