A profile of wine critic Robert Parker.

Erich Spangenberg is in the business of owning other people’s ideas. He makes a fortune.

The rise and fall of a boom-era escort agency in New York City.

On the workings of Sarah Palin’s inner circle.

A profile of rapper Mac Miller published on September 6, the day before he died.

The haunting of 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey.

Elizabeth Anderson thinks we’ve misunderstood the basis of a free and fair society.

Making sense of Donald Trump’s petulant reign.

On the meaning of an ancient practice: collecting seashells.

A profile of the film critic.

The rise of “natural” wines, and what happens next.

On the end of Harvey Weinstein.

Could the pandemic teach us why our sense of smell matters?

The origin story of a now-ubiquitous celebration.

On the writer W.G. Sebald.

A private contractor tossed U.S. military waste in Iraq and Afghanistan into giant pits and burned it. Now soldiers forced to breathe the toxic fumes are sick or dying—and the government is using faulty science to evade responsibility.

The Giant Pacific Octopus is, in the words of a Seattle conservationist, a “glamour animal.” It is also tasty. Therein lies the conflict.

A charismatic entrepreneur, an ex-con turned devout Christian, and the politicians who championed them.

The story of a $36 billion Ponzi scheme in Minnesota.

In trailers just minutes from the Vegas Strip, Air Force pilots control predators over Iraq and Afghanistan. A case study in the marvels—and limits—of modern military technology.

“My son was jobless, directionless, and apartmentless. So when he decided to join the Army, we were just glad he was out of the house. What we didn’t know was just how much the military would change him—and us.”

They were an all-star crew. They cooked up the perfect plan. And when they pulled off the caper of the century, it made them more than a fortune—it made them folk heroes.

On the legacy of Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson and her battle with the Deep South’s white power structure.

The inside story of a cartel’s deadly assault on a Mexican town near the Texas border—and the U.S. drug operation that sparked it.

Sunken by grief, Alenka Artnik found herself alone on a bridge, contemplating suicide. Ten years later, she is the world’s greatest female freediver and getting stronger with each record-breaking plunge. How one woman emerged from mental health struggles to push the limits of the human body.

A profile of Tom Donohue, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the sixth-highest paid lobbyist in the country. Since Obama took office, Donohue has scared-up tens of millions in new donations.