In Defense of the Blurry Black Hole Photo
A group of astronomers has done something incredible: They captured the first photograph ever taken of a black hole. The image, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope and released by the National...
View ArticleWhy Pet Sematary Refuses to Die
Like a roadkilled cat gruesomely returned from the dead, Pet Sematary is back. The 2019 remake of the 1989 film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 novel lumbers onto the screen like a resurrected pet...
View ArticleWhy Narendra Modi’s Plan to “Clean” Up India Hasn’t Worked
Over the next six weeks, Indian voters will choose their leaders in the world’s largest-ever election. Whether citizens will opt for the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister...
View ArticleU.S. Charges Julian Assange With ... Well, What Exactly?
Even before Thursday’s arrest by British authorities, Julian Assange was not a sympathetic character. The WikiLeaks founder had spent the last seven years in Ecuador’s embassy in London, initially...
View ArticleThe Labour Party’s Role in the Brexit Crisis
Three years after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union and two weeks after it was supposed to have left, Prime Minister Theresa May returned to Europe this week, hat in hand, to ask for...
View ArticleWith Craig Indictment, Mueller Probe Sends Ripples Through the Swamp
The indictment of Gregory B. Craig, President Obama’s first White House Counsel, shows that while Robert Mueller’s investigation may be over, its effects continue to ripple outward across the nation’s...
View ArticleButtigieg’s 2020 Campaign Built on Grand Talk and Small Successes
Pete Buttigieg is this week’s breakout star of the 2020 Democratic primary. The mayor of South Bend, Indiana has won fans from across the political spectrum due to his quick wit, his seeming...
View ArticleTucker Carlson, Unbowed
On weeknights at 8 p.m., Tucker Carlson is beamed into elderly white America’s living rooms like Walter Cronkite used to be, to tell the audience flatly how the world is: Mostly he’s dutifully intoned...
View ArticleGame of Thrones: It’s All Happening
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 ArticleRebuilding Notre Dame
Like many people, I have an image in my memory (and Instagram history) of the spire of Notre Dame in perfect Parisian light, in my case a rich, peach-sherbet evening in May. Also like many people, I...
View ArticleMillionaire’s Hothouse
It was a gray day in New York City. My friend Annelise and I were in a cab, grinding our way toward the annual orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden, which I planned to write about and she would...
View ArticleShould Offshore Oil Workers Get Paid While They Sleep?
Michael Strauss just wanted the oil workers to get paid appropriately for their dangerous, demanding jobs. That’s why he filed the lawsuit against their employer. “In our view, it’s a small case,” the...
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The Tale of Genji’s Image-Conscious, Experience-Hungry Courtiers
The first thing you need to know about the titular character of The Tale of Genji, the world’s first novel, a thousand pages completed in Heian-period Japan around 1021 CE, is that he is hot AF, as...
View ArticleThere Is No Profound Meaning to the Notre Dame Fire
Fire has held a certain mystical power in the human mind since Prometheus stole it from the gods. When it burns down the spire of Notre Dame—one of Christendom’s great churches, resting at the heart of...
View ArticleUnderstanding Facebook’s Algorithm Could Change How You See Yourself
When we go online these days, we know we’re not alone: The internet is looking back at us. Our clicks give us the information and products we ask for, but at the same time they provide information...
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Why Is Bill de Blasio’s Presidential Dream a Sad Joke?
It may be hard to believe now, but for a New York minute it seemed that Bill de Blasio was going to be the champion of an insurgent left. Progressive activists and commentators hailed de Blasio’s...
View ArticleWill Rod Rosenstein Regret Defending Bill Barr?
The Mueller report, set to be released in redacted form on Thursday, will be a test of Attorney General Bill Barr’s integrity. Many critics expect him to flunk it. “I don’t trust Barr,” House Speaker...
View ArticleSelling the Green New Deal With Optimism, Not Fear
How can a democratic political system institute far-reaching changes to a wildly destructive and unequal political economy? Amid mounting signs that climate change is already altering most modes of...
View ArticleHow to Fix the Fashion Industry’s Racism
When clothing retailer H&M was embroiled in a public relations crisis over its decision to cast a black toddler in a sweatshirt referencing a monkey in a jungle, one fashion news site offered this...
View ArticleThe Impotence of “Stop Sanders” Democrats
Not too long ago, the conventional wisdom in mainstream Democratic circles was that Bernie Sanders was finished. He was too old and too stubborn; he reminded voters too strongly of an election they’d...
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