The Atlantic

Zachary S. Price, The Atlantic

Zachary S. Price is a professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.

Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic

Annie Joy Williams is an assistant editor at The Atlantic.

Annie Midori Atherton, The Atlantic

Annie Midori Atherton is a writer based in Seattle.

Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic

Gisela Salim-Peyer is an associate editor at The Atlantic.

The David Frum Show

Making sense instead of making noise

Good on Paper

Check your thinking

How to Age Up

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic

Katherine J. Wu is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic

Isaac Stanley-Becker is a staff writer at The Atlantic focusing on politics and national security. He can be reached on Signal at isaacstanleybecker.48.

Jordan D. Metzl, The Atlantic

Jordan D. Metzl is a sports-medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, a marathonner, and an Ironman triathlete. His newest book, Push: Unlock the Science of Fitness...

Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic

Arthur C. Brooks is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and the author of From Strength to Strength and co-author of Build the Life You Want. To receive his weekly column “How to Build a Life”...

M. L. Rio, The Atlantic

M. L. Rio is the author of Hot Wax and If We Were Villains. She holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Maryland.

Autocracy in America

There are authoritarian tactics already at work in the United States. To root them out, you have to know where to look.

Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic

Thomas Chatterton Williams is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is also a visiting professor of humanities at Bard College and a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the...

Timothy W. Ryback, The Atlantic

Timothy W. Ryback, an Atlantic contributing writer, is a historian and director of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation in The Hague. He is the author of several books on...

Megan L. Ranney, The Atlantic

Megan L. Ranney is dean of the School of Public Health, C.-E. A. Winslow professor of public health, and professor of emergency medicine at Yale University.

Dara T. Mathis, The Atlantic

Dara T. Mathis is a writer based in southern Maryland.

Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic

Stephanie H. Murray is a contributing writer at The Atlantic. She’s a former public-policy researcher, and lives in Bristol, U.K.

Joseph de Weck, The Atlantic

Joseph de Weck is the Europe director at Greenmantle. He is the author of Emmanuel Macron: Der Revolutionäre Präsident.

Mary Jo Salter, The Atlantic

Mary Jo Salter’s tenth collection of poems, Cameo Appearance, will be published in fall 2026.

Leah C. Stokes, The Atlantic

Leah C. Stokes is an associate professor at UC Santa Barbara, the author of Short Circuiting Policy and the forthcoming book The Carbon Wave, and the host of the podcast A Matter of Degrees.

The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic

Permissions to reprint or reproduce content from The Atlantic

Any reproduction of The Atlantic’s published materials requires permission from The Atlantic. This includes use in educational materials,...

The Atlantic Art Department, The Atlantic

Erin Austen Abbott, The Atlantic

Erin Austen Abbott is a writer and photographer based in Mississippi. She is the author of Small Town Living.

Philip K. Howard, The Atlantic

Philip K. Howard is a lawyer, the chair of Common Good, and the author, most recently, of Saving Can-Do: How to Revive the Spirit of America.

Jack A. Goldstone, The Atlantic

Jack A. Goldstone is a professor of public policy at George Mason University, a senior fellow at the Mercatus Center, and the director of the Schar School's Center for the Study of Social Change,...

The Atlantic Science Desk, The Atlantic

Behnam Ben Taleblu, The Atlantic

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C.

Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic

Phillips Payson O’Brien is a professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland. He is the author of The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and...

Caitlin B. Tully, The Atlantic

Caitlin B. Tully is a lawyer based in New York City.

Winners of the 2023 Epson International Pano Awards

The 14th annual panoramic-photo competition has just come to a close, and the winning images and finalists have been announced.

Laura K. Field, The Atlantic

Laura K. Field is a writer and political theorist in Washington, D.C. and author of Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right.

Photographing the Microscopic: Winners of Nikon Small World 2023

Some of the winning and honored images from this year’s competition

Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic

Tyler Austin Harper is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Harper was previously an assistant professor of environmental studies at Bates College, where he taught courses on literature, film, and the...

Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic

Eliot Cohen is a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is a professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins University, the author of The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall, and...

Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic

Drew Gilpin Faust is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and the Arthur Kingsley Porter University Research Professor and president emerita at Harvard. She is the author, most recently, of...

Marie-Rose Sheinerman, The Atlantic

Marie-Rose Sheinerman is an assistant editor at The Atlantic.

Álex Maroño Porto, The Atlantic

Weird, Wonderful Photos From the Archives

A grab bag of interesting, seldom-seen historic images depicting myriad people, places and and things—from epic achievements to small moments.

William H. McRaven, The Atlantic

William H. McRaven is a retired naval officer.

Brandon del Pozo, The Atlantic

Brandon del Pozo is an assistant professor of medicine and health policy at Brown University. He served as a police officer in the NYPD for 19 years, and for four years as the chief of police in...

Begoña Gómez Urzaiz, The Atlantic

Begoña Gómez Urzaiz is a writer based in Barcelona. She is the author of The Abandoners: On Mothers and Monsters.

Charles Fain Lehman, The Atlantic

Charles Fain Lehman is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a senior editor of City Journal.

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Atlantic

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Previously, as a reporter at The Washington Post, she investigated the people and organizations attempting to sow doubt in American...

Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic

Carolina A. Miranda is a culture writer based in Los Angeles. Her stories have appeared in The New York Review of Books, Curbed, and Fresh Air.

Randall D. Eliason, The Atlantic

Randall D. Eliason is a former federal prosecutor who teaches white-collar criminal law at George Washington University. He writes regularly at Sidebarsblog.com.

David A. Graham, The Atlantic

David A. Graham is a staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic Daily newsletter.

W. David Marx, The Atlantic

W. David Marx is the author of Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century and Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and...

Alexander C. Kaufman, The Atlantic

Alexander C. Kaufman is an award-winning reporter who has covered energy, climate change, and geopolitics for more than a decade.

Trump’s Chance to Turn Things Around Tonight

A conversation with Jonathan Lemire about what Donald Trump’s State of the Union address could achieve—if he doesn’t get in his own way.

The End of Diplomacy

The once-bustling corridors at Foggy Bottom are tomblike as ambassadors scrap for information.

Photos: Four Years of War in Ukraine

Constant bombardment and frontline fighting continues, at the cost of many thousands of lives.

‘I Genuinely Am Upset That Your Kids Are Vaccinated’

Del Bigtree, the longtime ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., isn’t just anti-vaccine. He’s pro-infection.

Tales From Kash Patel’s FBI

Some updates to the agency’s portrayal in popular films and TV shows

250 Years of the American Experiment

Introducing a newsletter course from The Atlantic

The Deaths Doctors Never Thought They’d See in the U.S.

For years, the worst outcomes of measles were all but unknown in the U.S. Now they look inevitable.

Slow Down, Charli XCX

The singer believes that music isn’t the point of pop stardom. Is she right?

The One Thing AI Will Never Do

Michael Pollan’s new book, about the mystery of consciousness, strengthens the case that technology will never truly replicate humans.

AI Is Unlocking a New Way of Doing Math

Terence Tao, the legendary mathematician, explains the promise of generative AI.

The Meme From 2016 That Explains 2026

The more turbulent the times, the more tempting it is to [gesture around at everything].

Gavin Newsom’s Father Issues

The California governor’s new memoir is dominated by a parent’s emotional distance.

A Careful GOP Midterm Message Delivered by Everyone but Trump

Just because the president says it doesn’t mean candidates should repeat it.

Trump’s Suddenly High-Stakes State of the Union

The president is visiting Congress in a dramatically different place from where he was a year ago.

Sam Altman Is Losing His Grip on Humanity

You don’t “train a human.”

What the Roberts Court Is Actually Trying to Accomplish

It’s not about Trump.

The Revenge of the Dummymander

Partisan gerrymandering sometimes backfires on the people drawing the maps. Could that happen again in 2026?

Trump’s Iran Policy Does Not Add Up

The choice isn’t between a deal and war. It’s between using American leverage and discarding it.

Young Men Aren’t the Only Ones Struggling

Women might be having an even harder time.

High-End Construction Really Does Help Everyone

A new rung at the top of the housing ladder permits people lower down to climb up.

When Revolution Bloomed and Died in Damascus

Nothing prepares you for what it’s really like to live at the extreme.

That 1930s Feeling

How dark fringes reached the center of the Republican Party

The Trump Administration Is Ending Aid That It Says Saves Lives

The State Department will let lifesaving projects expire because “there is no strong nexus between the humanitarian response and U.S. national interests,” according to an internal email.

Two Portraits of My Father in a Tree

A poem

Different Views of the Winter Olympics

A collection of creative photographs from this year’s games featuring infrared imaging, vintage cameras, optical filters, digital composites, unusual angles, unexpected subjects, and more

Frederick Wiseman Always Made His Point

The late filmmaker captured our essential American institutions—and the people trying to navigate them.

MAGA’s Animal Nationalism

The Trump administration has a special bond with dogs and cats. ​​​​​​

The Blurry Line Between Protein Bar and Candy Bar

The line between protein bar and candy bar is blurring.

A Blockbuster That Understands Ambition

Culture and entertainment recommendations including The Devil Wears Prada, Agatha Christie novels, and more

The Orality Theory of Everything

The decline of reading and the rise of social media are again transforming what it feels like to be a thinking person.

The Alysa Liu Effect

She proves that an Olympic gold-medalist figure skater can be strong, warm to her competitors, and salty all at the same time.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Cross Jump

Four Olympic skiers race through the air.

What to Expect from Trump’s State of the Union Address

Panelists join to preview the president’s upcoming remarks.

What Would War With Iran Look Like?

How the U.S. conducts any attack will depend on what goal Trump is trying to achieve.

How the Supreme Court Spared America

The ruling against Trump’s tariffs is a major victory for the constitutional separation of powers, rule of law, and millions of American consumers and businesses.

The Crisis in Polling Is a Problem for Democracy

Gallup’s presidential-approval poll is the latest casualty in a divided, suspicious nation.

Books for the Busy Person

A roundup of suggestions for what to read when you’re short on time or focus

An Antidote to the ‘Blood Sport’ of American Debate

A new play upends the contemporary notion that public disagreement needs to be a gaudy game of winners and losers.

Why the Wuthering Heights Movie Is Infantilizing

Everyone is 12 now, all the time.

What Pressure Does to an Athlete’s Body

Stress isn’t just mental.

A Conservative Court Refused to Be a Rubber Stamp

Regardless, the tariffs will be back.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Shredding the Halfpipe

A freestyle skier grinds along the lip of an Olympic halfpipe.

The Supreme Court Delivers Trump a Humiliating Gift

Finally, a check on the president’s tariff powers.

The Tariffs Will Be Back

Even after losing at the Supreme Court, the president has plenty of ways to reconstruct his trade regime.

Winners of the 2026 World Nature Photography Awards

A collection of some of the top images “highlighting the beauty, fragility, and power of the natural world.”

The Big Story: Signalgate, One Year Later

Jeffrey Goldberg and Adrienne LaFrance discuss reporting on national security and the political fallout after the Signal story.

The AI-Panic Cycle—And What’s Actually Different Now

Are we in another acceleration phase for AI?

Our Olympians Are Being Put in an Impossible Position

American athletes have been asked to account for Trump—then attacked for doing so.

The Washington Post’s Books Section Worked

Why the editor of the scuttled review pages believes that the paper’s subscribers know better than its leaders

An Extraordinary Account of a Dangerous Marriage

Gisèle Pelicot’s memoir is an astonishingly honest look at her life with a man who did the unthinkable.

Don’t Discount Iran’s Internal Opposition

The Islamic Republic takes domestic critics seriously. Other oppositionists should, too.

South Dakota Is Buzzing About Kristi Noem’s Future

Some Republicans hope that she stays out of the Senate primary.

The DOJ Can’t Keep Up With Trump

Pam Bondi is presiding over an understaffed and overworked department.

Let’s Talk About RFK Jr.’s Workout Pants

Our health secretary is jeans guy, and he knows it.

The ‘Hopeless Labor’ of Writing

American writing instruction has always involved some level of torture. What happens when technology makes it easy?

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: An Uphill Battle

Ski-mountaineering competitors sprint up the side of a mountain.

The Day Jesse Jackson Made Me Cry

I interacted with him, on and off, for 30 years. He was brilliant, at times electrifying, and at times confounding.

The Longevity Scam

Pouring some cold water on cold plunges

The Former Prince Andrew Never Should Have Forwarded Those Emails

He faces criminal penalties for allegedly leaking government secrets to Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump’s Backlash to Black History

The efforts to whitewash history call for a new approach to memorializing Black history.

Why Nudge Policies Failed

A new book buries the Obama-era idea that small shifts in personal behavior can greatly improve the world.

Black History Month Is Radical Now

A nation that wants to forget its past must be reminded of all of it.

Hitler’s Greenland Obsession

After creating an economic mess with ill-advised tariffs, Hitler looked north in pursuit of resources and national security.

The West’s Winter Has Been a Slow-Moving Catastrophe

Without snow in the mountains, the places that depend on the West’s rivers will hurt for water.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Name That College Town

Test your knowledge—and read our latest stories for a little extra help.

The Latest Ploy to Help Republicans Win Elections

The SAVE Act, which would require that voters prove they are citizens, is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: A Golden Smile

The joy of Olympic victory

The End of Reagan-Era Republicanism

Mona Charen on how Trump transformed the conservative movement and what the right got wrong. Plus: Signs of life from America’s guardrails and John Maynard Keynes’s “My Early Beliefs.”

The Worst-Case Future for White-Collar Workers

The well-off have no experience with the job market that might be coming.

Europe and Canada Are Like the Kids in an Ugly Divorce

Europe and Canada seek “strategic balance” between Washington and Beijing but often just get caught in the middle.

The Harvard of the South … Of the West?

Elite universities are taking the concept of a satellite campus to its logical extreme.

Hegseth’s Firing Campaign Reaches Down Into the Ranks

The ouster of the spokesperson Dave Butler, a colonel, shows that the defense secretary’s culling is far from over.

Do Not Be Cynical About Jesse Jackson

He was never the caricature his critics wanted him to be.

Censorship Comes for Stephen Colbert

The latest dust-up between the talk-show host and CBS should be concerning for people of any political leaning.

The Post-Chatbot Era Has Begun

Americans are starting to embrace a new kind of AI tool.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: In Pursuit

A team of three speed skaters moves as one.

This Olympics Is Leaning Hard Into Mixed-Gender Events

At Milan Cortina, every major sport category but ice hockey features men and women competing together.

Winners of the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards Open Competition

The top entries in this year’s open contest were just announced, selected from more than 430,000 images from more than 200 countries and territories.

The Republicans Made Peace With Science

The Trump administration’s hostility to science is real, but it isn’t matched by the rest of the GOP.

Seeing Ourselves in America’s Unfinished Revolution

Readers respond to our November 2025 issue.

How Toni Morrison Saw History

In her novels, she located the missing story of Black America.

How American Kids Got So Picky

Before the 20th century, children happily ate the same food as adults. What happened?

Europe Has Received the Message

Without America to rely on, the EU is gearing up to be a global power in its own right.

For Europe, It’s Not Back to Business as Usual

Marco Rubio was more civil than J. D. Vance had been, but the message to longtime allies was the same.

Marco Rubio’s Impressive Speech

The secretary of state sought not only to reassure but to rally Europeans.

Robert Duvall Was a Different Kind of Leading Man

The actor could carry a film thunderously, yet also stand out in the subtlest of roles.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Snow Jump

A ski jumper flies through a flurry of snowflakes.

The YouTuber Who Paid His Own Way Into Hollywood

One of the year’s biggest box-office hits thus far came as a surprise—except to the director’s 38 million–plus subscribers.

The Founders Would Have Opposed ‘Nationalizing’ Elections

The writers of the Constitution sought an approach the balanced control between the states and the federal government.

How Many Wolves Is Enough?

Now that thousands live in the United States, some people would like to kill more of them.

America Needs ‘Self-Evident’ Truths

The public reaction to the violence in Minneapolis suggests that we have held on to our sense of universal morality.

150 Years Ago in Photos: A Look Back at 1876

A collection of images showing events and sights from around the world in 1876—the year the United States celebrated its 100th anniversary with the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

Crypto Is a Victim of Its Own Success

Bitcoin, which has been plummeting in value, has come to feel less like a rebel upstart, more like an eccentric uncle.

Why Young Voters Are Turning on Trump

Americans under 30 swung to the right in 2024, but they’re not getting what they voted for.

Norway Faces Up to Trump’s Demands for the Nobel Peace Prize

In exclusive interviews, Norway’s prime minister and the head of the Nobel Institute explain how they’ve handled the U.S. president’s demands.

Marco Rubio Doesn’t Get It

The Trump administration continues to lambast friends and empower foes.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: On Target

Biathletes stand side by side during a shooting bout.

Words Without Consequence

What does it mean to have speech without a speaker?

Their Mutated Genes Were Supposed to Be Harmless

“Carriers” of certain genetic diseases, who have just one affected gene, can have symptoms too.

A Prequel TV Series That Surprises Viewers

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a sports-stadium anthem, and more culture and entertainment recommendations

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: A Victory Leap

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Team Brazil jumps for joy on the Olympic podium.

The Most Sought-After Head of Government in Europe

Few know Jens-Frederik Nielsen, but everyone wants to talk with him.

The Rise of Stephen Miller

Panelists joined to discuss the senior Trump aide—and how he’s become the enforcer of some of the president’s most controversial policies.

An Enduring Assumption About Love

Focusing only on specific traits or habits misses the point of dating.

10 Standout Indie Movies to Watch for This Year

A documentary about cement and an anxiety-ridden sex comedy were among the Sundance Film Festival’s highlights.

Trump Administration Announces That We Don’t Know Where the Sun Goes at Night

After deciding carbon dioxide does no harm, it was the logical next move.

The Clash of Civilizations Was an Inside Job

After 9/11, Samuel P. Huntington’s big idea was everywhere. But he missed the coming war within.

This Is What It Looks Like When Nothing Matters

Welcome to the internet’s nihilism crisis.

Kristi Noem’s Audience of One

The DHS secretary is suddenly talking about more than just mass deportations.

Why Europe Is Talking About Nukes

Declining confidence in America means deepening discussions of collective European deterrence.

Drink Whole Milk, Eat Red Meat, and Use ChatGPT

What Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “AI revolution” really looks like

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Who Is Fighting Over Nagorno-Karabakh?

Test your knowledge—and read our latest stories for a little extra help.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Soaring Through the Dark

All eyes are on the snowboarder Yuto Totsuka as he passes overhead.

The Fine Balance Required of an ‘Authorial Rant’

A cherished grudge might make it into a novel—but the best writers avoid creating books that feel one-sided.

Read The Atlantic’s Interview With Volodymyr Zelensky

A conversation with the Ukrainian president about where peace talks go from here

Is AI Ruining Music?

What we can learn from one band’s fight to protect its creative core

The Blind Spot at the Top of the World

Slashing Arctic climate science will limit how clearly the U.S. can understand the region.

Matt Lauer’s Accuser Complicates Her Story

Brooke Nevils’s memoir is also a reckoning with many misconceptions about #MeToo narratives.

Photos of the Week: Plum Blossoms, Iron Fireworks, Carnival Queen

A stranded fuel barge in Puerto Rico, a traditional opera ball in Austria, scenes from Super Bowl 60, images from the Winter Olympics, and much more

Most People Don’t Have a ‘Type’

Many daters have a list of traits they’re looking for in a partner—but can be perfectly happy with someone who has few of them.

First Jobs Matter More Than We Think

They could help us solve society’s biggest problems.

Putin Didn’t Know How Good He Had It

The Russian leader has gotten the world he wished for—and it’s threatening to crush him.

Rod Dreher Thinks the Enlightenment Was a Mistake

The influential author derides secularism and the modern world. Conservatives—including the vice president—are joining him on a march back to the Middle Ages.

How Not to Understand Slavery

Both the left and the right try to co-opt it, but the real story of American slavery doesn’t serve any one faction.

Carrie Prejean Boller Is Not Going Quietly

The former beauty queen, dismissed from Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, says that it’s “anti-Christian” to accuse her of anti-Semitism.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Disqualified for a ‘Helmet of Remembrance’

The Ukrainian Olympic athlete Vladislav Heraskevych displays the memorial helmet that resulted in his ban.

This Is How a Child Dies of Measles

When your family becomes a data point in an outbreak

Zelensky Makes His Pitch to Trump

Ukraine’s president calls on his most powerful ally not to squander the chance to make peace. ​​​

James Van Der Beek’s Greatest Trick

In a short-lived sitcom, he gamely mocked his role in Dawson’s Creek—and found freedom.

The Tide Goes Out on Youth Gender Medicine

American doctors are no longer united on the wisdom of medicalizing gender dysphoria in minors.

Trump Has a Bridge He Wants to Sell You

The president’s closure of a trade route from Detroit to Windsor will help a billionaire and hurt basically everyone else.

What Is the Mellon Foundation Doing to Higher Education?

Its role as the country’s preeminent funder of humanities research has granted the foundation—and its president—enormous influence over American arts and letters.

Iran Wants Him Arrested. He’s Going Back Anyway.

After Jafar Panahi is done promoting his Oscar-nominated film, It Was Just an Accident, he plans to return to his home country—despite the threat of a prison sentence.

Why the U.S. Hasn’t Yet Struck Iran

Diplomacy meets The Art of the Deal.

The Epstein Emails Show How the Powerful Talk About Race

The files reveal the disgraced financier’s interest in “race science.”

Scientists Figured Out the Problem With Johnson & Johnson’s COVID Vaccine

Rare but dangerous blood clotting associated with that vaccine as well as AstraZeneca’s had a genetic cause, according to a new paper.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Starting Speed

A skeleton racer gets off to a fast run.

Five Basic Truths About America’s Most Polarizing Policy Debate

Lawmakers need to acknowledge these realities about immigration if they want to implement policy that is both popular and in the nation’s best interest.

How Trump Could Break the 2026 Elections

Stephen Richer on President Trump’s 2020 election denial, standing up to threats, and the Fulton County raid. Plus: Trump’s racist Obama meme and The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

What Is Kari Lake Trying to Achieve?

The Arizona politician has wasted millions of dollars while blocking U.S. efforts to bring reliable news to repressive countries.

What Happened to the Great American Protest Concert?

Protest concerts are an American tradition. The Gaza ones have been rather quiet.

‘A Lot of Us Have Let Go of the Old Way of Success’

The Sundance Film Festival, which once launched new directors to stardom, has become a riskier bet.

The Eclipse of Dallas

The city’s core is losing its central role in the region.

The Democrats Aren’t Built for This

They say they want to save democracy. First they’ll need to get out of their own way.

What Mamdani Doesn’t Know About Tenants

Fixing New York’s affordable housing isn’t as simple as going after bad landlords.

