The Quiet Revolution in How Americans Decide What’s Real
My case for a new kind of media. Plus: Troops "rescue" DC with... photo ops. ICE's new tactic unfolds in NYC. Russia advances in Ukraine. And hopeful news for lovers of dogs (and deep-sea clams).
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When I'm not frantically fact-checking whatever conspiracy theory is trending on TikTok/Instagram/YouTube or breaking down the news here, I spend an embarrassing amount of time obsessing over one problem: How do those of us committed to evidence-based work actually thrive in this information ecosystem?
I'm excited to share that I have a new piece in The Atlantic that tackles this very question.
I find that most conversations about truth decay get stuck in an endless loop of problem identification. Yes, we all know social media rewards virality over accuracy. Yes, traditional media is hemorrhaging trust and revenue. Yes, millions of people now get their news from influencers who think Antarctica has secret continents. We've diagnosed this to death and created little space for anyone who dares propose a way forward.
So I decided to do something a little risky: propose actual solutions. Think structural changes that could help evidence-based creators build sustainable careers, ways to help audiences navigate the credibility minefield, and—this one might surprise you—a case for an unlikely alliance that I think could benefit everyone involved.
I'm braced for the backlash from multiple directions. But I hope this opens the door to a new conversation. At the very least, I hope it helps more people recognize how many creators are doing important work.
Are these ideas worth building, or am I just another creator with opinions?
You can read that article here.
Here Are Your Headlines:
Feel Safer Yet? The 1,450-plus National Guard troops, federal agents and officers Trump deployed in DC this week are now out in force executing Trump’s orders to “rescue” DC from “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.” So far they’ve idled armored vehicles by the National Monument, posed for pictures with passersby, and strolled through busy streets and stations. An army spokesperson said that’s all part of the job: “Go to the national monuments and be present.” According to White House officials, the super-force made 23 arrests Monday night and 76 on Tuesday. For context, DC police averaged 56 arrests a day in 2024, and violent crime declined 36%. Trump said today the Guard in DC will “serve as a beacon for New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other places all over the country.”
Recent Example: If you’re surprised troops are doing photo ops during a supposed “crime emergency,” recall the thousands of agents deployed to LA in June. A source in California Gov. Newsom’s office said just 3% were actually taking part in daily missions, which mostly consisted of guarding federal buildings from the “rebellion” taking place. “The moral injuries of this operation … will be enduring,” one Guard said.
Precedent: Newsom’s lawsuit over Trump’s takeover of the National Guard went to trial this week. The case could determine how Trump can deploy troops in the future. A Guard commander testified he never heard the term “rebellion” used to describe the situation there — despite Trump insisting protests in LA were a “form of rebellion.” Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman also testified a DHS official questioned his “loyalty” for refusing to provide military assistance in an immigration sweep in LA’s MacArthur Park. All but 250 of the nearly 5,000 troops have since been recalled.
I’m Warning You: Trump warned today of “very severe consequences” for Russia if he determines at Friday’s summit that Putin remains unwilling to end his war with Ukraine. He didn’t specify what those would be, but we might soon find out: A senior Russian official today rejected Trump’s plan for an “exchange of territories,” insisting “the territorial structure of the Russian Federation is enshrined in the country’s constitution.” (Ukraine’s constitution also forbids a land swap.) And Trump, when pressed whether he could stop Putin from targeting civilians, said “probably no.” Meanwhile, Russian forces have broken through a portion of Ukraine’s defenses, advancing several miles deeper into Ukrainian-held territory.
Virtual Diplomacy: Vice President JD Vance took time out of his UK vacation today to join a virtual meeting with Trump, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European allies. “Trump supported us today,” Zelenskyy said. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who’s hosting Zelenskyy in Berlin, said Trump “agrees” that Europe and the US must increase “pressure” on Putin if he refuses to work toward peace, and said Trump guaranteed he won’t agree to Russian demands without involving Ukraine and Europe.
Update From Texas: A federal judge today rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to have state troopers arrest 50 Democratic lawmakers who fled to Illinois, ruling his court has no jurisdiction in this. The current special session in which the House is trying to pass a heavily gerrymandered voting map ends this Friday. Gov. Greg Abbott said he’ll “immediately” call a second special session warning “there will be no reprieve.” The state Senate already passed the proposed gerrymander. The Texas Democrats are expected to return to Texas, but insist they are “still assessing their strategies going forward.”
Bare Minimum: A judge ordered ICE to improve living conditions at a major immigration detention center in New York City after reports from detainees and lawyers alleging widespread mistreatment. “We were not being treated like humans,” one detainee wrote. “I was being treated like a dog.”
New Tactic: Roughly half of all ICE arrests at immigration courts nationwide now happen in Manhattan— part of a strategy to target jurisdictions that “refuse to cooperate.” On Monday, the number of people in immigration detention across the country hit 60,000, breaking a modern record set by Trump’s first administration.
That’s Theft, Period: A jury ruled Friday that Meta illegally collected private health data from users of the period-tracking app Flo — including information on users’ menstrual cycles, sexual activity, and pregnancies — which it then used to target ads. According to the plaintiffs, evidence “included messages among Meta employees that appeared to mock the nature of the data being collected.” They’re seeking a fine in the billions of dollars.
What You Can Do: After the lawsuit was filed in 2021 and Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, Flo introduced an “Anonymous Mode.” If you opt in, “your information goes into their data processing system, gets jumbled up, then comes out the other end completely unintelligible,” theoretically protecting users’ anonymity even in the case of a subpoena, gender and politics reporter Katie Herchenroeder explains. If you still aren’t sure, there are alternatives; Clue, for example, follows stricter EU data privacy laws and promised after Trump’s election victory to refuse to comply with subpoenas seeking users’ private health data “in any circumstances.”
Ministry of Truth: The Trump administration yesterday requested a “comprehensive internal review” of eight Smithsonian museums, “to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.” This comes after the Smithsonian, under heavy criticism, agreed to add Trump back into an exhibit about presidential impeachments; the Smithsonian insisted removing Trump wasn’t a politically motivated decision.
Deadly Water: Historic rains and flash flooding in Tennessee have killed at least three people. Yesterday was Chattanooga’s second-wettest day since records began in 1879. About 6 million people throughout Tennessee and eastern Kentucky are under a flood watch as of today.
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