Evan McMurry
@evanmcmurry.theatlantic.com
📤 22123
📥 606
📝 741
Senior Editor, Audience -
@theatlantic.com
, things of that nature
pinned post!
Porting over my pinned tweet: I write short stories! Some of which get published, a few of which win awards. (Don't worry, plenty get rejected, too.) "Nothing Kinky":
bit.ly/2IFUYsY
"Nixon in Heaven":
bit.ly/37VCtJp
"After the Water":
bit.ly/3mg7NrP
"The Fall of Rabbi Gold":
bit.ly/39WTEgB
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Nothing Kinky | Evan McMurry
A soldier hellbent on getting himself honorably discharged, and the waitress who changed everything when he saw the way the sun itself tried to reach her with its gaze. Nothing kinky here… ju…
https://bit.ly/2IFUYsY
over 1 year ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
about 9 hours ago
“The problem of excusing abhorrent ideologies for the sake of electoral gains is growing more pervasive and universal,” Mike Nelson argues. “It’s shameful that our leaders are willing to accept this over such small stakes.”
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The Hypocrisy of the Democrats Who Defend Graham Platner
They wouldn’t be so accepting of his Nazi tattoo if he were a Republican.
https://bit.ly/4avPv1o
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BREAKING: In a memo obtained by The Atlantic, the Kennedy Center’s lawyers today directed employees to remove references to the center being named for anyone other than President John F. Kennedy.
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Trump’s Name Is Disappearing From More Than Just the Kennedy Center
Lawyers are ordering staff to remove “Trump” from email signatures, letterhead, website, brochures, promotional materials, press releases, signs, and more.
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/06/no-more-trump-kennedy-center/687432/
about 12 hours ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
1 day ago
The triumphal arch that Donald Trump wants to build across from the Lincoln Memorial would pervert the significance of a uniquely meaningful place, Sebastian Smee argues.
theatln.tc/ZBNdWAOL
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
1 day ago
If we confuse generative AI’s ability to produce text with consciousness, we risk assigning moral responsibility to chatbots—and not to their makers, Ted Chiang argues.
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No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious
Taken to its logical conclusion, this line of thinking is absurd—and damning.
https://bit.ly/43cA6zi
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Both a sweeping and precise examination of what AI consciousness means, why we haven't and don't want to achieve it, and who it benefits to say that we have:
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No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious
Taken to its logical conclusion, this line of thinking is absurd—and damning.
https://www.theatlantic.com/philosophy/2026/06/no-artificial-intelligence-is-not-conscious/687378/
1 day ago
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“Foreign officials described an awkward silence. Several times during the 90-minute call, Trump had to interject: ‘Hello? Hello? Anyone there?’”
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Forget the Forever Wars. We May Be in Forever Limbo.
Trump wants out of Iran, but he doesn’t want a nuclear deal worse than Obama’s.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/06/iran-war-may-be-headed-long-term-limbo/687407/
2 days ago
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NEW: Trump is tired of the Iran war, but Iran is not,
@jonlemire.bsky.social
reports:
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Trump Is ‘Bored’ With the War He Started
He wants out, but Iran could likely keep going for months.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/05/iran-war-trump-deal/687100/
27 days ago
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When medical oncologist Stephen Kornfeld set sail aboard a cruise ship, he didn’t expect that he would end up taking care of three people thought to be sick with hantavirus, Katherine Wu reports. She spoke with him about his experience:
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What Happened on the Hantavirus Cruise, According to a Doctor on Board
A passenger helped manage the hantavirus outbreak after the ship’s doctor on the MV Hondius fell ill.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/05/hantavirus-cruise-doctor/687095/?gift=zOlqwqJNRAGWtWIVaYuBvcHQxilkh_ZKxUf7dzmkkG0
28 days ago
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Marketers and listeners have always played a cat and mouse game.
@skornhaber.bsky.social
on how the authenticity discussion is now happening in the language of algos and psyops:
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Music’s Next ‘Disco Sucks’ Moment Is Near
Do you really like that new song—or is someone manipulating you?
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/05/music-authenticity-chaotic-good-geese/687081/
29 days ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
29 days ago
Exclusive: FBI Director Kash Patel has distributed “Ka$h”-branded bottles of bourbon to bureau staff and civilians, multiple people in Patel’s orbit tell Sarah Fitzpatrick.
theatln.tc/n62c70PM
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
29 days ago
Exclusive: FBI Director Kash Patel has distributed “Ka$h”-branded bottles of bourbon to bureau staff and civilians, multiple people in Patel’s orbit tell
@sfifz787.bsky.social
.
