DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
People are discovering the truth about their biological parents with DNA—and learning that incest is far more common than many think.
How America Got Mean
In a culture devoid of moral education, generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world.
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.
The Agony of Texting With Men
Many guys are bad at messaging their friends back—and it might be making them more lonely.
My Last Trial
I’ve been fighting this charge for half my life.
The Online Porn Free-for-All Is Coming to an End
Three decades into the internet era, the Supreme Court finally appears ready to uphold age-verification laws.
Why Reading Lolita in Tehran Holds Up
A new film vindicates Azar Nafisi’s humane literary ethos.
Is Moderate Drinking Okay?
“Every drink takes five minutes off your life.” Maybe the thought scares you. Personally, I find comfort in it.
Biden’s Middle East Legacy
Donald Trump inherits a Middle East that looks dramatically different from the one his administration left in 2021.
The Age of Social Media Is Ending
It never should have begun.
Evangelicals Made a Bad Trade
Hitching the evangelical wagon to Donald Trump has meant unhitching it from the life and teachings of Jesus.
What Orwell Didn’t Anticipate
George Orwell famously argued that clear language in politics can be a bulwark against oppression. But in the Trump era, his solution no longer holds.
Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’
The Republican nominee’s preoccupation with dictators, and his disdain for the American military, is deepening.
Read These Six Books—Just Trust Us
Each title richly rewards readers who come in with little prior knowledge.
The Attack on Birthright Citizenship Is a Big Test for the Constitution
Does the text mean what it plainly says?
MAGA Is Starting to Crack
Now that Trump is president again, the right’s moment of unity is over.
A Christ-Lite Sermon
Nothing is more Christian than protecting vulnerable immigrants. Why couldn’t Bishop Mariann Budde just say that?
How the U.S. Gamed the Law of the Sea
It made itself bigger.
How the Ivy League Broke America
The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
The Walmart Effect
New research suggests that the company makes the communities it operates in poorer—even taking into account its famous low prices.