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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.Welcome back to The Daily’s Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what’s keeping them entertained. Today’s special guest is Andrew Aoyama, a deputy managing editor who has written about a newly discovered letter from the playwright Arthur Miller, a photographer undoing the myth of Appalachia, and how C. J. Rice’s conviction was overturned after an Atlantic cover story explained his innocence.Andrew is on a quest to catch up on some classic TV shows (Mad Men ranks as his favorite so far). His other cultural recommendations include reading Suzy Hansen’s Notes on a Foreign Country, which reshaped his opinion on American power, and catching a screening of Megalopolis for a baffling but hilarious time with your friends.The Culture Survey: Andrew AoyamaA piece of journalism that recently changed my perspective on a topic: I first read Suzy Hansen’s Notes on a Foreign Country not long after returning to the United States from a year studying Arabic in Rabat, Morocco. It was my first experience living abroad, a period of personal growth but also profound personal disorientation. I started the year with only the most rudimentary Arabic and had to grow accustomed to bumbling my way around; once, I walked into a barbershop with the intention of getting a relatively circumspect haircut and walked out with a buzz.My real faux pas, though, were cultural, not linguistic. My time in Morocco overlapped with the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, the election of Donald Trump, and the first months of his administration. I struggled to explain to my Moroccan friends what was happening; I claimed that most Americans didn’t agree with Trump’s caustic comments about Muslims and immigrants. Most of them, though, didn’t find Trump particularly surprising. Once, over mint tea, I brought up my confusion to my host father. “Perhaps you’re beginning to see America the way the rest of us have for years,” he said. He made a circular motion with his glass, gesturing at the others around the table but also, it seemed, the world.Notes on a Foreign Country gave me the vocabulary to talk about my bewilderment in Morocco. Hansen’s book, a series of reflections reported from Greece, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey, where she’s worked as a magazine journalist for more than a decade, interrogates why Americans are often oblivious to the experience of American power around the world. The people she encounters across the Middle East understand the United States better than she does in some ways. Hansen distills her experiences into a critique of journalism that has shaped how I think about writing and reporting: “We revered our supposedly unique American standards of objectivity, but we couldn’t account for the fact—were not modest enough to know—that an objective American mind is first and foremost still an American mind,” she writes. “We failed to interrogate not only our sources but ourselves.”A book I’m most looking forward to reading: I absolutely cannot wait to dig into Sally Rooney’s new novel, Intermezzo, a perfect birthday gift from my roommate. And I’ve been entering the ticket lottery every day for Ayad Akhtar’s latest play, McNeal, about a brilliant writer (played by Robert Downey Jr.) who becomes obsessed with artificial intelligence. [Related: Ayad Akhtar and Robert Downey Jr. confront AI.]What my friends are talking about most right now: Last weekend, a group of friends and I saw Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, and it’s lived rent free in my mind and in our group chat ever since. One of the most baffling movies I’ve ever seen, Coppola’s decades-long, self-financed passion project tells the story of the genius architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) and his quest to build a utopia from the ruins of a decadent near-future New York.Is Megalopolis “good”? That’s perhaps too facile a question to ask. Might it forever change how you pronounce the word club? Quite possibly. By the two-hour mark, the whole theater had descended into uproarious laughter and spontaneous cheers. I went home disappointed that only directors with Apocalypse Now credibility and Godfather money are well positioned these days to make similarly weird, risky movies; for all its quirks, I probably won’t see another film like Megalopolis for some time. [Related: The Megalopolis that Francis Ford Coppola wanted to make]The television show I’m most enjoying right now: These past few years, I’ve been on a slow-burning quest to catch up on all the classic TV shows I missed by being in elementary school during the mid-aughts. It’s a self-administered great-books course for prestige TV, if you will, built on the assumption that if reading The Odyssey and Hamlet enriches your understanding of Ulysses, then having watched The Sopranos and Breaking Bad makes Succession even better. My standout favorite thus far has been Mad Men, and I’ve recently gotten hooked on Girls, Lena Dunham’s satire of a group of postcollege friends trying to make it in Brooklyn. Next stop: The Wire.A musical