Today in 5 Lines
President Trump said that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” in the event of an attack, later adding that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “will regret it fast” if he attacks or issues an “overt threat” to Guam or a U.S. ally. Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC, expressed interest in musician Kid Rock’s proposed Senate run. The House Freedom Caucus filed a petition calling for a House vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Reuters reports that Trump will send his son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, to the Middle East soon to help facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Trump reportedly plans to return to Washington for a brief visit on Monday, interrupting a two-day trip to New York.
Today on The Atlantic
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No Bark and No Bite: President Trump isn’t one to shy away from a public feud. And yet, he's refused to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin—and often gone out of his way to avoid criticizing the Kremlin at all. Why? (David A. Graham)
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‘The View From Guam’: Lenika Cruz checked in with a few experts—and a handful of family members—to understand what it’s like to be caught between Washington and Pyongyang.
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Abusing His Powers: On Wednesday, five trans service members sued the Trump administration over the president’s Twitter proclamation banning transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military. Garrett Epps argues that the lawsuit has “a pretty good chance of blocking the ban.”
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Kurt Andersen on America's Magical Thinking: In this week's episode of Radio Atlantic, the man who brought us the phrase “short-fingered vulgarian” talks with Jeffrey Goldberg, Alex Wagner, and Matt Thompson about the long history of fantasy winning out over truth in the U.S., and what he learned from his years of covering Donald Trump for Spy magazine.