The Death of Government Expertise
Why Trump and Musk are on a firing spree
The Dark History Behind Public Education
Schools weren’t meant to set you free, one political scientist argues.
Frozen Food’s New Wave
The freezer can now be an arsenal of taste.
DOGE’s Fuzzy Math
The department’s current efforts—and Musk’s obsession with fraud—are not likely to make a dent in the country’s deficit.
When Robert Frost Was Bad
Before he became America’s most famous poet, he wrote some real howlers.
The Anti-Social Century
Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.
The New, Unsettling Truth at the Heart of Yellowjackets
Its characters can never truly escape danger, in the past or present.
The Long-Held Habits You Might Need to Reconsider
One of the most humbling parts of being alive is realizing you’ve been doing a simple thing wrong.
The Government’s Computing Experts Say They Are Terrified
Four IT professionals lay out just how destructive Elon Musk’s incursion into the U.S. government could be.
The Oligarchs Who Came to Regret Supporting Hitler
They helped him in pursuit of profit. Many ended up in concentration camps.
A Sea Story
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place two decades ago. 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.
January 6 Still Happened
The Trump administration can pardon the insurrectionists and delete pages of evidence. But it cannot hide what took place on that day.
How America Got Mean
In a culture devoid of moral education, generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world.
The Hidden Costs of Musk’s Washington Misadventure
Max Stier wants to improve the government. Elon Musk’s campaign against civil servants is making it worse.
Walk on Air Against Your Better Judgment
What Seamus Heaney gave me
History Will Judge the Complicit
Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president?
Dear Therapist: I Was the Other Woman
I know I sound naive, but this wasn’t like a “normal” affair.
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
It’s not just a phase.
‘There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Reading Instruction’
Readers respond to our December 2024 issue and more.
What Everyone Gets Wrong About Tulsi Gabbard
Other than raw ambition, only one through line is perceptible in a switchbacking political career.
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