Culture

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shows an artist’s rendering of the arch.

How Trump Got His Tacky Arch Approved How Trump Got His Tacky Arch Approved

Neoclassical revivalists had to sell their souls.

May 26, 2026 / Kate Wagner

Pierre Guyotat’s Moral Order

Pierre Guyotat’s Moral Order Pierre Guyotat’s Moral Order

The French writer's fiction engages in a radical egalitarian project aimed at negating the right's nihilism.

May 26, 2026 / Books & the Arts / R.K. Hegelman

Claude Monet, “The Saint-Lazare Station,” 1877.

Searching for Solidarity at the Train Station Searching for Solidarity at the Train Station

Mattia Filice’s Driver, a poetic novel about train conductors in France, offers an empathetic vision of working for the public.

May 25, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Sara Krolewski

Stephen Colbert on the set of “The Late Show” on CBS on the last night of the show.

Why Losing Colbert Hurts So Much Why Losing Colbert Hurts So Much

Trump would have all his comedian critics fired if he could. But Colbert represents a particular loss.

May 22, 2026 / Ben Schwartz

Young Bryce Crawford fans posing in his “I Love Jesus” Waffle House merch.

Why Gen Z Is Turning to Christian Influencers Why Gen Z Is Turning to Christian Influencers

Bryce Crawford, a tattooed Evangelical influencer, built a devoted young following out of algorithms, TikTok despair, and generational loneliness.

May 22, 2026 / StudentNation / Jax Preyer

A copy of the diary of Anne Frank on exhibit Frankfurt, Germany, on March 24, 2017.

The Magical, Mysterious World of Archives The Magical, Mysterious World of Archives

Archives are where forgotten lives, hidden histories, and unfinished stories wait to be rediscovered.

May 20, 2026 / Michele Willens

A crowd in Berlin celebrating the Kaiser’s proclamation of war against Great Britain, 1914.

Siegfried Kracauer’s Quixotic Anti-War Novel Siegfried Kracauer’s Quixotic Anti-War Novel

In 1928’ s Ginster, the German writer broke the mold of the World War I novel by refusing politics for aesthetics.

May 20, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Jasmine Liu

Dr. Rodolfo Acuña circa 1969/1970.

The Enduring Legacy of Rudy Acuña The Enduring Legacy of Rudy Acuña

The pioneering Chicano studies scholar, who died in March, reshaped the writing of history.

May 20, 2026 / Obituary / Theresa Montaño and Oriel María Siu

Karen Tei Yamashita on Why We Shouldn't Take Fiction Lightly

Karen Tei Yamashita on Why We Shouldn't Take Fiction Lightly Karen Tei Yamashita on Why We Shouldn't Take Fiction Lightly

A conversation with the author about her new book’s regretful relevance amidst escalatingly violent ICE detainments.

May 15, 2026 / Q&A / Naomi Elias

Right-wing culture-war mascot Shane Gillis at the Netflix comedy roast for Kevin Hart.

How Netflix Cashes In on the Comedy Culture Wars How Netflix Cashes In on the Comedy Culture Wars

The streamer managed to make a celebrity roast for the innocuous comedian Kevin Hart into an ideological free-fire zone—another sign of the Trumpification of pop culture.

May 15, 2026 / Ben Schwartz

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