United States
Quantum Chicago
Chicago’s transformation from a frontier outpost to a modern metropolis was shaped by dramatic human and environmental ruptures. Three books retelling different aspects of the city’s history can help us grapple with its tense present, and its future in the emerging “quantum” economy.
All Eyes on Michigan
Tuesday’s Democratic primary between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens for the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan is a microcosm of the struggle for the future of the Democratic Party — the war of position between progressives and centrists that is playing out all over the country.

The Many Versions of JD Vance
JD Vance’s new book, “Communion,” is at odds with both his public persona and the Vance of his bestselling “Hillbilly Elegy.” Behind the contradictions, one senses the vice president laying the foundations of a future bid for power.

How the World Cup Helped America See Itself Afresh
Foreign soccer fans fell in love with America during the World Cup, from Boston to Lawrence, Kansas. Americans, in turn, loved watching the viral videos those visitors made about their adventures here. What might Americans learn about their own country from this summer romance?

The Arguments America Has Never Settled
Constitutional law scholar Marcus Gadson joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss religion, race and citizenship, and why America has never settled its oldest arguments.

A Double Standard on Religious Liberty in Schools
This year, Texas introduced a $1 billion school voucher program that gives parents thousands of dollars toward tuition at private and religious schools. But families choosing Islamic schools are facing obstacles, in a case that recalls a long history of debate over faith and freedom.

Six Months After Minneapolis, ICE Has Doubled Down
A New Lines investigation in Texas reveals how, in the six months since the deadly raids in Minneapolis, federal immigration agents have adopted less visible tactics, using state police forces and an opaque bureaucracy to ramp up deportations and push migrants — even those here legally — to self-deport.