The Prediction Singularity Is Upon Us

Even superforecasters are guessing that they’ll soon be obsolete.

I Went to the March for Billionaires

A celebration of the 0.01 percent was also a funeral for irony.

The Grim Paradox of the Nancy Guthrie Case

What happens when private pain, public compassion, and the risk of exploitation blur

Trump’s Gaza Plans Are Profoundly Unserious

Conditions on the ground call for immediate humanitarian relief, not gauzy real-estate fantasies.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Wipeout on the Ice

Competing short-track racers crash into one another at the finish line.

The Christian Influencers Protecting Their Peace

When can an influencer opt out of the news cycle?

The Real Secret to a Filmmaker’s Success

Many celebrations of the era of Spielberg, Lucas, and other visionary directors miss what really made them great: competitive collaboration.

The New Laser That Can Take Down Aircraft

Russian strikes have forced Ukraine to build high-tech air defense on the cheap.

Why Tennyson Feels So Modern

He was the ultimate Victorian poet. But his interest in psychology—and madness—anticipated another age.

The Novel as Extended Op-Ed

If anyone could write good fiction about immigration, it would probably be Lionel Shriver. Instead, her latest book goes off the rails.

A Foreign Policy Worse Than Regime Change

The world is threatened by the president’s self-absorption and incoherence.

Please, Not Another Kennedy

Nancy Pelosi reportedly plans to endorse JFK’s grandson for Congress. Why?

The One Tiny Problem With Trump’s Affordability Agenda

His proposals to lower prices are all more likely to raise them.

America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs

Does anyone have a plan for what happens next?

Can Instagram Ruin Your Life? The Jury Will Decide.

The first in a wave of legal cases alleging that social media is dangerously addictive is now on trial.

Pete Hegseth’s Attack on Harvard

The anger at the Ivy League is about status envy, not war-fighting.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: A Midair Celebration

A freestyle skier savors her moment of victory.

An Erotically Untamed Take on Wuthering Heights

A new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel captures the story’s grotesque beauty.

What the Seahawks Did to Win the Super Bowl

Seattle played better than the Patriots—and managed to ignore the spectacle surrounding the game.

America’s Annoyance Economy Is Growing

The government should protect consumers instead of annoying them.

Greenlanders Are Ready to Fight

Remote, frigid, desolate, and armed to the teeth: Greenland isn’t planning on submitting to Donald Trump.

How America Got So Sick

The health of a nation reflects the health of a democracy.

This Is So Much Bigger Than Pete Hegseth or Mark Kelly

A decision against the senator could affect all military retirees.

The Risk of Speaking Spanish in Public

Trump’s immigration crackdown has Latinos wondering if they belong in his America.

‘Together, We Are America’

Bad Bunny’s critics said his Super Bowl halftime show would be divisive. They were totally wrong.

‘The Trust Has Been Absolutely Destroyed’

Some state election officials say they no longer trust their federal partners.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Sliding Beneath the Mountain

A view of the mountain scenery around an Olympic venue

Lindsey Vonn Had Every Right to Compete

Skiing in the Olympics at 41 with a torn ACL, Vonn pushed her body as far it could go.

Ada Limón: ‘Literary Theory’

A poem

GLP-1 Envy Was Just the Beginning

A Super Bowl ad by Hims & Hers sells the idea that everyone should want to be billionaire-healthy.

Deadlier Than Gettysburg

How the cruelty of the Confederacy’s prison camps gave rise to the rules of war

Superb Owl Sunday X

A special Sunday event: our tenth-annual photo collection celebrating these magnificent birds of prey. If you have some time before the big game (or are skipping the event entirely), we invite you...

Let Trump Keep Building Monuments to Himself

The president’s penchant for gilded statues and self-glorification might at least help clarify the nature of his leadership.

British Politicians Are Still Capable of Shame. Americans Aren’t.

The Epstein case keeps threatening politicians—just not in the United States.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Drone Chase

A camera drone stays close during a ski race.

Trump’s Election Fixation

Panelists on Washington Week With The Atlantic joined to discuss the president’s call to “nationalize” the upcoming elections.

Smart Homes Are Terrible

You shouldn’t need a tech tour and app to turn the lights on.

The Fundamental Flaw of Pete Davidson’s Podcast

The comedian’s new Netflix show ignores the medium’s basic premise.

The Mysterious Devices Speeding Mining Exploration in Utah

Hiking guides hired to carry 20-pound nodes into the mountains were part of a new type of resource survey.

The Meaning of Melania

The most interesting part of the first lady’s film is what it leaves out.

What Does It Even Mean to Be ‘In the Epstein Files’?

The release of the documents is generating a wave of firings, resignations, and public apologies.

ICE After Minneapolis

Trump’s team wants a reset on its mass-deportation goals, not a retreat.

A Very Retro Olympics Opening Ceremony

The performance in Milan looked squarely at the past, both in substance and in style.

Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Dynamic Cauldrons

The Olympic flame lights up both Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The Real Winner of TrumpRx

Donald Trump’s online drugstore isn’t what it seems.

The Obama Meme on Trump’s Truth Social Was Exactly What It Looked Like

The White House took 12 hours to remove a video depicting the former president and his wife as apes.

The Manosphere Breaks Containment

The internet’s new extremists will do anything for the algorithm.

The Evangelicals Who See Trump’s Viciousness As a Virtue

At the National Prayer Breakfast, the president tested his audience’s commitment to Christian ethics.

The Moral Cost of Living in an Unequal Society

In his new novel, Daniyal Mueenuddin attempts to bring together the stories of people whose lives rarely intersect in meaningful ways.

What Iran’s Dead Loved and Fought For

A young woman’s online diaries about cinema and literature have become her epitaph.

The Fall of the House of Assad

A detached ruler, obsessed with sex and video games, refused every lifeline he was offered.

What Happens When Books Aren’t News

In a sense, the decline of book reviews, like the decline of newspapers themselves, is a story about disaggregation.

Democracy Under Occupation

What we’ve learned in Minneapolis

How Autocrats Meddle With Elections

The Trump administration has its eyes on the midterms and beyond.

You’ve Never Seen Super Bowl Betting Like This Before

Prediction markets are turbocharging America’s obsession with sports gambling.

Democrats Mess With Winning in Texas

Once again, the party’s statewide candidates seem to have grander ambitions than victory.

Winners of the 2025 Close-Up Photographer of the Year

The competition celebrates photographers who reveal the hidden world through “macro, micro and close-up imagery.”

The Relentless Andrew Yang

He loves to solve problems. But what if politics isn’t about solving problems?

The Coach Making Pro Football Fun

Players love Mike Vrabel’s style. The Super Bowl will be its ultimate test.

A Show That Challenges America’s Quintessential Genre

Fallout tests the endurance of the Western by reimagining it entirely.

How Jeff Bezos Broke The Washington Post

The paper of record for the nation’s capital cut a third of its staff this week. It didn’t have to be like this.

The Only Thing That Will Turn Measles Back

A rebound in vaccination—which may depend on government support.

The Intellectual Edgelords of the GOP

The mainstreaming of transgressive ideas is the culmination of a yearslong conservative project.

You Can’t Kill Swagger

My old corner of The Washington Post raised some of the best journalists in the business.

It Was Too Easy for Eileen Mihich to Kill Herself

Her case should disturb both advocates and opponents of medically assisted suicide.

The Chatbots Appear to Be Organizing

Moltbook is the chaotic future of the internet.

The Queen of Mockumentaries

Catherine O’Hara brought humanity to over-the-top characters—and managed to wink at the audience in the process.

How to Actually Reform ICE

Accountability, transparency, and trust must be centerpieces of “New ICE.”

Trump vs. Canada

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney on annexation threats, the unraveling of U.S.-Canada relations, and how Trump is forcing allies to rethink democracy, defense, and immigration. Plus: the Trump...

This Is Not the Kennedy Center

Trump’s vision for the arts is nothing like what John F. Kennedy’s was.

America’s Cows Are Making Too Much Butterfat

A dramatic increase in the fat content of milk is causing pains in the dairy industry.

People’s Choice: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026

Organizers of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest are inviting the public to vote for their favorite images from this year’s competition.

The Second Death of Charlie Kirk

The activist’s assassination unleashed anti-Semitism that is pulling the Trump coalition apart.

The Murder of The Washington Post

Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.

Let Your Kids Fail

Early exposure to setbacks can help children confront later disappointments without falling apart.

The Unsettling Rise of AI Real-Estate Slop

Generated images for listings are disturbing—and not just because they can feel like a scam.

Why This Shutdown Is Different

Now come negotiations over the administration’s immigration crackdown.

Trump Is Doubling Down on All the Wrong Things

Republicans are worried about the midterm election, but the president doesn’t seem to be.

This Is What Putin Thinks of Trump’s Peace Talks

Russia answers Trump’s pleas for an “energy truce” with a barrage of missiles on a frigid Kyiv.

The Logical End Point of ‘America First’ Foreign Aid

Under Trump, foreign aid is no longer an ideal. It’s just a deal.

Photos: Cold-Stunned Iguanas in Florida

As near-freezing temperatures reach southern Florida, green iguanas are dropping from the trees, unable to handle the chill. Trappers have been gathering the cold-stunned invasive reptiles by the...

Trump’s Crypto Defenses Aren’t Reassuring

An Abu Dhabi royal seems to have gotten what he paid for, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Welcome to the Clicktatorship

In the Trump administration, even budget proposals read like Truth Social posts.

The Mystery of Henry Fordham

How did my great-great-grandfather become a free man?

Seven Books to Read When You Have No Time to Read

These titles are worth picking up, even if you have only a moment to spare.

The Etiquette of AI in the Group Chat

The tech can make things more efficient, but at what cost?

The End of the Nuclear-Arms-Control Era

The last significant treaty is about to expire, and Trump isn’t putting anything in its place.

The Longevity Influencer Who Went Into ‘Withdrawal’ Without Jeffrey Epstein

Peter Attia is all over the Epstein files.

Trump Made a Bad Bet on the Kennedy Center

The president’s temporary closure of the institution is an acknowledgment that his initial makeover strategy was a failure.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: In What Book Does Eponine Die?

Test your knowledge—and read our latest stories for a little extra help.

The Real Reason ICE Agents Wear Masks

Face-coverings may work less to protect federal agents from danger than to make it easier for them to do unconstitutional things.

A Social-Media Ban Really Could Do a Lot of Good

Australia’s experiment is the first of its kind, but the evidence from alcohol, drug, and other bans is promising.

The Secrets of Indigenous Art

Major exhibitions are upending the way people understand Native American and Aboriginal artists.

The Father-Daughter Divide

Why they crave closeness but struggle to connect

Stop Meeting Students Where They Are

College kids aren’t reading novels—but that’s because not enough teachers are asking them to.

A ‘Survivor’ Contestant’s Empathetic Reality-TV Novel

Stephen Fishbach mines the drama of competition shows to write a cautionary tale about trying to edit down the mess of life.

The Defense Secretary’s Dreadful Defense of ICE

Pete Hegseth’s response to the killing of Alex Pretti tells you all you need to know.

How NGOs Took Over Government

Nonprofits can help deliver public services, but the Minnesota welfare scandal shows that this comes with serious risks.

Do You Feel the AGI Yet?

According to some predictions, 2026 is the year that an all-powerful AI will arrive.

The Big Message of the 2026 Grammys

Bad Bunny and many others used their time at this year’s ceremony to speak out against ICE.

