The United States went to war with Iran for reasons that remain unclear.  At various points, the president and his allies have argued that this was a war of preemptive self-defense, an effort to prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear program, and even an attempt at regime change. The justification seems to change based on […]

American AI companies love to say that the US must win the AI arms race, or China will.  Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Meta have all invoked the threat of a Chinese victory to justify speeding ahead on AI development, seemingly no matter what. The argument is simple: Whoever pulls ahead in building the most […]

This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here. The term “fog of war” usually describes the murkiness that combatants experience in conflict zones. For our purposes, it might also apply to the messages coming out of the White House over the past […]

Tuesday night will deliver much more than the conclusion of the first round of voting in the feisty Texas Democratic Senate primary. It brings with it the first major opportunity to take stock of lessons ahead of the 2026 midterms, about what kind of fighter Democratic voters are looking for and what kind of message […]

Your Mileage May Vary is an advice column offering you a unique framework for thinking through your moral dilemmas. It’s based on value pluralism — the idea that each of us has multiple values that are equally valid but that often conflict with each other. To submit a question, fill out this anonymous form. Here’s this week’s question from a […]