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An Illustration of David Cole and the US Supreme Court Building — Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Cliff Owen / AP; Celal Gunes / Anadolu via Getty.

The Case Against Despair in Trump’s Second Term

David Cole, the former legal director of the ACLU, believes that civil society helped protect the Constitution before and will do so again.

Conor Friedersdorf

December 4, 2024

Collage consisting of a photo of RFK Jr. holding a microphone interspersed with red images of COVID-19 vaccines, "Make America Healthy Again" caps, and pills. — Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Kevin Dietsch / Getty; deliormanli / Getty.

RFK Jr. Is a Bellwether

Kennedy embodies several trends across politics, science, and society, which require careful attention to understand how America is changing

December 4, 2024

A pirate-style ship with a black hull in the shape of the United States, tall masts, white sails, and a yellow pennant on orange background — Illustration by Ben Hickey

America’s Lonely Future

What happens when the nation takes a zero-sum approach to the world?

December 4, 2024

black-and-white collage of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy — Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Chesnot / Getty; Michael M. Santiago / Getty.

Musk and Ramaswamy Are Making a Big Mistake

They want to blame the bureaucrats, but they’re going to need those very same bureaucrats if they want to get anything done.

Nicholas Bagley

December 3, 2024

illustration of silhouette of woman standing before towering orange bonfire with yellow flames resembling Trump's head with blowing hair — Illustration by Ben Hickey

Misogyny Comes Roaring Back

Donald Trump will return to Washington flanked by an entourage intent on imposing its archaic vision of gender politics on the nation.

December 3, 2024

A shooting star leaving trace of light — Tom Huber / Connected Archives

The Christian Case for Happy Holidays

Well wishes should be addressed in the broadest possible terms.

Elizabeth Bruenig

December 2, 2024

Four rows of red, white, and blue vertical bars in pattern of U.S. flag, with top row collapsing to the left like dominoes — Illustration by Ben Hickey

The End of Democratic Delusions

The Trump Reaction and what comes next

December 2, 2024

A boarded-up food store — Millennium Image / Gallery Stock

The Great Grocery Squeeze

How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert

December 1, 2024

Pixelated photo of Donald Trump on a TV screen repeating three times from left to right, as if glitching — Manit Sriwanichpoom / Agence VU / Redux

Journalism’s What If Problem

Too many reporters are writing fiction.

December 1, 2024

Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden — Alex Wong / Getty

How Biden Made a Mess of Ukraine

He treated the conflict as a crisis to be managed, not a war to be won.

Phillips Payson O’Brien

November 30, 2024