The Birth-Rate Crisis Isn’t as Bad as You’ve Heard—It’s Worse
Humanity is set to start shrinking several decades ahead of schedule.
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.
RFK Jr. Is Noticeably Quiet About a MAHA Obsession
The health secretary has no plan for addressing the country’s sleep problem.
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?
Sudden Russian Death Syndrome
It’s not a great time to be an oligarch who’s unenthusiastic about Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Why Evangelicals Turned Their Back on PEPFAR
A religious movement that has so often taken public stands has been unusually quiet since Trump gutted the program to combat AIDS in Africa.
The End of Publishing as We Know It
Inside Silicon Valley’s assault on the media
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.”
The AI Birthday Letter That Blew Me Away
Google is ushering in an era of custom chatbots.
The Rise of the ‘Club-Sandwich Generation’
America has more great-grandparents than ever. It also has a new caretaking challenge.
Trump’s Only-Okay Economy
He hasn’t crashed it, but he hasn’t made it great either. That’s a problem.
Photos: Deadly Flooding in Texas
Early Friday morning, heavy rainfall in central Texas set off flash floods, causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in less than an hour and reportedly killing at least 89 people—including many girls at a summer camp. Rescue workers and volunteers have been hard at work throughout the weekend.
The Most Perverse Part of the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
The Republican megabill could be setting America up for the worst energy-affordability crisis since the 1970s.
A Shift in American Family Values Is Fueling Estrangement
Both parents and adult children often fail to recognize how profoundly the rules of family life have changed over the past half century.
Teens Are Forgoing a Classic Rite of Passage
Fewer young people are getting into relationships.
The Most Mysterious Cells in Our Bodies Don’t Belong to Us
You carry literal pieces of your mom—and maybe your grandma, and your siblings, and your aunts and uncles.
Why China Isn’t a Bigger Player in the Middle East
Iran and Israel came to blows, and Beijing mostly ducked.
The Liberal Misinformation Bubble About Youth Gender Medicine
How the left ended up disbelieving the science
Why Rich People Don’t Cover Their Windows
An unexpected status symbol has become a fixture of high-end homes.
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.
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