What Are the Puzzles of Severance About?
In Season 2, the show’s abstract and surreal elements make more sense.
Peter Thiel Is Taking a Break From Democracy
It’s one of his many, many disappointments.
Is Moderate Drinking Okay?
“Every drink takes five minutes off your life.” Maybe the thought scares you. Personally, I find comfort in it.
The End of the DEI Era
As Donald Trump returns to the White House, a newly emboldened anti-DEI bloc has gained powerful allies.
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
It’s not just a phase.
A Wider War Has Already Started in Europe
Putin’s not-so-quiet sabotage campaign against European democracies
Where Biden Turned the Battleship
The outgoing president’s legacy of revived antitrust enforcement won’t be easy to undo.
Soda’s Rebound Moment
Discouraging soda drinking has been a public-health aim for decades. But the beverage is still embedded in American life.
Eight Perfect Episodes of TV
Picks from Girls, The X-Files, SpongeBob, and more
MAGA’s Demon-Haunted World
Peter Thiel is the latest pro-Trump luminary to take a conspiracist turn.
The Internet Is TikTok Now
Even LinkedIn copied it.
How the Ivy League Broke America
The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
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.
Democracy Is Not Over
Americans who care about democracy have every right to feel appalled and frightened. But then they have work to do.
What Happens When a Plastic City Burns
Most modern couches are basically blocks of gasoline.
The Place Where I Grew Up Is Gone
And so is the man who made it magical
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.
Seventy Miles in Hell
The Darién Gap was once considered impassable. Now hundreds of thousands of migrants are risking treacherous terrain, violence, hunger, and disease to travel through the jungle to the United States.
The Choices That Create Isolation
Everyday decisions accumulate into a life.
The GoFundMe Fires
For now, Los Angeles has no choice but to crowdfund its way out of destruction.