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15 hours ago

Attacking an ally would be a perversion of everything the armed forces have been trained to do. Brendan Smialowski / Getty The United States is a global superpower, and its military trains for war in every domain. During my years as a military educator, I saw American officers wrestle with any

Trump’s Letter to Norway Should Be the Last Straw

21 hours ago

Will Republicans in Congress ever step in? Yoan Valat / AFP / Getty Let me begin by quoting, in full, a letter that the president of the United States of America sent yesterday to the prime minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre. The text was forwarded by the White House National Security Council

Welfare Fraud Is a Problem—For Democrats

21 hours ago

Safeguarding the social safety net is essential for keeping it. Illustration by Akshita Chandra / The Atlantic The massive scandal around welfare fraud in Minnesota became a big story the same way the character Mike Campbell in The Sun Also Rises describes going bankrupt: “gradually and then su

Those Who Try to Erase History Will Fail

Montgomery shows what’s possible when museums aren’t subject to capricious executive orders. Bob Miller / Getty Belzoni, Mississippi, a town of about 2,000 people, is known as the “Catfish Capital of the World”; it is also known as the site of one of the first civil-rights-era lynchings. On May

‘Looksmaxxing’ Reveals the Depth of the Crisis Facing Young Men

The most narcissistic corner of the internet is having a moment. Illustration by Fromm Studio The so-called looksmaxxing movement is narcissistic, cruel, racist, shot through with social Darwinism, and proudly anti-compassion. As the name suggests, looksmaxxers share a monomaniacal commitment t

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. Frank Rockstroh / Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Among those who defend the behavior of ICE in the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, one argument goes like this:

How to Understand Trump’s Obsession With Greenland

Erratic though the president may sound, the Trumpian worldview is comprehensible. Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: THEPALMER / Getty; Yuri Gripas / Abaca / Bloomberg / Getty. European leaders are in a dither, understandably but inexcusably, about Donald Trump’s threats to take Greenland b

A New Memoir Blasts Kamala Harris for Being Offensive, Ideologically Obsessed

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro discusses the strange questions he received during his vice-presidential vetting. USA Today Network / Reuters Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was already irritated by what he describes as “unnecessarily contentious” questions from the team vetting him to be

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. Rosalind O'Connor / NBC The reference points were readily identifiable: a chance meeting between characters from different worlds, a sport involving sticks and a flying round projectile whose nuances wou

America vs. the World

President Trump wants to return to the 19th century’s international order. He will leave America less prosperous—and the whole world less secure. Illustration by Ben Hickey The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy made it official: The American-dominated liberal world order is over

I am here in the evening light

A poem Kristina Dittmar I am here in the evening light, my eyes now white like the museum sparrow, with a voice that no longer trembles: Remember the child. I’ll visit as a songbird, a rabbit, and lead you up the dash with the wind. I waited for your permission, faceless, and you gave

‘Abolish ICE’ Is Back

It’s making some Democrats anxious. Michael Nagle / Bloomberg / Getty History might not repeat itself, but the slogans sometimes do. And in the days since an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, some Democratic candidates and commentators have joined in on a familiar refrain. “Di

Why the Trump Administration Is Obsessed With Whole Milk

Will the dairy wars ever end? Bridgeman Milk is mundane in most contexts, but you can’t help noticing when it is smeared across the upper lips of America’s government officials. An image of Donald Trump sporting a milk mustache and glowering over a glass of milk was just one of many dairy-theme

Trump Doesn’t Want Legal Immigrants Either

New limits reflect sloppy reasoning and a desire for collective punishment. Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic Of the many recent targets of the Trump administration’s ire—Jerome Powell, Denmark, Minneapolis—legal immigration may have been the least conspicuous and most consequential. On

Was Infinite Jest Right About Everything?

Culture and entertainment recommendations from Will Gottsegen Getty/ Maryna Terletska This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcom

Take a Close Look at Trump’s Portrait

The National Portrait Gallery removed key details from the caption beside the president’s photograph. It still has a story to tell. Rod Lamkey Jr. / AP This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. “Why does he look so angry?” one visitor to the

Why Harry Reid Went Nuclear

Why the former Senate majority leader decided to end the filibuster. Alex Wong / Getty When he was a kid, Harry Reid seldom left the small town of Searchlight, Nevada, without his parents. But the summer after his brother Dale had graduated from high school, he invited young Harry to join him i

Trump’s Billion-Dollar Board of Peace

The new entity has a global remit and a steep price for a permanent seat. Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. This story was updated on January 18, 2026. Imagine you’re the president of a midsize country, and you’re offered a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The Surprising Relationship Between Happiness and Intelligence

You might expect smarts and skill to lead to joy, but it’s not that simple. Maya Karkalicheva / Getty This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday m

Trump’s Mixed Messages

Panelists on Washington Week With The Atlantic joined to discuss what actions the president may be weighing abroad. Courtesy of Washington Week With The Atlantic Foreign ministers from Greenland and Denmark met with the Trump administration this week amid the president’s bid for the island nati

My Students Write Their Papers Backwards

My job is to help them move beyond their assumptions, in literature and everything else. Illustration by Jordy van den Nieuwendijk In my high-school English classes, I often tell my students that they write their papers backwards: They devise a thesis and then look for evidence to support it. T

America Is Slow-Walking Into a Polymarket Disaster

Why is the media obsessed with prediction markets? Illustration by The Atlantic For the past week, I’ve found myself playing the same 23-second CNN clip on repeat. I’ve watched it in bed, during my commute to work, at the office, midway through making carrot soup, and while brushing my teeth. I

The Bots That Women Use in a World of Unsatisfying Men

AI is offering people a way to figure out what they really want in romance. Illustration by Alicia Tatone If you peruse the slew of recent articles and podcasts about people dating AI, you might notice a pattern: Many of the sources are women. Scan a subreddit such as r/MyBoyfriendIsAI and r/AI

The End of the Underdog in College Football

In 2026, the best teams are no miracle. Justin Casterline / Getty Images The Indiana Hoosiers will take the field for college football’s National Championship game Monday night as the darlings of the sports world. Their head coach, Curt Cignetti, perpetually scowling beneath his 1950s crew cut,

‘Maybe DHS Was a Bad Idea’