For years, Mormon Mommy blogger Natalie Lovin curated a picture-perfect life. Then she left the church—and her husband.

Over the last several years, millions of dollars worth of antique rhino horns have been stolen form collections around the world. The only thing more unusual than the crimes is the theory about who is responsible: A handful of families from rural Ireland known as the Rathkeale Rovers.

The prison-industrial complex is not only a set of interest groups and institutions. It is also a state of mind. The lure of big money is corrupting the nation's criminal-justice system, replacing notions of public service with a drive for higher profits. The eagerness of elected officials to pass "tough-on-crime" legislation — combined with their unwillingness to disclose the true costs of these laws — has encouraged all sorts of financial improprieties. The inner workings of the prison-industrial complex can be observed in the state of New York, where the prison boom started, transforming the economy of an entire region; in Texas and Tennessee, where private prison companies have thrived; and in California, where the correctional trends of the past two decades have converged and reached extremes.

The vans, operated by for-profit companies, carry tens of thousands of people every year. They lack beds, toilets, and medical services. More than a dozen women have alleged they were sexually assaulted by guards while being transported; since 2012, at least four people have died.

How Human Potential Movement workshops permeated our lives and our businesses.

“He was, it must be said, a pig. And my heart grew fonder.”

A 12-hour interview on career and craft.

Activist investor Bill Ackman set out to destroy the multilevel marketing company. But did he wind up helping it succeed instead?

How an up-and-coming company went bust.

An interview with the experimental filmmaker and Hollywood chronicler Kenneth Anger, 85.

On the psychological damage punitive isolation inflicts upon Guantánamo and American prisoners alike.

Academics are convinced it’s an intelligent satire.

How an L.A. high school dropout became an enforcer for Mexican cartels and ended up on the F.B.I. Most Wanted List.

An interview with R. Crumb on how he adapted Genesis into comic form.

On the longstanding human fascination with a light source we could borrow but not share.

“There’s no blueprint for remediating a radioactive town and then moving people back into it.”

Can a $100,000 robot that makes a delicious crab bisque replace a real chef?

An interview with Maurice Sendak.

“Anytime I was called a New Journalist I winced a little with embarrassment.”

When Jake Millison went missing, his family said he’d skipped town. But his friends refused to let him simply disappear.

An American mercenary, who did security for Trump rallies, attempts a amphibious coup along the Venezuelan border.

For 40 years, the city’s lifeguard corps has been mired in controversy, and for 40 years it’s been run by one man: Peter Stein.

Inside Randall Emmett’s direct-to-video empire, where many Hollywood stars have found lucrative early retirement.

A two-part story on Bill Gates and his revolutionary machine.

On the Toronto Islands, an ugly real estate battle forces neighbours to ask: How do we define family?