Waynesville Diarist
Mr. and Mrs. Gudger sat down next to my desk. Their faces were gaunt, bleak, and pale. Four days earlier their only son had shot himself dead at 24. “You’re the man who put that in the paper ain’t...
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Vigilante Men
In late February, the self-proclaimed commander of a rightwing militia group based in northern New Mexico issued an urgent proclamation to listeners of the group’s YouTube radio show.“We have 2,500...
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How To Think Freely
In September of 1959, Nikita Khrushchev made his Hollywood debut. The Soviet premier had arrived in the United States for a twelve-day tour at the invitation of President Eisenhower. During his stay,...
View ArticleArguing in Bad Faith
The alt-right has always had an awkward relationship with traditional conservatives. Its love of conspiracy theories, its penchant for violence, and its need for enemies make it hard to build a...
View ArticleHomelessness Is Not a Crime
Denver received national attention this week after voters there passed Initiative 301 to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms. The result of Initiative 300, which would have repealed the city’s ban...
View ArticleThe Gross Inequality of Death in America
One of the most disquieting facts about life in the United States today is that the richest American men live 15 years longer than the poorest men, while for women it’s 10 years. Put a different way,...
View ArticleRed Herrings
This spring, conservative media took the message the president had soberly delivered in his State of the Union address—that “America will never be a socialist country”—and transformed it into a berserk...
View ArticleBig Pharma Is Pushing a Big Lie
In June of 2017, 26-year-old Alec Raeshawn Smith died on the floor of his apartment from diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition where, without insulin, the blood turns acidic and causes organ failure. His...
View ArticleTrump Declares War—on Accountability
The Trump administration has spent the past week refusing to give an inch, wielding executive privilege as a shield against every subpoena and request from Democrats. On Wednesday, the House Judiciary...
View ArticleAndrew Yang’s Disjointed Plan to Reform American Democracy
There are more than 20 Democratic candidates for president, and none are as technocratic as Andrew Yang. The New York–based entrepreneur and venture capitalist is running on an eclectic platform that...
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Sara Nelson’s Art of War
The most powerful labor leader in the country right now is about 5’5” in sneakers, though her work uniform generally adds an extra inch or two. As the president of the Association of Flight Attendants...
View ArticleICE’s Brazen Arrests Are Impeding Justice
Earlier this month, two men in street clothes rapidly approached defense attorney Mark Wester and his client in the hallway of the Marlborough District Court. After confirming the defendant’s identity,...
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Claire Denis’s Long Journey to Nowhere
Critics use the adjective “elliptical” a lot for Claire Denis’s movies. From a Greek word meaning “to fall short,” ellipses are the dot dot dot indicating a word left out from a sentence. The...
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Fire Forced Me From My Home. Then Water Trapped Me There.
I’ve lived in Idyllwild for the last 45 years. It’s a small town in the Southern California mountains, and it’s about a mile high where most people live. We don’t have any traffic lights. We don’t have...
View ArticleGame of Thrones: Ask Not For Whom the Bells Toll
Each Monday, members of The New Republic staff will discuss the latest episode of Game of Thrones, now in its eight and final season. Join Josephine Livingstone, Alex Shephard, and Ryu Spaeth as they...
View ArticleThis Is Not a “Constitutional Crisis”
A constitutional crisis, like a good first date, is typically self-evident. That’s what makes top Democrats’ sudden embrace of the term so jarring. “Certainly, it’s a constitutional crisis, although I...
View ArticleElizabeth Warren Has a Plan to Fight the Opioid Crisis. Why Don’t Other...
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is causing a stir in Trump country. In rural West Virginia town with a population of 400, Warren spoke to a crowd of 150—many decked out in MAGA...
View ArticleThe Unstoppable Rise of Phoebe Waller-Bridge
In a scene about halfway through the new season of Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who writes and stars in every episode, sits inside a confession booth in an old church. The fact that her character,...
View ArticleHow Gerrymandering Leads to Radical Abortion Laws
Stacey Abrams still hasn’t conceded that she lost to Brian Kemp in last year’s gubernatorial race in Georgia, and perhaps justifiably so. Kemp, formerly the secretary of state there, administered his...
View ArticleDemocrats Already Have a Position on Tariffs... If You Know Where to Look
Donald Trump’s trade war with China is not going well. Weeks after assuring people that trade negotiations between the two countries were on the “five yard line,” a sheepish Larry Kudlow, Trump’s chief...
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