{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"July 4, 2026 – Air Mail","description":"Welcome to Air Mail Issue number 364.","favicon":"https://static.airmail.news/assets/icons/apple-touch-icon.png","home_page_url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4","feed_url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4.json","items":[{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-view-from-here","title":"The View from Here","content_text":"Today marks the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. And where do we start? We find ourselves under the truncated thumb of a real-estate huckster and former reality-show host who, among other destructive acts, leveled the East Wing of the White House without approval. (You try doing that in your neighborhood!) His vision for its replacement, as we all know, is a $600 million gilded ballroom that wouldn’t be out of place in a Russian period drama.Trump has also ordered up his giant Arch of Triumph—an oversize self-tribute that would make Napoleon blush. There’s the Justice Department led by ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-view-from-here","summary":"Today marks the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. And where do we start? We find ourselves under the truncated thumb of a real-estate huckster and former reality-show host who, among other destructive acts, leveled the East Wing of the...","tags":["The View from Here","But First ..."],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/pxs0a51778xyet7hqatsr6x76t5a-16d793680b111ffabac564004d31c21f.jpg","author":{"name":"Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/graydon-carter\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eGraydon Carter\u003c/a\u003e \u003cem class=\"type-overline type-overline-10\"\u003eand\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/alessandra-stanley\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eAlessandra Stanley\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"Why our nation’s 250th has us thinking twice about the American Revolution","shorts":false,"banner":"But First ...","category":"The View from Here"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/barry-blitts-sketchbook","title":"Barry Blitt’s Sketchbook","content_text":null,"url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/barry-blitts-sketchbook","summary":null,"tags":["Sketchbook","Barry Blitt's Sketchbook"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/0qjyrzvmos4wjh63z9dqkqfqlwlg-f988fb96f2faecedf83d00c27233a89a.jpg","author":{"name":"Barry Blitt"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/barry-blitt\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eBarry Blitt\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":null,"shorts":false,"banner":"Barry Blitt's Sketchbook","category":"Sketchbook"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/an-unhealthy-dose-of-skepticism","title":"An Unhealthy Dose of Skepticism","content_text":"In November 1964, the U.S. Government Printing Office released what might be the most specialized reference set ever published. At 18,000 pages, it rivaled The Oxford English Dictionary and the Encyclopedia Britannica in terms of shelf inches. But while those efforts attempted to cover the history of the English language and the sweep of human knowledge, respectively, all 26 volumes of Hearings Before the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy were devoted to six seconds, give or take.Two months earlier, the Warren Commission had delivered its final report, pronouncing Lee Harvey Oswald guilty. Earl Warren, the ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/an-unhealthy-dose-of-skepticism","summary":"In November 1964, the U.S. Government Printing Office released what might be the most specialized reference set ever published. At 18,000 pages, it rivaled The Oxford English Dictionary and the Encyclopedia Britannica in terms of shelf inches. But while those...","tags":["Books","Grassy-Knoll-It-Alls"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/j3qs87v10s2p9wj2vpl8wcpi2cqx-4000197925e3dd68d6d38965c00f4292.jpg","author":{"name":"Ash Carter"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/ash-carter\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eAsh Carter\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"How a handful of housewives dedicated to debunking the official account of the J.F.K. assassination unwittingly ushered in the age of the conspiracy theorist—from 9/11 truthers to One Direction’s “Larry” stans","shorts":false,"banner":"Grassy-Knoll-It-Alls","category":"Books"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-length-of-trumps-fingers-revealed","title":"The Length of Trump’s Fingers—Revealed!","content_text":"On page 45 of the April 1988 issue of Spy magazine, there’s a satirical advertisement for Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal. It picks the worst quotes from reviews of the book. “Exercise in self-congratulation.” “Repulsive book.” It jokes that Trump has been buying copies of it himself.Right at the bottom of the ad is a throwaway line that has resonated throughout the years. In fake promo copy it boasts that the book is “by Short-Fingered Vulgarian Donald J. Trump.” It was authored by the magazine’s editor, AIR MAIL co-founder Graydon Carter, who had an instinct that the line would irk its subject. He was right. As recently as Trump’s first presidential run, Carter wrote: ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-length-of-trumps-fingers-revealed","summary":"On page 45 of the April 1988 