Recent articles
May 20, 2026
The Price of Trump’s Primary Wins
The victories of candidates he endorsed serve to reinforce his grip—but also hurt his standing with the broader public.
www.theatlantic.com
May 18, 2026
An Outrageous Commutation for an Election Denier
The release of Tina Peters, a local election official convicted of seven crimes, is likely to encourage attacks on election integrity.
www.theatlantic.com
May 15, 2026
Trump’s Latest Gaffes Could Hurt the GOP
The president won’t face voters again, but Republican midterm candidates will have to deal with the consequences of his latest comments.
www.theatlantic.com
May 14, 2026
The Coming War on Local Black Political Power
The VRA’s demise could result in a hollowing out of Black political representation and influence, not only in Washington and in state capitals.
www.theatlantic.com
May 12, 2026
Kash Patel’s Performative Deflections
At a congressional hearing today, the FBI director seemed unafraid of any repercussions and more interested in scoring partisan points that go viral.
www.theatlantic.com
May 11, 2026
The Curious Buzz Around Marco Rubio
Rubio is gaining momentum, but Trump’s choices will eventually put all possible successors in the same predicament.
www.theatlantic.com
May 8, 2026
The Perverse Joy of Listening to Bad Music
The best music has the power to transport and transform us. But then again, so does the worst.
www.theatlantic.com
May 6, 2026
A Dangerous New Attack on Press Freedom
According to MS NOW, the FBI has launched an investigation into an Atlantic reporter.
www.theatlantic.com
May 4, 2026
How the Supreme Court Came to Accept a Practice It Called Unjust
The Court went from condemning partisan gerrymandering to effectively encouraging it.
www.theatlantic.com
May 1, 2026
Congress Can’t Meet Its Own Iran-War Deadline
As the war reaches its 60th day, lawmakers appear unwilling or unable to do anything.
www.theatlantic.com
April 30, 2026
Vance Denies and Confirms <em>Atlantic</em> Reporting in One Breath
The vice president’s comments on Fox News are the latest instance of his tortured attempts to navigate a path through Donald Trump’s war in Iran.
www.theatlantic.com
April 28, 2026
Why Government Corruption Has Boomed in Trump’s Second Term
The president is no longer intimidated by backlash.
www.theatlantic.com
April 27, 2026
The Shooting Is Not a Reason to Speedrun Trump’s Ballroom
The safe outcome on Saturday makes the case for deliberation and care.
www.theatlantic.com
April 23, 2026
Seriously, Tucker Carlson? Come On
Media figures who have turned against Trump only in recent weeks have forfeited the right to be taken seriously in the future.
www.theatlantic.com
April 21, 2026
Another Trump Cabinet Member Is Out
Lori Chavez-DeRemer was supposed to take the GOP in a more worker-friendly direction. Instead she is departing amid scandal.
www.theatlantic.com
April 20, 2026
The Aides Keeping the President in the Dark
Donald Trump’s advisers are treating him like he can’t handle the reality of the war in Iran. They might be right—but that fact is a danger to the constitutional order.
www.theatlantic.com
April 18, 2026
The Film From 1969 That Explains Contemporary America
The Sorrow and the Pity has lessons for how authoritarianism takes root.
www.theatlantic.com
April 17, 2026
The Donald J. Trump Guide to Classic Fairy Tales
Has the president failed to learn the lessons of classic cautionary fables—or does he just understand them in his own novel ways?
www.theatlantic.com
April 15, 2026
Trump Doesn’t Have the Power to Enact His Latest Elections Scheme
The president’s attempts to interfere with the midterms demand vigilance, but a recent flimsy gambit is an argument against despair.
www.theatlantic.com
April 13, 2026
The President vs. the Pope
The president’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV shows his view of religion as an instrument of power but not a prescription for morality.
www.theatlantic.com
April 8, 2026
The Most Transparent Presidency in History—And the Most Opaque
The paradox of recording Donald Trump’s time in office
www.theatlantic.com
April 7, 2026
A President Without Restraints
Trump’s position is that if he wants to wipe out a country, then that is his decision to make.
www.theatlantic.com
April 6, 2026
What Happens When Trump Feels Cornered
The president’s most inflammatory remarks tend to come when he gets frustrated—which might explain his recent outbursts.
www.theatlantic.com
March 26, 2026
Critics Have a New Way to Describe the Trump Administration
Calling his presidency a “regime” has some benefits, but it underestimates the resilience of the 250-year-old republic.
www.theatlantic.com
March 25, 2026
Trump Is Asking to Be Bailed Out Again
The president’s eagerness to act keeps getting him into difficult spots—which he then demands that legislators and the public help him escape.
www.theatlantic.com
March 23, 2026
American Aviation Is Near Collapse
Fatal crashes, overstressed controllers, and endless security lines reveal a system teetering on the brink of failure.
www.theatlantic.com
March 20, 2026
The State That Decided to Topple a Political Giant
Phil Berger has been the most powerful person in North Carolina for 15 years. That wasn’t enough to save him from voters’ anger at incumbents and legalized gambling.
www.theatlantic.com
March 16, 2026
J. D. Vance Learns What Mike Pence Already Knows
The vice president is realizing that signing on with Donald Trump might seem like a shortcut to the top, but it’s actually a guarantee of humiliation.
www.theatlantic.com
March 12, 2026
Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Trump’s Cabinet
Three recent stories reveal frivolous expenditures from government leaders.
www.theatlantic.com
March 11, 2026
A Horrible Throwback to the Early 2000s
The United States is experiencing a resurgence of the attacks on Muslims and Islam that were common at that time—but this time with a president who has encouraged them.
www.theatlantic.com