A Few Crucial Instances of Grace
“We must be grateful for the smallest of blessings. Last week I saw and heard some things that provided a measure of hope and nuance in these grim and hysterical times.”
Red Dawn in Lapland
Finland shares an 833-mile border with an aggressive and unpredictable neighbor––Russia. North of the Arctic Circle, the author trained with the elite soldiers who will be on the front lines if this cold feud ever gets hot.
Monday Night Lights
A profile of football coach Jon Gruden.
The Real Future of Work
It’s less about robots and the gig economy and more about companies stripping away the security full-time work has long afforded.
The Biggest Secret
Life as a New York Times reporter in the shadow of the war on terror.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Basement Miracles"
Observations from an AA meeting.
The Cold Hard Facts of Freezing to Death
A step-by-step account.
The Case for the Subway
The subway built New York City. Now it might destroy it.
Ben Taub is a staff writer at The New Yorker.
“I don’t think it’s my place to be cynical because I’ve observed some of the horrors of the Syrian War through these various materials, but it’s Syrians that are living them. It’s Syrians that are being largely ignored by the international community and by a lot of political attention on ISIS. And I think that it wouldn’t be my place to be cynical when some of them still aren’t.”
Thanks to MailChimp and Tripping for sponsoring this week's episode.
Kids Killing Kids: New Jack City Eats Its Young
Detroit, 1987.
The article that became New Jack City.
“Oh My God, This Is So Fucked Up”
The not-so-secret sex parties of Silicon Valley.
Why a Record Number of Women Are Eyeing a Run for Governor
“If we don’t run, then we won’t achieve.”
The Scammers Gaming India’s Overcrowded Job Market
When a call center gig turns out to be something else.
Erica Garner Never Stopped Fighting
An interview with the activist.
Estonia, the Digital Republic
Tech takes over the post-Soviet nation.
“I Want It to Stop”
At 15, Ruben Urbina couldn’t bear his depression and anxiety anymore. So he called police with a chilling threat.
The Longform Guide to the Music Business
The man who made Bieber, how Nickelback cashes in, and the story of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun—a collection of classic articles about the music industry.</p>
The Teens Trapped Between a Gang and the Law
On Long Island, unaccompanied minors are caught between the violence of MS-13 and the fear of deportation.
‘What Are We Going to Do About Tyler?’
Tyler Haire was locked up at 16. A Mississippi judge ordered that he undergo a mental exam. He would wait 1,266 days in an adult jail.
In China, a Three-Digit Score Could Dictate Your Place in Society
Inside China’s vast new experiment in social ranking.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Poisoned Apple"
A woman fights against various forms of trespassing.
David Lynch Keeps His Head
A visit to the set of Lost Highway, minus an actual interview with the director.
How Facebook’s Political Unit Enables the Dark Art of Digital Propaganda
Some of unit’s clients stifle opposition, stoke extremism.
An Unlikely Heroine Steps in to Save Crumbling Dolphin Tower
A swanky 12-story condo in Sarasota nearly collapsed, was rendered unlivable for years, and no one was to blame.
Maggie Haberman covers the Trump Administration for The New York Times.
“If I start thinking about it, then I’m not going to be able to just keep doing my job. I'm being as honest as I can — I try not to think about it. If you’re flying a plane and you think about the fact that if the plane blows up in midair you’re gonna die, do you feel like you can really focus as well? So, I’m not thinking about [the stakes]. This is just my job. This is what we do. Ask me another question.”
Thanks to MailChimp for sponsoring this week's episode.