A Surprisingly Humane SNL Sketch About Changing Your Mind

The standout performance last night was about a mom reconsidering her political views.

What the Ice Storm Did to Mississippi

The South knows warm-weather storms, but the cold has its own lessons.

Figure Skating Has Never Seen Anything Like Ilia Malinin

The man who calls himself the “Quad God” can do things on skates that no one else can.

The AI Companies Trying to Make Grief Obsolete

You can buy an AI version of your lost loved one. But should you?

Ammon Bundy Is All Alone

The anti-government militia leader can’t make sense of his allies’ support for ICE violence.

‘Trust Has Been Breached’

The broken relationship between Minnesota and the federal government

Trump’s Relationship With the Media

Panelists joined to discuss the arrest of former CNN anchor Don Lemon, and more.

An Office Worker’s Fantasy Brought to Life

Send Help takes a familiar “Eat the rich” tale in a delightfully twisted direction.

A $40 Billion Idea to Keep One Glacier From Flooding the Earth

Scientists have long opposed polar geoengineering. Some now believe it will be necessary.

Trump’s New Method of Humiliation

The president doesn’t seem to fire people anymore, but he marginalizes them in other ways.

The Iranian Hedgehog vs. the American Fox

The American and Iranian leaders are complete enigmas to each other—and the asymmetry in their beliefs is driving the crisis between their countries.

Americans Love Their Neighbors

Statistics say this is a time of disconnection. Minnesota’s response to ICE shows otherwise.

The New Epstein Frenzy

Millions of pages of files related to the Epstein case were released today. One six-page document involving President Trump immediately drew everyone’s attention.

‘She Works on Levels That People Don’t Even Know’

The late Catherine O’Hara had an uncanny ability to find the eccentric in anyone.

Trump’s Fed-Chair Pick Is an Interest-Rate Hawk—Or Is He?

Kevin Warsh’s views on monetary policy may be shaped less by real economic conditions than by whether a Democrat or Republican is in power.

The Case Against Don Lemon Is Junk, and Dangerous

If the Cities Church case falls apart, it will not be the first such embarrassment for Trump’s Justice Department.

‘It’s a Five-Alarm Fire’

The FBI’s search and seizure of material from Fulton County election offices marks a major escalation.

How Minneapolis Looks From the Police Chief’s Squad Car

In the city where George Floyd was killed, Trump hastens a new social breakdown.

Meet the New Proud Boys

The far-right group’s views and tactics are now emulated by federal agents.

How to Be a Citizen in the Information War (And Stay Sane)

Virtue signaling is good, actually.

How to Survive the Information War

There’s more information than ever—and that could be a good thing.

The Melania Trump Documentary Is a Disgrace

The exorbitant film captures the rotten state of the entertainment industry.

One of Our Own

A poem

An Early Clue About Venezuela’s Future

The fate of its political prisoners may reveal whether the country can leave Maduro behind.

What Are the Chances Trump Attacks Iran?

The Trump administration has targets but no endgame.

Photos of the Week: Snowy Dunes, Icy Storm, Crying Horse

Protests against ICE in Minneapolis, war-damaged bridges in Syria, a landslide in Sicily, a heat wave in Australia, heavy snow in Russia, and much more

The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films

The attention-span crisis goes to the movies.

The Way to Beat Back Trump Was Just Revealed

There is a word for what ICE’s opponents in Minneapolis represent, and it has a long, successful history: dissidence.

Katie Miller Makes a Classic Error

Does she oppose Enlightenment virtues, as her X posts suggest? Or is she just confused?

Will T-Maxxing Ever End?

American men are loading up on testosterone—whether they need it or not.

Purge the Public Servants

The destruction of the civil service can destroy democracy, too.

Rise of the Trump Loyalist

The destruction of the civil service can destroy democracy, too.

Tesla Just Killed the Most Important Car of the 21st Century

The Model S deserved better than this.

MAGA’s War on Empathy

This crisis in Minneapolis reveals a deep moral rot at the heart of Trump’s movement.

The Tragic Familiarity of a New Springsteen Protest Song

“Streets of Minneapolis” taps into a time-old tradition to rail against a modern crisis.

The Streets of Minneapolis

What happened in the city is important, and won’t be forgotten.

Battles Are Raging Inside the Department of Homeland Security

Officials overseeing Trump’s mass-deportation campaign are fighting one another for power.

‘This Has Got to End’

Tim Walz on the “all-out attack on all of state government”

The Post-Ambition Trap

How do you write a great memoir about choosing mediocrity?

The Last Safe Place to Go to College

An unexpected winner is emerging in the war on higher education.

What Oil Means to Venezuela

Many of its citizens don’t mind giving the Americans another chance.

Whatever This Is, It Is Not Strategy

Defending the nation will take more than sycophancy, slurs, and slop.

What Tearing Down Housing Projects Did for Kids

Bringing rich and poor together has major benefits.

Tim Walz Fears a Fort Sumter Moment in Minneapolis

The Minnesota governor warns of a national unraveling.

The New Shadowbanning Panic

Is TikTok censoring users on behalf of the Trump administration?

Polio Was That Bad

One of RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisers recently floated the idea of stopping vaccination against the virus. It would be catastrophic.

A Breakdown of the American Idea

The country’s founding principles will survive only if the public remains willing to fight for them.

Anthropic Is at War With Itself

The AI company shouting about AI’s dangers can’t quite bring itself to slow down.

America’s Convenience-Store Conundrum

The Trump administration’s “real food” campaign will go only so far as the offerings at your local mini-mart.

What the Neocons Got Right

David Brooks on moral collapse, the limits of politics, and what the neocons got right about America. Plus: Another ICE shooting in Minneapolis and Netflix’s Death by Lightning.

The Return of Athlete Outrage

“I think that when human lives are at stake, it’s bigger than anything else,” the basketball star Breanna Stewart said.

ICE’s No. 1 Ally

The Department of Justice has rushed to shield federal agents from accountability and launched needless criminal investigations into Minnesota officials and residents.

Running Down the Clock on Justice

With nearly all of the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre now dead, the country must find other ways to rectify its wrongs.

Closing the Gap in American Schools

Kids will struggle to learn if they’re hungry or scared at home.

If You Tax Them, Will They Leave?

A California wealth-tax proposal makes a high-stakes bet on billionaire psychology.

Zombie Movies Should Always Be This Hopeful

The sequel to 28 Years Later offers an optimistic twist on a nihilistic genre.

The Islamic Republic’s Predatory Contract With Its People

No one would agree to the terms that Iran’s regime has forced on its citizens.

How Republicans Forced Trump to Shift Course in Minnesota

A flood of GOP statements sent an unmistakable message to Trump: Enough.

What Should Americans Do Now?

We need a mass movement for basic decency.

A Reckoning for the Tech Right

Silicon Valley’s top CEOs have been noticeably silent after the Minneapolis shooting.

‘Half His Age’ Isn’t At All What It Seems

Jennette McCurdy’s Half His Age may seem like a story of exploitation—but it’s much more intriguing than that.

Never Fight Alone

Anyone who would denigrate the service of our NATO allies clearly never spent a day in uniform.

The Marathon Moby-Dick Reading Is a Radical Act

It’s an all-analog mass redreaming of a flawed American gospel: superbly countercultural.

Trump Blinks

The president’s retreat in Minneapolis is a stinging defeat for the national conservatives.

Josh Shapiro Takes a Gamble on His Faith

The presidential contender’s memoir presents his Jewishness as a unifying force—and in this morally fraught moment, it might just work.

What Minnesota Can Do Now

When a direct path to justice is blocked, states must look for a legal work-around.

The Million-Dollar Measles Question

South Carolina’s measles outbreak could soon be bigger than West Texas’. Are the two connected?

Bring Back Moral Fiction

George Saunders’s work makes an excellent case that fiction can explore virtue—even if his latest novel reveals its pitfalls.

Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong

The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.

Greg Bovino Loses His Job

The Border Patrol chief has been ousted from his role as “commander at large,” and will return to El Centro.

What the Administration Is Signaling to Federal Agents After Minnesota

Trump officials’ combative defense of immigration operations has given rise to a culture of impunity.

ICE Is Failing the Legitimacy Test

America’s most fundamental values are at risk

The Woman Who Became the Black Dahlia

Before her murder made her a true-crime obsession, Elizabeth Short was a real person. A new book tries to separate truth from myth in the infamous case.

The Sacredness of the Everyday

My quest to understand consciousness took me to a cave in New Mexico and then deep into the cosmos.

Colleges Are Stuck Between Bad Options for Fighting Hateful Ideas

Deans and administrators keep confronting the same dilemma.

How the Bernie Goetz Shootings Explain the Trump Era

A notorious event in 1984 divided New Yorkers in ways that feel extremely familiar four decades later.

Why Is Trump Cozying up to China?

The president’s very personal approach to diplomacy poses real threats to American security.

What I Saw in Mashhad

Visiting Iran during the unrest in January, I found the accounts of both state and opposition media to be exercises in cognitive dissonance.

The Minneapolis Uprising

A series of street-level clashes have snowballed into a larger fight against autocracy.

Believe Your Eyes

People are risking their lives to document agents in Minneapolis.

No Cap: ‘SNL’ Just Killed Gen Z Slang

Last night’s “Weekend Update” segment explained how the show benefits from making pop culture a little bit cringe.

Another Death in Minneapolis

After killing another American, federal officials again offer an explanation that appears to be directly contradicted by available evidence.

A poem by Maggie Millner: ‘Forbearance’

A poem

What Trump Fails to Grasp About Iran

The president’s threats reinforce the regime’s siege mentality.

What MAGA Really Thinks of the Second Amendment

Now Americans know.

Yes, It’s Fascism

Until recently, I thought it a term best avoided. But now, the resemblances are too many and too strong to deny.

Tom Stoppard’s Secret—And Mine

Like the playwright, I grew up knowing nothing about my family's connection to the Holocaust.

A New International Law Can Rise From the Ashes

The United States should use this moment to argue for a different approach to the rules of war.

‘It’s a Really Scary Time’

Representative Maxwell Frost says he was assaulted by a man who yelled, “We are going to deport you and your kind.”

No Freedom Without the Second Amendment

The federal killing of a Minnesota ICU nurse is a wake-up call to every American.

Pete Hegseth Should Sit This One Out

By inserting himself into the situation in Minnesota, the secretary of defense is only making things worse.

The Truth About ICE’s Recruiting Push

Trump officials are touting 12,000 new hires in four months. Getting them onto U.S. streets may take longer.

Trump’s Rift With American Allies

Panelists on Washington Week With The Atlantic joined to discuss Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at Davos, and more.

The Art of Finding Joy in Everyday Life

Suggestions from Atlantic staff and readers on seeking delight in the mundane

Police and ICE Agents Are on a Collision Course

Minneapolis may represent the beginning of a broader rupture between local police and federal agents.

Let Teens Exist in Public

What kind of a society prohibits kids from walking around in a store?

The Government’s Confusing $3 Dinner Recommendation

The Agriculture secretary suggests one corn tortilla, one piece of broccoli, one piece of chicken, and one inscrutable last thing.

The Four Donald Trumps

The president’s political power depends on his ability to play different roles for different parts of his coalition.

The Rise of the Tech Hamiltonians

The political coalition that has formed under Trump’s banner has the potential to reshape American politics.

Winter Ice Could Humble the United States

Snow, “we can handle,” one official said. Ice is another story.

The Rumbles Within Trump’s GOP

The president’s fixation on Greenland has posed yet another test for Republican leaders.

