Netanyahu is trying to use the Iran war for his own domestic political advantage, whether as an excuse to call of his corruption trial or to pass an unpopular budget. But there are good reasons to think it's not going to work, and that the war might even end up being his undoing. Gift link:
The data economy has made us dumber in ways that also make us vulnerable to authoritarian takover. We are have become both cynical and gullible in the sense we think we are too jaded be fooled and as a result are tricked more easily www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Hours before Khamenei’s compound was struck, a Polymarket user wagered $20K he would be out of power by March, and earned more than $120K on the bet.
As more tools emerge for flagging insider trading, it’s easy to imagine how bets like this could lead to a disaster. buff.ly/xrF4e0i
Ukraine has spent years developing cheap, effective ways to shoot down drones. And it doesn't appear we asked them about it before we started burning through million-dollar interceptors. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
@peter-wehner.bsky.social on what leadership looks like in times of war. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The war in Iran—and how many missiles the US has to use to fight it—could directly impact whether China invades Taiwan. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
It was because of Iran's nuclear program. Actually, there was an imminent threat. Er, Israel made us do it. No, *we* made them do it.
None of the stated reasons for attacking Iran totally check out—which opens the door for other motives. From @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social buff.ly/vTxAb6E
Missy Ryan and Nancy A. Youssef on one of the most important questions of the war: can the US destroy Iran’s missile supply before its own air defenses run out? www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
This was the reaction in the room this morning when Pete Hegseth said "tragic things happen" about the deaths of six American soldiers. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
There's a reason presidents have been wary of assassinating foreign leaders: Once it starts, there's no telling where it will end. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
A heartbreaking story from @caitlindickerson.bsky.social about a mixed-status family’s decision to self-deport rather than risk being separated. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
Lots of arguing over the War Powers Resolution. But what's it say?
I talked my boss out of using in 1990. I still think it's a bad law. But Trump should be answering Congress's questions.
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
A good explanation of the tightrope the US and Israel are now walking. End the conflict too soon, and the current regime bounces back. Don't end it soon enough, and chaos ensues. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
This might explain why Trump has abandoned isolationism—and why Cuba might be next. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
A reminder that Trump and Musk shut down every U.S. agency and bureau that promoted democracy and human rights, and defunded government media, such as Voice of America and Radio Farda, that could have communicated with the Iranian people during this crisis. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
"America knows how to destroy regimes but not how to rebuild societies."
A haunting George Packer piece about the hubris of the war we've just begun. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Svetlana Stalin, Joseph's daughter, was born 100 years ago yesterday. She lived an extraordinary life and defected here in 1967. Late in life, I found her living anonymously in Wisconsin. We became friends and exchanged hundreds of letters.
This is a distressing story about Trump’s attempts to impede Thomas Massie’s efforts to release the Epstein files. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
“Nine people familiar with information that was submitted to the FBI and DOJ in recent years told me they were alarmed that many documents—including those that they say include references to Trump—were not made public.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
I was 43 when Nike asked if I wanted to train for the Chicago Marathon with their coaches. I was grieving the death of my father and convinced my best running was behind me. But maybe with their help, that wasn't the case. So I said yes—and ran the fastest marathon of my life.
"Disagreeing with the government is the most American thing in the world."
Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, talks to CBS about the Pentagon's decision to cut them off --- and perhaps even to try to shut them down ---- because the company drew red lines over mass surveillance and autonomous killing.
"Trump offered immunity to the Revolutionary Guard Corps, armed services, and police if they laid down their arms. The alternative was “certain death.” Yet he didn’t say whom any takers should surrender to, given the operation has not involved ground forces." www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
1) Iran's gov deserves to fall.
2) Success--meaning a new, more humane government arrives---is not impossible; but the path is narrow and hazardous.
3) Trump has not offered anything like an understandable strategy. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
"The essence of editing is ethics; it’s the act of caring for the expression of the thoughts of another as if they were your own.”
A lovely Franklin Foer piece on Ann Godoff’s devotion to her writers. www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/0...
Wow. Kristi Noem’s dog-killing story may have cost her a shot at VP—but it also might've helped land her the role as head of DHS. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
After the arrests of powerful men across the world, you might be asking why the US has so much trouble holding its leaders accountable for lawbreaking. Since Nixon, all three branches of government have worked hard to ensure they can break the law with impunity www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Del Bigtree, a longtime ally of RFK Jr., says he wants not only his own children to contract measles, but others as well. www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
A brutal anecdote about Trump and Jared Kushner (featuring Tom Brady), from the new @gavinnewsom.bsky.social book. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The Trump admin has shown a particular interest in animal welfare. Trump worries about windmills killing “our beautiful bald eagles.” Pam Bondi brings dogs to meetings.
Animals are wonderful, but as @engber.bsky.social points out, there is probably something more at play here. buff.ly/in8hczH
The Trump admin is cutting lifesaving aid to seven African countries because it says “there is no strong nexus between the humanitarian response and U.S. national interests.”
More than 6 million people in those countries are facing extreme or catastrophic conditions, per the UN. buff.ly/in8hczH
