In this issue: Tom Nichols on the history of the nuclear “command and control” system, and if it ever really made sense. Ross Andersen on the proliferation of nuclear weapons in East Asia. How Kurt Vonnegut turned nuclear fears into a cosmic joke. The Japanese American veteran who quit the United States after WWII. How Toni Morrison changed publishing during her time as a Random House editor. Jennifer Senior on an epidemic of sleeplessness. The woman who revolutionized women’s fashion in her pursuit of comfort. And the high art of pro wrestling.

Read these, and more, in the August issue of The Atlantic.

Atlantic subscribers enjoy 12 magazine issues every year, featuring some of our deepest reporting, stunning art and photography, and the monthly edition of Caleb's Inferno, the devilishly difficult word puzzle. Get the August issue today, along with unlimited access to all of The Atlantic, when you subscribe, starting at less than $2.50 a week.

On the Cover

The President’s Weapon

Why does the power to launch nuclear weapons rest with a single American?

Articles

Why Can’t Americans Sleep?

Insomnia has become a public-health emergency.

What Trump Doesn’t Understand About Nuclear War

The contours of World War III are visible in numerous conflicts. The president of the United States is not ready.

The Nuclear Club Might Soon Double

As American power recedes, South Korea, Japan, and a host of other countries may pursue the bomb.

How Toni Morrison Changed Publishing

At night, she worked on her novels. By day, as an editor at Random House, she championed a new generation of writers.

It Has Pockets!

How Claire McCardell changed women’s fashion

The Making of Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle

How the novelist turned the violence and randomness of war into a cosmic joke