<em>The Atlantic</em> Politics Daily: From the Trail to the Trial

—Saahil Desai

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« SNAPSHOT »

(Joshua Roberts / Reuters)

President Donald Trump pats Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the back as they deliver joint remarks today on a Middle East peace plan, which, among several other proposals, expands Israeli territory.

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« IDEAS AND ARGUMENTS »

(MATT ROURKE / AP)

1. “I am haunted by the fear that nominating a moderate will ensure Trump’s reelection.”

Electability seems to dominate the presidential pitches of moderate Democrats. The likes of Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, and Pete Buttigieg have positioned themselves as safer options for the general election.

But what Democrats need in this moment is a passionate progressive to persuade citizens not to sit out the presidential contest, Ibram X. Kendi argues.

2. “Due process protects the life, liberty, and property of private citizens. It does not create a right to occupy the White House.”

Because impeachment deals with a public office and is not a substitute for a criminal trial, the Trump defense team’s claim that the president is being deprived of due process isn’t really coherent, the political scientist Greg Weiner argues.

3. “Permeating every moment of Harvey Weinstein’s trial is the disturbing history of sexual-assault prosecution in America.”

Barbara Bradley Hagerty writes about this watershed moment.

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« EVENING READ »

(CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE / GETTY)

The Doomed Project of the Novel American Dirt

What does it mean for a story about an immigrant woman and her son’s escape from drug cartels in Mexico to be told by a white woman? Hannah Giorgis explores the limits of such fiction.

What good, after all, does the mere acknowledgement of migrants’ essential humanity do for those whose lives have been shattered—and in some cases, ended—in large part because of punitive U.S. immigration policies? Are the tens of thousands of migrant children held in government custody, some of whom never see their families again, to feel comforted by American Dirt’s limp exhortation to the average reader—or by Oprah Winfrey’s selection of the novel for her famed Book Club?

For those whose lives are not shaped fundamentally by the indifference of others, empathy can be a seductive, self-aggrandizing goal.

Catch up on the controversy, and read Hannah’s full piece, here.

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Today’s newsletter was written by Saahil Desai, an associate editor on the Politics desk and Christian Paz, a Politics fellow. It was edited by Shan Wang, who oversees newsletters.

You can reply directly to this newsletter with questions or comments, or send a note to politicsdaily@theatlantic.com.

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Saahil Desai is an associate editor at The Atlantic, where he covers politics and policy.

Christian Paz is an editorial fellow at The Atlantic.