Deceit, Disrepair and Death Inside a Southern California Rental Empire
Tens of thousands of California’s poorest tenants have endured dangerous conditions in housing run by a single company: PAMA Management.
Behind the Scenes at Rotten Tomatoes
What happens when humans, not algorithms, are in charge.
The Search for Mackie Basil
Seven years ago, a young Indigenous woman from Tache, BC, went to a party and never came back. Her family won’t stop looking for her.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "Nobody Girl"
A flight attendant caught between various loves and worlds.
'The Intelligence Coup of the Century'
For more than 50 years, world governments have trusted a single Swiss code-making machine company to keep the communications of their spies, soldiers, and diplomats secret. It turns out that company was run by the CIA.
Macaulay Culkin Is Not Like You
The 39-year-old—call him ‘Mack’—has been liberated longer than you realize.
Joshua Yaffa is a Moscow correspondent for The New Yorker. His first book is Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia.
“Especially in a place like Russia, where there’s a lot of sensitivity around what people might tell you—when they do open up to you, there’s a lot of trust there. And you better not abuse it or mishandle it, because you could put people in danger. Just being a decent person, and demonstrating that decency, goes a long way.”
Thanks to Mailchimp and Pitt Writers for sponsoring this week's episode.
The Surrogacy Cycle
Carrying babies for foreign couples was once touted as a win-win for everyone involved. Indian women, however, were often left with little to show for their efforts.
All Your Favorite Brands, From BSTOEM to ZGGCD
On the pseudo-brands of Amazon.
Barbearians at the Gate
A journey through a quixotic New Hampshire town teeming with libertarians, fake news, guns, and—possibly—furry invaders.
She Said, He Sued
Increasingly, men accused of MeToo misconduct are suing their accusers for defamation.
Love and Lhotse
Skiing in the shadow of Mount Everest.
Living Proof
Is the oldest person who ever lived a fraud?
The Quaid Conspiracy
Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have fled to Canada and are living in their car. They are seeking asylum from the menace of the “Hollywood Star Whackers.”
The Golden Age of White Collar Crime
There has never been a better time to commit financial crimes.
The Fabulist of Auschwitz
Heather Morris’s bestselling novels ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ and ‘Cilka’s Journey’, and the problem of truth in historical fiction.
The Umpire's Sons
A Major League umpire learns that his children share the same deadly genetic disease.
N.K. Jemisin's Dream Worlds
How the bestselling sci-fi author builds her stories.
The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Reelect the President
How new technologies and techniques pioneered by dictators will shape the 2020 election.
One Woman Took a Stand Against Tribal Disenrollment and Paid for It
How a burglary, social media and politics led to a Nooksack Tribal Councilwoman being bullied out of office.
What Do We Want History to Do to Us?
On Kara Walker.
I Sabotaged My Boss With Ransomware From the Dark Web
What does it take to navigate the dark web, buy some Ransomware, and extort your victims? The writer tries it for himself.
Fiction Pick of the Week: "The Twelfth Utopia"
An addict's relationship causes various traumas.
Family Business
A young man returns home from the army and gets a surprising offer from his emotionally distant father: Join the family business and help mom & pop pull off a string of daring cross-country heists. No one expects the betrayals coming.
My Surreal Afternoon With Donald Trump’s Favorite Black Supporter
Who was in a cult. Who lost his yacht. Who did not stab a man in the eye.
