Disabled and Disdained
When a town becomes divided between those who work and those who don’t.
Steroid Solidarity
The culture of juicing at the Mr. Olympia competition.
The Life of a South Central Statistic
“My cousin became a convicted felon in his teens. I tried to make sure he got a second chance. What went wrong?”
A Son's Race to Give His Dying Father Artificial Immortality
As a father succumbs to lung cancer, his son tries to recreate his personality in the form of a chatbot.
See No Evil
Three Dallas prostitutes were found dead in as many months. Charles Albright might be the last person you’d suspect–unless you knew about his lifelong obsession.
Bombs in Our Backyard
An investigation into how the American military disposes of its waste.
Highway to Hell
The prison life of O.J. Simpson.
When Athletes Gotta Go...Where Do They Go?
An investigation.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Everything Is Far From Here"
In a purgatory-like immigration center, a woman awaits the arrival of her son.
Interview: Donald Trump
Look, this is about Russia. So I think if [Robert Mueller] wants to go, my finances are extremely good, my company is an unbelievably successful company. And actually, when I do my filings, peoples say, “Man.” People have no idea how successful this is. It’s a great company. But I don’t even think about the company anymore. I think about this. ’Cause one thing, when you do this, companies seem very trivial. O.K.? I really mean that. They seem very trivial. But I have no income from Russia. I don’t do business with Russia. The gentleman that you mentioned, with his son, two nice people. But basically, they brought the Miss Universe pageant to Russia to open up, you know, one of their jobs. Perhaps the convention center where it was held. It was a nice evening, and I left. I left, you know, I left Moscow.
Growing Up as an Untouchable
“My stories, my family’s stories, were not stories in India. They were just life.”
Steven Levy covers technology for Wired, where he is the editor of Backchannel.
“It’s about people. Travis Kalanick’s foibles aren’t because he’s a technology executive. It’s because he’s Travis Kalanick. That’s the way he is. There is a certain strain in Silicon Valley, which rewards totally driven people, but that is humanity. And advanced technology is no guarantee—and as a matter of fact I don’t think it’ll do anything—from stopping ill-intentioned people from doing ill-intentioned things.”
Thanks to MailChimp, Audm, Rover, and Babbel for sponsoring this week's episode.
The Living and the Dead
In October, Iraqi forces set out to retake Mosul, one of Iraq’s largest cities and ISIS’s biggest stronghold in the country. It would take them nine months and cost thousands of lives.
The Teenage Whaler's Tale
Internet death threats hound a young Alaskan after a successful hunt.
Being John McEnroe
On his journey from phenom to champion to wannabe rock star to Emmy-winning commentator, John McEnroe hasn’t changed much.
The Rise and Fall of F. Lee Bailey, the Lawyer Who Set O.J. Simpson Free
F. Lee Bailey is disbarred, penniless, and giving business advice out of his girlfriend’s salon.
Eat, Memory
“The last time I ate real food, actually chewed and swallowed, was six years ago.”
How to Deal With North Korea
“There are no good options. But some are worse than others.”
The Town Where Everyone Owns a Gun
Life in Nucla, Colorado.
The Longform Guide to Road Trips
Our favorite stories about hitting the road.
The Lawyer, the Addict
A high-powered Silicon Valley attorney dies. His ex-wife investigates, and finds a web of drug abuse in his profession.
Children’s Friend
A profile of Dr. Seuss.
Sacred Architecture
A religious order funded largely by the founder of the Cheesecake Factory announced plans to build a temple in a small California town. The town wasn’t thrilled.
What Goes Up
How a daredevil helicopter pilot helped birth modern news.
The Short, Unhappy Life of a Libertarian Paradise
The residents of Colorado Springs undertook a radical experiment in government. Here’s what they got.
