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.
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.
‘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.
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.
Trump’s Tariffs Aren’t As Dead As You Think They Are
If you’re hoping for grocery prices to go down, I’ve got some bad news.
The Supreme Court Isn’t a Rubber Stamp
Of all the kingly and capricious powers that Donald Trump enjoys exercising as president, the ability to threaten arbitrarily large tariffs is his favorite. Who could ever forget “Liberation Day” in April 2025, when America declared economic warfare on the rest of the world? Or, at least it was his favorite power—before the Supreme Court ruled today that many of the tariffs he had imposed in the past year were illegal.
Winter Olympics Photo of the Day: Shredding the Halfpipe
Patrick Smith / Getty
Benjamin Lynch of Team Ireland competes in the first run of the men’s freeski halfpipe final on Day 14 of the 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on February 20, 2026.
Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Mythical Geography
Updated with new questions at 3 p.m. ET on February 20, 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.
The Supreme Court Delivers Trump a Humiliating Gift
In the 1630s, King Charles I tried to tax English people without the consent of their legislature. He lost his head.
In the 2020s, Donald Trump tried to tax Americans without the consent of Congress. He just lost his case.
A tariff is a tax. The Trump tariffs imposed in and after April 2025 were projected to raise as much as $2.3 trillion over 10 years. The Constitution assigns authority over taxes, including tariffs, to Congress.
Get Ready for Zombie Tariffs
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.
Updated at 1:49 p.m. ET on February 20, 2026
The Trump tariffs are dead. Long live the Trump tariffs?
This morning, in a 6–3 opinion, the Supreme Court struck down the bulk of the president’s sweeping global tariffs.
Mohsen Mahdawi, Palestinian Columbia Student Targeted by Trump, Hails Court Ruling Blocking Deportation
An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University graduate and green card holder who was detained last April at what he thought was a citizenship interview. Mahdawi grew up in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and was an outspoken critic of Israel’s genocide in Gaza while attending Columbia. He spent two weeks in ICE custody before a federal judge ordered his release.
“Colonial Apartheid Regime”: Jeremy Scahill on Trump’s “Board of Peace” & Plans For Gaza
Journalist Jeremy Scahill says the Trump administration’s vision for the Gaza Strip is of a continued “colonial apartheid regime” with Israel and U.S. interests controlling the lives of millions of Palestinians in perpetuity. “Palestinians are being told that they must completely surrender,” says Scahill. President Trump chaired the first meeting of his so-called Board of Peace this week, a body established for Gaza but whose remit has already expanded.
Jeremy Scahill: Despite Ongoing Talks, Trump Admin Is “Obsessed” with Destroying Iran
Despite chairing the first meeting of his newly formed Board of Peace on Thursday, President Donald Trump continues to threaten war against Iran as the Pentagon positions a massive fighting force in the Middle East. Trump said he would give Tehran about two weeks to reach a deal on its nuclear program, but media reports indicate that he could launch an attack within days. Iran maintains its nuclear enrichment program is for peaceful civilian purposes.
Carole Cadwalladr on Epstein Fallout: As U.K. Arrests Ex-Prince, Where is the Accountability in U.S.?
British police released former Prince Andrew on Thursday after 11 hours in custody, with his shocking arrest earlier in the day making him the first senior British royal to be arrested in nearly 400 years. Police are probing his connections to the deceased sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and whether he shared classified government information with him while serving as a U.K. trade representative from 2001 to 2011.
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.