{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"July 25, 2026 – Air Mail","description":"Welcome to Air Mail Issue number 367.","favicon":"https://static.airmail.news/assets/icons/apple-touch-icon.png","home_page_url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25","feed_url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25.json","items":[{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-view-from-here","title":"The View from Here","content_text":"In his final interview, the late Democratic congressman Barney Frank worried that his party could blow the next presidential election by moving too far left. From immigration to transgender issues to policing, Democrats too often allow radical ideas to go unchallenged, he told me, leaving voters with “the impression that we agree with them.” That such a warning should come from a progressive stalwart such as Frank—one of the first openly gay members of Congress—is something that should concern not just partisan Democrats but anyone alarmed by the increasing extremism of the Republican Party.A leading, if not the ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-view-from-here","summary":"In his final interview, the late Democratic congressman Barney Frank worried that his party could blow the next presidential election by moving too far left. From immigration to transgender issues to policing, Democrats too often allow radical ideas to go...","tags":["The View from Here","But First ..."],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/xfprn9xfbtc6wwn1hwnw1ohbjes4-7dc211d22cdb815fad6d1c8ecaf29226.jpg","author":{"name":"James Kirchick"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/james-kirchick\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eJames Kirchick\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"A specter is haunting the Democratic Party—the specter of Hasan Piker","shorts":false,"banner":"But First ...","category":"The View from Here"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/barry-blitts-sketchbook","title":"Barry Blitt’s Sketchbook","content_text":null,"url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/barry-blitts-sketchbook","summary":null,"tags":["Sketchbook","Barry Blitt's Sketchbook"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/clts2yas1x17jotll7z5syan37nc-bca745c8caba6883fcaeec31766a0444.jpg","date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":null,"subhead":null,"shorts":false,"banner":"Barry Blitt's Sketchbook","category":"Sketchbook"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/nicola-peltzs-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-year","title":"Nicola Peltz’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year","content_text":"She’s the girl who appears to have all a teenager could desire—right down to plans for her very own beauty range, just like her mom Victoria. But Harper Beckham’s 15th birthday earlier this month was marred by the lack of public congratulations from her estranged big brother Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz.Parents Victoria and David were quick to celebrate their only daughter. David uploaded a sweet gallery of pictures to Instagram paying tribute to “my pretty lady,” while Victoria called her “my best friend.” Neither mentioned Brooklyn by name, but Victoria’s post initially appeared to show a ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/nicola-peltzs-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-year","summary":"She’s the girl who appears to have all a teenager could desire—right down to plans for her very own beauty range, just like her mom Victoria. But Harper Beckham’s 15th birthday earlier this month was marred by the lack of...","tags":["Modern Times","Drama Queen"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/vquc189i1zqu2e1hwwd7h2to25nb-eeddee108375bf69abf6aa7504eebcab.jpg","author":{"name":"Katie Hind"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/katie-hind\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eKatie Hind\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"As the Beckham feud rages on, the private dramas of Brooklyn’s wife are threatening to eclipse her long-frustrated acting career","shorts":false,"banner":"Drama Queen","category":"Modern Times"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/battle-of-the-boxes","title":"Battle of the Boxes","content_text":"A few weeks ago, Rob Aaronson drove past the Ranch, a 26-acre horse farm and art space in Montauk. But it wasn’t Hamptonites on quarter horses that caught his attention. Instead, the local fisherman saw a dozen gargantuan shipping containers stacked on top of each other. “I didn’t like it in its environment, and I wouldn’t like it probably in any environment,” Aaronson says. “The ‘wow’ factor at first sight didn’t do anything for me.”That 60-foot-tall sculpture by artist Matt Johnson, titled Meditating Figure, features decommissioned cargo containers as long as 30 feet, some appearing to hover diagonally in the breeze. And over the last few weeks, it’s become the source of much debate—and potential litigation—on the eastern tip of Long Island. