Jack Smith Gives Up
The January 6 crime paid off for Trump.
What Happens When a Plastic City Burns
Most modern couches are basically blocks of gasoline.
How Los Angeles Must Rebuild
“Almost everything you can do to avoid the worst outcomes must take place long before that first spark.”
Maybe It Was Never About the Factory Jobs
The theory that populist economic policies can win back the working class for Democrats has been tried, and it has failed.
How the Ski Business Got Too Big for Its Boots
A recent strike at a major resort has put the spotlight on what a bad deal both workers and visitors are getting.
A New Kind of Immigrant Novel
Aria Aber’s debut about an Afghan German party girl in Berlin shows that there are plenty of ways to tell an outsider’s story.
Should You Be Prepping for Trump?
Some liberals are stocking up on and freeze-drying food—and say that others should be too.
No One Cares That the Chimpanzee Is Singing
The musical biopic Better Man is so much more than its curious gimmick.
I Have a Huge Crush on a Writer
Should I reach out to her?
The New Rasputins
Anti-science mysticism is enabling autocracy around the globe.
How American Politics Went Insane
It happened gradually—and until the U.S. figures out how to treat the problem, it will only get worse.
Why Didn’t Jack Smith Charge Trump With Insurrection?
The law simply wasn’t prepared for a sitting president who would attempt to steal an election.
How the Ivy League Broke America
The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
The Case for Brain Rot
The new language of the internet is both mind-numbing and irresistible.
Eight Perfect Episodes of TV
Picks from Girls, The X-Files, SpongeBob, and more
Top 25 News Photos of 2024
Powerful images from the past 12 eventful months
The Walmart Effect
New research suggests that the company makes the communities it operates in poorer—even taking into account its famous low prices.
‘Gut Health’ Has a Fatal Flaw
The obsession with digestion has gone too far.
The Scientist vs. the Machine
What happened when AI took over these researchers’ jobs?
Not Just Sober-Curious, but Neo-Temperate
How sobriety went from a radical social movement to a tool of self-optimization