‘We Are Learning to Bully Back’

How Europe got Trump to cave on Greenland

The Online World Where Iranians Were Free

Iran’s internet blackout is yet another act of state violence.

Chinese Carmakers Are Closing In on America

The world is falling for China’s cheap electric cars. Is the United States next?

Teenagers Are Pushing Himmler’s Favorite Myth

If you are older than 25, you probably haven’t heard of “Agartha”

ICE Is Turning Real Conflict Into Viral Content

When officials record themselves, they become content creators, too.

A Biography Without ‘The Boring Bits’

One example I highly recommend focuses on the work, not the life, of its subject.

A Chance to Learn What Urban Fire Does to the Body

The Los Angeles fires have already been studied more intensely than any other of their kind.

The Great Divorce

The marriage between Europe and the United States has been fraught from the first—and now it might be coming apart.

America’s Real ‘Secretary of War’

How public health became an endless battle

Defund Science, Distort Culture, Mock Education

It’s not just about cuts to research. It’s about power.

The Trump Administration’s Affordability Messaging Is Confusing Americans

The president and his officials keep muddling their strategy.

What the Greenland Crisis Teaches Europe About Trump

European leaders may have averted catastrophe for now, but they still have to settle a crucial debate about how to handle the president.

Your Phone Is a Slot Machine

Gambling is no longer confined to casinos, horse races, or backroom card games.

Trump Casually Denigrates NATO’s War Dead

The president has revised history when it comes to the sacrifices of America’s allies.

The Oscars Are Trying to Be Relevant Again

This year’s nominations may resonate with the average moviegoer more than usual.

The Upside of Professional Rejection

There’s a better way to approach no’s in your work life.

The Sciencewashing of Everyday Life

Fashion, beauty, and food companies are using nonsensical jargon to make a sale.

Why Conservatives Defend ICE

Republicans deplore the mayhem in Minnesota—but blame protesters and Democrats for it.

George Saunders Has a New Mantra

The author discusses his new novel, Vigil; the source of his ideas; and fiction as a vehicle for truth.

Science Is Drowning in AI Slop

Peer review has met its match.

Gavin Newsom’s Record Is a Problem

The California governor’s pivot to the center may be too late for 2028.

The Real Fight for the Smithsonian

Its museums, more than any others, shape the nation’s narrative. No wonder the country argues about it.

Democracy’s Doomsday Prepper

Dmitri Mehlhorn has created a fictional world to game out constitutional collapse.

The Federal Government That Was

In his first full year back in office, Donald Trump presided over the destruction of America’s civil service, purging roughly 300,000 workers.

The Government’s Posts Just Took a Sharp Far-Right Turn

Government social-media managers have turned official feeds into streams of xenophobia.

Trump Is Extremely Clear About His Plan for Iceland—Er, Greenland?

A lot has happened in the span of a day.

How to Tell If Your President Is a Dictator

A year into Donald Trump’s second term, labeling his governing style remains an elusive goal.

When Family Secrets Create New Wounds

In Quiara Alegría Hudes’s debut novel, a family is silent about their painful history—but their reticence hurts the generation it’s meant to protect.

Trump’s Role Model for Seizing Greenland

Presidents often invoke Washington and Lincoln, but it’s America’s 11th president that Trump admires.

America’s Crimea

Moscow lets it be known how it feels about Trump’s threats against Denmark.

Trump Gives a Stump Speech at Davos

The president’s remarks at the World Economic Forum show that he still doesn’t understand how American greatness functions globally.

The Great Crime Decline Is Happening All Across the Country

Even cities with understaffed police departments have made record gains.

Why Trump Sides With Putin

Fiona Hill on Putin’s long game, Trump’s transactional foreign policy, and the danger of mistaking size and bluster for real power. Plus: Trump’s grocery-price fiction and V. S. Naipaul’s Among...

Trump Can Prosecute Anyone Now

The Department of Justice is his personal law firm.

The Secret to One of Hollywood’s Most Enduring Friendships

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s latest movie doesn’t quite understand their brotherly appeal.

MAGA Jesus Is Not the Real Jesus

Trump is causing incalculable damage to the Christian faith, yet most evangelicals will never break with him.

Greenland, Davos, and a Flame-Throwing President

Trump heads to Switzerland as European leaders warn him not to seize sovereign land.

What We Learned About Trump This Past Year

The president’s recent follow-through on his threats represents a real shift in his approach.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Nobel? Please, Prize Committee!

Test your knowledge—and read our latest stories for a little extra help.

The Real Reason for the Drop in Fentanyl Overdoses

Drug deaths are finally falling—but the cause may be far outside of U.S. policy makers’ control.

America’s Would-Be Surgeon General Says to Trust Your ‘Heart Intelligence’

Casey Means thinks improving health is a spiritual project.

‘I’d Frankly Like Trump to Kill Khamenei’

I asked Iranians whether they wanted U.S. intervention. The answers surprised me.

American Democracy Is Showing Signs of Life

One year into Trump’s second term, the country’s institutions and civil society are still checking his authoritarian impulses.

The Writer’s Secret Weapon

Exercise acts as an extra twist to open the tap of creativity.

Trump Isn’t Losing the Culture War. But He’s Not Winning, Either.

The president’s party has total control of government—but not what Americans care about.

The Presidential Powers Trump Is Neglecting

He is dominating a lot of news cycles but failing to advance lasting policy change.

Trump Exhaustion Syndrome

Americans can’t seem to keep up.

The Attorney General Who Won’t Say No

Does Pam Bondi have any red lines?

The Military Is Being Forced to Plan for an Unthinkable Betrayal

Attacking an ally would be a perversion of everything the armed forces have been trained to do.

Trump’s Letter to Norway Should Be the Last Straw

Will Republicans in Congress ever step in?

Democrats Need to Take Welfare Fraud Seriously

Safeguarding the social safety net is essential for keeping it.

The Power of Private Museums

The Equal Justice Initiative’s historical sites in Montgomery, Alabama, show what’s possible when history isn’t subject to federal funding cuts or executive orders.

The Snow Monsters of Mount Zao

Winter conditions atop Japan’s Mount Zao can create “monsters” made of snow and ice that accumulates on trees. These snow monsters, called juhyo, attract visitors to one of the country’s oldest...

‘Looksmaxxing’ in the Age of Trump

Meet the most narcissistic corner of the internet.

Minnesota Had Its Birmingham Moment

In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. outlined a strategy to expose official brutality. Anti-ICE protesters are following it—and it’s working.

How to Understand Trump’s Obsession With Greenland

Erratic though the president may sound, the Trumpian worldview is comprehensible.

Harris’s Staff Questioned Whether Josh Shapiro Was an Israeli Double Agent

The Pennsylvania governor discusses the strange questions he received in his vice-presidential vetting—and settles some scores.

Lessons From the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s

If calls for radical change aren’t given a political outlet, violence will always return.

SNL Aces the Heated Rivalry Meme

The show’s Harry Potter spoof was the ultimate mash-up for a fan culture that can’t let go.

Every Nation for Itself

President Trump wants to return to the 19th century’s international order. He will leave America less prosperous—and the whole world less secure.

I am here in the evening light

A poem

‘Abolish ICE’ Is Back

How a controversial slogan is being revived

America Has Lost the Plot on Milk

Will the dairy wars ever end?

Trump Doesn’t Want Legal Immigrants Either

New limits reflect sloppy reasoning and a desire for collective punishment.

Was Infinite Jest Right About Everything?

Culture and entertainment recommendations from Will Gottsegen

Caption or Not, Trump’s Portrait Says It All

The National Portrait Gallery removed key details from the caption under the president’s photograph. It still has a story to tell.

How Harry Reid Changed the Rules

Why the former Senate majority leader decided to end the filibuster.

Trump’s Billion-Dollar Board of Peace

The new entity has a global remit and a steep price for a permanent seat.

Trump’s Bilion-Dollar Board of Peace

The new entity has a global remit and a steep price for a permanent seat.

The Surprising Relationship Between Happiness and Intelligence

You might expect smarts and skill to lead to joy, but it’s not that simple.

Trump’s Mixed Messages

Panelists on Washington Week With The Atlantic joined to discuss what actions the president may be weighing abroad.

How to Not Think Like a Bot

A delight of being human is witnessing the world’s capacity to surprise.

America Is Slow-Walking Into a Polymarket Disaster

Why is the media obsessed with prediction markets?

The Real Allure of an AI Boyfriend

For many women, the bots offer a way to live in a world filled with unsatisfying men.

The End of the Underdog in College Football

In 2026, the best teams are no miracle.

From Stopping Osama bin Laden to Killing Renee Good

Two decades after its founding, the Department of Homeland Security has become exactly what its critics feared.

A Former French President’s Prison Pity Party

Nicolas Sarkozy’s memoir is a masterpiece of unintentional comedy.

What’s Going on With the Epstein Files?

Less than 1 percent of them have been released.

Jerome Powell’s Thankless Rescue of Trump

The Fed chair has saved Trump from his worst instincts but failed to do so for Biden.

Trump’s Fateful Choice in Iran

Taking military action is risky. Falsely encouraging freedom fighters would be shameful.

The Problem Is So Much Bigger Than Grok

The internet was built to objectify women.

Taking the Internet Novel Offline

The author Madeline Cash has tried a new way to write an engaging novel about screens.

An Ancient Pastime With New Tools

This year will decide whether gendered abuse in real life and online becomes the norm.

The Iranians Who Feel ‘Betrayed’ by the Left

As the Islamic Republic massacres protesters, exiles are dismayed by the lack of sympathy from the American left.

How Russia’s Children Got So Violent

As brutality has come to surround Russian youth, many seem to have become more brutal themselves.

Photos of the Week: Icy Dip, Resting Goose, Campaign Bear

Robots at work and play in China, a new hall of mirrors in Paris, a flaming barrel festival in Scotland, a breached canal in England, and much more

The Question at the Heart of the Debate Over Trans Athletes

Until the science is clearer, a resolution to this painful issue is hard to envision.

Trump-Administration Officials Describe an Elementary-School Drop-Off

Once they’ve identified you as the enemy, every action looks sinister.

Weed Companies Are Cashing In on Dry January

High January, here we come.

How Crypto Is Used for Political Corruption

This new source of money is giving the administration unprecedented new powers.

The Danes Who Died for America

After September 11, Denmark fought alongside its ally. The families of fallen soldiers have a message for Trump.

AI's Child-Porn Problem Is Getting Much Worse

Thousands of abusive videos were produced last year—that researchers know of.

The President Who Cries Emergency

President Trump and his allies are misleading the public about the threats they face.

You Can Buy Canned Coffee With Food Stamps (But Only If It Has Milk)

States have started banning junk food from SNAP. The new rules will make your head spin.

‘Look, You Can’t Cancel the Election’

The Atlantic covers news, politics, culture, technology, health, and more, through its articles, podcasts, videos, and flagship magazine.

The Provocation That Helped Create America

Common Sense was subversive in 1776. Maybe its ideas are what we need now.

Rubio Won; Liberty Lost

Is it really a win when the regime you detest stays in place?

Will ICE Get Away With This?

States don’t often prosecute federal officers, but they can.

She Shook Up the Literary World, Then Renounced It

After playing a central role in a notorious obscenity trial, Margaret C. Anderson largely disappeared from American publishing.

Democratic Bosses Are Launching a Remake of the 2028 Calendar

States are jockeying for an early spot and a greater say in the nominee.

What Elizabeth Warren Gets Wrong About Democrats

Moderates sometimes disagree with progressives even when billionaires don’t tell them to.