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Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash
The FBI director has been leaving an unusual calling card.
https://bit.ly/42kqFgB
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FBI Director Kash Patel has distributed “Ka$h”-branded bottles of bourbon to bureau staff and civilians, multiple people in Patel’s orbit tell Sarah Fitzpatrick.
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Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash
The FBI director has been leaving an unusual calling card.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/
29 days ago
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I kid you not, this novel contains an oblique reference to the 1990 Kevin Bacon movie Tremors, which we all know and love.
about 1 month ago
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“‘He’s been talking recently about how he is the most powerful person to ever live,’ the confidant told us.”
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The YOLO Presidency
Trump is focused on becoming one of history’s “great men.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/donald-trump-legacy-history/686817/
about 1 month ago
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@russellberman.bsky.social
: “Massie’s endorsement didn’t get him the job in Trump’s Cabinet. He was recounting this to me in, of all places, a bridal suite inside a converted barn in his northern-Kentucky district.”
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The Republican Who Outsmarted Trump
Thomas Massie is one of the few Republicans who is unafraid of President Trump.
http://theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/can-thomas-massie-survive-trump-barrage/686916/
about 1 month ago
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NEW: In closed-door meetings, J. D. Vance has repeatedly questioned the Defense Department’s depiction of the war in Iran and whether the Pentagon has understated what appears to be the drastic depletion of U.S. missile stockpiles.
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Vance Doubts the Pentagon’s Depiction of the Iran War
The vice president is worried that the U.S. is running low on weapons.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/04/iran-war-vance-hegseth-trump/686905/
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
about 1 month ago
Prediction markets have been dogged by accusations of insider trading in many areas—but shady bets on war “risk unleashing an entirely new kind of national-security threat,"
@saahildesai.bsky.social
argued in March.
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Insider Trading Is Going to Get People Killed
War markets are a national-security threat.
https://bit.ly/4sQFjqw
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@phillipspobrien.bsky.social
: “Using language that would until recently have been unthinkable, Zelensky has indicated that he no longer views the United States as a reliable ally and, even more astonishingly, that all of Europe needs to start moving on from the transatlantic relationship.”
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Ukraine Has Finally Given Up on Trump
Zelensky has written off the United States.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/ukraine-trump-us-oil-russia/686854/?gift=zOlqwqJNRAGWtWIVaYuBvYLjTuGXn4oWD3gZuLOK7kY
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
about 2 months ago
Which restaurant serves the best free bread in America?
@caity.bsky.social
embarked on a quest to find out.
theatln.tc/4cin9JlZ
In The Atlantic’s May cover story, read about Weaver’s 13,000-mile investigation—and find her pick for the best loaf in America.
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NEW: Kash Patel’s colleagues are alarmed by what they describe as erratic behavior and excessive drinking, Sarah Fitzpatrick reports. She spoke with more than two dozen people with knowledge of his conduct, some of whom described it as a national-security vulnerability.
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Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job
The FBI director has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences/686839/
about 2 months ago
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The Trump administration has abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship between the Catholic Church and the government dating back to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida:
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Amid quarrel with pope, Trump strips Miami charity of funding to house migrant kids
The move comes amid rising tensions between the administration and American Catholics.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article315410233.html
about 2 months ago
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Caity Weaver embarked on the greatest quest since The Odyssey, all to find the best free restaurant bread in America. She traversed 13,000 miles, had rolls thrown at her, got a rec from Stephen King, and more. Go get it:
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
about 2 months ago
See supporters of Hungary’s Tisza party and its lead candidate, Péter Magyar, celebrating in the streets of Budapest after soundly defeating Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party in a general election. See more images at the link:
theatln.tc/GzuYDsSH
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@dgraham.bsky.social
: ”The posts illustrate that Trump views religion much the way he views everything else: as something that can serve him but does not create any obligations on him.”
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The President vs. the Pope
The president’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV shows his view of religion as an instrument of power but not a prescription for morality.
http://theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/04/trump-vs-pope-contradictory-message/686784/
about 2 months ago
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@isaacstanleybecker.bsky.social
: “Trump has a way of distancing himself from people who disappoint him ... But having tied himself so tightly to Orbán, he may find it unusually difficult to dissociate himself from the prime minister’s downfall.”