artist who means a lot to me: I had the privilege of seeing the Lebanese indie-rock band Mashrou’ Leila in concert four times—in Rabat, in Brooklyn, and twice in Cambridge, Massachusetts—before they disbanded in 2022. Their sound is akin to a sort of dark-timbre Vampire Weekend, heavy on strings and brass, with lyrics that are famous for their frank and often controversial engagement with gender and sexuality, religion and racism, violence and political instability. Mashrou’ Leila’s work is a testament to Lebanon’s rich arts scene, and the group’s 2015 album, Ibn El Leil, is a no-skip masterpiece.My favorite way of wasting time on my phone: I love to run, and at the urging of my friends, I recently started using the social-media-ified fitness-tracking app Strava. In addition to its various other features, Strava offers a “Global Heatmap” built from user activity, which shows where people tend to congregate for their workouts. Sometimes, though, to waste time, I’ll scroll to a random place on the map and try to derive some cultural or sociological insight from the snaking navy-blue lines left behind by past runners. Some have suggested that the Strava heatmap can reflect segregation and track gentrification; in 2018, a researcher discovered that the map apparently revealed the locations of U.S.-military bases in Syria and Afghanistan and, allegedly, a CIA “black site” in Djibouti. So what if the app is packaging our personal data—and maybe even our national-security secrets—and selling it back to us; sometimes it’s interesting to ponder the best running route in Vladivostok.A cultural product I loved as a teenager and still love, and something I loved but now dislike: In my sophomore year of high school, I gave a presentation in my English class on Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die. My PowerPoint slides have hopefully been lost to history, but my choice of Lana Del Rey as a subject worthy of critical engagement was validated, I think, by her 2019 album, Norman Fucking Rockwell. The rest of my playlists from high school will stay where they belong, on an iPod Nano that has long since lost the ability to hold a charge. [Related: Lana Del Rey says she never had a persona. Really?]A favorite story I’ve read in The Atlantic: Choosing just one favorite seems impossible, so if I’m allowed, I’ll propose two contenders—a new story and an older one. First, my colleague Cullen Murphy’s reporting on Point Nemo, the most isolated place in the world, is an instant classic. And second, in our April issue, we published a recently rediscovered letter from Arthur Miller, which prompted me to look back in the archives to see if we’d published the playwright before. The letter, it turned out, wasn’t Miller’s only byline: In The Atlantic’s October 1978 issue, we ran a short story of his titled “The 1928 Buick.” It’s a fascinating glimpse into life in Midwood, Brooklyn, in the 1930s, not far from where a young Miller settled with his family after the Depression decimated his father’s clothing business and forced them to decamp from Harlem. His short fiction, I learned, is as sharp as his drama.Here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic: November cover story: The moment of truth Melania really doesn’t care. Couples therapy, but for siblings The Week Ahead Smile 2, a horror film about a pop star who is cursed and begins experiencing terrifying events before her world tour (in theaters Friday) Rivals, a miniseries starring David Tennant about a long-standing rivalry between two men that spurs a series of antics and relationships (streaming Friday on Hulu and Disney+) Beyond the Big Lie, a book by Bill Adair about how politicians—and Republicans in particular—lie, and why they choose to do so (out Tuesday) Essay Courtesy of Joanne Dearcopp The Woman Who Would Be SteinbeckBy Mark Athitakis It is likely, but by no means certain, that in May 1938, the writers John Steinbeck and Sanora Babb met in a café near Arvin, California. Both were in town to chronicle the plight of migrants who were flooding the state to escape the decimation of the Dust Bowl … And both were connected to Tom Collins, a staffer at the Farm Security Administration (FSA), a federal agency providing aid to the migrants. To Steinbeck, Collins was a friend and a passkey to the migrant experience. To Babb, he was a mentor and supervisor; she had volunteered to document living conditions in the camps. What happened next is in some ways clear as day, in others frustratingly fuzzy. Read the full article.More in Culture What really works about SNL Six books that feel like watching a movie In defense of marital secrets The Israeli artist who offends everyone Alan Hollinghurst’s lost England Catch Up on The Atlantic Florida’s risky bet How Jack Smith outsmarted the Supreme Court What going on Call Her Daddy did for Kamala Harris Photo Album Members of the Castellers de Vilafranca team form a castell. (Lluis Gene / AFP / Getty) Take a look at these photos from Tarragona, Spain, where more than 40 teams of “castellers” recently gathered to form the highest and most complex human towers possible.When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

