MAY 4. 2026

When Rumors of a Drinking Problem Sunk a Cabinet Nomination

The so-called Tower fiasco took place in a very different Washington to today.

Middle Powers Can’t Shape the Global Order

Trump’s war exposes the limits of collective action among the lesser powers.

Trump’s Killing Spree Isn’t Stopping the Flow of Drugs Into the U. S.

The Trump administration falsely claims that boat strikes target fentanyl and have halted 97 percent of cocaine shipments to the U. S.

The End of America’s Soft Power

The United States has given up on one of its core international strengths.

This Energy Crisis Is Undoing the Last Ones

The Western-led order that emerged after the 20th century’s three energy shocks is losing its grip.

I Reached Out to the White House Counterterrorism Czar for Comment. He Lashed Out on X.

Sebastian Gorka accused a ProPublica reporter of writing a “putrid piece of hackery” about him. Here’s how basic beat reporting led to a broader story about the state of the U. S. counterterrorism mission at a critical moment.

Hurricane Helene shattered lives — and the systems that keep people sober

Recovery from substance use disorder requires community. What happens when a disaster tears that apart?

Helene frayed the safety net for people who use drugs. This community wove it back together.

Harm reduction groups and health care workers helped avert the worst. But what about the next emergency?

Should Roundup labels warn users about the cancer risk? It’s up to the Supreme Court.

The ruling could reshape pesticide regulation and test President Trump's base from within.

A New Economics for the 21st Century

By coming out in favor of industrial policy after many decades of advising against government intervention in the economy, the World Bank has taken an important step.

MAY 3. 2026

Epiphany Narrative

It is a matter of necessity or a choice freely made; a burdensome condition or a vintage-Polaroid fantasy: to live in a van. During the pandemic, the

California will soon have more than 300 data centers. Where will they get their water?

A proposed data center in the Imperial Valley would need 750,000 gallons of water a day. Satisfying the thirst of 24 more facilities expected to open in the state will be challenging, experts and officials say.

After El-Fasher

It is hardly surprising that people dance during war. Sometimes these are dances of victory. This past October, after eighteen months of siege, the city

MAY 2. 2026

Mystery Brain

Last year the right-wing Passage Publishing, whose mission—“to push forward new ideas and ways of thinking that can break us out of our cultural and

The ramifications of record-shattering heat on the West’s ecosystems

"It was the worst possible way to end the winter that was already worse than normal. "

His Moo Was Refined

On a rainy Sunday in New York City in October 1935, Munro Leaf, an editor at the book publisher Frederick A. Stokes Company, picked up a legal pad and

Never Apologize

Extracting a public apology gives your political opponents leverage over you. With few exceptions, don’t give in.

Event With Links to Oil Industry Teaches Judges “Healthy Skepticism” of Climate Science

As congressional Republicans accuse climate scholars and lawyers of colluding to influence the judiciary, a symposium hosted by a center funded by the fossil fuel industry educates judges about free-market views of climate science.

MAY 1. 2026

Trump: 60-Day War Powers Deadline ‘Totally Unconstitutional’

The White House argues that the U. S. -Iran cease-fire paused the clock.

Graham Platner Handed Centrist Dems a Bruising Defeat in Maine

After supporting Janet Mills, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have had to do an about-face in the Senate race to defeat Susan Collins.