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/battle-of-the-boxes","summary":"A few weeks ago, Rob Aaronson drove past the Ranch, a 26-acre horse farm and art space in Montauk. But it wasn’t Hamptonites on quarter horses that caught his attention. Instead, the local fisherman saw a dozen gargantuan shipping containers...","tags":["Modern Times","Hamptons Agonistes"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/nwoolfpmivfhxpymhnpurdp5y7dz-b9d96e2349976e526dc67ac183dc0b74.jpeg","author":{"name":"Andrew Zucker"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/andrew-zucker\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eAndrew Zucker\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"In Montauk, a towering sculpture of stacked shipping containers has sparked a fight between local officials and an art-world scion","shorts":false,"banner":"Hamptons Agonistes","category":"Modern Times"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/a-complicated-man","title":"A Complicated Man","content_text":"“There is a stranger outside your house,” writes Emily Wilson in a note introducing her 2017 translation of The Odyssey. “He is old, ragged, and dirty. He is tired. He has been wandering, homeless, for a long time, perhaps many years. Invite him inside. You do not know his name. He may be a thief. He may be a murderer. He may be a god. He may remind you of your husband, your father, or yourself. Do not ask questions. Wait, let him sit on a comfortable chair and warm himself beside your fire. Bring him some food, the ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/a-complicated-man","summary":"“There is a stranger outside your house,” writes Emily Wilson in a note introducing her 2017 translation of The Odyssey. “He is old, ragged, and dirty. He is tired. He has been wandering, homeless, for a long time, perhaps many...","tags":["Film and Television","all at sea"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/cqu30i1ai5d22oxr403g1d0ndtih-1829fb4447958d84ecd3aa556b867f4f.jpg","author":{"name":"Lea Carpenter"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/lea-carpenter\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eLea Carpenter\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"Why does \u003cem\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c/em\u003e still resonate? Because, at its core, it is the story of a warrior’s struggle to re-enter civilian life","shorts":false,"banner":"all at sea","category":"Film and Television"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/ins-outs-wedding-edition","title":"Ins \u0026 Outs, Wedding Edition","content_text":"Before you take any of the below personally, please don’t. Because we understand that you didn’t know any better—and that the algorithm, not you, is to blame for convincing you that you absolutely needed a saxophone to accompany your entrance as your guests twirled their napkins in the air like they just didn’t care. And they still don’t, by the way. At least not enough to tell you that your publicly distributed wedding Pinterest board was downright vulgar. But fortunately, we do. As arbiters of taste—and, yes, we do call ourselves that—it is our duty to stand in ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/ins-outs-wedding-edition","summary":"Before you take any of the below personally, please don’t. Because we understand that you didn’t know any better—and that the algorithm, not you, is to blame for convincing you that you absolutely needed a saxophone to accompany your entrance...","tags":["Modern Times","I Dos and Don'ts"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/58ukg0m17k03h4ruvqzprlh275pc-de2ea4acabc4182d43f8e4be7f7730d1.jpg","author":{"name":"Carolina de Armas"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/carolina-de-armas\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eCarolina \u003cem\u003ede\u003c/em\u003e Armas\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"From thank-you letters and short ceremonies to sweetheart tables and weekday weddings, our list of dos and don’ts for this wedding season","shorts":false,"banner":"I Dos and Don'ts","category":"Modern Times"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-air-mail-diary","title":"The AIR MAIL Diary","content_text":"In East Rutherford, New Jersey, authorities are still searching for a man who photobombed World Cup champion Spain’s team picture as the players celebrated with their trophies. The interloper, who lumbered onto the stage and refused to leave despite Gianni Infantino’s repeated urging (maybe the FIFA chief should have tried to coax him with small treats or large, shiny medals), was described as dressed in a dark suit and overlong red tie, bloated, slow moving, apparently slow thinking, and with a bizarre orange cast—the effect, according to one onlooker, that of “taxidermy gone terribly wrong.”Elsewhere in the world: ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-air-mail-diary","summary":"In East Rutherford, New Jersey, authorities are still searching for a man who photobombed World Cup champion Spain’s team picture as the players celebrated with their trophies. The interloper, who lumbered onto the stage and refused to leave despite Gianni...","tags":["News","News of the World"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/7nkqiciq5yoeej0z39c44f95ubyp-cb37cc89fe1c2ccb494d4a9bbc712202.jpg","author":{"name":"George Kalogerakis"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/george-kalogerakis\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eGeorge Kalogerakis\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"A kitten gets dragged into a bank job, Italy’s beach clubs declare war on packed lunches, and other strange stories from around the globe …","shorts":false,"banner":"News of the World","category":"News"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/lavventura","title":"L’Avventura","content_text":"A foundational work of Italian post-neo-realism, L’Avventura is an arresting cinematic study of