The Burning Desire for Hot Chicken
A trip to Nashville to sample the city’s signature dish and try to understand why we love food that hurts.
Raised By Women to Conquer Men
A profile of Jimmy Connors on the eve of the 1978 U.S. Open. His legendary confidence, honed by his mother since childhood, was in free-fall. (He would go on to win the final in straight sets.)
Once a Bucknell Professor, Now the Commander of an Ethiopian Rebel Army
Why Berhanu Nega traded a tenured position in Pennsylvania for the chance to move to a rustic Eritrean bungalow and lead a revolutionary force against an oppressive regime.
Best Article Crime Movies & TV
The Revenge of Roger’s Angels
How women at Fox News ended the career of Roger Ailes.
‘Hot’ Sex & Young Girls
On the obsession with the sexual and social habits of American teenage girls.
A Swarm of Controversy
In their struggle for survival, bees have an unlikely ally: Monsanto.
The Shape of Emily’s Coffin
The mysteries of the least known Brontë sister.
Fiction Sponsored
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Eight Scenes From the Life of a Professional Raven"
Reflections from a bird and a mascot.
How the Upright Citizens Brigade Improvised a Comedy Empire
When improv goes big time.
The Real-Life Superhero Who Beats the Cops to Bike Thieves
Meet Seattle’s cycling vigilante, Bike Batman.
Sarah Schweitzer is a former feature writer for the Boston Globe.
“I just am drawn, I think, to the notion that we start out as these creatures that just want love and were programmed that way—to try to find it and to make our lives whole. We are, as humans, so strong in that way. We get knocked down, and adults do some horrible things to us because adults have had horrible things done to [them]. There are some terrible cycles in this world. But there’s always this opportunity to stop that cycle. And there are people who come along who do try that in their own flawed ways.”
Thanks to MailChimp and AlarmGrid for sponsoring this week's episode.
The Audacious Plan to Save This Man’s Life by Transplanting His Head
The doctors, patient, and ethics behind the experiment.
Edward Snowden’s Long, Strange Journey to Hollywood
Oliver Stone wanted a hit—and the chance to put America’s most iconic dissident onscreen. The subject wanted veto power. The Russian lawyer wanted someone to option the novel he’d written. The American lawyer just wanted the whole insane project to go away. Somehow a film got made.
Abandoned in Iraq: Inside Two Soldiers' Harrowing Escape
Stuart Redus and Fernando Torres were left for dead.
Yuja Wang and the Art of Performance
A profile of the piano prodigy.
The Secret Justice System That Rules the World
On ISDS, the parallel legal universe created by international treaties that allows corporations to sue countries and escape punishment.
Is Angela Corey the Cruelest Prosecutor in America?
The state attorney, who prosecuted Marissa Alexander and failed to convict George Zimmerman, has put hundreds of children behind bars.
The Disastrous $45 Million Fall of a High-End Wine Scammer
Premier Cru’s “pre-arrival” cases were deeply discounted. When too many failed to arrive, a multi-decade wine Ponzi-scheme fell apart.
Everyone Is an Immigrant
On the Italian island Lampedusa— “politically Europe, but geographically Africa”—as a wave of African immigrants is due to arrive from Libya by boat, ruining the tourist season.
The Legend of the Choco Taco
Investigating the origins of the ice cream truck sensation.
Syria's Paradox
Why the war in Syria can only get worse.
Inside Glossier, The Beauty Startup That Just Happens To Sell Makeup
Emily Weiss has reinvented herself from reality TV villain to patron saint of dewy skin, no-makeup makeup, and no-commerce commerce. Why young women — and investors — are buying in.
The Most Exclusive Restaurant in America
Every table at Damon Baehrel’s restaurant is booked until 2025. Or is it?
'When You Find My Body': The Last Days of Gerry Largay
The 66-year-old became lost while hiking the Appalachian Trail. She survived for at least 16 days before crawling into her sleeping bag one last time, her journal sealed in a waterproof bag.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Bolger"
A conversation with (and memories of) an unscrupulous bar owner.
