The Blindness of Elites
Walter Kirn and the empty politics of defiance
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Max Hacks Goes for the Jugular
In its third season, the show faces the failures of late-night comedy head-on.
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic; Sources: Getty. Marijuana’s Health Effects Are About to Get a Whole Lot Clearer
Rescheduling weed will clear the way for scientists to study it more directly.
Florent Vergnes / AFP / Getty What Is Wagner Doing in Africa?
Russian mercenaries are wringing wealth and political leverage out of the Sahel.
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Sources: Courtesy of Elena Dudum I Am Building an Archive to Prove That Palestine Exists
For me and my family, this work is an act of hope.
Illustration by Vanessa Saba for The Atlantic. Sources: Virginia Department of Corrections / AP; Netflix. What If He Actually Did It?
I argued that Jens Söring was wrongfully convicted of a double murder, and in 2019, he was released on parole after three decades in prison. Then I started having doubts about the case.
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Source: Curtis Means / Getty 
ESA; NASA; CSA; STScI Photos of the Week: May Day, Campus Protests, Snake Festival
Devastating floods across Kenya, a pagan fire festival in Scotland, antler gathering in Wyoming, pro-Palestinian demonstrations at many American colleges, and much more
If Plants Could Talk
Some scientists are starting to reopen a provocative debate: Are plants intelligent?
Despite Everything You Think You Know, America Is on the Right Track
Yes, America is a wounded giant—but it always has been, and the case for optimism is surprisingly strong. (From 2023)
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Illustration by Danielle Del Plato* Trains in Trouble
Most of the great passenger railroads have withered and died and they have been replaced by Amtrak, which has mammoth troubles of its own. (From 1976)
Millennium Images / Gallery Stock 
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Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: David Axelbank / Gallery Stock radio atlantic•Episode 70If Plants Could Talk
Some scientists are starting to reopen a provocative debate: Are plants intelligent?
The Atlantic how to keep time•Episode 1Introducing: How to Know What’s Real
A new season of the How To series from The Atlantic
