The Week’s Best Longreads: The Daily Beast Picks for Nov. 3, 2012

From the Mormon historian excommunicated from the church he loved to the CIA’s secret role in the reporting of the Benghazi attack, The Daily Beast picks the best journalism from around the web this week.

The Case of the Mormon Historian
David Haglund, Slate

What happened when Michael Quinn challenged the history of the church he loved.

CIA Takes Heat for Role in Libya
Adam Entous, Siobhan Gorman & Margaret Coker, The Wall Street Journal

The newly revealed CIA operations that clouded the aftermath of the U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi.

The Case for Obama / The Case Against Romney
Jonathan Chait, New York

Underneath the tired narrative of a president who failed to deliver on his rhetoric is a pragmatic fighter with an impressive list of accomplishments. His opponent is the embodiment of the country’s faux-besieged, delusional one percent.

Nightmare on Coney Island
Paula Szuchman, The Daily Beast

New York’s iconic neighborhood is a disaster zone, as shattered residents try to pick up the pieces—while fighting off looters.

Big Sugar’s Sweet Little Lies
Gary Taubes & Kr, Mother Jones

How the sugar industry kept scientists from asking if sugar kills.

The Long Con
Rick Perlstein, The Baffler

Inside the deep tangle of political fictions and financial scams that make up movement conservatism.

For more great longreads, visit our friends at Longreads.com.