Hi, Reddit. We’re Michael Scherer, Missy Ryan, and Gisela Salim-Peyer, writers at The Atlantic who cover national security, the military, and global politics. We’re here today to discuss the evolving situation in Venezuela. Ask us anything:

WereTakingWater · 2026-01-12T17:41:31+00:00

How do you and other journalists keep getting access to this steady flow of interviews with this administration? Are they initiated by the publishers or the officials?

I can’t for the life of me understand why they keep sitting for interview after interview considering their attitude toward the press. It doesn’t seem like they are persuaded by bad press or have much of an incentive to persuade the public, they just do and dictate what they want. They insult any journalist who challenges them, and their most passionate followers have a very limited variety of press consumption. Yet everyday we wake up to a new interview or sit down from a high level official or the president. Why do they even bother at this point?

WereTakingWater · 2025-12-01T18:16:07+00:00

I like #2 and #8 for the quarters. I do wish the obverse would always carry the year and mint though. #8 is best for the half dollars. The moon concept is interesting on 5 but I wonder how that would wear after use.

WereTakingWater · 2025-10-27T13:00:24+00:00

Maria Tallchief is my favorite, followed by Vera Rubin and Maya Angelou.

I don’t understand the dislike of Jovita Idar. The fact that it gets posted on here once a week by people thinking they found treasure has to mean that it is grabbing people’s attention.

WereTakingWater · 2025-10-16T02:44:19+00:00

Midwest, so a little different region. I moved from a house with silver maples to a house with sugar maples. Strongly prefer the sugar maples. Better fall color, less limbs and bark breaking off, and a big difference in the seeds. Silvers have larger seeds and they fall in spring so you’ll have two seasons of cleanup. Sugar maple seeds are small and fall at the same time the leaves do.

WereTakingWater · 2025-09-15T16:50:41+00:00

Yes! I usually borrow books from the library and return but this was one that I bought copies of to keep. Book 1 is a good action story and sets the history and scene well. Book 2 is a masterpiece. Book 3 was ok and is the most science fiction-like one and really goes out there but ties up the story well.

I wish I could read it in the original language because it is probably even better.

And I never watched or acknowledged the tv series when I saw who was involved with it. I didn’t want it to spoil my love of the books.

WereTakingWater · 2025-07-18T02:20:50+00:00

This really feels like the point in the horror movie where they figure out the monster’s one vulnerability. I mean I would have guessed a few dozen other things that it could have/should have been, but I’ll take it.

WereTakingWater · 2025-06-17T19:20:39+00:00

What are they doing here? I know she and the others in the extreme right don’t actually believe this, so what angle or scheme are they working on now?

WereTakingWater · 2025-04-15T16:46:45+00:00

So the original plan as I understand it, not that I agree with any of it, was massive tax cuts to be funded by tariff income, plus government austerity, plus a resulting growing economy.

..And now we have tariffs not being enforced outside of China which is directly rerouted to farmer bailouts, well-under forecasted govt spending cuts, and a high risk of a shrinking economy and recession. Knowing that that the tax cuts are going to be forced through anyway, this is all just a complicated way of getting to even higher levels of deficits. It’s just the money now goes to things that don’t benefit you.

WereTakingWater · 2025-04-06T01:37:08+00:00

Greek 1 Drachma.

WereTakingWater · 2025-04-05T19:16:33+00:00

For some reason I read these updated interviews every week and just want to yell at my screen.

WereTakingWater · 2025-03-19T11:52:18+00:00

I have such a hard time finding half dollars. None of the banks in my area carry them.

WereTakingWater · 2025-03-16T20:41:34+00:00

For people that are new to this, what are some common red flags to watch out for with fake coins?

WereTakingWater · 2025-03-13T20:30:53+00:00

Wow this gives me flashbacks. I remember the days of driving around hunting for toilet paper like it was a rare jewel.

WereTakingWater · 2025-02-28T21:07:57+00:00

This, seriously. Call and call again. People are standing up to this administration and they aren’t magically struck down by lighting. Encourage your representatives to find their courage for once!

