The Trump Shift
His first-day executive orders would have prompted mass outrage had he attempted them in 2017. Today,...
A Horrifying True Story, Told Through Mundane Details
I’m Still Here tempts viewers into a comforting lull before pulling the rug out from under...
There’s a New Language Sheriff in Town
Whether renaming the “Gulf of America” or issuing edicts on gender, Trump is enforcing his own...
The Trump Faithful Return to D.C.
This past weekend, a pro-Trump throng arrived in Washington not in protest, but in triumph.
On Donald Trump and the Inscrutability of God
How I’m praying for the new president
The U.S. Needs Soldiers, Not Warriors
Pete Hegseth has vowed to bring a warrior culture back to the Department of Defense. It’s...
Did He Actually Do That?
Elon Musk either had a slipped-mask moment or is supremely awkward.
Republican Leaders Once Thought January 6 Was ‘Tragic’
Republicans used to denounce the violent insurrectionists of January 6. Their rhetoric is no longer operative.
The Crypto World Is Already Mad at Trump
The president’s new cryptocurrency is even too brazen for some of his supporters.
How the Village People Explain Trump
Showing off his new big tent, the returning president played circus master to a strange kind...
The Tech Oligarchy Arrives
Donald Trump’s inauguration signaled a new alliance—for now—with some of the world’s wealthiest men.
How Donald Trump Got Ready for His Close-Up
The inaugural festivities placed the president’s flair for stagecraft on full display.
Billions of People in the Palm of Trump’s Hand
Today leaders of the world’s largest technology platforms kissed the president’s ring.
The Gilded Age of Trump Begins Now
His second inaugural address promised a “golden age,” but the ideas in it evoked the late...
‘If There’s One Person Who Keeps Their Word, It’s Donald Trump’
At Trump’s last rally before returning to the White House, an ecstatic audience anticipated a historic...
The First Known Photograph of a U.S. Presidential Inauguration
An image of the 1857 inauguration of President James Buchanan
Please Don’t Make Me Say My Boyfriend’s Name
Why calling loved ones by their name is strangely awkward
What Trump Did to Police Officers
On January 6, 2021, Trump’s supporters attacked scores of law-enforcement officers as the president stood by.
Diplomacy Is All Hamas Has Left in the Arsenal
For the Islamist militant group, armed struggle now looks like a dead end. Its future in...
Pornography Shouldn’t Be So Easy for Kids to Access
The risks associated with childhood exposure to such material are real, and worthy of special attention.
The Tragedy of the Classified Documents Case
The failure of this particular prosecution is not the most serious or influential. But it might...
A True-Crime Reading List
Spend time with tales of an audacious prison break, a mobster’s downfall, and more.
Trump Triggers a Crisis in Denmark—And Europe
What a single phone call from the president-elect did to an unswerving American ally
How the United States Learned to Love Internet Censorship
America was once seen as the home of the free internet. That era is now over.
How Americans Drink
Perspectives on moderate alcohol consumption have flip-flopped over the decades.
Emergency Powers Are About to Be Tested
Trump’s potential use of extraordinary authorities may be the first signal of how he intends to...
What David Lynch Knew About the Weather
The filmmaker’s COVID-era L.A. forecasts found the eerie in the everyday.
The End of L.A.’s Magical Thinking
The fires around Los Angeles are getting under control. But, inevitably, another fire will start.
Soda’s Rebound Moment
Discouraging soda drinking has been a public-health aim for decades. But the beverage is still embedded...
That’s Not How Constitutional Amendments Work
The president’s declaration that the Equal Rights Amendment is “the law of the land” doesn’t make...
The Secretary of Hard Problems
Bill Burns has played an unusual role for a CIA director.
Where Biden Turned the Battleship
The outgoing president’s legacy of revived antitrust enforcement won’t be easy to undo.
How Does a Real Person Become a Character?
Two novels take different approaches to bringing the dead back to life.
The GoFundMe Fires
For now, Los Angeles has no choice but to crowdfund its way out of destruction.
L.A. Isn’t Ready for What’s Next
Sooner or later, a winter storm will hit, and deadly mudslides and debris flows will likely...
What Are the Puzzles of 'Severance' About?
In Season 2, the show’s abstract and surreal elements make more sense.
David Lynch Was America’s Cinematic Poet
The director’s death, at 78, is shocking only because it seemed he’d be with us forever.
Photos of the Week: Frost Flower, Fox Pounce, Shelf Cloud
A bull-taming festival in India, snow-covered desert dunes in China, a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, continued...
How Biden Destroyed His Legacy
The president’s accomplishments are considerable, but on his signature issue of preserving democracy, he failed spectacularly.
The End of the DEI Era
As Donald Trump returns to the White House, a newly emboldened anti-DEI bloc has gained powerful...
‘I Won’t Touch Instagram’
TikTok users are searching for a new home. Are there any good ones left?
What Elon Musk Missed About England’s Grooming Gangs
The world’s wealthiest man revived an argument that the right already won.
The Right Way to Look for a New Job
Being miserable at work is definitely a good reason for change. But how you go about...
Milk Has Divided Americans for More Than 150 Years
The raw-milk debate is but one flash point in the nation’s ongoing dairy drama.
