Money Talks: The Underground Economy
Mariana van Zeller joins Felix Salmon for a look into the hidden economics of black and gray markets.
Today's Liberal News
A Century-Long Google Bet
Alphabet issues century bonds, the majority of Trump’s tariffs were paid by US citizens, and Felix defends fakes.
Super Bowl Commercials This Year Sent a Clear Message. I Hope Donald Trump Isn’t Listening.
Regrettably, I must support the Dunkin’ commercial.
The Real Reason Jeff Bezos Killed the Washington Post
The billionaire wanted the Post to die, because a vigorous, well-resourced newspaper does not help his bottom line.
FDA’s reversal on Moderna flu shot bid followed White House pressure
President Trump called Commissioner Marty Makary to the White House to discuss his frustration with the agency handling of vaccine issues, sources told POLITICO.
Jay Bhattacharya named acting CDC director
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed Jim O’Neill, whom Trump will nominate to lead the National Science Foundation, from the CDC job last week.
Why Congress failed to reach an Obamacare deal
Lawmakers delayed negotiations despite a drumbeat of warnings. That was just the first problem.
RFK Jr.’s allies are trying to free anti-vaccine doctors to speak their minds
They want the Supreme Court to allow physicians to buck the medical establishment when they advise patients and the public.
RFK Jr.’s battle with the public health establishment has turned to trench warfare
The health secretary turned his agencies toward skepticism of processed food and vaccines, but he’s faced pushback at every turn — including from Republicans.
When Church Was a Queer Space
Outward’s hosts sit down with the host and co-creator of When We All Get to Heaven.
Remembering, with the People of MCC San Francisco, AIDS Still Isn’t Over.
The neighborhood changes, the church moves, people forget and remember “the AIDS years,” but AIDS isn’t over.
What Happens When You Organize Church Around AIDS – and AIDS Changes?
The AIDS cocktail opens new possibilities. And MCC San Francisco tries to use the experience of AIDS to make bigger social change.
The Church’s Pastor Gets Diagnosed with AIDS. And the Church Wonders How Much They Might Lose.
The church’s minister gets sick and everyone knows it.
A Church Romance Between a Hula Dancer and a Lumbersexual Blossoms in a Dangerous Time.
The church’s “it couple” faces AIDS, caregiving, and loss as part of a pair, part of families, and part of a community.
Trump in Iowa tries to shift the conversation back to the economy
A brief swing through the farm state underscored administration fears about the midterms.
Americans give Trump low marks on handling of economy as midterms likely to center on affordability
Sixty-one percent of voters told a CNN poll released Friday that they disapprove of the way Trump is handling the economy.
The Buzz in Kristi Noem’s Home State
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has faced intense scrutiny from Republicans and calls for her firing from Democrats since the January 24 shooting of Alex Pretti by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. Now Noem’s tenuous standing with the Trump White House is creating concern in her home state of South Dakota that she might leave the Cabinet to challenge Senator Mike Rounds in the state’s June Republican primary.
The DOJ Isn’t Built for This
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
For several hours last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi sat before the House Judiciary Committee with one apparent mission: Don’t back down.
Let’s Talk About RFK Jr.’s Workout Pants
A post on X claimed to be a simple message from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Stay active; eat well. But the 90-second video it shared, called “Secretary Kennedy and Kid Rock’s Rock Out Work Out,” seems designed to be bewildering. Here was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
‘I’ve won affordability’: Trump previews SOTU in Georgia rally
The president stopped in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s old district to defend his economic record.
Does Writing Have to Be Hard?
This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here.
ChatGPT and food-delivery droids came to my campus at roughly the same time, in the 2022–23 academic year. My response—cranky, tweedy—was hopelessly on brand for a history professor. The chatbot and the droid appeared to be in league, robotic species on the vanguard of civilizational collapse.
Today’s Atlantic Trivia: A Country-Capital Clue
Updated with new questions at 2:50 p.m. ET on February 19, 2026.
If you put any stock in the ability of IQ tests to assess intelligence, we humans have spent the past century steadily getting smarter. (And if you don’t put any stock in them, well, we humans have steadily gotten better at IQ tests.)
Because IQ is a standardized measure, humankind’s average score still sits at 100—but this isn’t your granddaddy’s 100.
Former Prince Andrew Arrested in U.K. as Global Fallout from Epstein Files Grows
U.K. police have arrested the former Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was previously sued in 2021 by Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of multiple instances of sexual assault when she was underage. The lawsuit was settled out of court shortly after it was filed, but Mountbatten-Windsor was allowed to keep his royal title and privileges at the time.
Courts Have Ruled 4,400+ Times That ICE Jailed People Illegally; Despite Rebukes, ICE Keeps Doing It
Following violent and indiscriminate sweeps of immigrant communities across the United States, the number of people in ICE detention has increased 75% since President Trump returned to the Oval Office. Yet, as the number of lawsuits against the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign skyrockets, the federal government has continued to jail people indefinitely. Although judges across the U.S.
Social Media Addiction: Facebook Whistleblower Says Big Tech Has Known & Ignored Problem for Years
We continue our conversation with attorney Laura Marquez-Garrett and victim advocates Lori Schott and Lennon Torres about their fight to hold tech giants accountable for the damaging and even deadly effects of social media addiction on children and young adults. We’re also joined by Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee who blew the whistle on several of the company’s harmful and manipulative practices in 2021.
“Predatory Tech”: Silicon Valley on Trial in Landmark Youth Social Media Addiction Case
Meta — the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram — and Google are on trial in Los Angeles following a lawsuit accusing them of fueling and profiting from addictive behaviors aimed at children and young adults.
Money Talks: The Underground Economy
Mariana van Zeller joins Felix Salmon for a look into the hidden economics of black and gray markets.
A Century-Long Google Bet
Alphabet issues century bonds, the majority of Trump’s tariffs were paid by US citizens, and Felix defends fakes.
Super Bowl Commercials This Year Sent a Clear Message. I Hope Donald Trump Isn’t Listening.
Regrettably, I must support the Dunkin’ commercial.