issue of Spy magazine, there’s a satirical advertisement for Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal. It picks the worst quotes from reviews of the book. “Exercise in self-congratulation.” “Repulsive book.” It...","tags":["Humor","all the president's digits"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/crvu2j4sfhaedngr6sokbp78gurx-3dfb4a7fc2ce2845f8b1018c044e30df.jpg","author":{"name":"Ravi Somaiya"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/ravi-somaiya\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eRavi Somaiya\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"Graydon Carter has been calling Trump a “short-fingered vulgarian” for decades. Now, at last, the measurements are in","shorts":false,"banner":"all the president's digits","category":"Humor"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-artisan-set","title":"Celebrating 15 of America’s Artisans Keeping Their Generations-Old Crafts Alive, from Quilting to Basket-Weaving to Pottery-Making","content_text":null,"url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-artisan-set","summary":null,"tags":["Culture","Portfolio"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/l4ym8mf7gro383om7omlpnnvbxpa-3e10788223d4dd4d92f22aa6259086a7.jpg","author":{"name":"Jeanne Malle"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/jeanne-malle\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eJeanne Malle\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":null,"shorts":false,"banner":"Portfolio","category":"Culture"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-good-the-bad-and-the-mad-kennedys","title":"The Good, the Bad, and the Mad Kennedys","content_text":"The Kennedys have been making headlines, and feeding the gossip pages, for over a century, and, like their British equivalent—the royal family—their members come in every conceivable variety: saintly, devilish, deranged, and sometimes a mixture of all three.For example, John F. Kennedy excelled in public service (good) while being a horndog in private (bad). Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began as an environmental crusader (good) before turning into an anti-vax crank (bad) with a penchant for beheading whales (mad). Others have been nutty from the get-go—here’s looking at you, Jack Schlossberg!So, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we sort the famed clan into its proper dynastic categories. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-good-the-bad-and-the-mad-kennedys","summary":"The Kennedys have been making headlines, and feeding the gossip pages, for over a century, and, like their British equivalent—the royal family—their members come in every conceivable variety: saintly, devilish, deranged, and sometimes a mixture of all three.For example, John...","tags":["News","family circle"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/bdbna3i10y3b3ubkun6hpai7q8qm-e8f8013bd2c5090c0a0b5cc040bad48a.jpg","author":{"name":"George Pendle"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/george-pendle\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eGeorge Pendle\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"A dynastic audit of America’s unofficial royal family","shorts":false,"banner":"family circle","category":"News"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/a-timeline-of-american-democracy-stupidity-and-worse","title":"A Timeline of American Democracy, Stupidity, and Worse","content_text":"To mark this particular Fourth of July—or Trump 250, as it’s known in the cheesy online merchandise circles where a 22-ounce “Trump 250 Airplane Water Bottle” can be yours for $38.00—we offer a selective look back at the last 250 years of American democracy, and a speculative look ahead to the next … well, best not to make assumptions. Let’s say the next 250 days.    Previous Next \n\n     \n\n  \n\n \n\n    \n\n  THE DECLARATION  July 2, 1776 \n\n  The Continental Congress votes for independence. Two days later, the first draft of the Declaration is signed by John Hancock and Charles Thomson, one of whom proved better at advancing his brand: on August 2, 54 additional Founding Fathers append their John Hancocks—not their Charles Thomsons—to the parchment. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/a-timeline-of-american-democracy-stupidity-and-worse","summary":"To mark this particular Fourth of July—or Trump 250, as it’s known in the cheesy online merchandise circles where a 22-ounce “Trump 250 Airplane Water Bottle” can be yours for $38.00—we offer a selective look back at the last 250...","tags":["News","checks and imbalances"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/f42cqetskfaeq3hdh084jp68p0v2-e9d35386c6e95c9ab15a33807a3ce494.jpg","author":{"name":"George Kalogerakis"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/george-kalogerakis\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eGeorge Kalogerakis\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"The United States has survived for 250 years—but will it last another 250 days?","shorts":false,"banner":"checks and imbalances","category":"News"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/versailles","title":"Versailles","content_text":"Ask a Cuban, any Cuban, if they know about a little place in Miami called Versailles, and they’ll say (while heavily gesticulating) ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/versailles","summary":"Ask a Cuban, any Cuban, if they know about a little place in Miami called Versailles, and they’ll say (while heavily gesticulating) ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Diners"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/8y4if6p7feikjh6ap795q3qjz8x2-c63603efb5a1ffcbd9a1ba4fe7b1dda5.png","author":{"name":"Carolina de Armas"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_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":"dine","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Diners","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/mels-drive-in","title":"Mel’s Drive-In","content_text":"In 1973, George Lucas immortalized Mel’s Drive-In in American Graffiti, his love letter to 60s California car culture. The original diner","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/mels-drive-in","summary":"In 1973, George Lucas immortalized Mel’s Drive-In in American Graffiti, his love letter to 60s California car culture. The original diner","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Diners"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/axxpqhkedlbniwkjuahp45w1629q-04aaa0d763d04b832056a292abccb466.png","author":{"name":"Paulina Prosnitz"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/paulina-prosnitz\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003ePaulina Prosnitz\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"dine","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Diners","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/palace-diner","title":"Palace Diner","content_text":"Maine’s oldest and smallest luncheonette, the Palace Diner—at only 15 stools—is arguably also its hardest walk-in ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/palace-diner","summary":"Maine’s oldest and smallest luncheonette, the Palace Diner—at only 15 stools—is arguably also its hardest walk-in ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Diners"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/9ecvgpqfs1jyjwzhpxj7qplcal37-9694afe6eb1f087073ba075d00e1e9cf.png","author":{"name":"Maggie Turner"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_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":"Our Favorite American Diners","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/raes","title":"Rae’s","content_text":"There is a stretch of Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California, that the last several decades of development somehow forgot to ruin ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/raes","summary":"There is a stretch of Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California, that the last several decades of development somehow forgot to ruin ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Diners"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/1u6mkxrr858iyzekft6h2rqstyzt-be9865367eabd84a9c2bc7888b9fc5c0.png","author":{"name":"Rachel Lesage"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/rachel-lesage\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eRachel Lesage\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"dine","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Diners","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/s-p","title":"S\u0026P","content_text":"Are you tired of nouvelle cuisine, with all its precious decorations and waiters who describe a dish’s every ingredient? If so, I’ve got a treat ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/s-p","summary":"Are you tired of nouvelle cuisine, with all its precious decorations and waiters who describe a dish’s every ingredient? If so, I’ve got a treat ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Diners"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/o71sw0aofa5y7cycevb2bb02uvid-458f8568ac45da5c3c6553a51683074e.png","author":{"name":"Louise Grunwald"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/louise-grunwald\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eLouise Grunwald\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"dine","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Diners","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/fosters-market","title":"Foster’s Market","content_text":"Foster’s Market has been a staple of my life since 1997 and a pillar of Durham, North Carolina, for even longer. Chef Sara Foster","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/fosters-market","summary":"Foster’s Market has been a staple of my life since 1997 and a pillar of Durham, North Carolina, for even longer. Chef Sara Foster","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Diners"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/mqu6rsrxsyc2aikyleu9fxv3hmww-788b7668e87dbe8648eafb479eb22b55.png","author":{"name":"Gracie Wiener"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/gracie-wiener\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eGracie Wiener\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"dine","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Diners","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/ferris-buellers-day-off-turns-40","title":"Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Turns 40","content_text":"Although he will forever be associated with Ferris Bueller, maybe the most unforgettable high-schooler in the history of the movies, Matthew Broderick attended the progressive Walden School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and began acting in his teens. “I didn’t have the same experience as Ferris and his friends,” he says. “But I did have friends, and I definitely wanted to skip school.”In 1985, when he received John Hughes’s script for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Broderick was 23. He had already played the lead in the 1983 film War Games, and