Wait—Laser Guns Are Real Now?
A staple of sci-fi and children’s entertainment is now being deployed by actual militaries in actual combat.
Ideas
Trump’s Enormous Gamble on Regime Change in Iran
A few paths to success, many to failure
The Right Is Becoming What It Hates
The pile-on of false accusations against Gavin Newsom is exactly what the right claims to condemn.
The Real Reason Anthropic Wants Guardrails
AI is too powerful and too new to be set free from human oversight.
Boredom Is the Price We Pay for Meaning
When I became a father, I was forced to reckon with the emotion that consumed my days.
The High-Stakes Fight Between Hegseth and Anthropic
Even when companies vow to develop AI responsibly, geopolitics may force them to abandon that commitment.
The Ruthless Benevolence of a Great Editor
Ann Godoff, who died this week, cared passionately about her writers—and much less about her own ego.
The Degraded State of the Union
Presidential oratory once sought to elevate its audience, through high seriousness and artful rhetoric, but also by being high-minded and fair.
The Tariffs Loss Is Paradoxically a Win for Trump
The president will need the Court to have a veneer of legitimacy for when it blesses other, more damaging parts of his agenda.
How America Chose Not to Hold the Powerful to Account
Our national project of elite impunity