What Happened to America?

It’s been twenty years since then–state senator Obama assured us there was not a liberal America and a conservative America. "Even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes," Obama said. "Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America—there’s the United States of America." In that time, a new country has been building with fearful momentum. Can anything be done to stop it? [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [The Cynic And The Two Nations]( [The Cynic And The Two Nations]( It’s been twenty years since then–state senator Obama assured us there was not a liberal America and a conservative America. "Even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes," Obama said. "Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America—there’s the United States of America." In that time, a new country has been building with fearful momentum. Can anything be done to stop it? [Read More](   [Yes, You Can Participate in Brat Summer as a Dude. Here’s How.]( [Yes, You Can Participate in Brat Summer as a Dude. Here’s How.]( Three New York City–based guys channeling their inner Charli XCX share their brattiest essentials. [Read More]( [We Asked a Meteorologist All Your Questions About Twisters]( [We Asked a Meteorologist All Your Questions About Twisters]( Are there trucks that can drill themselves into the ground? Can you kill a tornado? Why don’t Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones kiss?!? [Read More](       [Brooks Brothers Still Makes the Perfect Tennis Sweater]( [Brooks Brothers Still Makes the Perfect Tennis Sweater]( For me, Challengers should be the box-office hit of the year. It's got some of the best actors working today and an incredible score, and crucially, it's not another prequel, sequel, or remake. It's original, and it was perfectly timed to land just before the summer Grand Slams. A lot of people freaked out about the "I Told Ya" shirt, but it got me ruminating on tennis-inspired prep in general. Within the prep category, there are a lot of lame clothes. But the one item I've found eternally cool is the tennis sweater. [Read More](   [The Bullet in My Mother’s Head]( [The Bullet in My Mother’s Head]( In 1987, she survived her own murder. Thirty-seven years later, a son investigates the mystery that defined his life before it even began. [Read More]( [Boat Shoes Are Back On Deck]( [Boat Shoes Are Back On Deck]( The preppy staple (and occasional punchline) is ready for its latest turn in the spotlight. [Read More](     [The Rise and Fall of a Gay Porn Empire]( [The Rise and Fall of a Gay Porn Empire]( Pre-Internet, the market for gay-porn magazines was highly lucrative. The pay sucked, but every day was an Andy Warhol short film. It was also gay history, and a lifeline to gay men across the country. Over more than eighteen months, I reached out to dozens of staff, contributors, and models from the golden age of Mavety Media. What emerged was a record of a time that swung between historic and hilarious under the watchful eye of George Mavety, whose outrageous eccentricities and many moods kept us on our toes. Here is that history, in the words of the people who lived it. [Read More](   [From the editors of Esquire: In an exclusive piece of fiction from Stephen King, a family takes a scenic route–and everything goes terribly wrong. Learn More!]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo]( [How satisfied are you with the content of this newsletter?]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice]( | [CA Notice at Collection]( Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779