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Soldiers in Afghanistan
Peter van Agtmael / Magnum

The Hidden Cost of America’s Forever War

A devastating incident in Afghanistan shows the perils of relying on Special Operations alone to fight the nation’s battles.

  • Jessica Donati

I Never Expected to See It Here

  • Ilhan Omar
An illustration of an American flag on a black screen.

Why Kids Might Be Key to Reaching Herd Immunity

  • Sarah Zhang
A pair of hands in blue gloves administer a vaccine to a young person's arm.

Why Biden’s Inaugural Address Succeeded

  • James Fallows
Joe Biden giving his inaugural address

Don’t Move On Just Yet

  • Quinta Jurecic
Illustration of a far-seeing eye
An image of Joe Biden set into the European Union flag
Getty / The Atlantic

Joe Biden Has a Europe Problem

  • Tom McTague
People getting vaccinated in Israel
Oded Balilty / AP

Why Israel’s Vaccine Success Might Be Hard to Replicate

  • Uri Friedman

TV Captured Trump by Looking Away

The best shows of the 45th presidency captured the essence of an unprecedented leader by seeing past his act.

  • Sophie Gilbert
Characters from various TV shows of the Trump era.
Paul Spella / HBO / Netflix / Getty / The Atlantic

The Grapevine Looks a Little Different Today

What do Bridgerton, DeuxMoi, and Dickinson have in common? They capture the new appeal of anonymous gossip.

  • Shirley Li
Daphne Bridgerton and Lady Violet Bridgerton examine a gossip pamphlet
LIAM DANIEL / NETFLIX

What It’s Like to Carry On a Tradition With a Friend Who Can’t Remember It

“He could tell if it rang true inside of him or not.”

  • Julie Beck
A close up illustration of a high five
Wenjia Tang

The Books Briefing: Presidential Biographies—And Presidential Mythologies

Books that influence how complicated political figures are remembered: Your weekly guide to the best in books

  • Kate Cray
A black-and-white photograph of JFK and his biographer Arthur Schlesinger Jr. laughing in Boston winter, surrounded by a crowd of men
Bettmann / Getty
Amanda Gorman, a National Youth Poet Laureate, recites her poem "The Hill We Climb" during the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

The Atlantic Daily: 9 Poems to Read This Weekend

Amanda Gorman captivated at President Joe Biden’s inauguration—and reminded the nation of the power of poetry. We’re rereading her poem, and some other timely works.

  • Caroline Mimbs Nyce

Stop Keeping Score

  • Arthur C. Brooks
A man wearing a hat made of checkboxes and looking at a small smiley face he is holding

The Good Kind of Brain Drain

  • Helen Santoro
  • Knowable
A soccer player holding a bag of ice to his head.

Ask Dr. Hamblin: So When Can We Stop Wearing Masks?

  • James Hamblin
illustration of someone wearing a mask

Latest

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  • A black and white close up of two men in suits talking; one points at the other in a "you got it" sort of gesture

    What I Learned About Love When I Stopped Being Honest

    • Michael Leviton
    January 24, 2021
  • A Great blue heron takes flight on rocks above the Salton Sea near Niland, California.

    The Bird That Builds Nests Right By Its Worst Enemy

    • Larry Pynn
    • Hakai Magazine
    January 24, 2021
  • Cormorant by power lines

    I Stare at a Cormorant

    • Tiana Clark
    January 24, 2021
  • A doctor injects vaccine

    Listen: Who Gets the Next Shot?

    January 24, 2021
  • Alicia Valeriano, originally from Mexico City, pictured at home in Freehold, New Jersey. Because she doesn’t have a social security number, her family did not qualify for aid under the CARES Act, even though she has paid taxes for 18 years.

    The U.S. Must Do More to Care for Its Caregivers

    • Catherine S. Ramírez
    • Glenn Kramon
    January 24, 2021
  • Characters from various TV shows of the Trump era.

    TV Captured Trump by Looking Away

    • Sophie Gilbert
    January 23, 2021
  • A soccer player holding a bag of ice to his head.

    The Good Kind of Brain Drain

    • Helen Santoro
    • Knowable
    January 23, 2021
  • People getting vaccinated in Israel

    One Country Has Jumped Ahead on Vaccinations

    • Uri Friedman
    January 23, 2021
  • Soldiers in Afghanistan

    The Forgotten People Fighting the Forever War

    • Jessica Donati
    January 23, 2021
  • Illustration of a far-seeing eye

    Don’t Move On Just Yet

    • Quinta Jurecic
    January 23, 2021
  • Amanda Gorman, a National Youth Poet Laureate, recites her poem "The Hill We Climb" during the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.

    The Atlantic Daily: 9 Poems to Read This Weekend

    • Caroline Mimbs Nyce
    January 22, 2021
  • Joe Biden giving his inaugural address

    Why Biden’s Inaugural Address Succeeded

    • James Fallows
    January 22, 2021
  • Daphne Bridgerton and Lady Violet Bridgerton examine a gossip pamphlet

    The Grapevine Looks a Little Different Today

    • Shirley Li
    January 22, 2021
  • A black-and-white photograph of JFK and his biographer Arthur Schlesinger Jr. laughing in Boston winter, surrounded by a crowd of men

    The Books Briefing: Presidential Biographies—And Presidential Mythologies

    • Kate Cray
    January 22, 2021
  • A close up illustration of a high five

    What It’s Like to Carry On a Tradition With a Friend Who Can’t Remember It

    • Julie Beck
    January 22, 2021
  • Barack Obama and Joe Biden

    How Biden Plans to Beat Republican Obstructionism

    • Edward-Isaac Dovere
    January 22, 2021
  • Riot police at the U.S. Capitol

    Can Abolition Work in an Age of Right-Wing Extremism?