fickle love. It all starts when ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/lavventura","summary":"A foundational work of Italian post-neo-realism, L’Avventura is an arresting cinematic study of fickle love. It all starts when ...","tags":["Recommended","Best"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/ntvvc9pspnoit38vn30ddytavyi2-39dfd4b242ef430f1b52853d7a5d2aa0.png","author":{"name":"Eve Eismann"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/eve-eismann\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eEve Eismann\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"watch","shorts":true,"banner":"Best","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/simrane","title":"Simrane","content_text":"Every summer I find myself coming back to Simrane—the family-run Paris boutique known for its vivid, block-printed textiles, sourced ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/simrane","summary":"Every summer I find myself coming back to Simrane—the family-run Paris boutique known for its vivid, block-printed textiles, sourced ...","tags":["Recommended","Best"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/kfngdcf1njyj7yboomgk6vv130ee-4e7436e162ade82cc50284c3d811ca48.png","author":{"name":"Rachel Lesage"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/rachel-lesage\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eRachel Lesage\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"decorate","shorts":true,"banner":"Best","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-bowery-review","title":"The Bowery Review","content_text":"Live from New York, it’s The Bowery Review—the city’s self-proclaimed “Best and Only Humor Magazine.” Edited by Tim Latterner","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-bowery-review","summary":"Live from New York, it’s The Bowery Review—the city’s self-proclaimed “Best and Only Humor Magazine.” Edited by Tim Latterner","tags":["Recommended","Best"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/f8uz1kf87insuleubxkg9pkylv9x-8c8c89a94177c5328dc78cb18c81accd.png","author":{"name":"Gabriella Maestri"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/gabriella-maestri\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eGabriella Maestri\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"read","shorts":true,"banner":"Best","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/liar-liar","title":"Liar Liar","content_text":"Call me pretentious, but I love natural-wine bars. I’m less in love, however, with the petits plats they usually serve—olives, radishes ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/liar-liar","summary":"Call me pretentious, but I love natural-wine bars. I’m less in love, however, with the petits plats they usually serve—olives, radishes ...","tags":["Recommended","Best"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/wegadv02yyjhrwm5cf0gklkm0so3-087a83d45336df42382cb7f6d053380d.png","author":{"name":"Maggie Turner"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/maggie-turner\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eMaggie Turner\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"dine","shorts":true,"banner":"Best","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/margaux","title":"Margaux","content_text":"The fisherman sandal has had many lives: seaside essential, grandpa staple, unexpected style-set trend, and, now, a must-have ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/margaux","summary":"The fisherman sandal has had many lives: seaside essential, grandpa staple, unexpected style-set trend, and, now, a must-have ...","tags":["Recommended","Best"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/n8lesb8n2y2ictsfno5lbvxn7bd2-36d5be4f75e4d6994d3601804743f579.png","author":{"name":"Jennifer Noyes"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/jennifer-noyes\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eJennifer Noyes\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"strut","shorts":true,"banner":"Best","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/catch-the-devil","title":"Catch the Devil","content_text":"There are grifters, and then there is Paul Skalnik, a charismatic con man of the first rank who married nine times, scammed his ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/catch-the-devil","summary":"There are grifters, and then there is Paul Skalnik, a charismatic con man of the first rank who married nine times, scammed his ...","tags":["Recommended","Best"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/k4guljmdkjtjpbbicqi1a60bqciv-6beea0271e458f0d1ea6ab4b2e0b59d0.png","author":{"name":"Jim Kelly"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/jim-kelly\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eJim Kelly\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"read","shorts":true,"banner":"Best","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-champagne-fallacy","title":"The Champagne Fallacy","content_text":"Champagne is one of the most abused and misunderstood beverages on the planet. It’s sprayed on the bodies of Formula One racers and other athletes as a victory ritual. It’s served at the end of a meal to accompany cake at weddings. And it’s often cited as a sexy substitute for water in a romantic bath. Of all these uses, the first is the least offensive, just wasteful; when it comes to the second, dry champagne makes a terrible accompaniment to a sweet dessert; and as for bathing in it, there’s a well-known story about how Natalie Wood had to be hospitalized over extreme