now he was on Broadway in Neil Simon’s ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/ferris-buellers-day-off-turns-40","summary":"Although he will forever be associated with Ferris Bueller, maybe the most unforgettable high-schooler in the history of the movies, Matthew Broderick attended the progressive Walden School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and began acting in his teens. “I didn’t...","tags":["Film and Television","life moves pretty fast"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/wcxww6ewxpjub0o8abkmy9975aqm-b8cb0f416c3131bb48d09c7a4fa0b18b.jpg","author":{"name":"Josh Karp"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/josh-karp\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eJosh Karp\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck recall the making of a teen classic","shorts":false,"banner":"life moves pretty fast","category":"Film and Television"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-sweet-life-of-tom-carvel","title":"The Sweet Life of Tom Carvel","content_text":"On Memorial Day weekend in 1934, Paul Whiteman \u0026 His Orchestra’s recording of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” was at the top of the charts. Whether Tom Carvel knew this or not—he loved music and even toured the Borscht Belt as the drummer in a Dixieland band in his youth, so chances are good that he did—doesn’t matter much. The song provides the perfect title music for his life, a tale of love, blindness, and, above all, a profound sense of nostalgia. And, really, what is the American Dream if not a nostalgic song sung in reverse?The story opens with Carvel towing a trailer of ice cream through ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-sweet-life-of-tom-carvel","summary":"On Memorial Day weekend in 1934, Paul Whiteman \u0026 His Orchestra’s recording of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” was at the top of the charts. Whether Tom Carvel knew this or not—he loved music and even toured the Borscht Belt...","tags":["Food and Drink","soft-serve power"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/xf9h95sgvelxhe666ygh1dd3oh1b-b99ece2817f1c6d8745c811927f8a119.jpg","author":{"name":"Nathan King"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/nathan-king\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eNathan King\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"How a Greek immigrant with big dreams grew a faulty ice-cream cart into an American franchise behemoth that would serve Flying Saucers and Fudgie the Whales to many generations to come","shorts":false,"banner":"soft-serve power","category":"Food and Drink"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/madonna-inn","title":"Madonna Inn","content_text":"No one has ever checked into the Madonna Inn by accident. Built in 1958 by contractor Alex Madonna, who had strong opinions ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/madonna-inn","summary":"No one has ever checked into the Madonna Inn by accident. Built in 1958 by contractor Alex Madonna, who had strong opinions ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Inns"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/wmidvuy9g4p1kpsd79wwjet7sjpa-e8d647182e528bee361fb1f089af8f97.png","author":{"name":"Jennifer Noyes"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/jennifer-noyes\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eJennifer Noyes\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"stay","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Inns","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/hotel-peter-paul","title":"Hotel Peter \u0026 Paul","content_text":"Situated in New Orleans’s Marigny neighborhood, Hotel Peter \u0026 Paul  occupies a former 19th-century Catholic church, schoolhouse ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/hotel-peter-paul","summary":"Situated in New Orleans’s Marigny neighborhood, Hotel Peter \u0026 Paul  occupies a former 19th-century Catholic church, schoolhouse ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Inns"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/wzhdsutk2sd14wt3nmopamu87d24-b4dd7c6df336176311f2a42888bd84e3.png","author":{"name":"Gracie Wiener"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/gracie-wiener\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eGracie Wiener\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"stay","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Inns","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/six-bells-countryside-inn","title":"Six Bells Countryside Inn","content_text":"Perhaps the easiest way to lure a New Yorker outside of the city is to promise peace, quiet, and minimal ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/six-bells-countryside-inn","summary":"Perhaps the easiest way to lure a New Yorker outside of the city is to promise peace, quiet, and minimal ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Inns"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/edjmceg6c31wcn2tlvf97p2exb3u-15936f1e012c893a8147bdd1ccb5b078.png","author":{"name":"Carolina de Armas"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_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":"stay","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Inns","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/gold-hill-hotel-saloon","title":"Gold Hill Hotel \u0026 Saloon","content_text":"In certain pockets of Nevada, far from the casinos, time stands still. One such place is the Gold Hill Hotel","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/gold-hill-hotel-saloon","summary":"In