What Mike Johnson’s Rise Tells Us About the GOP
Watch the full episode of Washington Week With The Atlantic, October 27, 2023
A Halloween Reading List for Adults
Channeling the joy of the most childish holiday
Spiders Might Be Quietly Disappearing
But scientists won’t know for sure unless we get over our ick factor.
Where Is Mike Johnson’s Ironclad Oath?
How America treats those who flirt with rebellion
What Financial Engineering Does to Hospitals
Investors borrowed money to buy health-care institutions and enrich themselves.
Why AI Doesn’t Get Slang
And why that’s a good thing
Sam Bankman-Fried Struggles to Explain Himself
The former FTX executive made the risky choice to take the stand in his own case. Will his verbal gymnastics serve him?
The Decolonization Narrative Is Dangerous and False
It does not accurately describe either the foundation of Israel or the tragedy of the Palestinians.
The Israel-War Email That College Presidents Should’ve Sent
Plus: When should people try to better the world through their job?
The Huge Multistate Lawsuit Against Meta Isn’t Serious Enough
Attorneys general from 33 states filed a joint lawsuit against Meta on Tuesday, alleging that it deliberately addicts kids and teens to its products through “FOMO” and JoJo Siwa.
The Science Behind Basketball’s Biggest Debate
Playing in the NBA really is harder now.
Stop Doomscrolling About Israel and Palestine—Read These Books Instead
The Atlantic’s books editor prescribes these titles as antidotes to the quick and dirty ways people are communicating on social media.
Dean Phillips Has a Warning for Democrats
The Minnesota representative’s presidential bid could jolt his party out of complacency—or gift the presidency to Donald Trump.
Why Israel Should Obey Geneva Even When Its Enemies Do Not
It has more to gain from sticking to the international conventions that govern the lawful conduct of war than it does from seeking reckless vengeance against Hamas.
‘The Whole Country Has PTSD’
A conversation with the Israeli short-story writer Etgar Keret about grieving, and whether writing can ease the pain
Sadness and Triumph at a Massachusetts Boarding School
Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers is a pitch-perfect dramedy from a master of the form.
Driverless Cars Are Losing to Driver-ish Cars
The self-driving revolution is hiding in plain sight.
Why America Doesn’t Build
Even green-energy projects get quashed by local opposition.
Hamas Is Not ISIS
The two groups are not the same, and their differences are likely to matter as this war proceeds.
Tell Me How This Ends
The Israeli operation faces the same question that ultimately vexed the American project in Iraq: What comes next?