This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here. Why defend academic freedom even when the ideas in question are wrongheaded or harmful? “It is precisely because any kind […]
In Defense of Academic Freedom Read More »
On Monday, amid a measles outbreak, a bird-flu epidemic, and a disturbing report of poor safety precautions at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a surprising new area of focus for his agency: fighting
Public-Health Officials Should Stay in Their Lane Read More »
On President Donald Trump’s first day back in the White House, he issued an executive order ending diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government. Its sweeping language forbids DEI “mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities,” and orders the termination
DEI Has Lost All Meaning Read More »
On Saturday, Elon Musk, the billionaire charged by President Donald Trump with cutting government waste, alerted the public to a massive inefficiency in the federal bureaucracy: Government employees would soon be distracted from their actual work by a request from
The Obvious Inefficiency of Elon Musk’s New Order Read More »
For many years, Representative Earl Blumenauer began each Congress by writing a personal letter to every new member of the House and hand-delivering it to their office. The letter contained all the advice he wished that he had been given
A Retiring Congressman’s Advice to New Members of the House Read More »
Donald Trump’s 2024 victory was about much more than a backlash to left-identity politics. Inflation, among other matters, loomed larger. Still, Trump gained significant ground with Latino, Black, Asian, Arab, Gen Z, and big-city voters. And that, as much as
How to Move on From the Worst of Identity Politics Read More »
Federal agencies should address the public in language that most Americans understand. Vladimir Vladimirov / Getty December 10, 2024, 8:30 AM ET The federal agency tasked with “improving the health, safety, and well-being of America” alerted its more than 2
The Problem With the Government’s Pansexual Pride Day Post Read More »
When Donald Trump returns to the White House next year, American democracy won’t end. His power will be checked by Congress, the Supreme Court, the 50 states, and civil society. So says David Cole, who knows more than most about
The Case Against Despair in Trump’s Second Term Read More »
Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration. After Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, Barack Obama dutifully carried out the peaceful transfer of power. But a large faction of Americans declined to treat Trump as
Treat Trump Like a Normal President Read More »
To understand modern politics, including the Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns, distinguishing between two qualities—charisma and charm—is vital. They are different kinds of political magnetism. And thanks to the sociologist Julia Sonnevend, I’ll never conflate them again. In her
The Charisma-vs.-Charm Election – The Atlantic Read More »
