The Long History of the Hamnet Myth
The belief that his son’s death inspired Shakespeare to write Hamlet is itself inspired by an enduring, compelling, and highly questionable theory.
When Donald Trump Fired David Rubenstein
The private-equity billionaire spent decades building influence in the capital. Then his philanthropy collided with the president.
The People Outsourcing Their Thinking to AI
Rise of the LLeMmings
The Bubble-Wrapped President
Trump surrounds himself with those who flatter him in places where he is comfortable.
The New German War Machine
After World War II, Germany embraced pacifism as a form of atonement. Now the country is arming itself again.
Today’s Instagram Trivia Answers
Here are the questions and answers from today’s Atlantic Trivia on Instagram.
The Eloquence
A poem
The World Still Hasn’t Made Sense of ChatGPT
OpenAI’s chaos machine turns three.
Five Books to Read on Your Next Flight
These stories will help pass the time while you travel.
The Movies Got Small, and So Did We
Going to the movies with my dad
Why the Gulf Monarchs Shower Trump With Gifts
Until now, no president had yielded to royal temptations from abroad.
What Is RFK Jr. After?
On Washington Week With The Atlantic, Michael Scherer joins a discussion about his story on the HHS secretary’s plans to remake America’s public-health system.
How to Change Your Sleep Patterns
Altering your habits one bit at a time is possible—if you have a good reason to do so.
The Germans Who Stood Up to Hitler
And the Germans who didn’t
Colleges Are Preparing to Self-Lobotomize
The skills that students will need in an age of automation are precisely those that are eroded by inserting AI into the educational process.
America’s Slide Toward Simulated Democracy
How our public sphere has drifted from reality to a “simulated” democracy—and what it might take to pull it back
The Comedian Dismantling the Alpha-Male Persona
Tim Robinson has figured out how to make abrasive men sympathetic.
You’re on Ozempic? How Quaint.
The next-generation “GLP-1 plus” drugs will be tailored to the health needs of individual patients.
Get Your Kid a Watch
A smartwatch isn’t capable of doing that much harm. It can also do a lot of good.
Black Friday Nostalgia
If we’re going to worship consumerism and consumption, let’s at least do it together.
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