How Trump Radicalized ICE
A long-running inferiority complex, vast statutory power, a chilling new directive from the top—inside America’s unfolding immigration tragedy
September 2018
In This Issue
How courtrooms are inhospitable to female trial lawyers, the nasty scientific feud over what killed the dinosaurs, and how your brain deceives you. Plus the rise of Latino populism, Caitlin Flanagan on ‘Lolita,’ American poetry’s next generation, what your work emails reveal, YouTube’s gun guru, and more.
Cover Story
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The Nastiest Feud in Science
A Princeton geologist has endured decades of ridicule for arguing that the fifth extinction was caused not by an asteroid but by a series of colossal volcanic eruptions. But she’s reopened that debate.
The Cognitive Biases Tricking Your Brain
Science suggests we’re hardwired to delude ourselves. Can we do anything about it?
What It Takes to Be a Trial Lawyer If You’re Not a Man
In more than a decade of arguing cases in court, I’ve witnessed the stubborn cultural biases female attorneys must navigate to simply do their jobs.
How Poetry Came to Matter Again
A young generation of artists is winning prizes, acclaim, and legions of readers while exploring identity in new ways.
Dispatches
Edmon de Haro The Next Populist Revolution Will Be Latino
Democrats are betting on a diversifying electorate to secure their party’s future, but second-generation Latinos won’t willingly accept a deeply unequal society.
Nicolas Ortega What It’s Like to Wallow in Your Own Facebook Data
For the past 13 years, I’ve given the platform my photos, my videos, my likes, and untold hours of my time. Sifting through it all was amusing and surprising—and weirdly sad.
Andy Friedman The Gun Guru of YouTube
John Correia wants you to prepare for the worst day of your life.
Christopher DeLorenzo How to Make Friends, According to Science
To begin, don’t dismiss the humble acquaintance.
Irene Rinaldi What Your Boss Could Learn by Reading the Whole Company’s Emails
Employee emails contain valuable insights into company morale—and might even serve as an early-warning system for uncovering malfeasance.
Rami Niemi The Tricksters of Afghanistan’s New Online-Dating Scene
Is it possible to find real love with a fake Facebook profile?
Joe McKendry That Time Obama Wouldn’t Call a Coup a Coup
A very short book excerpt
The Culture File
Katie Martin How Lolita Seduces Us All
A new book about a terrible crime sheds light on the novel’s enduring allure.
Marc Burckhardt The Lie of Little Women
Peering into the secrets of Louisa May Alcott’s real life sheds light on her treasured coming-of-age tale.
Lily Padula Giants of the Deep
How technology has changed the way we look at whales—and ourselves
Misha Vyrtsev Who Gets to Claim Kafka?
A court battle between German and Israeli archives over his manuscripts raised literary, not just legal, questions.
Hogarth Sight Is an Unusual Meditation on Motherhood That’s Hard to Put Down
Jessie Greengrass’s debut novel about an unnamed pregnant woman blends ruminative prose with historical insight.
Departments
The Conversation: The Birth of a New American Aristocracy
Readers respond to our June 2018 cover story and more.
Graham Roumieu Whose Untimely Death Would You Undo?
A big question
