U.S.

How Fox News Is (Still) Hurting the Republicans

“There is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these [factual] questions than those who don’t watch any news at all.” A political scientist on what Roger Ailes has wrought, including the problems he is creating for his own GOP.

• James Fallows
• May 17, 2015

The Trauma of Jury Duty

Jurors in the United States are often exposed to horror—and, like those empaneled in the Tsarnaev case, would benefit from access to post-trial counseling and services.

• Andrew Guthrie Ferguson
• May 17, 2015

The Ass Baton Goes to School

Airhead High: Home of the Stoners

• James Fallows
• May 16, 2015

Dzokhar Tsarnaev Gets the Death Penalty

On Friday, a federal jury applied six of the 17 capital counts to the surviving Boston Marathon bomber.

• Adam Chandler
• May 15, 2015

The Battle for Downtown, From Canada to the Carolinas

“It is strange, but true.” What one reader says about Raleigh, North Carolina, applies many other places as well.

• James Fallows
• May 15, 2015

The Aftermath of the Amtrak Crash

As the investigation into Tuesday’s derailment continues, attention is shifting to the person who was guiding the train.

• Adam Chandler
• May 14, 2015

The Moral Weight of Warfare, Explored in a New Book

A “chickenhawk nation” sends men and women to combat without fully reflecting on the strategic and moral consequences of open-ended war. An American who supervised interrogations in Iraq reminds his fellow citizens of the cost.

• James Fallows
• May 14, 2015

What It's Like When Your City Goes Broke

San Bernardino, California, is poor, and has a high unemployment rate, and is affected by drought, and is in bankruptcy court. But its real problem is something else.

• James Fallows
• May 14, 2015

'An Absolute Disastrous Mess'

The derailment of an Amtrak train killed at least seven people and injured dozens more in Philadelphia.

• Matt Thompson and Adam Chandler
• May 13, 2015

An Incredible Time-Capsule View of One Downtown's Development

Can tearing up a noted artistic zone be a path to civic success? City leaders say yes, while some of their citizens say no.

• James Fallows
• May 13, 2015

Getting Approval for Arctic Drilling Might've Been the Least of Shell's Problems

There’s plenty of oil in the Chukchi Sea, but accessing it—let alone cleaning it up if some of it spills—poses some serious logistical hurdles.

• Nicole Lou
• May 12, 2015

Severe Weather Strikes the Plains

Tornadoes struck as far and wide as Texas to South Dakota with some fatalities, injuries, and heavy damage.

• Adam Chandler
• May 11, 2015

Books by Friends: An Ongoing Series

From the use and misuse of digital medicine, to the reasons why people should want to serve on juries, with spots for craft beer, cyber-terrorism, and the hidden story of empire in between. Lots of good reading ahead.

• James Fallows
• May 11, 2015

Can America Have Fewer Prisoners Without More Crime?

No one knows for sure what caused the historic drop in criminality, so policymakers should proceed with caution as they contemplate changes.

• David Frum
• May 11, 2015

The Jail Cell or the Ambulance?

In a three-year stretch, Baltimore central booking turned away 2,600 people arrested by police, but found by corrections officers to have serious injuries or illnesses.

• David A. Graham
• May 11, 2015

'Any Addict Who Asks for Help Will NOT Be Charged'

The police chief from Gloucester, Massachusetts, explains how his department is going beyond arrests to fight drug addiction.

• Julie Beck
• May 11, 2015

Je Suis Pamela Geller? Your Thoughts.

Readers debate the limits of free speech, blasphemy, and bigotry in response to essays from David Frum and Jeffrey Goldberg.

• Chris Bodenner
• May 10, 2015