The Final Death of North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Bill’

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Allison Scott has waited years for this day to come. This day, specifically. Scott’s job is advocating for LGBTQ rights in the South, and for four years, her home state of North Carolina has prohibited towns and cities from passing new protections for queer people. Today, that ban is finally dead—and North Carolina has an opportunity...

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The Mastermind Behind Biden’s No-Drama Approach to Trump

When Julián Castro wasn’t given a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention in August, he complained that Joe Biden’s campaign wasn’t showing proper respect to Latino voters. The real explanation for the snub is much simpler: The former housing secretary and presidential candidate had implied that Biden was senile in a primary debate and then...

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Pennsylvania: Images of the Keystone State

Matt Rourke / AP Pennsylvania is the fifth-most-populous state in the U.S., home to nearly 13 million residents. From Lake Erie, through the Ridge and Valley region, across Pennsylvania Dutch Country, to the city of Philadelphia, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Pennsylvania,...

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How a News Anchor Stitched a Hole in the Social Safety Net

The news team found 71-year-old Gabor Radnai wandering around their parking lot, crying and clutching a pile of paperwork.“Why did you drive your papers here?” Anne McCloy, an anchor at CBS-6 Albany, asked Radnai.“They can’t help me,” he said. “Maybe you can.”When the coronavirus outbreak first hit, Radnai was working at a local ski resort. In March,...

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The Herculean Challenge of a Virtual Presidential Transition

Inside the headquarters of the Department of Commerce in downtown Washington, D.C., just around the corner from the White House, sits an expansive suite of offices reserved for the American government-in-waiting. The space, managed by the General Services Administration, can accommodate more than 500 people, and in the weeks before a new president is...

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Kansas: Images of the Sunflower State

Camino Coach / Shutterstock Kansas is the 15th-largest state in the U.S. by area, and home to almost 3 million residents. Nearly 90 percent of the state’s land is dedicated to agricultural use, carried out on some 59,500 farms. Here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Kansas,...

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Don’t Eat Inside a Restaurant

Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. Thinking too hard about saliva can really ruin a nice meal. And to eat inside a restaurant in 2020 requires ignoring the harsh reality of drool: the residue left behind by a chip dipped in a shared bowl of guacamole, the flecks...

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Montana: Images of the Treasure State

Jacob W. Frank / U.S. National Park Service Montana is the fourth-largest state in the nation, yet it is home to just over 1 million residents. Big Sky Country has about 30 million acres of public lands—roughly one-third of the state. From the mountains, along the rivers, to...

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Never Trump, Forever

If you ask her, President Donald Trump didn’t deserve any votes, let alone millions. And still, Mona Charen made it all the way to 11:09 on Election Night without swearing.The conservative columnist was perched on a dining-room chair, Zooming into an Election Night panel for The Bulwark, the Never Trump conservative website for which she writes. As...

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What Just Happened in Georgia?

ATLANTA—Georgia wasn’t supposed to turn blue. Not yet, and especially not in the suburbs of Atlanta, where Newt Gingrich arguably launched the modern conservative movement in the early 1990s and cemented the stereotype of these sprawling neighborhoods as rich, white, and die-hard Republican. This is where a generation of conservative political stars...

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