Today's Liberal News

Trump’s Indictment Reveals a National-Security Nightmare

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.Former President Donald Trump, along with one of his aides, has been indicted for federal crimes involving highly sensitive national-security documents.

The Indictment Is Stunning. Will Trump Supporters Care?

In the weeks before he took office as president, Donald Trump had a portentous, private chat with the broadcast journalist Lesley Stahl, a prelude to a 60 Minutes interview. As Stahl recounted later, she asked Trump why he so relentlessly brutalized the media. His answer, she said, was strikingly direct: “You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so that when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you.

The Stupidest Crimes Imaginable

We knew it would be bad. Even so, it’s bracing just how bad the evidence laid out by the Justice Department against Donald Trump is.The indictment against Trump and his personal valet, Walt Nauta, unsealed this afternoon, lays out the federal case against the former president in vivid, shocking, and sometimes even wry detail. An indictment is not a conviction—it’s a set of allegations by prosecutors, without rebuttal from the defendant.

The ‘Uniquely Southern Storytelling’ of Charles Portis

This is an edition of the revamped Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here.The great affection afforded the writer Charles Portis has largely to do with his voice on the page—not just the southern dialects that he captured so well, but a style of uniquely southern storytelling, dripping with pathos and humor.

An Exit from the GOP’s Labyrinth of Trump Lies

It’s as sincere as the grief at a Mafia funeral.Who believes that Governor Ron DeSantis—so badly trailing in the polls behind former President Donald Trump—is genuinely upset by his rival’s federal indictment? Or that Speaker Kevin McCarthy—so disgusted by Trump in private—does not inwardly rejoice to see Trump meet justice?The Fox News talkers have been trying for months to sideline Trump and promote DeSantis.

Indicted Again: Donald Trump Faces Federal Espionage & Conspiracy Charges in Classified Docs Probe

In a historic first, the Justice Department has indicted former President Donald Trump on multiple felony charges related to his mishandling classified documents and obstructing the government’s attempts to recover them. Trump is the first former president ever to face federal criminal charges and could potentially spend years in prison if convicted. He is set to be arraigned in a Miami court on Tuesday.

This Indictment Is Different

Donald Trump has been indicted by federal prosecutors in connection with his removal of documents from the White House, the former president announced on his social-media site tonight. He said that he has been summoned to appear on Tuesday at a U.S. courthouse in Miami. Several outlets reported that he faces seven counts, but more information was not immediately available.

A Supreme Court Ruling That Could Tip the House

A decade’s worth of disappointment has conditioned Black Americans and Democrats to fear voting-rights rulings from the Supreme Court. In 2013, a 5–4 majority invalidated a core tenet of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Subsequent decisions have chipped away at the rest of the law, and in 2019, a majority of the justices declared that federal courts have no power to bar partisan gerrymandering.

An Interview With Tim Alberta on CNN’s Turmoil

Last Friday, The Atlantic published Tim Alberta’s profile of then–CNN CEO Chris Licht. Yesterday, Licht was ousted from the network. Below, in selected excerpts from today’s episode of our podcast Radio Atlantic, Alberta reflects on how Licht’s attempts to save the network went so wrong.

The Battle Over Smartphones at School

Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.Question of the WeekShould parents refuse to give children smartphones before high school? All opinions are welcome. Especially encouraged are perspectives from parents, teachers, and relatively young people.Send your responses to conor@theatlantic.com.

“Airpocalypse”: David Wallace-Wells on Red Skies, Raging Wildfires & Pollution Link to Climate Crisis

Record-breaking Canadian wildfires continue to fill skies across much of North America with smoke, putting about 100 million people under air quality alerts. New York City recorded the worst air quality of any major city in the world as a result of the haze. Around the world, air pollution is already responsible for as many as 10 million deaths per year, and the problem is likely to get worse, says New York Times opinion writer David Wallace-Wells.