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Viktor Orbán’s Loss Was Also a Defeat for MAGA
Trump and Vance chose to make the Hungarian election about themselves.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/04/viktor-orbans-loss-was-also-a-defeat-for-maga/686781/
about 2 months ago
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@qjurecic.bsky.social
: “Pushing out the division’s career staff allowed Dhillon to move forward with reshaping the Civil Rights Division...But this loss of horsepower and expertise has come at the cost of her own effectiveness in the role—if, that is, effectiveness is really the goal to begin with.”
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Harmeet Dhillon Is Not Wasting Any Time
She arrived at the Department of Justice with radical changes in mind. One year later, she has completely reshaped the Civil Rights Division.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/harmeet-dhillon-doj-civil-rights/686758/
about 2 months ago
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“Much as Iran’s forces exceeded expectations against the world’s most powerful military, Iran’s social-media posters have held their own against, or even upstaged, the world’s loudest voice online.”
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Donald Trump Is No Longer a Chad
The Iran war sparked an epic social-media trolling contest.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/04/donald-trump-no-longer-chad/686764/
about 2 months ago
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”A group of new accounts on the prediction market Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the U.S. and Iran would reach a ceasefire on April 7, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for these new customers.”
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Newly created Polymarket accounts bet big on US-Iran ceasefire in hours before Trump's announcement
A group of new accounts on the prediction market Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the U.S. and Iran would reach a ceasefire on April 7, resulting in hundreds of thousands of...
https://apnews.com/article/polymarket-iran-trump-ceasefire-prediction-markets-350d9fe5ffefa74080ff5dd973aef48b?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=69d6de075268920001414e58&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
about 2 months ago
The war in Iran has showed that “the United States is, in effect, moving toward a world in which it faces more connected opponents with a less cohesive coalition of its own,” Thomas Wright argues:
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A New Geopolitical Reality Is Here
America’s adversaries are uniting as its own coalition falls apart.
https://bit.ly/4bZqHAf
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
about 2 months ago
Trump said he went to war to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions—but Tehran showed that it has a non-nuclear way to deter future attacks,
@nancyayoussef.bsky.social
reports.
theatln.tc/ZqHD6VQT
📸: Kaveh Kazemi / Getty
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“Despite those significant complications, the White House seemed determined to plow ahead with a diplomatic process it was already describing as nothing short of total victory.”
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Iran War Live Updates: Cease-Fire Tested by Strikes on Lebanon and Confusion Over Strait
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/08/world/iran-war-trump-news
about 2 months ago
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“Some companies may start to pare back products they’ve made ‘smart’ to justify markups ... ‘Do we stop getting smart refrigerators? I don’t think that’s a net bad,’ Laine Nooney, a technology historian at NYU, told me.”
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If You Need a Laptop, Buy It Now
Electronics are getting more expensive and worse. Blame the AI boom.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/03/laptop-electronics-ram-ai-tax/686628/
about 2 months ago
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@dgraham.bsky.social
: ‘Trump’s message this morning is also notable for the autocratic view that underpins it.”
about 2 months ago
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@radiofreetom.bsky.social
: If such an order comes to pass, the military can and must refuse.
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Did Trump Just Threaten to Use Nuclear Weapons in Iran?
If such an order comes to pass, the military can and must refuse.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/trump-truthsocial-destruction-iran/686716/
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
about 2 months ago
Donald Trump’s threatening message to the Iranians shows that he believes he is completely unconstrained by American law, international law, Congress, or public opinion,
@dgraham.bsky.social
argues:
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Trump Threatens to Destroy an Entire Nation
Trump’s position is that if he wants to wipe out a "whole civilization," then that is his decision to make.
https://bit.ly/3O96Zss
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
about 2 months ago
Yesterday, four astronauts swung around the far side of the moon, traveling farther from the Earth than any humans had ever gone before, taking some spectacular photographs along the way.
theatln.tc/19ze00pK
📸: NASA; Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP / Getty
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“The carrots that America offers the nation are sticks to the men who rule it. And the sticks that America wields against the regime—isolation, conflict, and chaos—are carrots to men whose power depends on all three.”
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Trump’s Fundamental Misunderstanding in Iran
What makes the nation suffer helps the regime thrive.
http://theatlantic.com/international/2026/04/iran-trump-misunderstanding/686704/
about 2 months ago
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Per WSJ: An Iranian drone attack last month on the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia did more extensive damage than previously disclosed, current and former American officials said, showing Iran’s ability to hit Washington’s assets in the kingdom.
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Exclusive | Iranian Strike on U.S. Embassy Caused More Damage Than Disclosed
Two drones hit the compound in Saudi Arabia, sparking a fire that raged for hours.
