How America Got Mean
In a culture devoid of moral education, generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world.
The Golden Age of the Fried-Chicken Sandwich
The sun is setting on burger dominance.
The Top Goal of Project 2025 Is Still to Come
The now-famous white paper has proved to be a good road map for what the administration has done so far, and what may yet be on the way.
How to Age Up on a Warming Planet
Younger generations are having a hard time imagining their future.
Why I’m Leaving Pacific Palisades
My family survived the fire. We want to rebuild. But another, greater conflagration has enveloped us.
The Not-at-All-Funny Life of Mark Twain
Ron Chernow’s biography dwells more on the wreck of a man than on his sublimely comic work.
SNL Isn’t Really Hot for Your Mom
A raunchy sketch ends up reinforcing the stereotype of mothers as frumpy and sexless.
The Sociopaths Among Us—And How to Avoid Them
You’re bound to come across the “Dark Triad” type of malignant narcissists in life—and they can be superficially appealing. Better to look for their exact opposite.
The Crisis of American Leadership Reaches an Empty Desert
Photographs from the humanitarian disaster in Sudan and Chad
Quaker Parents Were Ahead of Their Time
The nearly 375-year-old religion’s principles line up surprisingly well with modern parenting research.
Israel Plunges Into Darkness
What Netanyahu describes as impending victory is a dive into the morass.
Trump’s Inevitable Betrayal of His Supporters
Trump never meant to keep his promises. His voters are starting to notice.
What the Press Got Wrong About Hitler
Journalists accurately reported that the führer was a “Little Man” whom the whole world was laughing at. It didn’t matter.
Read The Atlantic’s Interview With Donald Trump
A conversation with the president about executive power, Signalgate, and 24-karat gold
How the Most Remote Community in America Gets Its Mail
Transporting letters and packages to the village of Supai requires a feat of logistics, horsemanship, and carefully placed hooves.
Something Alarming Is Happening to the Job Market
A new sign that AI is competing with college grads
The Republicans’ Budget Makes No Sense
Congress is trying to preserve the illusion of revenue while cutting taxes.
How the Ivy League Broke America
The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?
An emerging critical consensus argues that we’ve entered a cultural dark age. I’m not so sure.
America Is Watching the Rise of a Dual State
For most people, the courts will continue to operate as usual—until they don’t.
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