The Atlantic Out Loud

Nearly a year after a national-security scandal erupted on my iPhone, no one in the Trump administration has faced consequences. By Jeffrey Goldberg From the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠April 2026 issue⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The wildly popular Norwegian novelist Vigdis Hjorth returns to a dark past. By Honor Jones From the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠April 2026 issue⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cruz family spent years building a life in New York. Then the risks of staying became too great. By Caitlin Dickerson From the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠April 2026 issue⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My aunt couldn’t afford to go to the hospital. She ended up there anyway. By Jenisha Watts From the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠April 2026 issue⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A look at recent incidents tying Nazi imagery and rhetoric to Republican figures and agencies. Discussion of a Border Patrol coat that alarmed German media and other troubling symbols in public life. Traces historical shifts since the 1990s that opened space for extreme tactics. Examines institutional weaknesses and what political tactics might push back.

A literary deep dive into how Toni Morrison filled gaps in Black history through stories and form. Discussions range from Confederate monuments and erased memories to jockey statuettes that reveal hidden pasts. The conversation explores Morrison’s musical prose, her procedures for making absence visible, and the moral duty she felt toward forgotten lives.

A profile of Rod Dreher’s intellectual journey and his push for retreating communities to preserve faith. Discussion of his belief in the supernatural, demons, and spiritual warfare. Exploration of his ties to European conservatives, praise for illiberal policies, and influence on contemporary right-wing rhetoric. Scenes of pilgrimages, solitude in Budapest, and the personal costs behind his vision.

A probe of how one foundation came to dominate arts and letters and whether its priorities reshape scholarship. Short histories trace federal retreat, philanthropic rise, and a shift toward social-justice funding. Stories show scholars pressured to reframe research and colleges revamping curricula for activist aims. The discussion asks what is lost when funding favors causes over traditional inquiry.

A deep look at why one major party struggles to project toughness and win. Covers internal party rituals, staff unrest, and debates between radicals and moderates. Explores the rise of combative populists, fundraising and registration shortfalls, and calls for bolder political tactics. Considers whether restraint or a fighting spirit best positions the party to capitalize on opponents' mistakes.

A look at Tennyson through Victorian medicine and the era's strange cultural diagnoses. How new sciences like astronomy, geology, and early psychology shifted his faith and art. Close focus on Maud: musical language, obsession, hallucination, and family madness. Reflections on how modern critics rediscovered his bleak, microscopic vision.