Arts and Entertainment

Comedian Bill Burr, recently domesticated by a Saudi regime he says is “just like us.”

The Sad Spectacle of American Comedians Selling Out in Saudi Arabia The Sad Spectacle of American Comedians Selling Out in Saudi Arabia

It turns out that edgy free-speech warriors will scuttle their principles for a check from a brutal autocratic regime.

Oct 2, 2025 / Ben Schwartz

Graffiti reading “Gaza” in Berlin’s diverse Neukölln neighborhood.

How Germany Silenced Its Artists to Support Israel How Germany Silenced Its Artists to Support Israel

As Israel intensified its genocide in Gaza, Germany ramped up its long-simmering war on dissent, silencing Palestine solidarity while bolstering its own far right.

Sep 30, 2025 / Feature / Nikki Columbus

Trump stands in the Oval Office in front of US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

The Trump Regime Intensifies Its War on Activism—but Dissent Is Always Possible The Trump Regime Intensifies Its War on Activism—but Dissent Is Always Possible

The president is presiding over suppression unseen in the US for decades.

Sep 29, 2025 / Katrina vanden Heuvel

Ben Shahn, 1965.

How Should We Remember the Art of Ben Shahn? How Should We Remember the Art of Ben Shahn?

Caught between his political and aesthetic commitments, the painter, photographer, and illustrator has suffered the fate of misapprehension.

Sep 29, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Pujan Karambeigi

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Wild American Epic

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Wild American Epic Paul Thomas Anderson’s Wild American Epic

One Battle After Another, a sensational adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel, captures the manic energies of a country on the brink.

Sep 25, 2025 / Books & the Arts / John Semley

Disney CEO Bob Iger holds a 2016 press conference at Disney’s Shanghai resort.

How the Kimmel Controversy Echoes Disney’s Dirty China Deal How the Kimmel Controversy Echoes Disney’s Dirty China Deal

Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner berated the company’s capitulation before authoritarian MAGA threats, but in many ways, he set the example.

Sep 24, 2025 / Ben Schwartz

Kimmel Canceled

Kimmel Canceled Kimmel Canceled

Corporations bow to an autocrat’s whims.

Sep 23, 2025 / OppArt / Steve Brodner and Peter Kuper

Jimmy Kimmel.

Jimmy Kimmel’s Bosses Sold Us All Out Jimmy Kimmel’s Bosses Sold Us All Out

The mainstream media is complicit in the biggest attack on free speech since the McCarthy era. Kimmel’s suspension is just the latest proof.

Sep 18, 2025 / Jeet Heer

Image created by merging two photographs, showing presidential candidate John Kerry and actress Jane Fonda, who campaigned against the Vietnam War in the 1970s.

What the Photoshop Panic Should Have Taught Us About AI What the Photoshop Panic Should Have Taught Us About AI

In 2004, a doctored political image caused outrage and confusion. Twenty years later, why hasn’t visual literacy improved?

Sep 15, 2025 / Morgan Barrie

Susan Choi’s Big Novel of History

Susan Choi’s Big Novel of History Susan Choi’s Big Novel of History

In Flashlight, Choi examines the tragedies—past and present—that haunt a family living in Japan.

Sep 10, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Sarah Chihaya

x