Today's Liberal News

Why Europe Is Talking About Nukes

After World War II, peace-loving Sweden began working on a nuclear bomb to stave off a feared Soviet invasion. But in the 1960s, the Scandinavian nation scrapped the program under pressure from the United States, whose nuclear arsenal has shielded Europe for about 80 years.
Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, reminded me of this history in an interview today.

Drink Whole Milk, Eat Red Meat, and Use ChatGPT

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an AI guy. Last week, during a stop in Nashville on his Take Back Your Health tour, the Health and Human Services secretary brought up the technology between condemning ultra-processed foods and urging Americans to eat protein. “My agency is now leading the federal government in driving AI into all of our activities,” he declared. An army of bots, Kennedy said, will transform medicine, eliminate fraud, and put a virtual doctor in everyone’s pocket.
RFK Jr.

Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Who Is Fighting Over Nagorno-Karabakh?

Updated with new questions at 4:20 p.m. ET on February 13, 2026.
You won’t find this in Cortina d’Ampezzo over the next few weeks, but for several decades of the Olympics’ history, the contest awarded medals not just for sport but for art too.
In the Summer Games from 1912 to 1948, musicians, painters, and plenty of other aesthetes went brain-to-brain in events such as lyric poetry and chamber music. “Town planning” was even contested one year under the umbrella of the architecture competition.

“Policy of Aggression”: Cuba’s U.N. Ambassador Denounces U.S. Oil Blockade, Push to Topple Government

Cuba is facing a growing humanitarian crisis due to a U.S.-imposed oil blockade. The Trump administration has also threatened new tariffs against any nation that sends fuel to Cuba, which has been under a U.S. trade embargo since 1962. These measures have caused fuel shortages and widespread blackouts, while the cost of food and transportation has skyrocketed. “This is a massive violation of human rights,” says Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Cuban ambassador to the United Nations.

“Love Forward Together”: Faith Leaders in North Carolina Launch 50-Mile March for Social Justice

Faith leaders in North Carolina are leading a three-day trek from Wilson to Raleigh in an event aimed at supporting “unabridged voting rights; living wages and ending poverty; welcoming immigrants,” and more. Reverend Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove spoke with Democracy Now! from the march, saying that “love is the power that can overcome fear in this moment.

Carrie Prejean Boller Is Not Going Quietly

“It is not a biblical mandate that I have to worship Israel,” Carrie Prejean Boller told me today. The former Miss California USA turned social-media influencer was dismissed from President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission yesterday after drawing charges of anti-Semitism. But, she wanted to make clear, she regrets nothing—and has no intention of disappearing without a fight.
On Tuesday, the Religious Liberty Commission held its fifth hearing, in Washington, D.C.

What Fabulous Timing for Gallup to Stop Tracking Presidential Approval!

Two men from headquarters walked out to the corral to tell the pollster the news. They were a big man and a little man. They were identically attired, in a dark suit and dark glasses. Both carried a briefcase.
The pollster was leaning against the split-rail fence, looking at the horses. (The horses had started to appear 88 years ago due to a misspelling of Gallup. A new one arrived with each completed poll.)
“It’s not because the president’s approval rating has been so low,” the big man said.