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-us-embassy-iran-strike-damage-b924d29c?st=nxQveR&reflink=article_copyURL_share
2 months ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The Atlantic
2 months ago
Just over a month into the war in Iran, Pete Hegseth has purged the Army’s top officer—and the Army secretary’s job is also in jeopardy, Missy Ryan, Nancy A. Youssef, and Sarah Fitzpatrick report:
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An Army Shake-Up in the Middle of a War
A general is ousted and the Army secretary is in jeopardy, sources say.
https://bit.ly/3PJPMXe
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After Pam Bondi’s ouster, other top administration officials could be in jeopardy.
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Trump’s Purge May Be Just Beginning
After Pam Bondi’s ouster, other top administration officials could be in jeopardy.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/pam-bondi-trump-attorney-general/686673/?gift=zOlqwqJNRAGWtWIVaYuBvZhyVXE5kM1H5PVxu9mkPRc
2 months ago
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This is awful.
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Ex-Turnstile guitarist accused of attempted murder, targeting singer’s dad
Ebert, 33, of Silver Spring, is charged with attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault.
https://www.thebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/brady-ebert-turnstile-attempted-murder-LFZOQ62YHVD4DCI4WCJL35V4RU/
2 months ago
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New: Military officials are planning for two potential high-risk ground assaults in Iran—all they need now is Trump’s go-ahead, three people familiar with the matter tell Nancy A. Youssef and Jonathan Lemire:
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The Most Important Decision of Trump’s Presidency
The military is waiting for his go-ahead for high-risk ground operations in Iran.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/04/trump-iran-war-ground-troops/686640/?gift=zOlqwqJNRAGWtWIVaYuBvauAphz3c74pXqAwC9tvP_M&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
2 months ago
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“Even before Donald Trump lifted oil sanctions on Russia, oil prices were skyrocketing—and filling Vladimir Putin’s war chest with billions of dollars, just as Russia’s wartime deficits were starting to cause significant pain.”
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America Is Now a Rogue Superpower
Washington’s conduct in the Iran war is accelerating global chaos and deepening America’s dangerous isolation.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/03/trump-us-power-iran/686567/
2 months ago
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The war in Iran could raise global food prices as the conflict disrupts fertilizer shipments through one of the world’s most critical trade routes:
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Food prices could rise as Iran conflict disrupts fertilizer supply chain
The Iran conflict is disrupting fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, raising supply concerns and potentially increasing global food inflation.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/11/iran-news-food-prices-could-rise-due-to-fertilizer-shortages.html
2 months ago
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
The New York Times
2 months ago
Breaking News: The U.S. will allow a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba, letting critical fuel in after months of what amounted to a blockade.
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U.S. to Allow Russian Oil Tanker to Reach Cuba, Breaking Blockade
The tanker full of crude oil could reach its expected destination by Tuesday, providing a lifeline to the island amid intense U.S. pressure.
https://nyti.ms/4di7T01
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
Damon Beres
2 months ago
This is a GREAT read if you want to have a major coronary event
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The AI Boom Wasn’t Built for the Polycrisis
“There are too many ways for it to fail for it not to fail.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/03/ai-boom-polycrisis/686559/?gift=iWa_iB9lkw4UuiWbIbrWGTQ9PZ5CCguOMRQ6NzgCEfU&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
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reposted by
Evan McMurry
Yair Rosenberg
2 months ago
"Intelligent political agency is impossible without a foundation of fact. Yet the rise of unrestrained AI, combined with the incentives and biases that drive social media, has served to supplant facts with consequential delusions, and helped mass-market them to those most inclined to believe them."
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The Worst-Case Scenario for AI and the News Is Already Here
Audiovisual evidence is no match for a viral conspiracy theory that Benjamin Netanyahu is dead.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/03/netanyahu-not-dead-israel-ai/686593/?gift=Y5UOGK3oJJO3esRHvDP7oWngrisHMoFePai5XB2ngrI&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
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This is a remarkable synthesis of our current cultural moment:
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The Surprising Reason for the New Homophobia
Americans are burned-out, frustrated, and hunting for scapegoats.
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/modern-homophobia/686547/
2 months ago
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@elcush.bsky.social
: “Hundreds of airports in this otherwise great nation do not have even one single solitary Chili’s Too.”
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The Worst Airport in America
Traveling by plane anywhere is bad right now, but in some places, it’s worse.
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/worst-airport-wait-times-reason/686542/
2 months ago
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@tombartlett.bsky.social
: “Each of these events individually is bad news for Kennedy’s agenda; together, they suggest that his grip on power is waning.”
theatln.tc/FtNRfXK5
2 months ago
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