Conspiracy Theories Have Been Around Forever. In a New Book, Anna Merlan Explains Why They’re Getting More Powerful.
David Reinert holds up a large “Q” sign while waiting in line to see President Donald J. Trump on August 2, 2018 at a rally Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Rick Loomis/Getty Images In many ways, this moment we’re in feels like the age of the conspiracy theory—one in which “wellness” schemes are the grift that keeps…
A Death, a Life, and a Border Wall
The border wall between the USA and Mexico in Arizona.Getty Images In the fall of 1993, Aaron Bobrow-Strain arrived in Tucson, Arizona, near the jagged ridge of the United States’ southern border. Dominating the news was debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement, which would be passed by the House that November. As Bobrow-Strain settled…
A New York Newspaper Ran an Attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar. Now Yemeni American Bodega Owners Are Boycotting It.
Rep Ilhan Omar speaks to support LGBTQ and allied high school students from across Minnesota who marched to the State Capitol steps March 21Jim Mone/AP Two years ago, about a thousand Yemeni American corner-store owners in New York City closed their businesses and gathered to protest President Donald Trump’s ban on Muslim travelers to the…
Bach, Don’t Kill My Vibe: Can Podcaster Cole Cuchna “Bridge the Gap” Between Classical Music and Hip Hop?
Kelsey Dake; Photo: F. Sadou/Admedia/ZumaOn March 15, 2015, Kendrick Lamar released To Pimp a Butterfly, a jazz-infused exploration of black culture, racial inequality, and personal transformation that went on to win several Grammys. Early the next morning in Sacramento, California, 33-year-old Cole Cuchna sat in a rocking chair calming his day-old daughter, Mabel. As the…
It’s Friday and Here Are 20 Songs for Your Weekend Soundtrack
TNS/ZUMA Wire This week: An entire playlist of 20 hand-picked songs! Why we’re into them: There’s a lot of good music out right now. Some you may know, some you may not, and some may deserve a leap of faith. Instead of offering a single great artist or song, this Friday we are giving you 20…
Activists Couldn’t Get Facebook to Tackle Its Discrimination Problem—Until the Russia Scandal Hit
Mother Jones illustration On April 10, 2018, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg did something he had managed to avoid in his 14 years at the helm of the tech giant he had built: He testified before Congress. His company had been battered in the preceding months, first by revelations that Russia had used the…