The Comic Who’s His Own Worst Enemy
The Rehearsal takes the prankster’s quest for self-betterment to new extremes.
Trump Is Hiding Behind His Lawyers
The president wants to seize new powers, yet he’s also eager to hand off responsibility for hard decisions.
The Pro-Family Policy This Nation Actually Needs
If the Trump administration wants more babies, it needs to embrace a different kind of parent.
How the World Became Awash in Synthetics
It started in 1934, with a PR crisis.
The Destruction of the Department of Justice
When people at the department embrace Trump’s scorn for the law, the law, as a practical limitation on government action, ceases to exist.
Why Are Young People Everywhere So Unhappy?
Here’s the answer to that—and what we can do about it.
The Plight of the Eldest Daughter
Women are expected to be nurturers. Firstborns are expected to be exemplars. Being both is exhausting.
The SNL Sketch That Captured Millennial Anxiety
The guest host Quinta Brunson was the perfect fit to introduce “Forever 31.”
Parenthood Cannot Be Optimized
Amanda Hess’s new book examines a surplus of experts and gadgets that promise to perfect the experience of raising children.
What Parents of Boys Should Know
Daughters tend to receive higher levels of affection and patience at home than sons. But the sons might need it more.
The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books
To read a book in college, it helps to have read a book in high school.
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
It’s not just a phase.
I Should Have Seen This Coming
When I joined the conservative movement in the 1980s, there were two types of people: those who cared earnestly about ideas, and those who wanted only to shock the left. The reactionary fringe has won.
We’re Back to the Actually Internet
Fact-checking is out, “Community Notes” are in.
What If Friendship, Not Marriage, Was at the Center of Life?
“Our boyfriends, our significant others, and our husbands are supposed to be No. 1. Our worlds are backward.”
World War II: After the War
Part 20 of a weekly 20-part retrospective of World War II
The Short-Circuiting of the American Mind
A century-old book foresaw Trump’s most basic strategy.
How the Ivy League Broke America
The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days
He used the constitution to shatter the constitution.
The Dark Ages Are Back
Americans must insist on academic freedom, or risk losing what makes our nation great.
/media/img/mt/2025/05/notes2/original.gif)