Analysts too often assume that autocrats obscure the goals they wish to achieve. The historical record suggests that we should take them at face value.

Plus: Did the 1960s environmental movement worsen today’s climate crisis?

CRISPR, GLP1s, and other advancements that astonished me

The oratory was warmed-over, but the substance was right.

The part Poles played in the Revolutionary War illuminates an urgent lesson about the meaning of freedom today.

The president-elect has long demonized intelligence officers and other federal employees. This is how he might come for them.

Notes from an “actualist” on what liberation requires

In Europe, Trump looks too extreme even for many right-wing insurgents.

The president got his “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Can he sell it to voters?

During the first half of his term, the president has radically expanded the social safety net but struggled to protect voting rights.