discomfort and pain in her genitals after trying this out with ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-champagne-fallacy","summary":"Champagne is one of the most abused and misunderstood beverages on the planet. It’s sprayed on the bodies of Formula One racers and other athletes as a victory ritual. It’s served at the end of a meal to accompany cake...","tags":["Food and Drink","The Last Vice"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/stpvjm1215w7yl28ft9iicucxbi4-a00f162bdb22adaf22a2e042e7febd56.jpg","author":{"name":"Jay McInerney"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/jay-mcinerney\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eJay M\u003cem\u003ec\u003c/em\u003eInerney\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"From terrible cake pairings to the myth of the “special occasion,” our wine columnist argues it’s time to rethink how—and when—we drink sparkling wine","shorts":false,"banner":"The Last Vice","category":"Food and Drink"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/when-the-skys-not-the-limit","title":"When the Sky’s Not the Limit","content_text":"Anyone privileged enough to have flown private knows the appeal. Instead of arriving hours before your flight and enduring long lines, bag-check fees, and a security screening that may or may not involve a full pat-down while your fellow passengers watch, you can pull up to the plane a few minutes before takeoff. Someone parks your car. Someone else takes your bag. Yet another person pours you a drink. You climb a few stairs, settle in, and ascend into the skies as smoothly as a bird takes flight.But even in this rarified space, there’s a hierarchy, and in ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/when-the-skys-not-the-limit","summary":"Anyone privileged enough to have flown private knows the appeal. Instead of arriving hours before your flight and enduring long lines, bag-check fees, and a security screening that may or may not involve a full pat-down while your fellow passengers...","tags":["Travel"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/pqx7z2fwj4iyvzc0m22xtmbqcqfj-df311c354da48f86d7222151a0397e7e.jpg","author":{"name":"Sheila Yasmin Marikar"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/sheila-yasmin-marikar\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eSheila Yasmin Marikar\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"The days of simply getting from point A to point B are \u003cem\u003eso \u003c/em\u003eover. Today’s private-jet operators cater to passengers’ every whim, from \u003cem\u003eAlice in Wonderland–\u003c/em\u003ethemed birthday parties to vitamin water for pets","shorts":false,"banner":"Travel","category":"Travel"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/j-f-k-s-final-failure","title":"J.F.K.’s Final Failure","content_text":"President Kennedy remains an enigma six decades after his assassination: a portrait of polish and poise in public, a careless philanderer dependent on powerful painkillers and stimulants in private. Historians recall Kennedy as cool and decisive during the Cuban missile crisis, rejecting reckless advice that could have provoked a nuclear war. Nearly forgotten is how 13 months later a hesitant Kennedy emerged, one who ignored his own instincts and reluctantly acquiesced to a coup in South Vietnam cooked up by middle-ranking aides to stabilize a chaotic country coming apart at the seams.That decision, journalist Jack Cheevers persuasively argues in ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/j-f-k-s-final-failure","summary":"President Kennedy remains an enigma six decades after his assassination: a portrait of polish and poise in public, a careless philanderer dependent on powerful painkillers and stimulants in private. Historians recall Kennedy as cool and decisive during the Cuban missile...","tags":["Books"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/nap5q6k1fmyftgeohrdrwn9u9881-c90ac73c1c5e8cbb0a0e2e3688ee1dcc.jpg","author":{"name":"Clifford Krauss"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/clifford-krauss\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eClifford Krauss\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":null,"shorts":false,"banner":"Books","category":"Books"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/letters-from-scamelot","title":"Letters from Scamelot","content_text":"Here’s a secret I’ve been telling people for years, but that no one ever believes: I’m shy! Or maybe a better phrase for what I’m trying to communicate is: I’m sensitive. Very, very sensitive.People don’t buy it because I can come off so performative and theatrical both in person and online, but deep down I’m not born to command a large, live audience. Writing succulent, sequined sentences is one skill. Playing the Internet like a church organ is another. But getting an audience to eat out of your palm with the pizzazz and stage presence of a stand-up comedian is a craft I have yet to master. