Sherman Alexie on "Not Being the Indian That's Expected"
A profile of the writer.
The Not-So-Bitter Rivalry of Dean Baquet and Marty Baron
They’re friends who once vied for the same jobs. Now, as editors of The New York Times and The Washington Post, they’re locked in a daily battle for Trump scoops.
The Ethereal Genius of Craig Taborn
How a jazz pianist disappeared into his music.
Give Us Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses Yearning to Send Cash
How Western Union does business in 2017.
San Francisco is Burning
A rash of building fires in San Francisco has many speculating that the fault lies with landlords hoping to oust their poor tenants. One anonymous landlord describes his failed plan to do exactly that.
Gizmondo's Spectacular Crack-Up
One of the most valuable cars in the world crashes going 200 mph on the Pacific Coast Highway. Its owner claims to be an anti-terrorism officer. In fact, he’s a former executive at a failed software company—and a career criminal. The unraveling of an epic con.
Die Trying
A college student accused a powerful man of rape. Then she became a suspect.
Obama’s Secret Struggle to Punish Russia for Putin’s Election Assault
“I feel like we sort of choked.”
Rigged
The life of a modern-day indentured servant involves a truck, mountains of debt, and moving goods for America’s biggest retailers.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Chemistry"
After moving back home, a woman reconnects with a childhood crush.
The Boys From Baga
Boko Haram has abducted thousands of children and trained them as soldiers. Four survivors tell their story.
After Oranges
Following John McPhee to Florida.
The Super Predators
Why domestic violence is even worse if the abuser is a cop.
Patricia Lockwood is a poet and essayist. Her new book is Priestdaddy: A Memoir.
“[Prose writing is] strange to me as a poet. I’m like, ‘Well I guess I’ll tell you just what happened then.’ But the humor has to be there as well. Because in my family household…the absurdity or the surrealism that we have is in reaction to the craziness of the household. So something like your underwear-clad father with his hand in a vat of pickles, sitting in a room full of $10,000 guitars and telling you that he can’t afford to send you to college—that’s bad. That’s a sad scene. But it’s also totally a lunatic scene. It’s, just the very fact of it, all these accoutrements, all the elements of the scene—they are funny.”
Thanks to Audible and MailChimp for sponsoring this week's episode.
What’s Wrong With the Democrats?
On what happened in 2016 and what should happen next.
Uber’s C.E.O. Plays With Fire
A profile of Travis Kalanick, who resigned from the ride the ride-hailing company he built after leading it to the brink of implosion.
The Monster of Florence
An American mystery writer and an Italian journalist join forces to identify a serial killer that targeted couples having sex in cars in the rolling hills above Florence.
Who Owns Black Pain?
On race and risk in American culture.
The Ken Doll Reboot: Beefy, Cornrowed, and Pan-Racial
“From this day forward, Ken doesn’t always have to look like the most basic frat bro ever to get a B- in econ. He can be complicated, mysterious—maybe even vegan. No more Mr. Nice Ken. (Actually, he’ll still be very, very nice.)”
China's Mistress Dispellers
How an economic boom and deep gender inequality have created a new industry.
What Makes Us Happy?
In 1937, Harvard researchers began following the lives of 268 students. Year after year, the men were interviewed and given medical and psychological exams. The goal? Find a formula for happiness.
Gregg Turkington on What He Learned From Punk Rock
The performer behind the anti-comedian Neil Hamburger on being comfortable getting booed.
The Scarface of Sex
Michael Thevis was a pioneer in the 1970s porn world, making millions off his coin-operated peep-show machines. He built his family one of the most ornate mansions in Atlanta before it all came crashing down amidst bombings, murders, and a prison break.
Confessions of a Cartel Hit Man
Three targets, two 17-year-old partners, and $15,000 in getaway cash: the story of the author’s first assassination for Ramón Arellano Félix’s Tijuana cartel.
The Lunar Sea
How moonlight drives life in the ocean.