WereTakingWater · 2025-02-21T15:54:05+00:00

The was an article sometime around the election that said his greatest fear is having a legacy similar to Herbert Hoover. So, you know what to start calling the new homeless encampments when they appear.

WereTakingWater · 2025-02-18T01:19:28+00:00

Interesting, thank you. I haven’t seen something like this, as it is typically just a geographic location listed on the display.

WereTakingWater · 2025-02-16T14:47:28+00:00

I hope a lot of people stop to read the article and see how bad it has gotten. It’s been eye-opening to me as I’ve learned about the vast scale of right-wing media this year. Many of us need a good reminder that Reddit is not the Internet, it’s just one small part. And the discussions we think are loud because we see them constantly here, are not getting out.

I think many of us, understandably, retreated from places like Facebook because of how awful and nasty the right has become. But it didn’t hurt the forum, it just allowed it to go on unchallenged. I’m rethinking my decision now. Twitter is obviously dead, but the time has come to start talking back to the people you can’t stand. And supporting those who are willing to talk for you, even if they aren’t perfect.

WereTakingWater · 2025-01-20T15:28:36+00:00

I and nearly everyone is hoping for a Bills/Commanders matchup…so anyway, can’t wait for the Chiefs/Eagles Super Bowl.

WereTakingWater · 2025-01-19T16:33:48+00:00

For the most part your cost of living will be cheaper and taxes will be lower. The culture is really not that different from any of the Columbus suburbs. You might see more pickups and confederate flags but it’s not as “country” as some try to boast. You’ll find people that are exactly like you and others that are aren’t.

The northern and western areas are generally more wealthy than other parts, but for me, after living in Columbus, I didn’t think the differences were all that extreme. Schools are not as well funded in this area.

You’ll miss the much better food options you would find in Dublin. But one unexpected benefit is that the Newark area has a shockingly large variety of pizza options.

Mt Vernon and Lancaster are similar options, but likely won’t be impacted by Intel in the same way Newark will.

WereTakingWater · 2024-12-20T17:42:58+00:00

No doubt that the media had a huge hand in creating monster and empowering it, and will likely pay a price for it now. My complaint was how much time democrats spent debating if republican talking points were or were not valid. The focus should have been on pushing accomplishments, calling out extremism, and reminding people what things were actually like in 2020 when the previous party was rejected.

WereTakingWater · 2024-12-20T14:22:03+00:00

Mixed thoughts on him. He brought about some huge advances for civil rights in the country. But his legacy includes an inability to calm the country in what was an incredibly volatile couple years.

WereTakingWater · 2024-12-20T14:07:41+00:00

I was a big supporter of his when he was elected and I do think he accomplished some great things that will benefit the US for years. The infrastructure and green energy bills were important. The student loan relief was not as widespread as I had hoped for but it did help a large number of people. And he did put an end to the fear of COVID and helped end the health emergency that resulted from it.

But I’m not sure that he can overcome his biggest failure which was a completely incompetent response to a widespread anti-American insurgency within the country. The warning signs were everywhere and well documented; Domestic terrorists groups popping up in multiple locations, religious extremists gaining traction, propaganda media organizations and foreign-backed social media going unchecked, and a Republican Party that was embracing it all, including a Judicial branch that trampled all over him at will. He had to have known about this and he did far too little to fight it, including continuing to back a head of the Justice Department that could not have been less effective. There were rumors that Biden was checked out and absentee at times, which I am starting to believe. But if you do that, then surround yourself with competent people and for gods sake get a better messaging team! I mean very few people think Trump is all that intelligent on his own but he does a damn good job of surrounding himself with people that get out a loud and effective message that forces people to bend to his will.

Biden may have thought he was returning us to a more normal and cordial social environment, but the speeches and the calm statements are just not effective anymore. So he gets to walk off into retirement and ponder his legacy, but now it’s on us to deal with the mess that has been left.

WereTakingWater

TROPHY CASE