A shock awaited Drake’s fans when they first hit “Play” on his latest album. A gentle instrumental intro lulled the ears for 37 seconds. Then the second track, “Falling Back,” cut in, the audio equivalent of a jump scare in a horror movie.
Republicans are poised to cast aside all the economic technicalities and bash Democratic candidates up and down the midterm ballot over an economy that is already deeply unpopular with voters in both parties.
As next month marks one year since the United States officially withdrew from Afghanistan, we look at the Taliban-ruled country’s devastating economic and humanitarian crisis that has unfolded since. Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary describes the dire situation as “an epic failure by the Taliban as the de facto rulers in terms of not stopping their crackdown against the Afghan people” while they cope with flash floods, food shortages and more. He adds that the U.S.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, many in Western countries are expressing their opposition to the war by becoming hostile to Russian culture. Nina Khrushcheva argues that Russian music, films, books and art are not the right targets for antiwar activism in her latest article, “Don’t Cancel Russian Culture.
We look at how the Russian war in Ukraine is impacting the Russian people, with many Russian dissidents who oppose the invasion choosing to flee abroad after facing violent crackdowns at home. Ilya Budraitskis is a Russian historian and political writer who left his home in Moscow after the war in Ukraine began, and recently launched the media outlet Posle.
We speak to Oksana Dutchak, a Ukrainian feminist and co-editor of the leftist journal Spilne, who fled to Germany because of the “inability to live under the constant pressure of fear” as Russian invaded. She says Western leftists and feminists who have misgivings about Western military support for Ukraine often overlook that Ukrainians are fighting for self-determination and against imperialism.
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to turn up pressure against “Republican extremism,” Hulu angered Democrats and state judges made opposite rulings on enforcing bans.
The GOP’s decade-plus war against the health law continues with lawsuit over coverage requirement for testing, vaccines and PrEP.
Indiana is the first state legislature to take up a sweeping new ban since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Slower wage growth could help bring down prices and ultimately mean less sting for the average worker.
Lower-income and Black and Hispanic Americans have been hit especially hard.
Biden officials have repeatedly touted the jobs numbers as evidence of the economy’s underlying strength, but slowing the labor market is essential to helping tame consumer prices.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have introduced the Puerto Rico Status Act, which would allow residents of the longtime U.S. colony to begin the process of self-determination and decide on the island’s territorial status. The bill sets up three options for residents to choose from in a referendum — U.S. statehood, independence or sovereignty in free association with the United States — and commits Congress to abide by the results.
A new report highlights the impact of two pandemic-related initiatives — and suggests what will happen if lawmakers let them lapse.
Another bonus update, as holy crap things are happening on the ground. Just in the last 24 hours, I wrote about weird stuff happening in Izyum and bridges around Kherson getting blasted, and Mark followed up with Russia’s suddenly precarious position in that region. Things haven’t let up today.
There’s been newly visible movement in the Department of Justice’s own investigation of the Jan. 6 coup attempt, with new indications that prosecutors are indeed examining Donald Trump’s own actions on and before that day. And that’s still about all we know, but it’s something.
In the meantime, Trump himself is bellowing new, brazenly fascist threats.
Voters didn’t pay all that much attention when Donald Trump’s Hitler goof rallies plumbed ever-lower depths of hate and bigotry—or when it was reported that he literally kept a book of Hitler speeches in his bedside cabinet, for that matter.
The Kentucky Republican said the Senate wouldn’t pass a computer chip bill if Democrats pursued budget reconciliation, but it did and they are.
Massachusetts Republicans want to make roads less safe by calling for the repeal of a law that will allow undocumented residents in the commonwealth to apply for driver’s licenses and drive legally. The Work and Mobility Act was passed in June and doesn’t even go into effect for another year, but state Republican officials and candidates are backing an effort to get a repeal on November’s ballot.
The former vice president got 17 minutes of airtime while giving a speech the same day as Trump, who was appearing a mile away.
From their very beginnings in the 1990s, “Patriot” militia groups have tried to portray themselves as civic-minded defenders of their communities who show up at natural disasters as well as for “communist” threats to their well-being. Over the years, they’ve posed as flood rescue workers, volunteer border watchers, and anti-pedophilic “groomer” watchdogs—but in reality, they always have been nothing but unaccountable thugs with gun.
“They should be like, ‘Are you a toxic male? Please sign up,’” the Georgia Republican said.
The tolls aren’t expected to be implemented until late next year at the earliest.
The people with knowledge of the matter said the declaration is expected as soon as the end of the week.
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.Donald Trump returned to Washington, D.C., for the first time since leaving office in a show of support for the organization trying to make MAGA more than just vibes.But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.
Yesterday Vice President Kamala Harris briefly caused a significant portion of the social-media world to think that she was hopelessly liberal or simply out of her mind. At a recorded roundtable event in the Eisenhower Executive Office building, she introduced herself by saying, “I am Kamala Harris; my pronouns are she and her, and I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit.
This is an edition of Up for Debate, a newsletter by Conor Friedersdorf. On Wednesdays, he rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.Question of the WeekIs there class prejudice in the United States? If so, describe how it works.
The slow embrace of the comic-book medium by elite audiences is a history with its own particular milestones, each marking a moment of sudden approbation by previously disapproving constituencies. George McManus received a congressional dinner and warm words from Franklin D. Roosevelt in celebration of his comic strip, Bringing Up Father. Mid-century-modern artists like Roy Lichtenstein adapted (okay, lifted) images and panels from comic books.
The move can offer the agency a better understanding of how far and fast the virus is spreading.
We speak with Marxist economist Richard Wolff about how experts forecast another economic recession in the United States, with inflation at a historic high and a federal minimum wage that hasn’t changed for 13 years.