Society

Jeff Bezos, Alphabet's CEO Sundar Pichai and businessman Elon Musk attend the inauguration ceremony of US President-elect Donald Trump in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025.

How the Rich and Powerful Destroyed Free Speech How the Rich and Powerful Destroyed Free Speech

And how we get it back.

May 16, 2025 / Eric Reinhart

Austin drag queen and activist Maxine LaQueene does a student's makeup on Monday, April 28, as a part of Day of Drag, a student-led event that included a line-dancing workshop, political education, lip sync battles, and stations where local drag queens put students in drag.

Why Texas Universities’ Drag Bans Backfired Why Texas Universities’ Drag Bans Backfired

The University of Texas and Texas A&M systems attempted to ban university-sponsored drag performances—but not without dissent from students and local organizers.

May 16, 2025 / StudentNation / Aaron Boehmer

John Ewing pumps his fist after the second round of results are announced at the election night watch party for Ewing for Omaha mayor at the downtown Hilton in Omaha, Nebraska, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

How Democrats Crushed a Despicable Anti-Trans Campaign and Won a Major Election How Democrats Crushed a Despicable Anti-Trans Campaign and Won a Major Election

The supposedly unbeatable Republican mayor of Nebraska’s largest city used the GOP’s anti-LGBTQ+ playbook in her reelection bid. And lost!

May 16, 2025 / John Nichols

Count von Count tries to keep cool between performances during a Sesame Street live dress rehearsal.

Sesame Street Workers Say, “U Is for Union” Sesame Street Workers Say, “U Is for Union”

Amid attacks from the Trump administration, 74 percent of Sesame Street workers vote to unionize to make their workplace “smarter, stronger, and kinder.”

May 15, 2025 / Ella Fanger

In Toxic Detention

In Toxic Detention In Toxic Detention

Investigating the alleged contaminated water crisis at the Northwest Detention Center.

May 15, 2025 / Photo Essay / Rico Moore

Bruce Springsteen performs during the first night of the “Land of Hopes and Dreams” tour at Co-op Live on May 14, 2025 in Manchester, England.

This Is the Bruce We’ve Been Waiting For This Is the Bruce We’ve Been Waiting For

Springsteen’s fans knew his politics, but he didn’t always show them off. Now he’s jumped out of the gate to stand against “dangerous times in my home.” Let freedom ring.

May 15, 2025 / Joan Walsh

White House senior adviser and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attends a cabinet meeting at the White House on April 30, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Elon Musk Is Remaking the US Space Program Elon Musk Is Remaking the US Space Program

On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us, Tim Fernholz on Elon Musk’s influence in the White House and, consequently, the US space program.

May 15, 2025 / Podcast / Paris Marx

Police officers get into position as pro-Palestinian students demonstrate on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, on May 1, 2024.

UCLA Is Now Nearly Unrecognizable as a University UCLA Is Now Nearly Unrecognizable as a University

A police attack on a documentary film screening is just one of the assaults on student freedoms that have turned UCLA into more of a fortress than a place of higher learning.

May 15, 2025 / Grace Kyungwon Hong, Michael Chwe, Thu-huong Nguyen-vo, and Renee Tajima-Pena

Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose reacts to a reporter’s question on March 22, 1989, prior to the Reds’ against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Late Pete Rose Is Finally Welcome in Baseball’s Moral Slophouse The Late Pete Rose Is Finally Welcome in Baseball’s Moral Slophouse

Joe Jackson and Pete Rose will no longer be banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame. The decision is likely rooted in the sport’s surrender to the gambling-addiction economy.

May 14, 2025 / Dave Zirin

Shiloh Hendrix

The Right Is Trying to Make the N-Word OK Again The Right Is Trying to Make the N-Word OK Again

Conservatives don’t just want white dominance. They want to be able to abuse Black people in the worst ways possible—and get rewarded for it.

May 14, 2025 / Kali Holloway

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