The Great Grocery Squeeze
How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert
Journalism’s What If Problem
Too many reporters are writing fiction.
The Kash Patel Principle
Donald Trump’s choice for FBI director speaks volumes about his real second-term agenda.
The Future of the Executive Branch
The Trump administration has plans to overhaul the federal government—but how will the president-elect and his allies actually bring about this radical change?
How Humans Handle Housework
Minimizing gender disparities in house chores means reconsidering some deeply held societal truths.
What Trump Doesn’t Understand About the Military
Politicizing the U.S. armed forces won’t just hurt democracy. It will make the military weaker.
How a Strongman Made Himself Look Weak
Narendra Modi has picked a needless fight with the United States and Canada.
How Biden Made a Mess of Ukraine
He treated the conflict as a crisis to be managed, not a war to be won.
What Breaking Up Google’s Search Monopoly Could Do to AI
The most powerful chatbot may not be the most successful one.
Imagine a Drug That Feels Like Tylenol and Works Like OxyContin
New research points to a future in which pleasure and pain relief can be independently controlled.
Photos of the Week: Doo Dah, Horse Play, Cloud Falls
An autonomous delivery robot in Barcelona, a heat wave in Australia, a triceratops auction in France, a lava flow in southwestern Iceland, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, and much more
How Gen Z Came to See Books as a Waste of Time
Young people might be responding to a cultural message: Reading just isn’t that important.
The Trends Atlantic Writers Love and Hate
Six answers to the question: “What’s a trend you wish would come back, and one you wish would go away?”
Three Ways to Handle an Awkward Thanksgiving
Even if you’re sitting down with a boorish uncle or a snippy cousin, you can do things to make the occasion a happy one.
The Most Controversial Game on the Internet
Wyna Liu, the editor of the New York Times game Connections, discusses her process and the particular ire her puzzles inspire.
Why Are You Still Cooking With That?
Black plastic spatulas, nonstick pans, and other Thanksgiving cooking worries
Always a Girlboss, Never a Tradwife
A new Netflix documentary explores the cost of Martha Stewart’s chase for domestic perfection.
A Late Win for Biden in the Middle East
The cease-fire in Lebanon finally forestalls the prospect of a region-wide war.
The Perception Gap That Explains American Politics
Americans overwhelmingly—but, it turns out, mistakenly—believe that Democrats care more about advancing progressive social issues than widely shared economic ones.
The Musical Blockbuster That Didn’t Play By the Rules
Wicked makes the case that audiences aren’t so tired of the genre after all.