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/letters-from-scamelot","summary":"Here’s a secret I’ve been telling people for years, but that no one ever believes: I’m shy! Or maybe a better phrase for what I’m trying to communicate is: I’m sensitive. Very, very sensitive.People don’t buy it because I can...","tags":["Style","After Hours"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/5fp90t5t60vflsptaa7pvmjmapht-f1c544a7b0aa5ca773bee9b6a89e9d61.jpg","author":{"name":"Caroline Calloway"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/caroline-calloway\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eCaroline Calloway\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"In her latest party report, Caroline Calloway flees a poetry reading, crosses paths with an old flame at a \u003cem\u003eParis Review\u003c/em\u003e party, and takes a divorced single dad to the Lower East Side’s buzziest nightclub","shorts":false,"banner":"After Hours","category":"Style"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/at-150-the-bayreuth-festival-welcomes-ai-and-a-white-elephant","title":"At 150, the Bayreuth Festival Welcomes AI—and a White Elephant","content_text":"The ritual on the Green Hill dates back to 1876. That was the year Richard Wagner inaugurated the Bayreuth Festival with the premiere of Der Ring des Nibelungen, his epic “Artwork of the Future.” The world took notice, to a degree we can scarcely imagine. For the subsequent century and a half, reverent acolytes have been gathering in Wagner’s purpose-built Festspielhaus to bathe in his mysteries. And to think the hall was originally intended to serve for a single summer.Since the Bayreuth premiere of the Master’s valedictory Parsifal, in July 1882, and his death in Venice the following ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/at-150-the-bayreuth-festival-welcomes-ai-and-a-white-elephant","summary":"The ritual on the Green Hill dates back to 1876. That was the year Richard Wagner inaugurated the Bayreuth Festival with the premiere of Der Ring des Nibelungen, his epic “Artwork of the Future.” The world took notice, to a...","tags":["Culture","Highlight"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/bkvbaykg2xud955ig8pcyjflk8u0-35e21dcddae2eb25a7a28cf8d1acb6a3.jpg","author":{"name":"Matthew Gurewitsch"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/matthew-gurewitsch\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eMatthew Gurewitsch\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"Katherina Wagner gives great-grandad Richard’s legacy another makeover","shorts":false,"banner":"Highlight","category":"Culture"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-art-of-war","title":"The Art of War","content_text":"In the last months of World War II, as the Allies were rolling through Europe, Lee Miller headed to Germany to photograph an atrocity. One of the few women reporting from the ground, she wrote to American Vogue, “No question that German civilians knew what went on.” By “what went on” she meant the concentration camps. Miller urged the magazine—which until then had worked to boost the morale of its female readers—to publish what she’d documented. “I usually don’t take pictures of horrors,” Miller said, “but don’t think that every town and every area isn’t rich with them.” Skeletal prisoners. Piles of dead bodies. SS officers who had just killed themselves. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/the-art-of-war","summary":"In the last months of World War II, as the Allies were rolling through Europe, Lee Miller headed to Germany to photograph an atrocity. One of the few women reporting from the ground, she wrote to American Vogue, “No question...","tags":["Books","Open Book"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/xpy5e5m2u4k8q9jpavmi6lmvp0fg-85f1c94e952a40b2d12dbe89ee85fd24.jpg","author":{"name":"Jeanne Malle"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/jeanne-malle\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eJeanne Malle\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"A new book collects Lee Miller’s photographs of the Blitz, a time when the American, with no permit to work yet still holding a tourist visa, turned her camera to a Britain under fire","shorts":false,"banner":"Open Book","category":"Books"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/a-serenissima-escape","title":"A Serenissima Escape","content_text":"“If I were not King of France, I would choose to be a citizen of Venice,” Henri III, enraptured by the city’s beauty, said when he visited it in 1574. Centuries later, the French hotel group Airelles has chosen La Serenissima for its first property outside France: Airelles Palladio.Occupying three 16th-century structures on tranquil Giudecca Island—the main Palladio building, Villa Frollo, and the church of Santa Maria della Presentazione—the hotel is instantly recognizable by the church’s great dome, which rises above the jumble of colorful houses that flank the water. From here, the view stretches across the blue-green ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25/a-serenissima-escape","summary":"“If I were not King of France, I would choose to be a citizen of Venice,” Henri III, enraptured by the city’s beauty, said when he visited it in 1574. Centuries later, the French hotel group Airelles has chosen La...","tags":["Travel","View With a Room"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/y1ed0l970ecxerdykp47jych9vbv-c84319831e9608397f0793fe4b0957c1.jpg","author":{"name":"Mary Lussiana"},"date_published":"2026-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 25, 2026","date":"2026-07-25","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-25"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/mary-luissiana\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eMary Lussiana\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"The French hotel group Airelles has opened its first hotel in Venice. The highlight? Villa Frollo, a stand-alone 17th-century palazzo within the property that can be rented as a private residence","shorts":false,"banner":"View With a Room","category":"Travel"}}]}