United States
Religious Liberty for Some
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.
Migration on Ice
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.

Why the Church of Rome Is Not Afraid of Trump
Six months before the midterm elections, Pope Leo called President Trump’s threat to destroy Iran “unacceptable” and urged Americans to call on their representatives to oppose the war. Trump’s enraged reaction has since proved useful to the Vatican. The first American pope will not back down.

How the World Celebrated America’s 200th Birthday
The U.S. bicentennial in 1976 was an international affair, celebrated in diverse ways by countries around the world, in a turning point for American soft power and a rejection of the blunt propaganda of the early Cold War.

The Palestine Exception in US Justice
The 1992 Anti-Terrorism Act supposedly gives all Americans an opportunity to sue perpetrators of terror in U.S. courts. But in practice, it gives Israeli Americans a path to justice while withholding it from Palestinian Americans.

There Is No Iran Nuclear Deal and There May Never Be
How exactly does the agreement that President Trump has reached with Iran measure up against the JCPOA or Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration in 2015 — which Trump shredded in 2018?

UFC Freedom 250 and the Limits of MAGA Spectacle
Trump’s turn from wrestling to mixed martial arts suggests he is done pretending the performance is for his supporters’ benefit. MAGA thought they were in on the con. Instead, Trump put them in their own signature hold and called for the bell.