The Fabric of Civilization

Taiwan leads the world in the production of semiconductor material, the basis of the microchips found in everything from cell phones to medical equipment. Washington and Beijing aren’t happy about it.

On Donating, Voting Blue No Matter Who, and Then Donating Some More

On Disney, the Devil, and Dark MAGA

On Ungrateful Millennials, Burning the 3 am Oil, and the Persecution of Billionaires

Taking Shelter Under the Price Ceiling

For decades, American governments that were far from socialist embraced extensive use of price controls during times of inflation.

New York Times Watch

The paper of record has had some amazing headline edits in recent years. Here’s a selection.

Expensive Taste

Foodways dependent on factory farming and global monocultural agriculture might be cheap in the short term, but we could pay heavily in the future.

All In at the Crypto Casino

How America got high on the crypto bubble — and lost it all.

The End of History Was a Hell of a Drug

The collapse of the Soviet bloc led to a flowering of utopian thinking among our best and brightest.

Songs About Getting By in America

Misery has inspired some great art.

The Wizard of Oz’s Greenback Conspiracy

Many of the fantastical elements of The Wizard of Oz were drawn directly from the monetary debates of the 1890s.

Barbara Ehrenreich Made Socialist Ideas Sound Like Common Sense

Barbara Ehrenreich was driven by both her undying anger at the profound injustices of life under capitalism and a fervent hope that the world doesn’t have to be this way.

Making Ends Meet in the Cinematic Apocalypse

The radioactive mutants have taken the highways, and the microchips have been implanted in us, but there are still bills to pay.

Germany’s Funny Money

After World War I began and the imperial German government withdrew coins from circulation, local municipalities and businesses printed their own “emergency money” featuring striking imagery from German history, culture, and politics.

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Three Thousand Years of Longing Is the Genie-Professor Love Story You Never Asked For

Three Thousand Years of Longing, director George Miller’s whimsical follow-up to Mad Max: Fury Road, finds him returning to the gentle storytelling he perfected in the Babe films. Too bad this one’s a slog.

Corporate France Says: Hands Off Our Private Jets

French tycoons face rising scrutiny over their use of private jets for even the shortest flights. Business lobby group MEDEF’s summit struck down all criticism of the superrich — and set out plans for an energy transition that puts their interests first.

Jair Bolsonaro Is Laying the Groundwork for a Coup in Brazil

Brazil marks two centuries of independence from Portugal today. Far-right president Jair Bolsonaro is using the occasion to help create the mood music for a coup against Brazilian democracy after an October election that he expects to lose.

The Trade War Comes to the Middle East

For the last two years, Washington and its allies have sought to consolidate influence in the region. This bid for hegemony is coming up against a new force: Chinese capital.

Yes, You Should Worry About Inflation

For a generation, the Left dismissed any concerns about inflation as elite fearmongering. But now inflation is here. And it’s hurting workers more than anyone.