The general consensus on draft night was the Knicks landed a steal in the second round with Tyler Kolek. He has done nothing to change that narrative.

The Oversight Project is seeking communications similar to those reportedly yet to be produced under a congressional request, between Harris and CBP

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A female traveler revealed that she received a creepy, unsolicited text message from a stranger who read only her luggage tag at the airport during her layover.

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Former President Donald Trump is gaining in swing-state polls — and you can bet one group is secretly pleased: New York’s elected officials. The city’s Democrats use big, bad Trump as a cartoon foil to district the public from their own failures. Last week, Trump announced a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27, two weekends before...

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A Brooklyn mom was horrified to find a book of antisemitic and anti-American political cartoons as part of a kids display on world cultures at a Bed-Stuy library this week. “A Child of Palestine,” by Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali, is filled with disturbing Jewish stereotypes and offensive images — including Jesus Christ on a cross kicking an Israel soldier. The...

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Congress has no choice but to raise revenue, make cuts to the program, or some combination of the two.  | David Brewster / Star Tribune via Getty Images “Social Security reform” is one of those soundbites you might hear every election cycle without anything ever changing. Politicians have been sounding the alarm for decades, saying that the program — which helps retirees, people with disabilities, and their families stay afloat — is quickly running out of money. So what’s actually at stake? Social Security is a pay-as-you go system, so taxes collected from today’s workers are spent on current beneficiaries. But because the workforce hasn’t grown as fast as the number of baby boomers entering retirement, there’s more being taken out of Social Security than being put in. The federal government relies on trust funds to fill the gaps, but those reserves are projected to be entirely depleted by 2035, according to the Congressional Research Service.  That doesn’t mean that the government won’t have any money left. But if Congress doesn’t do anything before those reserves are gone, the government will only be able to honor 83 percent of the scheduled benefits, which means that most, if not all, recipients of Social Security will see their household incomes fall. (By 2098, the government would only be able to cover 73 percent.) That outcome would be disastrous for many. Since it was established in 1935, Social Security has been a hugely successful welfare program, and each year, it helps more than 20 million people stay above the poverty line. It has never before been unable to pay out scheduled benefits. But if Congress doesn’t act, the number of Social Security beneficiaries who live below the poverty line could increase by more than 50 percent by 2045, disproportionately impacting Black and Hispanic families. None of this is inevitable, and lawmakers will eventually have to do something to address the shortfall. The question is what. What Democrats and Republicans have proposed Congress has no choice but to raise revenue, make cuts to the program, or some combination of the two. Democrats have called for raising taxes and, in some cases, expanding benefits, while Republicans have mostly advocated for cuts.  In recent years, however, the GOP has promised that it won’t cut people’s benefits. Over the years, Donald Trump, for example, has advised his fellow Republicans that trying to gut Social Security is bad politics (though he’s also called the program’s disability insurance “a racket”).  On the campaign trail this time around, he’s promised to neither “cut one penny from Social Security” nor raise the retirement age, as many Republicans have proposed doing in the past.  But Trump’s promises don’t add up to an actual plan. He proposed reducing spending on Social Security in each of his annual budgets while in office. And despite his promises, he has suggested that he’s open to Social Security cuts this time.  Trump also recently proposed cutting taxes on Social Security payments. That might sound good because people will net more money when they receive their benefits. But the reality is more complicated. The poorest households wouldn’t see any change under that plan because Social Security benefits for those making below $32,000 are already untaxed, while the richest recipients would be more likely to see a tax cut.  For her part, Vice President Kamala Harris has, like other Democrats, promised to preserve Social Security benefits, vowing to shore up the program and make sure it stays solvent. She promises to do so by making “millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share in taxes.” But Harris’s plan is light on the details, and isn’t exactly clear how the federal government will be able to raise enough revenue.  What might Social Security reform actually look like? There’s no way around it: Lawmakers have to raise taxes on many families, including those who aren’t millionaires. Right now, any income that someone makes above $168,000 is not taxed for Social Security. That means that higher earners pay a smaller share of their income toward funding Social Security than lower- and middle-income earners.  “People are shocked to learn that rich people don’t pay taxes above” the cap, said Monique Morrissey, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute.  To address this, President Biden has tried to reintroduce the Social Security tax on income above $400,000. That weird formula simply boiled down to politics: Biden pledged to not raise taxes on any household making less than $400,000. But it creates what some experts call a doughnut hole — a pile of untaxable income between the cap and $400,000, and on its own, that’s not enough to fill the anticipated budget shortfall. But if Democrats are serious about raising revenue for Social Security, they should start considering raising taxes on everybody. It might not be as unpopular as they fear.  “The Democrats really need to lose that pledge” of not raising taxes on anyone making less than $400,000, Morrissey said. “People are happy to pay more in taxes when it’s something that they see is concretely benefiting them.” Indeed, polls show that the majority of Americans support raising taxes to ensure they receive Social Security benefits, and only 31 percent would opt for making cuts. A modest payroll tax increase for Social Security would have little impact on most households and would greatly benefit the program. Moreover, Congress ought to consider expanding the categories of income that get taxed for Social Security, including investment income.  Raising taxes, however, is not an easy task, especially when those taxes are targeted at the wealthy. And if Congress fails to raise enough revenue, then it has to start looking at cuts to benefits. “It’s perfectly reasonable to think about solving a problem with some mix of revenue increases as well as benefit reductions,” said Gopi Shah Goda, director of the Retirement Security Project at the Brookings Institution. As a cost-saving measure, benefits don’t have to be reduced across the board. If Congress lifts the cap on taxable income, for example, it doesn’t necessarily have to increase the maximum benefit that’s paid out to those who contribute the most into the system. And some of the additional revenue from the new taxes could be targeted to expand benefits for those — like surviving spouses or children — who rely on Social Security the most to stay out of poverty. Ultimately, a program like Social Security should ensure that none of its recipients fall into poverty, especially because those who are retired or disabled have limited sources of income. That’s certainly a program worth spending more money on — and the majority of Americans agree. I’d like to hear from you After the first issue of Within Our Means, several readers reached out to talk about the relationship between disability and poverty, and how programs like Social Security fall short. For a future issue, I’m going to look into the flaws of how we deliver Supplemental Security Income — how hard it is to qualify, for example, or how the requirements make it impossible to save money — and I’d love to hear about your experiences. If you have a story you’d like to share, please send me an email at abdallah.fayyad@vox.com. This story was featured in the Within Our Means newsletter. Sign up here.

The Yankees haven’t made a decision on Anthony Rizzo’s availability for the ALCS, as the first baseman gets treatment for his fractured fingers.

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