The Mystery of the Millionaire Hermit
He spent years scrimping and saving. But without a will, where’s his money going?
What Happened After My 13-Year-Old Son Joined the Alt-Right
A Washington family’s nightmare year.
‘Either They Kill Us or We Kill Them’
Inside the struggle to survive in a tiny Honduran neighborhood surrounded by competing gangs.
The Magic of Estate Sales
The timeless allure of looking through other peoples stuff.
Tracy Morgan Turns the Drama of His Life Into Comedy
A profile of the actor following a car accident that left him briefly in a coma and ultimately with a settlement so large he never has to work again.
The Rise and Fall of Marty Tirrell
An Iowa sports radio pioneer turns scammer.
She Was the “Queen of the Mommy Bloggers.” Then Her Life Fell Apart.
On Dooce.com founder Heather Armstrong.
Being Nikki Smith
Two years ago, the climbing photographer known as Nathan Smith saw no way out, after struggling for years with gender-identity issues in the male-dominated outdoor industry. Then—slowly, bravely—Nikki introduced herself to the world.
The Case of the Stolen Ruby Slippers
How a big crime in a small town produced a whodunit as gripping and colorful as “The Wizard of Oz” itself.
Ben and Dara Are in Love ... and Nothing Else Matters
On excess, wealth, and teenage love.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Pergola"
A depressed man attempts a home improvement project.
'If You Want to Kill Someone, We Are the Right Guys'
In a small Minnesota town, an IT technician found his way to the darkest corner of the web. Then he made a deadly plan.
In Conversation: Anjelica Huston
On growing up in Hollywood, the cost of beating Oprah at the Oscars, and why Jack Nicholson doesn’t act anymore.
America's Hardest-Working Know-It-All
A profile of Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings.
David Wallace-Wells is the deputy editor of New York and the author of The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming.
“Between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees of warming, just that extra half degree of warming, is going to kill 150 million people from air pollution alone. That’s 25 times the death toll of the Holocaust. And when I say that to people, their eyes open. They’re like oh my god, this is suffering on such an unconscionable scale. And it is. But 9 million people are dying already every year from air pollution. That’s a Holocaust every year, right now. And our lives aren’t meaningfully oriented around those people and those deaths. And very few people we know have their lives meaningfully oriented around those people and those deaths. And I think it’s quite likely that, going forward, those impulses of compartmentalization and denial and narcissism will continue to govern our response to this crisis. Which is tragic.”
Thanks to MailChimp, The Great Courses Plus, The Primary Ride Home Podcast, and Pitt Writers for sponsoring this week's episode.
How Private Equity Is Turning Public Prisons Into Big Profits
Food. Phone calls. Medical care. Transport. Even in public prisons, “piecemeal privatization” is transforming incarceration in America.
The Heart Still Stands
Love, purpose, and prison on the Dakota Prairie.
All That Glitters
Unequal pay, harassment, or worse at the nation’s largest jewelry retailer.
Not Just One of the Boyz
John Singleton at the release of Boyz n the Hood.
Wet 'n Wild
Is all water created equal? It depends on who you believe.
The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence
What happened to the group of bright college students who fell under the sway of a classmate’s father?
Michael Cohen’s Last Days of Freedom
The President’s former lawyer, and the fall guy in his web of misconduct, looks like a victim as well as a perpetrator.
Covering the Cops
A profile of Edna Buchanan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning crime reporter for the Miami Herald during its heyday.
Why Are So Many People Getting Rare Cancers in This Small Georgia Town?
There’s a tale about a boy in Waycross. Near a canal, he struck a match, lit a piece of newspaper, and tossed it into the water. But when the burning paper touched the surface, it didn’t go out. The water burst into flames.
Gene Wolfe Turned Science Fiction Into High Art
He worked as an engineer developing the technology to make Pringles potato chips before embarking on a prolific writing career. Known as the Melville of science fiction and celebrated for his inventive and challenging work, Wolfe died on April 14 at age 87.