    • Neil Gong
    • Heath Pearson
    January 22, 2021
  • To achieve unity moving forward requires swift and decisive steps from lawmakers to correct wrongs through clear policy initiatives.

    ‘Unity’ Is Not What America Needs Right Now

    • Syreeta McFadden
    January 22, 2021
  • A U.S. drone

    America’s Shadow Death Row

    • Conor Friedersdorf
    January 22, 2021
  • Image

    Photos of the Week: Ice Castles, Northern Lights, Inauguration Fireworks

    • Alan Taylor
    January 22, 2021
  • Live Event

    The Atlantic Festival

    September 2021 Virtual Event

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  • A black and white close up of two men in suits talking; one points at the other in a "you got it" sort of gesture What I Learned About Love When I Stopped Being Honest
    • Michael Leviton
  • Soldiers in Afghanistan The Forgotten People Fighting the Forever War
    • Jessica Donati
  • Former President Donald Trump and the former first lady Melania Trump leave the White House for the final time. What I Saw at the White House on Trump’s Last Day
    • Peter Nicholas
  • painting of women bending in awkward positons. Yes, the Pandemic Is Ruining Your Body
    • Amanda Mull
  • A Great blue heron takes flight on rocks above the Salton Sea near Niland, California. The Bird That Builds Nests Right By Its Worst Enemy
    • Larry Pynn
    • Hakai Magazine
  • People getting vaccinated in Israel One Country Has Jumped Ahead on Vaccinations
    • Uri Friedman
  • The Racial Symbolism of the Topsy-Turvy Doll
    • Julian K. Jarboe
  • A typewriter The Scientific Case for Two Spaces After a Period
    • James Hamblin
  • Al Franken, That Photo, and Trusting the Women
    • Megan Garber
  • When Women Choose Children Over a Career
    • Hana Schank
    • Elizabeth Wallace

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Writers

See all
  • Sophie GilbertTV Captured Trump by Looking Away
  • Uri FriedmanOne Country Has Jumped Ahead on Vaccinations
  • Caroline Mimbs NyceThe Atlantic Daily: 9 Poems to Read This Weekend
  • James FallowsWhy Biden’s Inaugural Address Succeeded
  • Shirley LiThe Grapevine Looks a Little Different Today
  • Kate CrayThe Books Briefing: Presidential Biographies—And Presidential Mythologies
  • Julie BeckWhat It’s Like to Carry On a Tradition With a Friend Who Can’t Remember It
  • Edward-Isaac DovereHow Biden Plans to Beat Republican Obstructionism
  • Conor FriedersdorfAmerica’s Shadow Death Row
  • Alan TaylorPhotos of the Week: Ice Castles, Northern Lights, Inauguration Fireworks
  • Ronald BrownsteinTrump’s Parting Gift to Joe Biden
  • Amy Weiss-MeyerWhat Novelists Can Learn From Playwrights

Podcasts

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  • Floodlines cover art

    Prologue

    The Story of an Unnatural Disaster

  • Podcast cover art

    Episode 102

    Who Gets The Next Shot?

  • Podcast cover art

    Episode 33

    John Bresnahan Helps Us Understand What The Hell Just Happened

Politics

  • How Biden Plans to Beat Republican Obstructionism
  • The Biden Generation’s Last Chance
  • Trump’s Parting Gift to Joe Biden

Culture

  • TV Captured Trump by Looking Away
  • The Grapevine Looks a Little Different Today
  • ‘Unity’ Is Not What America Needs Right Now

Technology

  • Parler’s Rise Was Also Its Downfall
  • MAGA World Is Splintering
  • Trump’s Tweets Were Never Just Tweets

Ideas

  • The U.S. Must Do More to Care for Its Caregivers
  • One Country Has Jumped Ahead on Vaccinations
  • Don’t Move On Just Yet

Science

  • The Bird That Builds Nests Right By Its Worst Enemy
  • The Weekly Planet: How to Think About President Biden’s Big Climate Plans
  • The Corpse Flower Is Not in the Mood

Books

  • I Stare at a Cormorant
  • The Books Briefing: Presidential Biographies—And Presidential Mythologies
  • What Novelists Can Learn From Playwrights

Family

  • What I Learned About Love When I Stopped Being Honest
  • What It’s Like to Carry On a Tradition With a Friend Who Can’t Remember It
  • Stop Keeping Score

Business

  • The Difference Between First-Degree Racism and Third-Degree Racism
  • The Pandemic Shows Us the Genius of Supermarkets
  • The Looming Bank Collapse

Global

  • The Forgotten People Fighting the Forever War
  • Photos of the Week: Ice Castles, Northern Lights, Inauguration Fireworks
  • Joe Biden Has a Europe Problem

Health

  • Listen: Who Gets the Next Shot?
  • The Good Kind of Brain Drain
  • Pandemic Numbers Are (Finally) Tiptoeing in the Right Direction

Education

  • How to Teach American History in a Divided Country
  • Working for Racial Justice as a White Teacher
  • The Children Who Desegregated America’s Schools

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