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| By The Free Press |
It’s Wednesday, December 31. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Will Zohran Mamdani keep New York’s top antisemitism official? Is “Marty Supreme” a victim of its own success? Eli Lake on how Seymour Hersh lost his investigative mojo. And much more.
(And George Clooney, if you’re reading this, bonjour! You’re welcome to come check out the Free Press newsroom, too. The coffee machine broke, so bring your own. Or if you’d prefer to host, we’d love to do our next off-site in Lake Como!)
On to the stories, starting with predictions, resolutions, and New Year’s Eve parties.
We’ve spent a lot of this week looking in the rearview mirror. We’ve waved goodbye to 2025 by admitting what we got wrong, acknowledging what we learned, paying tribute to the heroes of the year, and revisiting some of its lighter moments.
Today, we’re shifting our gaze to the road ahead and asking: What will 2026 bring?
Yes, it’s the annual Honestly predictions podcast. Bari and I are in the hosts’ chairs today, and we call up friends of the pod and experts in their fields to get a sense of what’s coming down the pike on the big questions.
Questions like: Will the war in Ukraine come to an end? (We asked Niall Ferguson about that.) And: Will Donald Trump be as busy in his second year back as his first? (We got Sarah Isgur on the line for that one.) And: Have we passed peak big pant? (Leandra Medine Cohen answers that one and yes, like I said, we hit all the hot-button questions today.) We also have our very own Suzy Weiss on culture, our favorite linguist, John McWhorter, on the words of 2025 and 2026, and Dr. Mark Hyman on how to get healthier starting January 1.
So please, tune in, and buckle up for a whistle-stop tour through everything you need to know ahead of the new year. It’s the perfect thing to listen to as you mix the punch ahead of tonight’s festivities.
What to Expect in 2026 with Niall Ferguson, John McWhorter, Dr. Mark Hyman, Leandra Medine Cohen, Suzy Weiss, and Sarah Isgur The Free Press |
One person who takes New Year’s Eve celebrations very seriously is Free Press senior editor Peter Savodnik. He’s expecting 22 for dinner at Casa Savodnik tonight. (I guess my invitation got lost in the post, Peter?) His wife will be serving beef stew. His daughter will be giving a violin concert. Peter will be . . . it’s not clear. Anyway, he has strong opinions about the how and the why of ringing in the new new year. The formula includes champagne, laughter—and a good argument. Read all about it here:
And finally, have you set your resolutions yet? If you still need some inspiration, we asked our newsroom what they’ll be doing differently in 2026.
From the Free Press family to yours, Happy New Year.
—Oliver Wiseman
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Under Mamdani, New York City’s Top Antisemitism Official Doesn’t Know If He Will Stay or Go | ||||||
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The Trouble with Quitting the ‘Trump-Kennedy Center’ | ||||||
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‘Marty Supreme’ Is a Victim of Its Own Hype | ||||||
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