Today's Liberal News
Trump, defiant on tariffs, claims trade deals are in the works
The president is foreshadowing deals with multiple trading partners in an apparent effort to quell economic anxiety and prove his tariff plan is working.
US markets have spiraled. Americans had doubts about Trump’s tariffs before that.
Recent polls showed Americans were wary of tariffs, even before the president launched his plan to realign the global trade order.
Trump says tariff policies ‘WILL NEVER CHANGE’ amid plunging stocks, Chinese response
The president’s sweeping tariff plan has thrown markets into chaos and risks sparking a global trade war.
‘There are no guarantees’: Scott Bessent won’t rule out a recession
He also said he isn’t worried about stock market turbulence, following the worst week in the market in two years.
Trump’s business acumen has long been his armor. It’s being put to the test.
The normally bullish Trump over the weekend declined to rule out the possibility of a full-blown recession as his tariff policies threaten to spark a massive global trade war.
“One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This”: Omar El Akkad on Gaza & Western Complicity
We speak with the award-winning author and journalist Omar El Akkad, whose new book about the war on Gaza is titled One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. The book expands on a viral tweet El Akkad sent in October 2023, just weeks into Israel’s genocidal assault on the Palestinian territory, decrying the muted response to the carnage and destruction unfolding on the ground.
Trump Eyes Congo’s “Incredible Mineral Riches” as Armed Conflict Devastates Region
President Trump’s Africa envoy Massad Boulos has finished a tour of several East African nations, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he discussed a peace deal that could involve the U.S. tapping the country’s rich mineral resources, including cobalt and lithium. Several Western mining companies are already reportedly lined up to take part in the U.S.-backed mineral resources partnership.
Laughing in the Face of ‘Overwhelming Malice’
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.
When I was in high school, my classmates and I marveled at the biting sarcasm of our Spanish teacher. (Shout-out to the peerless Señor Householder.
Britain Rules on What a Woman Is
The question “What is a woman?” has haunted politics on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean for a decade. In Britain, where I live, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given a range of tortured answers, before eventually settling on “an adult female.” This week, the country’s highest court has endorsed that view.
Interpreting Britain’s flagship civil-rights law, the Equality Act of 2010, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the “concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man.
The Curse of ChatGPT
This is Atlantic Intelligence, a newsletter in which our writers help you wrap your mind around artificial intelligence and a new machine age. Sign up here.
Earlier this week, The Verge reported that OpenAI is developing its own social network to compete with Meta and X. The product may never see the light of day, but the idea has a definite logic to it. People create data every time they post online, and generative-AI companies need a lot of data to train their products.
The Conservative Case for Leaving Harvard Alone
The past few days have seen a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s brawl with universities in general and with Harvard in particular. According to multiple reports, the IRS has begun planning to revoke the university’s tax-exempt status. Losing exemption from income taxation would be disastrous for Harvard.
The Gleeful, Chaotic World of Underground Comics
This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here.
Art Spiegelman, the artist most famous for his novel Maus, makes comix. No, that’s not a typo, as he explains in an article The Atlantic published last week: Comix have a heritage distinct from the humorous strips found in newspapers. They’re a gleeful blend of art and writing with roots in 1960s counterculture, X-rated cartoons, and the alternative press.
Cannes Selects Film on Gaza Photographer Fatma Hassona; A Day Later, She’s Killed in Israeli Strike
Fatma Hassona, the 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and subject of the upcoming documentary film Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, was killed with her family Wednesday by an Israeli missile that targeted her building in northern Gaza. The strike occurred just one day after she learned that the film centered around her life and work had been selected to premiere at the ACID Cannes 2025 film festival. Director Sepideh Farsi remembers Hassona for her talent, integrity and hope.
“Absolute Nonsense”: As Measles Cases Soar & Kids Die, Expert Slams RFK Jr. on Vaccine-Autism Link
“These were otherwise healthy school-age children who didn’t have to die.” We speak to the world-renowned pediatrician, virologist and vaccine expert, Dr. Peter Hotez, about the dangerous anti-vaccine agenda of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Amid a growing number of measles cases in the United States, RFK Jr. has promoted skepticism of the efficacy of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
Money Talks: Why Are Student Loans So Broken?
Jillian Berman joins Emily Peck to discuss her new book on our dysfunctional student loans system.
Trump’s Obsession With “Manly Jobs” Ignores the Most Obvious One
If Americans must work with their hands, we could at least build something we need.
The Markets Have Never Hung on One Person’s Whims Before
This kind of volatility is not business as usual.
Fox News Is Having an Incredible Reaction to Trump’s Sudden Tariff Reversal
“Trump is back!” they screamed, apparently unaware that the tariffs were his idea in the first place.
HHS funding slashed by 30 percent in budget proposal
The Trump administration is mulling sharp budget cuts at health agencies.
Kennedy pledges to figure out which ‘environmental toxins’ are causing autism
The secretary said better diagnostics and awareness are responsible for a quarter of the increased rate.
JB Pritzker doubts Republican promises on Medicaid
“Medicaid is where most of us think they will go,” he said.
‘We are flying blind’: RFK Jr.’s cuts halt data collection on abortion, cancer, HIV and more
Fired workers and outside experts say the cuts leave the nation more vulnerable to health threats.
RFK Jr. says Deep State ‘is real,’ called FDA employees ‘sock puppet’ of industry
The HHS secretary’s remarks shocked staffers at the Food and Drug Administration, prompting some to walk out.
Is Aziz Ansari Sorry?
The Waves also discusses the Riverside Church controversy and the case of Sarah Milov.
Your Opinions on Her Wardrobe Are Probably Unwelcome
What we say matters, especially depending on whom we say it to.
What Role Does HR Play in the #MeToo Era?
The Waves also discusses the case against Jeffrey Epstein and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble.
Trump, defiant on tariffs, claims trade deals are in the works
The president is foreshadowing deals with multiple trading partners in an apparent effort to quell economic anxiety and prove his tariff plan is working.