Pity the Jewish Intellectuals of MAGA

The nascent effort to contain the spread of anti-Semitism is years overdue.

The U.S. Military Can’t Do Everything at Once

Hot spots around the globe mean a heightened risk that any retaliation succeeds.

What Trump’s War Against Wokeness Is Really About

The president once promised to combat the supposed excesses of woke culture, but since taking office, he’s been dismantling something else.

Will Google Ever Have to Pay for Its Sins?

A federal judge ruled last year that the tech giant had cheated publications out of ad revenue. Now those publications want their money back.

Jeff Bezos Needs to Speak Up

The raid on a Washington Post reporter’s home is deeply troubling.

AI’s Biggest Moment Since ChatGPT

You are about to hear a lot more about Claude Code.

Trump’s Most Dangerous Obsession

His irrational obsession with Greenland could lead to global conflict.

Trump Has Redefined Presidential Scandal

The historian Timothy Naftali on Donald Trump’s presidential library, comparing the many scandals of the Trump presidency to those of Richard Nixon’s, and Trump’s foreign policy of American...

Photos: Minneapolis Neighborhoods vs. ICE

In recent days, federal immigration agents continued enforcement actions in Minneapolis and St. Paul, while state officials fight the Trump administration in court and local residents confront the...

Denmark’s Army Chief Has a Plan for Defending Greenland

Stepped-up Danish forces on the island are a bid for NATO cooperation, but also a message to Trump.

Putin’s Explosive Message to Trump

The Oreshnik missile that struck Lviv carried a political payload.

How Doubt Became a Weapon in Iran

AI manipulation, and the very suspicion of it, serves those who have the most to hide.

The Climate Question That Economists Cannot Answer

Models can predict catastrophic or modest damages from climate change, but not which of these futures is coming.

China Isn’t Leaving Latin America

Trump wants to reestablish American dominance in Latin America, but Beijing has plans of its own.

Your Muscles Remember Your Strongest Moments—And Your Weakest

Repeated exercise, or wasting, can change the way key genes work.

He Was Homeschooled for Years, and Fell So Far Behind

A new memoir shows how a lack of accountability can hurt home-educated kids.

MAGA Thinks Maduro Will Prove Trump Won in 2020

The capture of the Venezuelan leader has revived a debunked conspiracy theory.

Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This

If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.

None of This Should Have Happened

The White House’s persistent escalation has laid the groundwork for more tragedies like Renee Good’s death.

Texas Sends Plato Back to His Cave

Since philosophy was invented, people have worried about its subversive effect on tender minds.

The Islamic Republic Will Not Last

But the opposition has to start working together if something better is to follow.

The Crack-Up of Trump’s Base Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

The MAGA faithful aren’t deserting their leader.

The Internet Novel Is Growing Up

Fiction about online life tends to mimic its dull repetition. A new debut novel doesn’t quite succeed in raising the stakes—but it points the way forward.

A Romance That Actually Takes Sex Seriously

Heated Rivalry understands how relationships develop through physicality.

How to Wake the Constitution’s Sleeping Giant

Readers respond to our October 2025 cover story and more.

Sense of an Ending

Julian Barnes says goodbye to the novel.

Who Gets to Be Indian—And Who Decides?

The very American story of Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance

How the Supreme Court Broke Congress

In the name of protecting the balance of powers, the Court is radically refashioning that balance.

A Breathtaking Week of Pure Trump Id

Military success in Venezuela has emboldened the president to flex his power even more.

The Candor of Jerome Powell

After months of stoicism, the Fed chair is taking a stand against Trump.

Some Other Things Donald Trump Will Probably Try to Buy

The president is considering buying Greenland. What else might be on the list?

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Our Deer Departed

Test your knowledge—and read our latest stories for a little extra help.

Bob Weir Made the Grateful Dead

The late guitarist was crucial to shaping the sound of the world’s greatest jam band.

The Best Flu Drug Americans Aren’t Taking

This flu season has been rough. Antivirals can help.

Vance Knows What ICE Means to MAGA

The movement is not about laws and their enforcement. It’s about respect and who deserves it.

The Court Case That Is Allowing ICE to Stop Just About Anyone It Wants

Whren v. United States needs to go.

Trump’s Banana Republicanism

A criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will test whether Republican loyalty to the president has any limits.

Black Swan Was a Workplace Movie

The psychological thriller, released 15 years ago, offered a sharp social critique of the pitfalls faced by ambitious women.

Mary Jo Salter: ‘First Memory’

A poem

Trump’s Shrinking Coalition

The president can no longer present himself as anti-system, because he has become the system.

The Golden Globes Tried to Have It Both Ways

The night’s two big film winners reflected a ceremony uncertain of its own message.

A Sobering Awards Season Pivot

After winning a Golden Globe for Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet did something surprising.

The Government Workers Donald Trump Discarded

Donald Trump’s destruction of the civil service is a tragedy not just for the roughly 300,000 workers who have been discarded, but for an entire nation.

How Bad Bunny Did It

The Super Bowl headliner doesn’t care if you understand his lyrics.

I Was Kidnapped by Idiots

An academic trip to Iraq unexpectedly turned into an immersive field study on the ways authoritarian regimes use brutality.

The Trump Administration’s ‘Magical Thinking’ on Cuba

Havana is under pressure after Maduro’s ouster, but the regime’s resilience is legendary.

The Most Shouted-At Politician in America

Scott Wiener—a pro-trans Zionist who wants California to allow more homes—has an extreme tolerance for pushback.

Trump’s Greenland Threats

Panelists on Washington Week With The Atlantic joined to discuss what this may mean for the United States’ relationship with its NATO allies, and more.

Is the Iranian Regime About to Collapse?

Five conditions determine whether revolutions succeed. For the first time since 1979, Iran meets nearly all of them.

Big Oil Knows That Trump’s Venezuela Plans Are Delusional

The president’s thinking is stuck in the 1980s.

This Flu Season Is Rough—And All Too Normal

The virus is storming the country, a reminder of how terrible its toll can be.

Put Humans in Charge Again

For America to function, we need to let officials use their judgment.

The Messiness of Friendship

The complexities of sharing feelings is what relationships require.

America Has Entered Late-Stage Protein

This has gone too far.

The Pitt Is a Brilliant Portrait of American Failure

The HBO Max show has a moral clarity that’s hard to find of late on television.

The 17th-Century Philosopher Who Helps Explain Stephen Miller

The Trump adviser’s assertions about the “real world” reflect a deep misunderstanding of Thomas Hobbes’s dog-eat-dog worldview.

Trump Is Not Playing Five-Dimensional Chess in Venezuela

After a strong first move, he’s eating all the pieces.

This Will Happen Again

The conditions that claimed Renee Nicole Good’s life will claim the lives of others.

From ‘I’m Not Mad at You’ to Deadly Shots in Seconds

Frazzled agents, quick triggers, and a motor-powered protest movement are creating a uniquely dangerous moment on U.S. streets.

ICE Wasn’t Always Like This

In scaling back oversight, the administration has emboldened the agency.

AI’s Memorization Crisis

Large language models don’t “learn”—they copy. And that could change everything for the tech industry.

Stand-Up Comedy, All Joking Aside

A new movie from Bradley Cooper turns confessional humor into offstage drama.

Trump’s Unexpected Opportunity

The president can help topple the Iranian regime—if he acts swiftly and decisively.

How ICE Lost Its Guardrails

The Minneapolis shooting will get less official scrutiny because of cuts by the Trump administration.

What a Fantasy Can Reveal About Real Life

A character’s daydreams can be a powerful indication of what they care most about.

Can We Save the Internet?

Grok’s “digital undressing” crisis and a manifesto to build a better internet

Trump’s Folly

The United States has turned dark, aggressive, and lawless.

Photos of the Week: Icy Hearts, Warm Beach, Raging Fire

A vigil in a Minneapolis neighborhood, king-tide flooding in California, the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, a robotic traffic cop in China, and much more

An Expander in Every Child’s Palate

A fervor for reshaping young mouths has taken hold in orthodontics. What purpose does it really serve?

The Tastiest Meat Americans Can’t Buy

A bounty of succulent, free-range deer are running through the nation’s backyards. Why not eat them?

The Pentagon Has Axed Its Office of the Arctic

The Trump administration is focused instead on seizing Greenland.

Federal Agents Are Violating the Rights of Americans

ICE and the National Guard are acting with impunity.

How Donald Trump Broke With His Own Foreign Policy

For years, the president railed against the idea that America was the world’s police force. Now he's done an about-face.

The Early Days of American Imperialism

Trump has upended the national tradition of claiming, however hypocritically, that foreign intervention is not about power or profit.

Trump’s Slippery Definition of ‘Patriots’ and ‘Terrorists’

The president has odd ideas about who constitutes an enemy of the state.

The Rise and Fall of the Ultimate Millennial Power Lunch

Sweetgreen didn’t change. We did.

I Tried to Be the Government. It Did Not Go Well.

My five-month quest to monitor the weather, track inflation, and inspect milk for harmful microorganisms

First the Shooting. Then the Lies.

The Trump administration has perfected the smear campaign.

In America, Fake Patients Get the Best Care

Medical schools are training students in a form of care that the system can’t—or won’t—provide.

Why Maduro’s Ouster Scares Tehran

Could the Trump administration come for the Islamic Republic next?

The Maduro Indictment Appears Legally Solid

Although the former Venezuelan leader has a number of options for challenging his prosecution, none of them is a sure bet.

What Peaceniks Like Me Get Wrong About Peace

It requires the assent of the war-makers

What the Second Law of Thermodynamics Reveals About Being Human

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein argues that a good life is one that seeks to create order out of a natural state of chaos.

A High-Seas Gambit Humiliates Putin

Trump has pushed Russia out of Latin America and seized tankers while conceding nothing in Europe.

How Complaining to Friends Became Controversial

A common theme keeps popping up in relationship advice: Don’t vent so much.

Sometimes Athletes Just Get Lucky

Who said talent and hard work matter most?

Nostalgia for American Hypocrisy

At least we used to pretend that we believed in something besides military power.

‘Aren’t We Supposed to Be the Good Guys Here?’

Senator Mark Kelly says that taking Greenland “would probably be the biggest mistake any president has made in the history of this country.”

Inside Donald Trump’s Attack on NASA’s Science Missions

During his first year back in office, the president tried to bring America’s age of discovery to an end.

Deadly Force on a Frozen Street

Trump’s immigration crackdown takes a dark turn in Minneapolis.

The Two Sides of America’s Health Secretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a very different approach to food than to vaccines.

What Is the Point of Congress?

The fast fade of a co-equal branch of government

A Deadly Shooting in Minnesota

A federal immigration agent’s killing of a woman driving an SUV fits into a tragic pattern.

Trump Has No Plan for Venezuela

David Rothkopf on how the Trump administration’s contempt toward planning all but ensures a mess in Venezuela. Plus: Donald Trump’s predatory worldview and Rudyard Kipling’s “Recessional.”

Photos: One Year After the Los Angeles Wildfires

Photojournalists recently revisited neighborhoods still recovering and rebuilding after the Palisades and Eaton wildfires destroyed more than 18,000 structures last January.

The View From the Palisades

A year is only the beginning of recovery from disaster.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Be Declared Honorary Virus

The ceremony will feature roadkill hors d’oeuvres, goblets of beef tallow, and a sewage plunge.

Has Anyone Checked on J. D. Vance and Tulsi Gabbard?

The Trump allies who previously warned against intervention have gone conspicuously silent.

