Forever 21 opened in my hometown when I was in middle school, when the opening of a new store at the mall was still a big deal. When the sign first went up, nobody knew what “Forever 21” was. I remember thinking that it would be a store marketed to retirement-age women who felt young at heart—Forever 21! This was wrong, but not so far off: Do Won Chang, one of its founders, has said he chose the name because 21 is “the most enviable age.
When Israel and Hamas finally agreed to a cease-fire in January, many outside observers credited the agreement to Donald Trump’s commitment to peace. Unlike Joe Biden, the story went, America’s new president was willing to put the screws to Israel to compel quiet in Gaza and would keep the deal on track.
These claims completely misread the map. Trump was less interested in ending the war than in being able to say he’d gotten some hostages out by the time he was inaugurated.
Editor’s Note: Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you? Are you beset by existential worries? Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles readers’ questions. Tell him about your lifelong or in-the-moment problems at dearjames@theatlantic.com.
Don’t want to miss a single column? Sign up to get “Dear James” in your inbox.
Dear James,
I’m a man in a relationship with a woman I met on Hinge a little over a year ago (we’re both in our early 30s), and things have been absolutely great.
One of President Donald Trump’s most intense fixations since returning to the White House has been to take over and overhaul the Kennedy Center, the national arts and culture institution in Washington, D.C. Trump fired the president of the Kennedy Center, replaced the bipartisan board of trustees with loyalists and made himself chairman of the organization, vowing to shift programming away from “woke” art and toward more patriotic themes.
The Trump administration has vowed to continue its military strikes against the Houthi movement that controls much of Yemen, and says it will hold Iran responsible for any retaliation from its ally. Since Saturday, U.S. warplanes have launched dozens of large-scale attacks on multiple towns across Yemen, killing dozens of people. The strikes came after the Houthis threatened to resume attacks on Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip.
We speak with Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed in Deir al-Balah, who says the civilian population and the medical system cannot handle more war. Israel launched a massive wave of airstrikes overnight that killed hundreds of people across the territory, effectively shattering the fragile ceasefire signed in January. “People have not yet recovered from the endless trauma they have been through during the past 15 months. We haven’t taken a breath from what we have been enduring,” says Abed.
Israel has shattered the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Hamas, launching a massive wave of airstrikes overnight that killed hundreds of people across the Palestinian territory and wounded many others. The surprise attacks came amid stalled talks on how to extend the ceasefire signed in January, though Israel has signaled for weeks that it wanted to resume the war on Gaza. Dr.
Edward Fishman and Saleha Mohsin join to discuss how the US dollar became a global currency and what that means under Trump.
They look different, but they underscore the same anxieties.
The most successful Youtuber ever is selling his fame in the form of chocolatey treats.
Don’t wear leggings. Do keep your shoes on.
Neither of these companies needs to have its hand in another industry.
At his confirmation hearing to run Medicaid, Oz brushed off Democrats’ concerns about cuts Republicans are planning.
The effort is part of the Trump administration’s plan to shrink the federal government.
The memo created by Democratic staff on the Senate Finance Committee comes as Oz is expected to face the panel on Friday for a confirmation hearing.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski shared concerns about his vaccine views before the White House pulled his nomination.
The move is likely to tighten the Trump administration’s control over the public health agency.
The Waves also discusses the Riverside Church controversy and the case of Sarah Milov.
What we say matters, especially depending on whom we say it to.
The Waves also discusses the case against Jeffrey Epstein and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble.
He also said he isn’t worried about stock market turbulence, following the worst week in the market in two years.
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.
“I hate to predict things like that,” Trump said when pressed about the possibility of a recession during a recorded interview that aired on “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.
Trump imposing new tariffs on top of broader policy uncertainty will mean a hit to growth. The question is how large of a hit it will ultimately be.
Lina Khan and her allies tried to remake antitrust law. Trump’s team is likely putting an end to that.
A pair of federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired federal workers at the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury. The White House vowed to fight what it called an “absurd and unconstitutional order.” This comes as the White House and its allies have increasingly targeted judges who rule against the administration.
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.
On Friday, President Donald Trump delivered an unusual speech at the Justice Department.
