United States

From ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ to the Hill
As J.D. Vance enters as a freshman senator, we risk misunderstanding him as a passive figure with no clear agenda, as merely a tool of Peter Thiel or Donald Trump. To make sense of Vance’s project, we must fathom the complex positioning of a new white exceptionalism in America.

The FBI on Trial
Republicans appear to be invoking Frank Church’s legacy not to push for real solutions, as the late senator did, but to obtain impunity for themselves and punish their enemies. In the process, they’re misrepresenting the committee's storied history.

Thanksgiving Food in America Is as Diverse as Its Population
Though the traditional Thanksgiving meal in America remains the most prominent across most tables in the country, first-, second- and third-generation immigrants often include foods from their cultures in a celebration of family, gratitude and flavor.

The Meaning of the Midterms — with Robert Evans
“The thing that we couldn't have known was the degree to which voters were going to react against the power grabs that the right has made. And I'm happy to say that it does look like that's one of the stories from last night.”

The Paranoid Style in Nevada Politics
Welcome to rural Nevada, where anti-government sentiment runs high and county governments serve as a petri dish for far-right political branding, conspiracy and experimentation.

Strange Bedfellows: Abortion and White Supremacy
Historically in the U.S., controlling immigration and access to abortion went hand in hand, reinforcing racial hierarchies. Nowhere is this more evident than in eugenics, where advocates pushed the idea that access to contraception could keep poor and “unfit” women from having more children.

How Portland Stopped the Proud Boys
Historically, fascists win when they decide to go for it, to throttle democracies, believing that no one will be organized enough to fight them. In Portland people stood up and called their bluff. Diligent research, nonviolent organizing and the eventual acquiescence of the state and federal government to enforce the law against right-wing agitators were all party to the success we see now. But none of it would have happened if an awful lot of people hadn’t shown up, for five straight years, ready to throw down.