I remain skeptical about Bluesky. Also: @TheAtlantic staff writer. MSNBC analyst. And Washington Post + New York Times alum. Mainly links to my stories and posts about my kids. Email: aparker@theatlantic.com.https://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mtwkzscgv22gThere are many reasons to extoll Dolly Parton, but ask any parent and I'll bet her Imagination Library is top of that list. Hard to overstate her contribution to literacy (and a love of reading).25 Aug 2026 19:38 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtwkzscgv22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mttrs5njt227The 7-year-old, picking out her first day of second grade outfit: "I'd like to blend in, but also not be normal."24 Aug 2026 17:01 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mttrs5njt227https://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3msbdkiyu6k2xFamily Tragedy in the Age of Trump. Or, why so many Republicans seem to have such a hard time disavowing an alleged domestic abuser: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/08/max-miller-moreno-domestic-abuse-allegations/688159/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY2s3LE-eqNIEyQYifhpYhxo&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share04 Aug 2026 15:33 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbdkiyu6k2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mrprmxixxk2x"There’s a sense among Gen Z that women can be rich and successful, but they can’t be seen trying that hard. They must pretend that their achievements are a pleasant by-product of following their dreams and doing what they love." https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/female-ambition-alex-cooper-alix-earle/688080/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY50Iqm1Y4BpTxmkX1DA8kxc&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share28 Jul 2026 15:57 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrprmxixxk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mrndgbdpk22jFantastic Washington Post (@oliviacgeorge.bsky.social, Erin Cox + @aaronschaffer.com deep-dive on the police's handling of the dubious Buttigieg claims: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/27/source-bogus-buttigieg-allegation-appeared-mentally-unstable-records-show/27 Jul 2026 16:38 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrndgbdpk22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mr3lbwchls2o"Interviewing Giffords and Kelly was like nothing I’ve ever experienced in 25 years of reporting on politics. I kept snagging on the same Q: How would their unparalleled dynamic play in the spectacle of a presidential race?" Read @markleibovich.bsky.social: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/07/mark-kelly-hegseth-trump/687860/20 Jul 2026 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr3lbwchls2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mqk3frmu7c2lOne downside of living in DC is you pass a "Trump and Epstein BFFs" poster on your morning walk to camp, and the next 15-minutes are dominated by LOTS of QUESTIONS from your 7-year-old.13 Jul 2026 16:11 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqk3frmu7c2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mqcjhg6i4s2q7-year-old: "When will I be old enough to get grounded?" Oh, soon enough, my love, soon enough...10 Jul 2026 16:01 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqcjhg6i4s2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mqabyvrqoc2wI am still squarely Team Haidt—NO PHONE FOR YOU!—but this @kait.bsky.social piece is fantastic, and super thought-provoking: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/07/phones-haidt-play-gray/687846/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY26zr6H60vKgAJwiw6fYUes&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share09 Jul 2026 18:42 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqabyvrqoc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mpjycauauc2qMy 7-year-old, upon returning home from the (v empty) Great American State Fair, where the West Virginia booth was nonetheless apparently v inspiring: "I want to be a Country Girl."30 Jun 2026 21:50 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpjycauauc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3moj4ssa7ss2lSo why is the Reflecting Pool now green? “It’s sort of Biology 101.” @mviser.bsky.social spoke to some of the country’s leading algae experts to get to the bottom of this mess. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/reflecting-pool-green-blue-trump/687573/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguYwJuxqWukd8HAOZSXP-WOAg17 Jun 2026 20:13 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3moj4ssa7ss2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3moj47zluzs2l🦎 Fatigue green? American-flag blue? A Rothko masterpiece? @mviser.bsky.social goes deep on the algae in the Reflecting Pool, following a project that cost taxpayers at least $16.4 million but… may have made the problem worse. 🦎 https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/reflecting-pool-green-blue-trump/687573/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguYxh8-RHCa40nPyxw1MjO0No17 Jun 2026 20:03 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3moj47zluzs2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3moe24moefk22Coming in late but hot, with 3,000+ words on mahjong, that great Chinese/Jewish/and now bougie white woman pastime… https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/mahjong-set-tiles-popularity/687482/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY0UTE77OmqIeuarfFu6EcII15 Jun 2026 19:42 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3moe24moefk22https://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3modes2j5fk2m🀄️My months-long journey into the delightful rabbit hole that is mahjong… and along the way, I discovered new friends, new cultures, and—yes—the Lilly Pulitzerization of mahjong. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/mahjong-set-tiles-popularity/687482/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY-UummBiOhtZrahTbPsaVIs15 Jun 2026 13:20 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3modes2j5fk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mmhhzxd2x22jMy 7-year-old and I are going out of town this weekend. Last night, I was out with friends, so I asked her to help by packing her suitcase. Which she v responsibly did, putting all of her clothes (and robes and wand) into this… Harry Potter steamer trunk.22 May 2026 17:38 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmhhzxd2x22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mllmusfchc2xMy 7-year-old made me a lovely Mother's Day card and then said, just as sweetly (and earnestly!): "So if you end up in a box—I think it's called cremation, maybe?—definitely don't forget to bring this." #BeStillMyHeart11 May 2026 15:50 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllmusfchc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mlbv5b6vek2aU.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months. Fantastic WaPo scoop from Warren Strobel, @johnphudson.bsky.social + @ellenwapo.bsky.social. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/07/cia-intelligence-iran-trump-blockade-missiles/07 May 2026 18:51 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbv5b6vek2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3ml7mpjczxc2g“The FBI also declined to provide images of bottles bearing the names of past directors.” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguYzemTEvpHr96lOR_E7Zf6Ls06 May 2026 21:15 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7mpjczxc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3ml7kzd6txc2e🥃🥃 Most officials hand out challenge coins, perhaps. But our FBI Director is partial to Ka$h Patel bourbon. Another MUST-READ from the fearless Sarah Fitzpatrick: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY4b6eyoOP3JYN5O1r-HM8fs 🥃🥃06 May 2026 20:45 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7kzd6txc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3ml42jbw6fc23Many congrats to the Washington Post, which did impossibly good journalism, and in a year that was unnecessarily challenging. 🥇https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/04/post-pulitzer-prize-public-service/05 May 2026 11:12 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml42jbw6fc23https://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mkzyebfhrc2xThe Devil Wears Prada 2 is many things, including MacKenzie Scott fan fiction.04 May 2026 15:28 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzyebfhrc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mkqpwz5nvc2vWe just—somewhat confusingly and unexpectedly—adopted a dog 🐶, who humps everything and everyone. Or, as my 7-year-old excitedly describes it, “He even knows how to twerk!”30 Apr 2026 23:03 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkqpwz5nvc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mknpkl7dx225Fun nugget in our YOLO Presidency story. In addition to comparing himself to Alexander the Great, Caesar, and Napoleon, Trump has also begun gluing presidential challenge coins all over the doors of the West Wing. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/donald-trump-legacy-history/686817/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguYwwsS5tDiSFBmrGuCN0v8jk&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share29 Apr 2026 18:18 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknpkl7dx225https://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mknabsnch22uNEW: Trump has begun talking about how he “is the most powerful person to ever live.” Our look at how Trump’s view of himself as one of history’s Great Men is shaping the second term of what has now become his YOLO Presidency. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/donald-trump-legacy-history/686817/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY0ga7g7V2UjKW11M3OoDx5Q29 Apr 2026 13:45 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknabsnch22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mkn552yoq22eIS DONALD TRUMP A SECRET HEGEL SCHOLAR?! Probably not! But he has begun likening himself to the German philosopher’s “Great Men” trifecta—Alexander the Great, Caesar, and Napoleon. W the (also immortal) @michaelscherer: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/donald-trump-legacy-history/686817/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY2gBK-L-MrPsHIrVOjc-PO429 Apr 2026 12:49 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkn552yoq22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mkn4ar4pik2yNEW: Trump had begun comparing himself to Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon in private conversations. My look, w @michaelscherer, on Trump, his legacy, and the long scope of his history: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/donald-trump-legacy-history/686817/?gift=c_badRqhhaNnVNIbhIguY7MiXuRrdG2lY2ol5Z7PKoE29 Apr 2026 12:33 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkn4ar4pik2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mkioeuerts2oScenes from this morning… 7-year-old: “So my bed smells like vomit. And here, smell my breath — vomit!” Me: “Did you… vomit?”27 Apr 2026 18:14 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkioeuerts2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mk4ox2zcbk23For those who loved Dan Eggen, or worked w him, or just read the amazing journalism he helped produce, here is a GoFundMe to help support his family as they process this unexpected and devastating loss—> https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-dan-eggens-children?attribution_id=sl:1702d7d4-7376-40e9-9b23-f3f02573b167&ts=1776892852&utm_campaign=pd_ss_icons&utm_content=amp17_ta-amp20_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link22 Apr 2026 23:52 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk4ox2zcbk23https://bsky.app/profile/ashleyrparker.bsky.social/post/3mj6bdf2iy22vI’m already a sucker for a good oral history, but I could not stop laughing aloud while reading this one. It’s perfect. No notes. https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/corporate-retreat-gone-wrong-0775474110 Apr 2026 21:29 +0000at://did:plc:7runydmgxmoe3qul7pg52bpm/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj6bdf2iy22v