That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.
Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”
The Courts Won’t Save Democracy From Trump
George Conway on Trump, the rule of law, and why the legal system is failing
Photos: The Scale of China’s Solar-Power Projects
As the Trump administration’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” eliminates many clean-energy incentives in the U.S., China continues huge investments in wind and solar power, reportedly accounting for 74 percent of all projects now under construction worldwide.
What the Next Phase of Trump’s Presidency Will Look Like
The president got his “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Can he sell it to voters?
What It Means to Be a Mystic Girl
Camp was the place these girls felt safe and free.
How the Grateful Dead Nearly Solved the Problem With Live Music
The band’s innovative sound system made them sound better than ever. It also nearly broke them.
America Has Never Seen Corruption Like This
Trump’s Qatari jet was just the beginning.
What Exactly Is Required to Preserve Our Democracy?
It will take a “total mobilization of our forces,” in the words of new Autocracy in America host Garry Kasparov.
The Reality Show That Captures Gen Z Dating
This season of Love Island USA is a romance competition with very little romance.
Elon Musk Updated Grok. Guess What It Said?
After praising Hitler earlier this week, the chatbot is now listing the “good races.”
A Sea Story
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place in 1994. It remains very much in the public eye. On a stormy night on the Baltic Sea, more than 850 people lost their lives when a luxurious ferry sank below the waves. From a mass of material, including official and unofficial reports and survivor testimony, our correspondent has distilled an account of the Estonia’s last moments—part of his continuing coverage for the magazine of anarchy on the high seas.
Damn You All to Hell!
How Hollywood taught a generation to fear nuclear catastrophe
The World Economy Is on the Brink of Epochal Change
Capitalism’s operating system is due for a major upgrade. How that turns out depends on enormously consequential political choices.
I Fought Plastic. Plastic Won.
My futile quest to avoid the material that my entire world is made out of
The Great American Novels
136 books that made America think
The Liberal Misinformation Bubble About Youth Gender Medicine
How the left ended up disbelieving the science
How to Be Happy Growing Older
Your future will probably be better than your past.
Baby Boomers’ Luck Is Running Out
After a lifetime of good fortune, the generation has become vulnerable at exactly the wrong moment.
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.
Why Can’t Americans Sleep?
Insomnia has become a public-health emergency.
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