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.”
America Is Killing Its Chance to Find Alien Life
Cuts to NASA mean that the U.S. likely won’t build the next great space observatory.
The Whole Country Is Starting to Look Like California
Housing prices are rising fast in red and purple states known for being easy places to build. How can that be?
Ken Casey: ‘I’m Not Going to Shut Up’
A conversation with the Dropkick Murphys front man about punk, politics, and Donald Trump
Doomed to Be a Tradwife
Can a marriage ever truly be equal?
A Classic Childhood Pastime Is Fading
Kids on bikes once filled the streets. Not anymore.
This Summer’s Most Pointless Sequel Is Here
The latest Jurassic World film somehow makes dinosaurs boring.
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.
The Ciceronian Secret to Happiness
To feel good, do good.
Trump World’s Wizard of Oz Problem
Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon don’t speak for Trump or his base. So why do people think they do?
Ah, Exactly What the Founders Wanted!
“Understandably, after almost 250 years, the legislature is tired of being a coequal branch of government and wants to take a nap.”
The Rise of the ‘Club-Sandwich Generation’
America has more great-grandparents than ever. It also has a new caretaking challenge.
A Red Sprite Gives Astronauts an Incredible Light Show
A powerful discharge lit up the sky high above a thunderstorm over Mexico.
Trump’s Betrayal of Ukraine
Bridget Brink, the former ambassador to Ukraine, on that country’s war with Russia, America’s betrayal of Ukraine, and why she resigned
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.
Five Feel-Good TV Shows
Find the right comfort series to unwind with.
Twenty-Four Hours of Authoritarianism
Donald Trump had a very busy Tuesday.
Lunch With Virginia Woolf
On finally reading A Room of One’s Own
The Bad Bunny Video That Captures the Cost of Gentrification
The artist’s latest project transforms an unconventional figure into a symbol.
The Narcissism of the Angry Young Men
What to do about the deadly misfits among us? First, recognize the problem.
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