The Real Crisis of The Pitt
What the hit show’s approach to Dr. Robby reveals
Culture
What I Saw Inside the Kennedy Center
I spent 10 months working at the institution because I thought I could help protect it. What I observed there is far worse than the public knows.
The Quiet Way Authoritarianism Begins to Crumble
Among the many reasons for Viktor Orbán’s defeat was the rural clubs where citizens relearned democratic habits.
Don’t Just Replace Chavez—Rethink Monuments
It’s time for tributes to leave the great-man theory of history behind.
America’s Schools Are Less Divided Than You Think
Teachers are generally much more concerned about doing right by their students than they are about angering parents and community members.
The 20 Best Podcasts of 2025
The shows that deserve a spot in listeners’ rotations
What the U.S. Could Learn From an Irish Theater
For 100 years, Ireland’s Abbey Theatre has shown that a publicly funded troupe can deliver cultural riches and hard truths.
The Importance of Critical Thinking in a Zombiefied World
Why romantasy is crucial to understanding Apple TV’s hit show Pluribus
Only Timothée Chalamet Could Get Away With This
To promote his new movie, the actor has thrown all caution to the wind.
The Atlantic’s Favorite Images of the Year
Every single story The Atlantic publishes includes art—documentary photography, conceptual illustrations, 3-D animation, handmade collages, paintings, and more—that provides readers with another lens through which they can understand and experience a given subject or idea. The Atlantic’s art department created and commissioned thousands of images in 2025; here is a collection of some of our favorites. We hope they make you think.
Everything We Know About Rape Is Wrong
Girls Play Dead is a transformative analysis of what sexual assault does to women.
AI Is Democratizing Music. Unfortunately.
The emerging technology is warping the record industry in all sorts of strange—and foreboding—ways.
Bowen Yang Broke Free on Saturday Night Live
The performer, whose run on the show ended last night, understood that being earnest could be very funny.
Theft
A poem