certain pockets of Nevada, far from the casinos, time stands still. One such place is the Gold Hill Hotel","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Inns"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/7lt86u18uhkc3elyz83txk7wcppm-16b46fee887b921c98a5e0fa1882b9b0.png","author":{"name":"Elena Clavarino"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/elena-clavarino\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eElena Clavarino\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"stay","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Inns","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-red-lion-inn","title":"The Red Lion Inn","content_text":"The Red Lion Inn has been welcoming guests since 1773, which means it pre-dates the country whose nostalgia it now so perfectly embodies ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-red-lion-inn","summary":"The Red Lion Inn has been welcoming guests since 1773, which means it pre-dates the country whose nostalgia it now so perfectly embodies ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Inns"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/0yzrs79m7jzg33v9a59ugfyg6fmn-bf43518bb66ce3608243d4a70c8f6a4d.png","author":{"name":"Rip Noyes"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/rip-noyes\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eRip Noyes\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"stay","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Inns","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/greyfield-inn","title":"Greyfield Inn","content_text":"There are few places in America that have escaped the modern world entirely: Cumberland Island is one of them. Accessible only by ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/greyfield-inn","summary":"There are few places in America that have escaped the modern world entirely: Cumberland Island is one of them. Accessible only by ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Inns"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/zcjmlokgyvj3j3dwcg6hrhbrc1u3-cba7cd81dd74f3a9546bcf8d54de2688.png","author":{"name":"Catherine Scott"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/catherine-scott\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eCatherine Scott\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"stay","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Inns","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-odd-couple-of-american-art","title":"The Odd Couple of American Art","content_text":"When The Andy Warhol Diaries came out, in 1989, readers of the 807-page chronicle of daily Warholian doings, gossip, and tabulations of expenditures down to the penny were perhaps surprised to discover that the book effectively begins in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Page one finds Warhol and a couple of associates, including boyfriend Jed Johnson, road-tripping (gas $19.97, tolls $3.40) to that arcadian corner of the Brandywine Valley, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia. They would be spending Thanksgiving 1976 with the artist’s latest friend and pet obsession: the painter Jamie Wyeth—son of Andrew (Christina’s World et al.), grandson of N.C. (the protean book illustrator), and 30-year-old scion of America’s first family of paint. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/the-odd-couple-of-american-art","summary":"When The Andy Warhol Diaries came out, in 1989, readers of the 807-page chronicle of daily Warholian doings, gossip, and tabulations of expenditures down to the penny were perhaps surprised to discover that the book effectively begins in Chadds Ford,...","tags":["Culture","Arts and Culture"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/91nmi5qgx6bsgpkhgqnror9gc0lv-8b842fc42d8b7ed5476eb4d34251ad50.jpg","author":{"name":"Mark Rozzo"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/mark-rozzo\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eMark Rozzo\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"When Andy Warhol and Jamie Wyeth met in the late 1960s, the king of Pop art and the heir to America’s first family of painting struck up an unlikely friendship that would carry them from Chadds Ford to Monte Carlo","shorts":false,"banner":"Arts and Culture","category":"Culture"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/nashville","title":"Nashville","content_text":"M*A*S*H might have brought Robert Altman to fame, but Nashville is his magnum opus. At two hours and 40 minutes, the film defies ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/nashville","summary":"M*A*S*H might have brought Robert Altman to fame, but Nashville is his magnum opus. At two hours and 40 minutes, the film defies ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Movies"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/votka965y6fw9ah2st4gk1wwcck9-0364237215683f2175db89ff3769134b.png","author":{"name":"Eve Eismann"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_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":"Our Favorite American Movies","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/boyz-n-the-hood","title":"Boyz n the Hood","content_text":"Fresh out of U.S.C. film school, John Singleton was only 22 when he walked into the offices of Quincy Jones’s Grio Entertainment Group ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/boyz-n-the-hood","summary":"Fresh out of U.S.C. film school, John Singleton was only 22 when he walked into the offices of Quincy Jones’s Grio Entertainment Group ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Movies"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/8gt8o9ghtfmzq46995h983bde8as-ab79ba2b2e0e6d0da6ea8c8730a502ed.png","author":{"name":"Maggie Turner"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/maggie-turner\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eMaggie Turner\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"watch","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Movies","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/lost-in-america","title":"Lost in America","content_text":"Lost in America, Albert Brooks’s devastatingly sharp commentary on the post-60s boomer experience, tells the story of David Howard ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/lost-in-america","summary":"Lost in America, Albert Brooks’s devastatingly sharp commentary on the post-60s boomer experience, tells the story of David Howard ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Movies"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/8oe4vazpavfqu5sp7dqhumhumz26-06701d18800b156bee323a85e090676b.png","author":{"name":"Ash Carter"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/ash-carter\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eAsh Carter\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"watch","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Movies","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/drop-dead-gorgeous","title":"Drop Dead Gorgeous","content_text":"Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, Denise Richards, Allison Janney, Amy Adams, and a small-town beauty","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/drop-dead-gorgeous","summary":"Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, Denise Richards, Allison Janney, Amy Adams, and a small-town beauty","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Movies"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/sgwf7wnldu19tltapbqonbb04yt1-a0853160ecc00db0d09379b155ea074b.png","author":{"name":"Gracie Wiener"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/gracie-wiener\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eGracie Wiener\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"watch","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Movies","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/make-way-for-tomorrow","title":"Make Way for Tomorrow","content_text":"Leo McCarey’s Make Way for Tomorrow begins with a simple, devastating premise ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/make-way-for-tomorrow","summary":"Leo McCarey’s Make Way for Tomorrow begins with a simple, devastating premise ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Movies"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/ctr0of50csx4q78csm5vpsinzq34-3b3538157804b6c0d2850426dd375e1c.png","author":{"name":"Carolina de Armas"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_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":"watch","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Movies","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/office-space","title":"Office Space","content_text":"Before there was The Office—British or American—there was Office Space, Mike Judge’s razor-sharp satire of middle-American corporate ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/office-space","summary":"Before there was The Office—British or American—there was Office Space, Mike Judge’s razor-sharp satire of middle-American corporate ...","tags":["Recommended","Our Favorite American Movies"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/7hkuvl1hnseeany289fv404hdn2g-6ca69f31d082accc8c14ad2ce8790609.png","author":{"name":"Victoria Herman"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/victoria-herman\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eVictoria Herman\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"watch","shorts":true,"banner":"Our Favorite American Movies","category":"Recommended"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/naval-gazing","title":"Naval Gazing","content_text":"U.S. Navy servicemen have always been the showboats among the military branches, largely due to that capriciously chic but elusively functional sailor’s jumper. From Popeye and Donald Duck to Paddington Bear and the young Prince Albert, Billboard hit songs (“Brandy, You’re a Fine Girl”), countless films (Anchors Aweigh, The Last Detail, Cinderella Liberty), and Broadway musicals (On the Town, South Pacific), the uniform has billowed through visual culture for centuries, its nautical dash embraced by Picasso and Warhol in their Bretons and by Kris Kristofferson in a captain’s peacoat. The sailor who fell from grace with the sea, indeed. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/naval-gazing","summary":"U.S. Navy servicemen have always been the showboats among the military branches, largely due to that capriciously chic but elusively functional sailor’s jumper. From Popeye and Donald Duck to Paddington Bear and the young Prince Albert, Billboard hit songs (“Brandy,...","tags":["Culture","Open Book"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/phqi39iamiepnhvph8q0a27hhiow-e16425b85f5126eaa45d2693ac3f1cf9.jpg","author":{"name":"Steve Garbarino"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/steve-garbarino\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eSteve Garbarino\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Jack Nicholson … As Fleet Week returns to New York, a look back at the sailors who have stolen our hearts since the 1930s","shorts":false,"banner":"Open Book","category":"Culture"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/eyes-wide-shut","title":"Eyes Wide Shut","content_text":"There’s no denying the reach of David Thomson’s body of film writing. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, his much-loved twist on the Hollywood reference work, rests on the shelves of cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike. I still remember in the early 2000s when a friend’s tech-bro sibling, upon hearing I was hopelessly into movies, informed me that Thomson was the one to read. The recommendation was definitive, as if I needn’t think any further on the matter.Thomson’s own authoritative delivery of his opinions has an air of proclamation, but is leavened by his characteristic twinkly asides and curious pivots. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/eyes-wide-shut","summary":"There’s no denying the reach of David Thomson’s body of film writing. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, his much-loved twist on the Hollywood reference work, rests on the shelves of cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike. I still remember in...","tags":["Books"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/l4n478kou8ygerltmnuh1p7rcose-647230df2db1741804b28a3744e4b903.jpg","author":{"name":"Nicolas Rapold"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/nicolas-rapold\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eNicolas Rapold\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":null,"shorts":false,"banner":"Books","category":"Books"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/randall-posters-america-250-playlist","title":"Randall Poster’s America 250 Playlist","content_text":"Nothing says America the beautiful quite like every song except that one. Thankfully, Air Mail Music Editor Randall Poster has just the stuff. Ahead of his three-day musical ode to Wes Anderson’s films at the Hollywood Bowl—with support from Air Mail—the legendary music supervisor has curated a playlist with Georgia (and every other state) on his mind. Whether you’re barreling along Route 66 with the windows down and the stereo at full blast, or eastbound aboard the L.I.R.R., earbuds in, en route to your in-laws’ annual Fourth of July cookout, these songs are the perfect companions for your summer travels. ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/randall-posters-america-250-playlist","summary":"Nothing says America the beautiful quite like every song except that one. Thankfully, Air Mail Music Editor Randall Poster has just the stuff. Ahead of his three-day musical ode to Wes Anderson’s films at the Hollywood Bowl—with support from Air...","tags":["Playlists","Air Play"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/77i1j8aj02jomm3bcdf73aqevvwd-27fbecd0e9db1386116877cc4497214b.jpg","author":{"name":"Randall Poster"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/randall-poster\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eRandall Poster\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":"Ritchie Valens, Paul Simon (who else?), Los Lobos, Dr. John, and more","shorts":false,"banner":"Air Play","category":"Playlists"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/dolly-parton","title":"Dolly Parton","content_text":"“Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living!” And what a living Dolly Parton has made. From her humble beginnings in rural Tennessee, the singer-songwriter rose to become one of country music’s most beloved and enduring figures, thanks to hit singles such as “Jolene,” Beckham-family favorite (come on, you’ve seen the docuseries!) “Islands in the Stream,” and, of course, “9 to 5.” It’s no surprise that all of this, plus her signature “the higher the hair, the closer to God” wigs, long acrylic nails, and charming twang made her a bona fide national treasure. Now, just in time for America 250, the country’s forever sweetheart shares her key components to the good life. — ...","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/dolly-parton","summary":"“Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living!” And what a living Dolly Parton has made. From her humble beginnings in rural Tennessee, the singer-songwriter rose to become one of country music’s most beloved and enduring figures,...","tags":["The Perfect Ending"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/6clk1jd45erp7rg5dl6gfcibd0ac-f73488714692764ad26d5382a5eb2113.jpg","date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":null,"subhead":"The indomitable, 11-time Grammy-winning country singer answers 14 of life’s most pressing questions","shorts":false,"banner":"The Perfect Ending","category":"The Perfect Ending"}},{"id":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/eric-hansons-sketchbook","title":"Eric Hanson’s Sketchbook","content_text":null,"url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4/eric-hansons-sketchbook","summary":null,"tags":["Sketchbook","Eric Hanson's Sketchbook"],"image":"https://photos.airmail.news/7ztyezxdlp5to4fxwldwu0c3w6y1-b0728f6f216051695a8c76e1f7933e8d.jpg","author":{"name":"Eric Hanson"},"date_published":"2026-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00","_issue":{"name":"July 4, 2026","date":"2026-07-04","url":"https://airmail.news/issues/2026-7-4"},"_article":{"byline_html":"\u003cem\u003eBy\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/eric-hanson\" data-purpose=\"author\" class=\"text-inherit\"\u003eEric Hanson\u003c/a\u003e","subhead":null,"shorts":false,"banner":"Eric Hanson's Sketchbook","category":"Sketchbook"}}]}