The Preamble
The Preamble, Rahaf Harfoush, Elise Labott, Damakant Jayshi, Casey Burgat, Amanda E. White, LPC, Sharon McMahon, Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS, Andrea Jones-Rooy, Kathleen GrathwolNews, politics, and history from #1 NYT-bestselling author Sharon McMahon. Breaking down government and law in straightforward ways you won’t find anywhere else. If you want clarity and context — delivered with sanity and reason — The Preamble is for you.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 831 | Founded | 2 years ago | Last Issue | 25 hours ago |
| Active | |||||
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thepreamble.comLatest Issues
A Different Kind of Patriotism
In the United States, patriotism is often portrayed simply as pure pride: military flyovers, all manner of American flags, and national mythmaking about the country’s greatness. But there’s another kind of patriotism — the kind practiced by...
The Daily Brief — June 8, 2026
These are today’s top stories, delivered straight to your inbox. Catch up here on all the news.
Iran Latest
Israel struck Iran early today, hours after Iran fired missiles at Israel — the first such exchange since a ceasefire between the...
Why Doesn't Infidelity End Careers Anymore?
Partisanship has changed the way voters process scandal
In June 2009, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford vanished.
Stop Treating People the Way You Want to Be Treated
I text people all day. I’m in three group chats and I love every one of them. My friend Lex is the opposite. For years, when he didn’t respond to a text, I got angry. I thought: He doesn’t care about me. He isn’t putting in the effort. The...
In Good Company
Hi Friends,
Welcome back to the weekend community open thread. Join the conversation in the comments below and share what’s on your mind, talk about what’s happening in the news, or anything you’d like. The floor is yours, and this is your...
Key Facts
Audience Metrics
Subscribers, engagement, traffic and sponsorship for The Preamble.
| Subscribers | Engagement | 94 | Monthly Web Visits | ||
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| Accepts Sponsors | Estimated Cost per Ad | ||||
SEO Reach
Where The Preamble ranks on Google, and how much search traffic it brings in.
| Ranked Keywords | 1.7k | Monthly Search Traffic | Top Keywords |
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Chart Rankings
How this newsletter ranks in the official Substack charts.
| #15 | |
| #23 | |
| #13 |
Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Understanding is an act of hope. The Preamble is a reader-supported weekly magazine delivering just that through the lens of history and politics. Founded by Sharon McMahon, America’s government teacher.
Digital Anthropologist. Best Selling Author #Hustleandfloat. Digital Culture. AI. Leadership. Tech. \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7
Global affairs journalist. I write Cosmopolitics on Substack.
Journalist
Associate Professor at George Washington University, author of WE HOLD THESE "TRUTHS", former Congress staffer, eternal optimist, unhealthy sports fan.
Licensed therapist bridging the gap between therapy speak and real life. Co-host of Nuance Needed podcast, founder of Therapy for Women Center.
#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Small and the Mighty and founder of The Preamble, a weekly magazine about politics and history — for people who want to understand what’s happening without losing heart.
I'm so glad you're here. My name is Jessica Malaty Rivera. I'm an infectious disease epidemiologist, infodemiologist, science communicator, and mama of 3 young kiddos. I started this Substack to help make science and public health make sense.
Political & data scientist
Former college English professor, last at Howard University, Kathleen Grathwol lives in the DC metro area and now writes full-time. She is working on a memoir based on her experience as a child of losing her 3-year-old brother to a rattlesnake bite.
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