The Unbearable Weight of Mission: Impossible
What started as the adventures of a brilliant spy morphed into the mythology of an exemplary human being.
The Talented Mr. Vance
J. D. Vance could have brought the country’s conflicting strands together. Instead, he took a divisive path to the peak of power.
An Awkward Truth About American Work
Direct-selling schemes are considered fringe businesses, but their values have bled into the national economy.
A Striking Moment in American Activism
A new documentary revisits a pivotal week at Gallaudet University in 1988.
The Long War That Ended Last Week
The PKK is disarming. Can Turkey keep the peace?
What AI Thinks It Knows About You
What happens when people can see what assumptions a large language model is making about them?
24 Books to Get Lost in This Summer
The Atlantic’s writers and editors have chosen fiction and nonfiction to match all sorts of moods.
The Beauty That Moral Courage Creates
A lovely paradox of doing good in the world is that it does you good too.
The Project 2025 Presidency
The blueprint for Trump 2.0 predicted much of what we’ve seen so far—and much of what’s to come.
The Funniest Part of Alison Bechdel’s Work
The author is willing to let her main character be both her double and the butt of her joke.
Trump Is Crushing the Netanyahu Myth
The Israeli leader and his allies bet everything on Trump. But he’s just not that into them.
My Shipwreck Story
On my first time out as a commercial fisherman, my boat sank, my captain died, and I was left adrift and alone in the Pacific.
Independent Agencies Never Stood a Chance Under Trump
If the president and his team have their way, much of the executive branch will be transformed from watchdogs or independent actors into the president’s foot soldiers.
Trump’s National-Security Disaster
Trump’s vandalism of the national-security structure, Signalgate, and a conversation with Susan Rice
A Defense Against Gaslighting Sociopaths
If you can recognize their signature move, then forewarned is forearmed.
‘I Run the Country and the World’
Donald Trump believes he’s invincible. But the cracks are beginning to show.
The End of Rule of Law in America
The 47th president seems to wish he were king—and he is willing to destroy what is precious about this country to get what he wants.
Photos of the Week: Dragon’s Teeth, Witch Convention, High Plateau
A swannery in southern England, tornado damage in Kentucky, drought conditions in the Florida Everglades, a rally race in a Chinese desert, and much more
There Is No Dignity in Capitulation
A worrying pattern has taken hold in public television.
Why a Dog’s Death Hits So Hard
I loved my mom more than my dog. So why did I cry for him but not for her?
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