That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.
Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”
What the Next Phase of Trump’s Presidency Will Look Like
The president got his “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Can he sell it to voters?
How the Grateful Dead Nearly Solved the Problem With Live Music
The band’s innovative sound system made them sound better than ever. It also nearly broke them.
The World Economy Is on the Brink of Epochal Change
Capitalism’s operating system is due for a major upgrade. How that turns out depends on enormously consequential political choices.
Baby Boomers’ Luck Is Running Out
After a lifetime of good fortune, the generation has become vulnerable at exactly the wrong moment.
The Liberal Misinformation Bubble About Youth Gender Medicine
How the left ended up disbelieving the science
The AI Industry Is Radicalizing
The tech industry and its critics occupy parallel universes.
I Fought Plastic. Plastic Won.
My futile quest to avoid the material that my entire world is made out of
The Making of Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle
How the novelist turned the violence and randomness of war into a cosmic joke
The ‘Russia Hoax,’ Revisited
CIA Director John Ratcliffe wants to rewrite history.
How to Keep on the Sunny Side of Life
Ensuring a daily dose of sunlight will be good for your happiness.
What’s Brilliant About the New Superman Movie
The newest take on the caped hero wisely embraces his corniness.
A Sea Story
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place in 1994. 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.
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