Who’s Running the Defense Department?
The key criteria for those in the top-tier positions appear to be loyalty, wealth, and ideological fervor, not competence.
Corey Lewandowski Is Too Controversial—Even for Trump
The president’s former campaign manager was denied an official role in the Department of Homeland Security, but he remains influential.
Trumpflation
Everything is going to be a little more expensive now.
How Progressives Froze the American Dream
The U.S. was once the world’s most geographically mobile society. Now we’re stuck in place—and that’s a very big problem.
The Scientific Literature Can’t Save You Now
You can cite peer-reviewed research in support of almost any claim, no matter how absurd.
History Will Judge the Complicit
Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president?
The House Where 28,000 Records Burned
Charlie Springer spent a lifetime building his music collection. The Los Angeles fires incinerated it.
Why the COVID Deniers Won
Lessons from the pandemic and its aftermath
I’ve Never Seen Parents This Freaked Out About Vaccines
Since COVID, parents have more questions and more concerns.
The Outsider Who Captured American Loneliness
The Finnish writer Tove Jansson returned from a U.S. trip with a new perspective on home—and an enduring novel.
The Day the Ukraine War Ended
The conflict isn’t over, but its fate now appears clear.
The Anti-Social Century
Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.
Elon Musk Is Breaking the National-Security System
DOGE’s takeover of federal agencies is a counterintelligence crisis.
Photos of the Week: Eagle Fight, Moon Dog, Ice Castles
Slime-covered capybaras in Argentina, a chaotic fireworks festival in Taiwan, the day of the patron saint of beekeepers in Bulgaria, a Buddhist prayer ceremony in Thailand, and much more
Seven Books That Capture How Love Really Feels
These books are all exquisite arguments for the necessity of stories about romance.
How America Got Mean
In a culture devoid of moral education, generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world.
So About That Asteroid That Could Hit Earth ...
Even the smallest odds of an impact sound alarming, but scientists’ ability to calculate them is actually good news.
How to Realize Your Own Love Supreme
True romance is one of the deepest human experiences. To experience it fully, seek transcendence.
What the Biggest Saturday Night Live Fans Know
The 50-year-old sketch-comedy show isn’t just about the jokes.
What Will Happen If the Trump Administration Defies a Court Order?
A lot is unclear, but none of it is good.