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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.
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.
This Presidents' Day, spend time with stories on what everyone gets wrong about Tulsi Gabbard, how invisible habits drive your life, America's 'marriage material' shortage, and more.
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Tulsi Gabbard
Other than raw ambition, only one through line is perceptible in a switchbacking political career.
By Elaine Godfrey
How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days
He used the constitution to shatter the constitution.
By Timothy W. Ryback
Growing Up Murdoch
James Murdoch on mind games, sibling rivalry, and the war for the family media empire
By McKay Coppins
History Will Judge the Complicit
Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president? (From 2020)
By Anne Applebaum
Invisible Habits Are Driving Your Life
The science of habits reveals that they can be hidden to us and unresponsive to our desires.
By Shayla Love
America's 'Marriage Material' Shortage
Adults are significantly less likely to be married or to live with a partner than they used to be.
By Derek Thompson
Five Books That Offer Readers Intellectual Exercise
Each of these titles exercises a different kind of reading muscle so that you can choose the one that will push you most.
By Ilana Masad
From the Archives
In 1895, the future 26th president of the United States offered a critique of the spoils system and argued in favor of a nonpartisan and rigorously vetted civil service. 'The government cannot endure permanently if administered on a spoils basis,' Theodore Roosevelt wrote. 'If this form of corruption is permitted and encouraged, other forms of corruption will inevitably follow in its train.'
Culture Break
Watch. Can anything satisfy the guests of The White Lotus? In the new season (streaming now on Max), the rich tourists want more, and more, and more, Hannah Giorgis writes.
Read. Imani Perry's latest book, Black in Blues, examines the intersections between the color blue and the Black experience.
Play our daily crossword.
Stephanie Bai contributed to this newsletter.
When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.
Article originally published at The Atlantic
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16 minutes ago
Louisiana is poised to hike its sports betting tax to help colleges pay their athletes
Louisiana is poised to hike taxes on sports betting to pump more than $24 million into athletic departments at the state's most prominent public universities. Legislation pending before Gov. Jeff Landry would make Louisiana the first state to raise taxes to fund college sports since a judge approved a landmark settlement with the NCAA allowing schools to directly pay athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). Anticipating the court's approval, Arkansas this year became the first to waive state income taxes on NIL payments made to athletes by higher education institutions. More states seem almost certain to adopt their own creative ways to gain an edge — or at least keep pace — in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive field of college sports. 'These bills, and the inevitable ones that will follow, are intended to make states 'college-athlete friendly,'' said David Carter, founder of the Sports Business Group consultancy and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California. But 'they will no doubt continue to stoke the debate about the `perceived' preferential treatment afforded athletes.' The new NCCA rules allowing direct payments to college athletes kick in July 1. In the first year, each Division I school can share up to $20.5 million with its athletes — a figure that may be easier to meet for big-time programs than for smaller schools weighing whether to divert money from other purposes. The settlement also continues to allow college athletes to receive NIL money from third parties, such as donor-backed collectives that support specific schools. The Louisiana legislation won final approval just two days after a judge approved the antitrust settlement between the NCAA and athletes, but it had been in the works for months. Athletic directors from many of Louisiana's universities met earlier this year and hashed out a plan with lawmakers to relieve some of their financial pressures by dividing a share of the state's sports betting tax revenue. The biggest question for lawmakers was how large of a tax increase to support. The initial proposal sought to double the state's 15% tax on net proceeds from online sports betting. But lawmakers ultimately agreed on a 21.5% tax rate in a compromise with the industry. One-quarter of the tax revenue from online sports wagering — an estimated $24.3 million — would be split equally among 11 public universities in conferences with Division I football programs. The money must be used 'for the benefit of student athletes,' including scholarships, insurance, medical coverage, facility enhancements and litigation settlement fees. The state tax money won't provide direct NIL payments to athletes. But it could facilitate that indirectly by freeing up other university resources. The legislation passed overwhelmingly in the final days of Louisiana's annual session. 'We love football in Louisiana – that's the easiest way to say it,' said Republican state Rep. Neil Riser, who sponsored the bill. Many colleges and universities across the country have been feeling a financial squeeze, but it's especially affected the athletic departments of smaller schools. Athletic departments in the top Division I football conferences take in millions of dollars from media rights, donors, corporate sponsors and ticket sales, with a median of just 7% coming from student fees and institutional and government support, according to the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database. But the remaining schools in Division I football bowl conferences got a median of 63% of the revenue from such sources last year. And schools without football teams got a median of 81% of their athletic department revenues from institutional and governmental support or student fees. Riser said Louisiana's smaller universities, in particular, have been struggling financially and have shifted money from their general funds to their sports programs to try to remain competitive. At the same time, the state has taken in millions of dollars of tax revenue from sports bets made at least partly on college athletics. 'Without the athletes, we wouldn't have the revenue. I just felt like it's fairness that we do give something back and, at the same time, help the general funds of the universities,' Riser said. Louisiana would become the second state behind North Carolina to dedicate a portion of its sports wagering revenues to colleges athletics. North Carolina launched online sports wagering last year under a state law earmarking part of an 18% tax on gross gaming revenue to the athletic departments at 13 public universities. The state's two largest institutions were excluded. But that might be about to change. Differing budget plans passed by the state House and Senate this year both would start allotting sports betting tax revenue to the athletic programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. The Senate version also would double the tax rate. The proposals come a year after University of North Carolina trustees approved an audit of the athletics department after a preliminary budget projected about $100 million of debt in the years ahead. Other schools also are taking actions because of deficits in their athletic departments. Last week, University of Kentucky trustees approved a $31 million operating loan for the athletics department as it begins making direct NIL payments to athletes. That came after trustees in April voted to convert the Kentucky athletics department into a limited-liability holding company — Champions Blue LLC — to more nimbly navigate the emerging financial pressures. Given the money involved in college athletics, it's not surprising that states are starting to provide tax money to athletic departments or — as in Arkansas' case — tax relief to college athletes, said Patrick Rishe, executive director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis. 'If you can attract better athletes to your schools and your states, then this is more visibility to your states, this is more potential out-of-town economic activity for your state," Rishe said. 'I do think you're going to see many states pursue this, because you don't want to be the state that's left exposed or at a disadvantage.'
16 minutes ago
Senate expected to pass crypto bill without addressing Trump's investments
WASHINGTON -- The Senate is expected to approve legislation Tuesday that would regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, the first of what is expected to be a wave of crypto legislation from Congress that the industry hopes will bolster its legitimacy and reassure consumers. The fast-moving legislation, which will be sent to the House for potential revisions, comes on the heels of a 2024 campaign cycle where the crypto industry ranked among the top political spenders in the country, underscoring its growing influence in Washington and beyond. Eighteen Democratic senators have shown support for the legislation as it has advanced, siding with the Republican majority in the 53-47 Senate. If passed, it would become the second major bipartisan bill to advance through the Senate this year, following the Laken Riley Act on immigration enforcement in January. Still, most Democrats oppose the bill. They have raised concerns that the measure does little to address President Donald Trump's personal financial interests in the crypto space. 'We weren't able to include certainly everything we would have wanted, but it was a good bipartisan effort," said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., on Monday. She added, 'This is an unregulated area that will now be regulated.' Known as the GENIUS Act, the bill would establish guardrails and consumer protections for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency typically pegged to the U.S. dollar. The acronym stands for 'Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins.' It's expected to pass Tuesday, since it only requires a simple majority vote — and it already cleared its biggest procedural hurdle last week in a 68-30 vote. But the bill has faced more resistance than initially expected. There is a provision in the bill that bans members of Congress and their families from profiting off stablecoins. But that prohibition does not extend to the president and his family, even as Trump builds a crypto empire from the White House. Trump hosted a private dinner last month at his golf club with top investors in a Trump-branded meme coin. His family holds a large stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto project that provides yet another avenue where investors are buying in and enriching the president's relatives. World Liberty has launched its own stablecoin, USD1. The administration is broadly supportive of crypto's growth and its integration into the economy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week said the legislation could help push the U.S. stablecoin market beyond $2 trillion by the end of 2028. Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase — the nation's largest crypto exchange and a major advocate for the bill — has met with Trump and praised his early moves on crypto. This past weekend, Coinbase was among the more prominent brands that sponsored a parade in Washington commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary — an event that coincided with Trump's 79th birthday. But the crypto industry emphasizes that they view the legislative effort as bipartisan, pointing to champions on each side of the aisle. 'The GENIUS Act will be the most significant digital assets legislation ever to pass the U.S. Senate,' Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., said ahead of a key vote last week. 'It's the product of months of bipartisan work.' The bill did hit one rough patch in early May, when a bloc of Senate Democrats who had previously supported the bill reversed course and voted to block it from advancing. That prompted new negotiations involving Senate Republicans, Democrats and the White House, which ultimately produced the compromise version expected to win passage Tuesday. 'There were many, many changes that were made. And ultimately, it's a much better deal because we were all at the table,' Alsobrooks said. Still, the bill leaves unresolved concerns over presidential conflicts of interest — an issue that remains a source of tension within the Democratic caucus. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has been among the most outspoken as the ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, warning that the bill creates a 'super highway' for Trump corruption. She has also warned that the bill would allow major technology companies, such as Amazon and Meta, to launch their own stablecoins. If the stablecoin legislation passes the Senate on Tuesday, it still faces several hurdles before reaching the president's desk. It must clear the narrowly held Republican majority in the House, where lawmakers may try to attach a broader market structure bill — sweeping legislation that could make passage through the Senate more difficult. Trump has said he wants stablecoin legislation on his desk before Congress breaks for its August recess, now just under 50 days away.
