The Atlantic

David Sacks, Donald Trump’s former crypto and AI czar, has held only one consistent principle throughout his career: a ruthless devotion to self-interest, George Packer writes. How did the investor and his allies in Silicon Valley capture Washington? theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/…

“The Justice Department is entering a hyperaggressive new era, cutting legal corners in service of getting President Trump the headlines—and revenge—he wants,” Quinta Jurecic argues: theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/…

First, companies used AI to analyze worker productivity; now it’s supercharging corporate surveillance by monitoring employee emotion, @elcush reports: theatlantic.com/culture/2026/0…

In 2024, McKay Coppins was asked to verify a “massive story”: A Mexican man said he was forced to compete in a tournament of cartels. Coppins’s investigation raised questions not only about the tale, but about who—and what—we are conditioned to believe: theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/…

OpenAI’s new image-generation model can create highly realistic fake IDs, receipts, and prescriptions, @LilaShroff reports. She examines how the model risks perpetuating fraud: theatlantic.com/technology/202…

Some AI matchmaking companies are presenting themselves as a fix to dating-app fatigue, @anniejoyw8 reports. She signed up for an AI matchmaker to test that out: theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/…

Emma Thompson, an oil painting of a unicorn, the human goodness of “Paradise,” and more culture favorites from senior editor Dan Zak: theatlantic.com/newsletters/20…

“We all want someone to put an ear to the blues in us” Read “Reflections in the Door of a School Bus and Other Doors,” a new poem by Athena Nassar: theatlantic.com/books/2026/05/…

Americans’ dream house is smaller than you think, Lily Meyer writes in Time-Travel Thursdays. She explores how Millennials are abandoning the idea of living in a big home. theatln.tc/nFK2aQWi 🎨: Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The Atlantic

What the public thinks—and the consequences it may face—matters less to Trump than his designs to remake the world, @AshleyRParker and @michaelscherer report. theatln.tc/luAJL7hc 🎨: Anthony Gerace. Source: Brendan Smialowksi / Getty.

Spirit Airlines was notorious for its bad service and hidden costs—but consider what America is losing now that it’s gone, @Saahil_Desai writes. theatlantic.com/technology/202…

Yesterday marked the first annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting without Warren Buffet. Read Seth A. Klarman’s reflection from December on what made Buffet an American role model: theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/12/…

Members of both parties are egging on a nationwide tax revolt—and if the economy were to tank, the country could end up with a toxic combination of widespread joblessness and rampant inflation, @AnnieLowrey argues. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/…

First, companies used AI to analyze worker productivity; now it’s supercharging corporate surveillance by monitoring employee emotion, @elcush reports: theatlantic.com/culture/2026/0…

The alleged D.C. attacker represents the phenomenon of “normie extremism”—people with conventional and widely held beliefs that they are willing to kill for—and the incident is reminiscent of another recent case, @alibreland argues. theatln.tc/Xn8uhHZk 📸: Robbin Goddard / Los Angeles Times / Getty

The nostalgia-baiting sequel “The Devil Wears Prada 2” doesn’t shy away from the woes of modern media—but the glitz and glamour are still there, David Sims writes: theatlantic.com/culture/2026/0…

A standout sketch on last night’s “SNL” shrewdly illustrated all the ways that heartbreak can distort reality, writes @yeehawchsburger: theatlantic.com/culture/2026/0…

“What the Roberts Court is making possible,” @AdamSerwer argues, “is a country where white people can maintain their political dominance at the expense of Americans who are not white.” He examines what to expect following the Voting Rights Act ruling: theatln.tc/Pg529ZdA 📸: Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg / Getty

Conservatives want to police how we talk about Donald Trump—while excusing how the president talks about everyone else, @jonathanchait argues: theatlantic.com/politics/2026/…

People tend to have stronger bonds with their mother's side of the family. In 2023, @chiaradellojoio wrote about the “matrilineal advantage” and why so many paternal kin miss out on closeness: theatln.tc/0Wr4qbeT 📸: Richard Baker / Getty