Growing Up Murdoch
James Murdoch on mind games, sibling rivalry, and the war for the family media empire
April 2025
In This Issue
Growing up Murdoch, the girls of summer, the unstoppable Turtleboy, and Graydon Carter's time working on the railroad. Plus the Trump world order, kosher salt, the fear economy, Reddit, the last great Yiddish novel, Albert Barnes and his 181 Renoirs, and more.
Cover Story
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Why Aren’t Women Allowed to Play Baseball?
Women have always loved America’s pastime. It has never loved them back.
Turtleboy Will Not Be Stopped
A profane blogger believes an innocent woman is being framed for murder. He’ll do anything to prove he’s right—and terrorize anyone who says he’s wrong.
I’d Had Jobs Before, but None Like This
The time I spent working on the Canadian National Railroad changed the course of my life.
Dispatches
Illustration by Ben Hickey The Trump World Order
In the MAGA vision of the national interest, might will make right.
Illustration by Matt Chase The Real Goal of the Trump Economy
The president isn’t trying to engineer prosperity for Americans. He’s seeking power for himself.
Illustration by Tim Lahan The Great Salt Shake-Up
Why has kosher salt replaced table salt in American pantries?
Culture & Critics
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Sources: Shutterstock; Burazin / Getty. The Nicest Swamp on the Internet
Reddit’s not perfect, but it may be the best platform on a junky web.
Photo-illustration by Mark Harris. Sources: Sean De Burca / Getty; National Archives. The Rise of the Brown v. Board of Education Skeptics
Why some mainstream Black intellectuals are giving up on the landmark decision
Archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, New York The Last Great Yiddish Novel
Chaim Grade’s Sons and Daughters rescues a destroyed world.
Caroline Gutman / The New York Times / Redux The Man Who Owned 181 Renoirs
Albert Barnes believed in the liberating power of art—but you had to look at it his way.
Departments
The Atlantic The Commons: ‘We Are Better Off Cultivating Relationships Offline’
Readers respond to our February 2025 cover story and more.
The Atlantic Caleb's Inferno: April 2025
A devilish crossword puzzle
Poetry
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