America Is Killing Its Chance to Find Alien Life
Cuts to NASA mean that the U.S. likely won’t build the next great space observatory.
That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.
Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”
The Ciceronian Secret to Happiness
To feel good, do good.
Ken Casey: ‘I’m Not Going to Shut Up’
A conversation with the Dropkick Murphys front man about punk, politics, and Donald Trump
A Classic Childhood Pastime Is Fading
Kids on bikes once filled the streets. Not anymore.
Doomed to Be a Tradwife
Can a marriage ever truly be equal?
Ah, Exactly What the Founders Wanted!
“Understandably, after almost 250 years, the legislature is tired of being a coequal branch of government and wants to take a nap.”
Trump World’s Wizard of Oz Problem
Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon don’t speak for Trump or his base. So why do people think they do?
A Sea Story
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place in 1994. It remains very much in the public eye. On a stormy night on the Baltic Sea, more than 850 people lost their lives when a luxurious ferry sank below the waves. From a mass of material, including official and unofficial reports and survivor testimony, our correspondent has distilled an account of the Estonia’s last moments—part of his continuing coverage for the magazine of anarchy on the high seas.
This Summer’s Most Pointless Sequel Is Here
The latest Jurassic World film somehow makes dinosaurs boring.
Lunch With Virginia Woolf
On finally reading A Room of One’s Own
Five Feel-Good TV Shows
Find the right comfort series to unwind with.
Twenty-Four Hours of Authoritarianism
Donald Trump had a very busy Tuesday.
A Red Sprite Gives Astronauts an Incredible Light Show
A powerful discharge lit up the sky high above a thunderstorm over Mexico.
The End of Hooters
Can the breastaurant survive?
America’s Incarceration Rate Is About to Fall Off a Cliff
Long sentences and recidivism kept prison populations high for decades, but prisons are now starting to empty.
The Whole Country Is Starting to Look Like California
Housing prices are rising fast in red and purple states known for being easy places to build. How can that be?
The Last Children of Down Syndrome
Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t. This is just the beginning.
Trump’s Betrayal of Ukraine
Bridget Brink, the former ambassador to Ukraine, on that country’s war with Russia, America’s betrayal of Ukraine, and why she resigned
The Actor Who Documented His Grief—And Shared It With the World
After his wife died two years ago, Richard E. Grant began to film himself talking about his bereavement, creating a remarkable record of life after loss.