The Politics of Everything

Her illness and absence from the Senate earlier this year stalled part of the Democratic agenda, but Feinstein shows no signs of stepping down—and the particulars of her situation underscore the dysfunction on Capitol Hill.

Tales of mysterious-sounding livestock deaths were widespread a few decades ago. Why have they suddenly reappeared—and why do they fascinate us?

Is the hype (and doomsaying) around generative A.I. programs like ChatGPT obscuring what the technology actually does—and its genuine limitations and dangers?

Why is it so difficult to rein in car culture?

As extreme weather events drive more people from their homes, the idea of moving to “safe” places—even before disaster strikes—has assumed particular urgency.

Historians and scholars can’t agree on a definition of fascism, much less whether today’s violent, authoritarian-curious GOP is an example of it.

Recent “sensitivity” edits to the author’s beloved yet unabashedly disagreeable novels are all about maintaining a lucrative intellectual property. But what difference can a few changed words really make?

How Stanford University turned optimization into the global capitalist credo

George Santos’s election raises questions about what, if anything, is considered disqualifying for political office today.

How a public health issue erupted into political performance art

Electric bicycles are catching on—and their lithium-ion batteries are catching fire. Why is so little being done about it?

It’s hard to imagine life without social networking apps. But maybe Elon Musk is helping us figure out how.

Critics of former San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin claimed that unseating him would make the city safer. Did it work?

Politicians warn that we’re headed back to the 1970s. Is the fearmongering just an excuse for punishing interest-rate hikes and a revival of the same pro-business, anti-worker policies that failed us before?

Urban legends about poisoned candy have changed to match the times.

People want the most prestigious award for literature to make a political statement. It complies only in unpredictable and inscrutable ways.

As national issues increasingly dominate local politics, the downsides of our federalist system may be outweighing the virtues.

We pay more attention when influencers are hospitalized after something they ate. But foodborne illness is incredibly common in the United States. Why is that?

The Federal Reserve has only one tool to stem inflation. Congress has many. Why are politicians so reluctant to use them?

Why are Democrats playing cat and mouse with student debtors?