Today's Liberal News

Will Gottsegen

Sam Altman Wants to Know Whether You’re Human

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The opening moments of the 1982 film Blade Runner introduce viewers to a world of artificially intelligent beings that are “virtually identical” to humans.

The Allbirds Pivot Is a Terrible Idea … Right?

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Walk into any Silicon Valley office in the late 2010s, and you’d probably see at least one pair of Allbirds.

Trump’s Logic for Blockading the Blockaders

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Over the past seven days, Donald Trump has adopted two contradictory positions on the Strait of Hormuz. A week ago, he wrote that a “whole civilization” would “die” if Iran didn’t make certain concessions—among them, allowing ships to resume their normal courses in and out of the Persian Gulf.

Iran Has the Upper Hand in the Upcoming Negotiations

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This morning, as the United States and Israel’s war with Iran neared the end of its sixth week, Vice President Vance headed for Pakistan, where he plans to sit down with Iranian officials.

Vance’s ‘Fraud Czar’ Title May Come Back to Haunt Him

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Vice President Vance is having a busy month. He may facilitate negotiations with Iran in Pakistan this weekend—part of the White House’s attempt to maintain the fragile cease-fire in the Middle East. But he’s also got his eye on domestic issues as the administration’s “fraud czar.

What Trump Wants From Cuba

Updated at 5:34 p.m. ET on April 3, 2026
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Since January, the Trump administration has effectively blockaded nearly all oil shipments to Cuba, causing conditions on the island to deteriorate dramatically.

Trump’s ‘Regime Change’ Swerve

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According to President Trump, Iran has undergone not one, but two regime changes already this year—and the new government is far more “reasonable” than its predecessors. “The one regime was decimated, destroyed, they’re all dead.

Airfare Is Just the Beginning

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Walk into any American airport today, and you might end up in a security line that extends past the baggage claim. You might hear a muffled voice announcing over the intercom that your flight has—once again—been delayed. And you might have to pay even more for this experience.

What the Markets Tell Trump

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On Friday, after almost a full month of bombing Iran, Donald Trump offered a glimpse of the end. American military operations in the country, he said, could soon be “winding down.

What’s Going on With the IRS?

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Etched into the facade of the Internal Revenue Service’s headquarters, just above a trio of limestone arches, is a quote from Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.: “Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society.

A Test for Trump’s Most Faithful

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Let’s get this out of the way: Rumors of a major MAGA schism have been greatly exaggerated.

The Wild 24-Hour Rise and Fall of Oil Prices

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For more than a week after the United States and Israel’s initial attack on Iran, oil prices stayed relatively calm—even as bombs rained down in the Middle East and the war expanded to neighboring countries.

Anthropic Takes a Stand

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Earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sat down with Dario Amodei, the CEO of the leading AI firm Anthropic, for a conversation about ethics.

Trump’s Chance to Turn Things Around Tonight

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When Donald Trump last addressed Congress, in March 2025, he was triumphant. He’d stormed back into the White House after surviving two assassination attempts, and his first 100 days in office were on track to be historically productive.

The DOJ Isn’t Built for This

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For several hours last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi sat before the House Judiciary Committee with one apparent mission: Don’t back down.

What the Crypto Crash Reveals About Trump’s Power

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During the summer of his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump made a vow to the cryptocurrency industry: Elect him, and the United States would become the “crypto capital of the planet.

Why Trump Is Picking Fights With Big U.S. Banks

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For as long as the Trump family has been cashing in on crypto, Don Jr., Eric, and their affiliates have deployed a particular narrative about their reasons for investing in the industry.

Why Trump Wants a Weaker Dollar

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The U.S. dollar is getting weaker, and that’s just how the president wants it. During an appearance last Tuesday at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Urbandale, Iowa, Donald Trump told reporters that the dollar’s declining exchange rate was “great.

The Markets Are Getting Used to Trump

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Trying to parse market reactions to world events can feel a bit like armchair psychology. Lately, investors seem to be holding something back—amid a barrage of potentially seismic decisions from the White House, markets have barely budged.

The Trump Administration’s Affordability Messaging Is Confusing Americans

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At a rally in Detroit earlier this month, Donald Trump told the crowd that his upcoming speech at the World Economic Forum would tackle one of his core issues: affordability. But the address he delivered in Davos yesterday was not quite what he’d telegraphed.
In what my colleague David A.

Your Phone Is a Slot Machine

This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here.
Even before the legendary gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok was shot dead holding aces and eights at a Deadwood poker table, the practice of gambling—as a pastime and an enterprise—has been bound up in American identity.
But for as long as some Americans have loved gambling, others have judged it.

What’s Going on With the Epstein Files?

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There was a moment this fall when it seemed like the public might actually get some answers—that the extent of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes might be exposed, and that his victims might see the accountability they’ve been waiting for.

The Candor of Jerome Powell

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Jerome Powell isn’t known for his expressiveness. The chair of the Federal Reserve has kept quiet over the past year as President Trump has repeatedly attacked him—often with crude language (think moron, numbskull, dumb, and loser).

ICE Wasn’t Always Like This

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On Wednesday, an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three and a U.S. citizen, in the streets of Minneapolis. She was at least the fourth person killed in a shooting by immigration-enforcement officers during Donald Trump’s second term.

The Polymarket Bets on Maduro Are a Warning

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When U.S. Delta Force commandos slipped into Venezuelan airspace over the weekend, they did so in secrecy.

The President’s Busy Holiday

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Donald Trump spent the holidays drifting further and further from the “America First” doctrine he campaigned on. The president who once promised to disentangle the United States from foreign conflicts has turned his focus abroad: On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, respectively, the U.S.

The New ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’

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For months, President Donald Trump’s crusade against the drug trade has carried the threat of violence: “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country,” he said in October.

The Fed’s Succession Drama

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For almost an entire year, Donald Trump has begged the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates and supercharge the American economy. And for almost an entire year, Fed Chair Jerome Powell has barely budged.

The Media CEOs Jockeying for Trump’s Support

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The president isn’t picking sides in the battle to own Warner Bros. Discovery—at least not yet. On Friday, the company announced that Netflix would acquire it for $83 billion.