Reading List

The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.

The 65-year-old theory that helps explain why the Democrats keep losing

Democratic strategists think the party has a messaging problem. Post-election autopsies overflowed with countless cross-tabs of how Democrats “underperformed” with demographic after demographic. There are endless debates about which words poll better (should Democrats stop using “microaggression”?) — as if anybody were even listening. Third Way’s “Signal Project” exemplifies this paralysis. The center-left think tank […]

How Trump lost the podcast bros

Six months into Donald Trump’s second term, the “manosphere” — an ecosystem of right-leaning podcasts and YouTube shows that helped elect him — appears to be losing some of its enthusiasm for him. Many of these hosts, who appeal to a young, male, and politically disengaged audience, now seem less excited about the administration’s actions […]

Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.

One day, Mars might become a home to humans. But first, there’s the cinematic, sci-fi challenge of making the Red Planet suitable for life. There’s a problem, though: The typical person can’t get to space safely. That throws a wrench into the whole “let’s move to Mars” plan in the face of extreme climate change […]

Are America’s four main adversaries really in cahoots?

Editor’s note, September 2, 12:10 pm ET: This week, the leaders of Iran, North Korea, and Russia, along with around two dozen other heads of state, are in China for a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which doubles as an advertisement for China’s bid for global leadership. In […]

The search for Earth’s most mysterious creatures is turning up extraordinary results

It’s easy to assume, as many people do, that our planet is well explored. In the last few centuries, humans have summited Earth’s highest peaks, dived its deepest ocean trenches, and trekked to the North and South poles, documenting the diversity of life along the way — the many birds, butterflies, fish, and other creatures […]