Culture
The Heritage of Dylann Roof The Heritage of Dylann Roof
Ten years after the Charleston massacre, reverence for the Confederacy that Roof idolized is going strong.
Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define
When the Beach Boys front man died, the obituaries described him as a genius. Which means what, exactly?
Brian Wilson’s Endless Summer Brian Wilson’s Endless Summer
His music, by turns joyous and melancholy, wide-eyed and masterful, transformed the meaning of pop.
Welcome to the Crusades, Episode 1: Rome, 1095 Welcome to the Crusades, Episode 1: Rome, 1095
On this episode of American Prestige, we launch a miniseries about the Crusades.
Books
The Wild Lives of Cargo Ships The Wild Lives of Cargo Ships
A capacious new history examines the remaking of the the global economy through the story a single barge.
Katie Kitamura’s Divided Selves Katie Kitamura’s Divided Selves
Her fiction are studies of fragmentation and ambivalence.
The Invention of Close Reading The Invention of Close Reading
By transforming quotations into evidence, close reading served as way to turn postwar criticism into a specialized knowledge. But what if we treated it more as an art form?
Film
Can Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza Remake the War Movie? Can Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza Remake the War Movie?
Warfare attempts to rewrite the rules of depicting violent conflict on screen, making for a close-up, visceral experience.
How Should Los Angeles Rebuild After the Fires? How Should Los Angeles Rebuild After the Fires?
In the aftermath of this year’s catastrophic fires, architects and urban planners begin to consider how to rebuild.
The Culture-War Furies Behind Trump’s Film-Tariff Plan The Culture-War Furies Behind Trump’s Film-Tariff Plan
The president doesn’t have the authority to impose tariffs on movies produced abroad, but he still wants to be the right’s designated culture commissar.
The Bloody Blues of “Sinners” The Bloody Blues of “Sinners”
Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster horror period piece sets out to reinvent the creature feature—for better and for worse.
Television
The Slapstick Criminality of Hulu’s “Deli Boys” The Slapstick Criminality of Hulu’s “Deli Boys”
The show is at once a succession story, a riches-to-rags tale, and a buddy comedy about two hapless brothers trying to save their father’s convenience-store empire.
Who Does Nathan Fielder Think He Is? Who Does Nathan Fielder Think He Is?
The second season of his HBO series The Rehearsal—which tackles the crisis facing the aviation industry—is better understood as an extreme form of reality TV.
Culture Therapy Culture Therapy
Films to remember for pre-Trumpian times and inspiration.
Architecture
Norman Foster’s 270 Park and the Rise of the New Office Building Norman Foster’s 270 Park and the Rise of the New Office Building
The building’s dramatic and dazzling feats of architecture make it appear as if it were hovering above the street. But is that a good thing?
If Trump Could Make John Wayne the Head of Homeland Security, He Would If Trump Could Make John Wayne the Head of Homeland Security, He Would
Trump’s appeal stems from the way he combines restoration and revolution. His reactionary modernism may have beguiled Silicon Valley, but the rest of us should expect repression.
One Solution to the Housing Crisis Is in Plain Sight One Solution to the Housing Crisis Is in Plain Sight
The shortage can be addressed not through costly new development but by reusing existing buildings.
Music
Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define
When the Beach Boys front man died, the obituaries described him as a genius. Which means what, exactly?
Brian Wilson’s Endless Summer Brian Wilson’s Endless Summer
His music, by turns joyous and melancholy, wide-eyed and masterful, transformed the meaning of pop.
You Can’t Understand Black Music Without Sly Stone You Can’t Understand Black Music Without Sly Stone
His songs, for generations of listeners, provided community, solace, and a sense of understanding.
Listening Closely to John Adams Listening Closely to John Adams
The composer is an undeniable part of the classical music canon. Does that change the meaning of his radical early work?
Springsteen Gets America in Ways Trump Never Will Springsteen Gets America in Ways Trump Never Will
And that reality has caused the president of the United States to lose it.
Publishing
We Can’t Afford to Let the Fourth Estate Topple We Can’t Afford to Let the Fourth Estate Topple
For all the deserved criticism of the American media, it remains one of the strongest pillars propping up what’s left of democracy in a time that’s been anything but good for the …
The Formidable Intellect and Comprehensive Passions of Elizabeth Pochoda (1941–2025) The Formidable Intellect and Comprehensive Passions of Elizabeth Pochoda (1941–2025)
The former literary editor of The Nation brought her curiosity, wit, and singular editorial instincts to nearly every corner of New York media.
Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy
Our last best hope for sharing, shaping, and wrangling over independent ideas may turn out to be America’s scrappy and disparate arts spaces—if they can hang on financially.
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How Jeffrey Goldberg and “The Atlantic” Blew “the Biggest Story of the Year” How Jeffrey Goldberg and “The Atlantic” Blew “the Biggest Story of the Year”
Given advance warning of an impending war crime, the former cheerleader for the Iraq war decided his priority was to protect his scoop.
Jun 13, 2025 / JoAnn Wypijewski
These Dis-United States These Dis-United States
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Jun 10, 2025 / Feature / Various Contributors
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May 23, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
The Biden Scandal Goes Well Beyond the Aging Cover-Up The Biden Scandal Goes Well Beyond the Aging Cover-Up
The former president’s stubbornness and narcissism led to disastrous Trump victory.
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