Trump’s Heathen Heart

The president seems intoxicated with military power.

The Friend-Group Fallacy

Many people yearn for a crew, but having one is not actually the norm.

Against Goody Bags

They’re wasteful and impersonal—and tend to deprive children of the joy of thoughtful giving.

Foolery, Foppery, and Finery

America went to extraordinary lengths to throw off the rituals of monarchy. Why would we fall for royal trappings now?

How Many Sea Lions Must Die?

Killing the protected animals may be the only way to stop them from eating too many of the Pacific Northwest’s endangered salmon.

I Lost My Library in a Fire

The question before me was whether to begin collecting all over again.

The Military Isn’t MAGA

The Trump administration attempts to silence veterans.

A Trump Loyalist on the Verge of Immense Economic Power

Kevin Hassett might do Trump’s bidding at the Federal Reserve, marking a new stage in the president’s control over the American economy.

The Venezuelan Opposition Has a Choice

As bad as things look, the country’s democratic forces broke through a similar jam in 1958.

The Accelerant

Stephen Miller is turning President Trump’s most incendiary impulses into policy.

The Anti-Vaxxers’ Next Move

Nothing seems to be stopping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from driving America over a vaccine cliff.

The Polymarket Bets on Maduro Are a Warning

Get ready for the golden age of insider trading.

The Memes Are the Point

Why the Trump administration is posting messages like “THIS IS OUR HEMISPHERE” after the attack on Venezuela

The Big Story: Venezuela and a Warning for Other World Leaders

Robert Kagan and Vivian Salama discuss the Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela. Join the subscriber-only event.

‘Have Fun in Jail’

Inside the courtroom with Nicolás Maduro

Gavin Newsom Would Rather Be Wrong Than Weak

California’s Gavin Newsom would rather be wrong than weak.

The New History of Fighting Slavery

What we learn by tracing rebellions from Africa to the Americas

Six Books You Can Get Lost In

These novels highlight the power—both good and bad—of unchecked fantasizing.

January 6 Was My Fourth Day on the Hill

I barely knew where the bathrooms were. I had no idea how to deal with a siege.

The Triumph of Indecency

Or, the importance of being appalled

Is This What Patriotism Looks Like?

Why an ex–police officer assaulted a fellow cop on January 6

Rotavirus Could Come Roaring Back—Very Soon

A leading vaccine expert on what the country’s newly overhauled immunization schedule means for children

Could Greenland Be the End of NATO?

After Venezuela, Europeans think Trump may actually be serious.

Hegseth’s Appalling Vengeance Campaign

The Defense secretary’s attempts to demote Senator Mark Kelly are a pernicious form of political bullying.

Trump’s Retro Imperialism

The president holds some misguided views about wealth, power, and natural resources.

@Grok, Did Venezuela ‘Deserve It’?

The information war will be fought through chatbots.

Your Guide to Better Days

Introducing a newsletter course from The Atlantic

The Real Story That 'Sentimental Value' Is Telling

In his latest film, the writer-director Joachim Trier probes the true purpose of confessional art.

Why Authors Can’t Let Go of Greek Myths

The fascination with these stories reflects an existential interest in what in life is inevitable, and what we can control.

Trump’s ‘American Dominance’ May Leave Us With Nothing

The president’s moves in Venezuela foretell a new global system.

What the Venezuelan Opposition Wished For

Activists courted U.S. intervention. Now they’re being sidelined.

The College Backlash Is a Mirage

Americans are more pessimistic than ever about the value of a degree—but enrollment keeps going up.

The Rise of Libertarian Authoritarianism

Donald Trump has preserved the flaws of the old Republican economic approach while introducing new ones that are even worse.

The Fuck-Around-and-Find-Out Presidency

Truman, Reagan, and Monroe wouldn’t approve of the language, but a doctrine is a doctrine, even if it’s only five words long.

Is the U.S. Running Venezuela or Not?

Trump’s post-Maduro plans are murky.

The Biggest Question About Venezuela

Not just the specifics—but the broader global context—will determine what happens next.

President Trump Totally Meant to Ask Congress Before Attacking Venezuela

Oops!

Photos: The Venezuelan Diaspora Celebrates the Capture of Maduro

Across Latin America, Venezuelans living outside of their home country gathered in the streets and squares of their host nations, celebrating the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by...

Trump: Delcy Rodríguez Might Be Next

The president told The Atlantic that the interim Venezuelan president will meet a fate worse than Maduro’s unless she complies with U.S. wishes.

A Poem by Amanda Larson: ‘January First’

A poem

Trump’s Audacious Success

The president’s operation targeting Nicolás Maduro can advance U.S. interests—but it’s unclear whether it actually will.

What Gene Kelly Taught Me About How to Be a Dad

As a father, I was balancing—but I wasn’t stable.

The Last Days of the Southern Drawl

By the end of my life, there may be no one left who speaks like my father outside the hollers and the one-horse towns.

A Romantic Comedy of Errors

Crossing Delancey’s charm, a reimagined Shakespearian classic, and more culture and entertainment recommendations

Even Close Allies Are Asking Why Trump Wants to Run Venezuela

Nicolás Maduro was plucked out of Caracas, but the more shocking news was that the White House plans to run Venezuela.

How Is Trump Planning to ‘Run’ Venezuela?

What did the United States just do?

The Sports Conspiracy That’s Too Easy to Believe

When the 49ers lost in the playoffs, some fans embraced a theory about electromagnetic waves instead of facing reality.

American Justice Isn’t Supposed to Be Wrathful

Attorney General Pam Bondi transgresses basic principles of criminal law.

The Messiness of a Post-Maduro World

Trump’s apparent violation of international law will almost certainly go unpunished, but the rules and norms will be missed.

Maybe Russia and China Should Sit This One Out

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are just shocked—shocked!—by the American attack on Venezuela.

Making Sense of the Nonsensical Venezuela Attack

All actions have consequences—even arbitrary and inscrutable ones.

Trump’s Critics Are Falling Into an Obvious Trap

Nicolás Maduro’s capture is setting off a predictable reaction.

Books That Open the Mind

Our writers’ recommendations for literature that challenges and expands

The Race for Global Domination in AI

The competition between China and the United States is about more than technology.

Trump’s Risky War in Venezuela

The president has violated the Constitution and is showing contempt for the will of the public.

Trump Books Aren’t Selling Anymore

A decade into the Trump era, readers who were once hungry to learn about the man seem to have had their fill.

Stop Talking About the Moon

Just look at it.

Elon Musk’s Pornography Machine

On X, sexual harassment and perhaps even child abuse are the latest memes.

The President’s Busy Holiday

Donald Trump spent the past few weeks doubling down on foreign interventions.

Trump’s ‘Operation Iranian Freedom’

How many foreign wars does the “America First” president intend to start?

A Reading Resolution You Can Keep

Aim to bump older, culturally important, or much-recommended works to the top of your to-be-read list.

What Dante Is Trying to Tell Us

A colloquial translation of Paradiso might make people actually read it.

The People Who Marry Chatbots

A growing community is building a life with large language models.

The Future Albert Einstein Believed In

The brilliant physicist fought for the promise of a diverse, meritocratic America. We need his optimism today.

Clear Your Counters

It’ll be so quick—and bring you so much peace.

Reading Is a Vice

Being a reader means cultivating a relationship with the world that, by most standards, can seem pointless and counterproductive.

Just Break Your New Year’s Resolution Now

It might be the best way to succeed in the long run.

Trump Almost Has a Point About the Federal Reserve

The central bank has long abused its power in ways that benefit the financial sector at the expense of everyone else.

After the New Year’s Eve Party

Early January can feel like the comedown after too much sparkle. But the calm that follows has its own promise.

Iranians Have Had Enough

The demonstrations erupting across the Islamic Republic reflect deep economic and political discontent.

The Benefits of Reading a ‘Hard’ Book

The true pleasure of literature can be found in bizarre, demanding works such as Your Name Here, by Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff.

The Question-Mark Mayoralty

Zohran Mamdani ran an unabashedly progressive campaign. But how he will govern New York remains something of a mystery.

Six Months Off the Street

An update on Evan from our three-part series No Easy Fix

The Cult of Costco

Its consistency is its superpower.

Facts vs. Clicks: How Algorithms Reward Extremism

Galaxy Brain’s Charlie Warzel joins David Frum to discuss how our online information became so untrustworthy and how we can fight back. Plus: Why America’s Founding Fathers would be appalled by...

What to Read When Your Friends Are Out Partying

If you don’t have the energy for New Year carousing, pick up these books instead.

A New Year’s Tradition From a Nation Long Dead

The Soviet Union’s ritual for the holiday survived the country’s dissolution—but may be in danger of slipping away.

A Symbol of New York Is Gone

The MetroCard never got its due.

31 Atlantic Stories You Might Have Missed

An assortment of articles about a journey to Mark Twain’s Paris, what parents of boys should know, obtaining the perfect suit, and more.

Britain Should Have Read the Tweets First

The case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah is a test of Britain’s values.

The Show Won’t Go On

President Trump’s threats against artists who decline to perform at the renamed Kennedy Center are ultimately hollow.

New Year’s Resolutions Should Be Communal

The best way to improve yourself is to help others too.

The Year That Shattered American Science

The Trump administration’s cuts to research may have spoiled the country’s appetite for bold exploration.

Podcasts Ruined My Relationship to Music

Maybe don’t fill every available silence with the sound of people talking.

The Problem With Letting AI Do the Grunt Work

Artificial intelligence is destroying the career ladder for aspiring artists.

The Plan That Foretold Trump’s 2025

Reviewing Project 2025’s year of successes and shortcomings

Why ICE Is Getting Away With It

The Constitution inarguably applies to federal immigration agents—but the Supreme Court has taken away the hope of ever holding them to that standard.

How Mary Todd Lincoln Lands Totally Out of Context

The challenge of staging Oh, Mary! for a British audience

North Road, Fall 2020

A poem

A New Take on the Distant-Dad Trope

Three of the season’s buzziest movies refuse to let career-obsessed, absentee fathers off the hook.

Some of Our Most-Read Stories of 2025

Spend time with a selection of articles that resonated with our readers this year.

Trump’s 2026 Resolution: Give People Money

The president is trying to coax voters out of financial malaise with cash.

The Slow, Inevitable Death of the Bowl Game

For college-football fans, the playoffs are now everything.

The Year in Food

How prices, tastes, and preferences changed in 2025

Good Intentions Gone Bad

How Canada’s “reconciliation” with its Indigenous people went wrong

Ukraine Sees the Future of Naval Warfare. Trump Doesn’t.

The balance of power is shifting toward cheap drones and away from expensive ships.

How About a Little Less Screen Time for the Grown-Ups

It’s not just kids who can’t stop scrolling.

The World Has Laws About Land and Sea, But Not About Ice

As the Arctic melts and people spend more time there, defining our relationship to sea ice becomes more necessary.

The Most Memorable Advice of 2025

Meditations on how to nurture and strengthen your relationships in the new year

The Best Poetry for Dark Winter Days

Each collection speaks to a different seasonal mood, but all are worth slowing down with before the new year.

Aphoristic Intelligence Beats Artificial Intelligence

It’s not just okay for some things in life to be hard—it’s essential.

A Misremembered Working-Class Democrat

Can Daniel Patrick Moynihan show the left how to win again?

Where Stranger Things Lost Itself

The Netflix drama’s final season settles for “compulsively watchable.” Is that all we get?

Day 25 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: Dusty Pillars

Day 25 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar

Is Victor Wembanyama Too Tall?