20 minutes ago
Virginia Democrats set to pick nominees in closely watched 2025 primaries
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Democrats are set on Tuesday to pick their nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, rounding out the statewide ticket and setting the stage for a bellwether election later this year. Most of the nominees slated to be at the top of the November ticket have already been picked, and Republicans aren't even having a statewide primary. In the race for governor, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, whose candidacy thwarted prospective primary challengers, will go up against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears — the only Republican who qualified for the ballot. Republicans have also solidified nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Virginia is one of two states that host statewide elections the year after a presidential election — New Jersey is the other — and the races are typically seen as referendums on the party in power before Congress heads into midterm elections. Analysts will be looking for clues in both states about voter sentiment with President Donald Trump back in the Oval Office and Republicans controlling power in Washington. Democrats' hold on Virginia has slipped in recent years, moving it close to swing-state status nationally. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin beat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021. And although Democrats narrowly gained back complete control of the legislature in a 2023 election, then-Vice President Kamala Harris won Virginia last year by less than six points, compared to former President Joe Biden's 10-point lead in 2020. Still, Democrats have history on their side: The party of the sitting president typically suffers defeat in Virginia's statewide races. And considering Trump has never won the state, Democrats are probably better positioned to make gains once their ticket solidifies. The six Democrats vying to be Virginia's next lieutenant governor aren't all that different on the issues: They support rights to abortion, a living wage, affordable housing and accessible health care. They also share similar criticisms of Trump. The candidates notably fracture along regional lines, and distinctions emerge in what they have emphasized in stump speeches along the campaign trail. Former Richmond City Mayor Levar Stoney has touted his ties to the Democratic Party and experience working under former Govs. Mark Warner and Terry McAuliffe. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg endorsed his campaign in June. State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi is also from the Richmond area, representing part of the city and suburbs. Hashmi has pushed reproductive health in her bid and has been endorsed by abortion rights political action committees. Virginia Sen. Aaron Rouse, from Virginia Beach with ties to southwest Virginia, has also highlighted his legislative accomplishments. Prince William County School Board Chair Barbur Lateef, former federal prosecutor Victor Salgado and retired U.S. Department of Labor worker Alex Bastani are from northern Virginia. Lateef, an eye surgeon, has honed in on education and health care. Salgado has stressed the importance of strengthening democracy, and Bastani has emphasized labor rights. Former Del. Jay Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor are seeking to be the next attorney general. Jones, who once represented Norfolk in the House of Delegates, comes from a long line of Hampton Roads politicians. His father was also a delegate, and his grandfather was the first Black member of the Norfolk School Board. Jones previously ran for attorney general in 2021 but lost the primary to Democratic incumbent Mark Herring. Taylor has served more than a decade as the top prosecutor in the suburbs outside Richmond after flipping the open seat in 2011. Notable cases include when she was appointed special prosecutor in the case of the torch-carrying mob in the fatal 2017 Unite the Right white supremacist riot. She took one of the torch carriers to trial, records show, but the case was dismissed after a hung verdict. Only one Republican candidate in each statewide contest is advancing to the ballot. Earle-Sears became the gubernatorial nominee after Republicans Dave LaRock and Amanda Chase failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Both LaRock and Chase initially challenged Earle-Sears for not being fully aligned with Trump. Conservative talk-radio host John Reid became the de facto nominee for lieutenant governor after his primary opponent left the race, and despite intraparty quarreling over whether he was tied to a social media account reposting pornography. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sailed to his spot on the ballot after announcing his reelection bid. All 100 seats of the House of Delegates are up for election in November, and some nomination contests are taking place in Virginia's more competitive districts. Democrats May Nivar and Andrew Schear are racing to take on Republican incumbent Del. David Owen in a Richmond-area district that House liberals are vying to flip. Three Democrats are running to battle Republican Del. Carrie Coyner in a Petersburg-area district. Two Republicans and two Democrats will have separate primaries to fill a competitive seat in the Chesapeake area, which opened after Republican Rep. Baxter Ennis announced his retirement. ___
