How Colin Jost Became a Joke
On “Weekend Update,” the comedian is a smug know-it-all who’s easy to dislike. That’s the point.
An Autopsy Report on Biden’s In-Office Decline
“Five people were running the country,” a political insider told the authors of the new book Original Sin. “And Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.”
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 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.
‘We’re Definitely Going to Build a Bunker Before We Release AGI’
The true story behind the chaos at OpenAI
The Question the Trump Administration Couldn’t Answer About Birthright Citizenship
The government doesn’t seem to know how it will implement this massive change in policy.
The Visionary of Trump 2.0
Russell Vought is advancing a radical ideological project decades in the making.
Why Are There So Many ‘Alternative Devices’ All of a Sudden?
The dream of a phone without problems
What We Inherit From Our Parents
We’re not doomed to repeat their mistakes, or destined to mimic their best behavior.
‘I Run the Country and the World’
Donald Trump believes he’s invincible. But the cracks are beginning to show.
The Birthright-Citizenship Case Isn’t Really About Birthright Citizenship
And there’s good reason for that.
Trump’s Tactical Burger Unit Is Beyond Parody
Happy Meal Team Six
How to Take Charge of Your Family Inheritance
You may be fine with becoming more like your parents or hate the idea. Either way, it’s something you can control.
The Neo-Anti-Vaxxers Are in Power Now
A new cadre of officials might deal in evidence more than Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does, but they still question the worth of vaccines.
The New MAGA World Order
This week’s Gulf tour revealed that Trump’s transactional foreign policy doesn’t lack values. It just has really bad ones.
Return of the Shaman
How visionary healers became a fixture of contemporary American culture and politics
The Wrong Way to Motivate Your Kid
When children fall short, many parents’ instinct is to take away something they love. That’s the wrong impulse.
The Day Grok Told Everyone About ‘White Genocide’
What in the world just happened with Elon Musk’s chatbot?
Maybe Star Wars Is Better Without Lightsabers
The TV series Andor achieved greatness by challenging the franchise’s good-and-evil dichotomy.
Trump’s Real Secretary of State
How the president’s friend and golfing partner Steve Witkoff got one of the hardest jobs on the planet