Why it’s hard to watch the NBA’s most promising young talent

Netflix vs. Paramount

Whoever wins… we lose?

Watching Someone Fail Shouldn’t Be So Fun

In Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet delivers both cringe and charisma.

How to Follow the Right Star

The ancient Christmas story of the Magi contains a message that can guide your modern search for happiness.

So This Is Why Trump Didn’t Want to Release the Epstein Files

The latest batch includes many new references to Trump—and enough ammunition for Congress to keep pressing.

An Idiosyncratic Christmas Playlist

A roundup that evokes a new nostalgia

Why Has Comedy Become So Right-Wing?

The Atlantic’s Helen Lewis on the Riyadh Comedy Festival, why comedians are attracted to conspiracy theories, and the rise of the right-wing comedy podcast-industrial complex. Plus: the importance...

Stop Defending Bari Weiss

It is impossible to take her actions at face value given the context in which she is operating.

Day 24 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: A Gravitational Lens

Day 24 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar

The Wrong Kind of Black

Race and gender aren’t the only categories that determine who gets special treatment.

Why Did We Ever Watch ‘To Catch a Predator’?

A new documentary probes the influential Dateline series—and the titillating nature of true crime itself.

What I Lost When I Gave Up My Catholicism

Can the Church bring back the formerly faithful?

The Writer Fueled by Life’s Randomness

Rabih Alameddine, who won the National Book Award last month, has described his idiosyncratic approach as “childish rebelliousness.”

Get Ready to Start Hearing About Aileen Cannon Again

The Florida-based judge is likely to once again play a central role in politics in the new year.

God Save the Jingle

Could AI possibly write “I’m Lovin’ It”? Or create the Netflix tudum sound?

Friend, Neighbor, Military Target

Trump has presented Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum with a near-impossible dilemma.

The Sound of a Charlie Brown Christmas

Growing up, my holidays were profoundly shaped by the soundtrack to a classic animated special.

The Incredible Shrinking President

The president is no longer dominating his party or the country in the way he once did.

The Epstein Files Only Get Worse

It’s beginning to look a lot like … extremely disturbing PDFs.

Companies’ ‘Wrapped’ Features Keep Getting Weirder

Metro stops, LinkedIn DMs, and other mundane data points are being packaged for the end-of-year trend.

Do Your Parents Have a Screen-Time Problem?

The phone-based retirement is here.

America’s Schools Are Less Divided Than You Think

Teachers are generally much more concerned about doing right by their students than they are about angering parents and community members.

The Triumph of Free-Speech Hypocrisy

What the 60 Minutes scandal reveals

Day 23 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: Distance and Perspective

Day 23 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar

All of the Power, None of the Fun

Being a GOP member of Congress in the Trump era is pretty miserable.

The Pro-Democracy Case for a National Theater

For 100 years, Ireland’s Abbey Theatre has shown that a publicly funded troupe can deliver cultural riches and hard truths.

I Bought ‘GLP-3’

You’re not supposed to be able to buy the world’s most powerful weight-loss drug, but some people have found a way.

How Romantasy Explains Pluribus

Apple TV’s hit show uses a beleaguered genre to show the importance of critical thinking.

J. D. Vance Cozies Up to Anti-Semitism

The vice president fails a simple moral test.

‘It’s Very Controversial, but I Love Nick Fuentes’

The white-supremacist influencer cast a shadow over Turning Point USA’s annual gathering.

Trump’s Vanity Fleet

The Trump-class ships are about branding, not strategy.

The DOJ Is Losing Public Trust

The department is unlikely to get the benefit of the doubt for its handling of the recent Epstein-files release.

The Huge Problem Waymo Didn’t See Coming

A blackout in San Francisco revealed a new way for robotaxis to go wrong.

Only Timothée Chalamet Could Get Away With This

To promote his new movie, the actor has thrown all caution to the wind.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: All Downhill From Here?

Test your knowledge—and read our latest stories for a little extra help.

Bari Weiss’s Audience of One

Trump’s plan to corrupt the media is starting to work.

Day 22 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: The Heart of a Tarantula

Day 22 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar

The Trump Administration’s Guide to Christmas Giving

A piece of East Wing Rubble? An MRI for no reason? The options are endless!

Everything We Know About Rape Is Wrong

Girls Play Dead is a transformative analysis of what sexual assault does to women.

The Three-Step Guide to Fixing Affordability

First, stop making things worse.

CBS and CNN Are Being Sacrificed to Trump

Media conglomerates want the president’s permission for mergers—and control of news outlets is at stake.

AI Is Democratizing Music. Unfortunately.

The emerging technology is warping the record industry in all sorts of strange—and foreboding—ways.

There Were Two Charlie Kirks

A new book by the right-wing activist, who was murdered in September, has moments of seriousness, beauty, and cross-partisan appeal.

Trump Discovers Maduro’s Achilles’ Heel

After months of strikes, tankers are a new, and smarter, target.

The Pitiful Childishness of Donald Trump

The president’s appetite for plastering his name on every available surface appears insatiable.

Bowen Yang Made ‘Saturday Night Live’ Work for Him

The performer, whose run on the show ended last night, brought a unique comedic vulnerability.

A Poem by Drew Rollins: ‘Theft’

A poem

Day 21 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: Warped Space

Day 21 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar

The Honor of the Layward Brothers

A short story

The Return of the Antebellum Constitution

The Supreme Court and the president are undermining the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.

Nine Non-Christmas Movies to Watch During Christmas

What to put on instead of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

The Island Without Time

I traveled above the Arctic Circle to find out whether a town really can live free from the clock.

What Is Actually in the Epstein Files?

The heavily redacted trove of documents is shocking, disorienting, and—most important—incomplete.

The Art of Deciding What to Care About

Happiness often comes from figuring out what’s worth your energy.

Day 20 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: The Cosmic Cliffs

Day 20 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar

Trump’s Reality

Panelists joined to discuss the president’s address to the nation, and more.

The Future of Film Is Behind Us

Whatever happened to 3-D?

Would You Trust a 22-Year-Old AI Billionaire With the Global Economy?

My week partying with the young founders at the heart of the AI boom

Trump’s Power Grab Over the Budget Is Breaking the Constitutional Design

If this pattern holds, the result will be more wild swings in policy across administrations.

There’s a 92 Percent Chance Trump Is Making It Up

When riffing, the president exhibits an unusual tell.

The Most ████ Administration Ever

The Epstein files are here, and they are too redacted to satisfy anyone.

‘They’re Delusional If They Think This Is Going to Go Away’

The Trump administration’s release of the long-awaited Epstein files didn’t provide what survivors were looking for.

The United States of Donald Trump

Donald Trump is slapping his name and face on everything he can, but America’s institutions don’t belong to him.

2025 in Photos: How the First Months Unfolded

A look at some of the most memorable events of early 2025, including California’s Palisades Fire, the inauguration of President Donald Trump, and much more

The Coming Election Mayhem

Donald Trump’s plans to throw the 2026 midterms into chaos are already under way.

A 2025 Ranking You Won’t Read Anywhere Else

Salmon with Abraham Lincoln and Jesus, plus other hypothetical dinner parties from The Katie Miller Podcast

2025: The Year in Volcanic Activity

Scenes from the wide variety of volcanic activity on Earth over the past year.

2025 in Photos: A Look at the Middle Months

Looking back at some of the most memorable events of mid-2025, including war in Gaza and Ukraine, a wildfire in the Grand Canyon, and much more

2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar

Welcome to the 18th annual Space Telescope Advent Calendar, featuring remarkable images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. Every day until December 25, this page...

The 20 Best Podcasts of 2025

The shows that deserve a spot in listeners’ rotations

The Atlantic’s Favorite Photos and Illustrations of the Year

Every single story The Atlantic publishes includes art—documentary photography, conceptual illustrations, 3-D animation, handmade collages, paintings, and more—that provides readers with another...

What Jeffrey Epstein Didn’t Understand About Lolita

Everything.

A Nakedly Imperialistic President

After pretending the attacks on Venezuela were about drugs, Trump confirms it's about the oil.

How to Treat Purveyors of Baseless Speculation

Don’t log off. Keep score.

The Backlash Against Car Prices Is Here

There’s plenty of blame to go around, and no easy fix.

What J. D. Vance—And Many Others—Miss About American Anti-Semitism

Making anti-Semitism about your ideological enemies doesn’t help anyone understand, let alone solve, the problem.

Prediction Markets and the ‘Suckerifcation’ Crisis, With Max Read

Everyone’s betting; nobody’s winning.

Circles of Epstein Hell

Though association with the man is certainly worthy of scrutiny, not everyone in his network is guilty of participation in his abusive sexual enterprise—or necessarily guilty at all.

Day 19 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: The Sombrero Galaxy

Day 19 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar

A Peek at an Alternate Venice

Anne Applebaum went searching for the city the novelist Henry James got to know.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Wants to Please Only the Fans

But for the franchise’s devotees, Fire and Ash is another thrilling installment.

The Color of the Year Is an Exercise in Absurdity

Pantone’s latest pick is strange. The company itself is stranger.

The Truth About Immigration That MAGA Doesn’t Acknowledge

American families rely on immigrants to take care of their children.

The Risk of Trump’s Marijuana Order

The president’s move to loosen marijuana restrictions risks sending the wrong message about the drug.

Rescheduling Marijuana Is an Enormous Mistake

Trump’s executive order does little more than offer a tax cut to an industry that profits from addiction.

Guess the Real Trump ‘Presidential Walk of Fame’ Plaque

Get all 25 right and I will send you a presidential bonus of $1,776!

The Riot That Foretold an Unstable Future

In his newest book, Joe Sacco worries about what political violence might lead to.

What I Wish I’d Known When I Was Younger

The three reasons old people are happier that work for any age

A Lesson in False Limits

Lindsey Vonn and Philip Rivers show what can happen when athletes keep competing into their 40s.

How Warren Buffett Did It

The most successful investor of all time is retiring. Here’s what made him an American role model.

Measles’ Most Deceptive Trait

Most cases are mild, obscuring the disease’s worst outcomes.

Australia’s Grand Social-Media Experiment

Will the country ever know for sure if banning teens from social media makes their lives better?

ISIS Never Really Went Away

Staff writer Graeme Wood reported on the Islamic State for years. He shares his thoughts in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack.

The Happiest Man in Music

Zane Lowe has made a career out of relentless positivity. Is there anything he doesn’t like?

What’s Behind the ISIS Attack in Syria

Ahmed al-Sharaa is serious about battling extremists, but his country isn’t fully under government control.

The ‘Filthy Little Slum Child’ Who Remade the American Right

The intellectual world that Norman Podhoretz created

This Is What Presidential Panic Looks Like

Donald Trump delivered a fear-drenched rant live from the White House.

Trump’s ‘Peace President’ Claim Isn’t Holding Up

He wants to be known as a peacemaker, but some of the many conflicts he claims to have resolved stubbornly refuse to stop.

How Crypto Is Turning America Into a Kleptocracy

The University of Michigan’s Will Thomas on how President Donald Trump is using cryptocurrencies to enrich himself and his allies. Plus: David on the attack at Bondi Beach and lessons on courage...

Photos: Krampus—Saint Nick’s Dark Companion

Yuletide parades across Europe for the demonlike creature who playfully frightens onlookers, looking for naughty children to punish—or to drag back to his lair in a sack

The Roomba Was a Disappointment

The best-known manufacturer of autonomous vacuums declared bankruptcy this week, and no one should be surprised.