<em>The Atlantic</em> Daily: Bringing Illumination

What We’re Following

Washington vs. Moscow: The Trump administration announced new sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, and their companies that strike closer than ever to President Vladimir Putin—and bring Russian-U.S. relations close to what Krishnadev Calamur calls “a state of open hostility.” And Sam Patten, a Republican operative with ties to the data firm hired by Trump’s campaign, has had a long personal and business relationship with a suspected Russian spy, Natasha Bertrand reports. Here’s what that could mean for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.

While President Trump is often criticized for his unpredictability, his views on trade and some of his key campaign promises. His foreign policy has been harder for observers to parse, as it combines outward-looking investment in military force with a narrow focus on American interests. Uri Friedman boils it down: