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​Consider the rattle​

In Texas, a sympathetic look at the rattlesnake, a creature long sentenced to be killed on sight or exterminated in celebratory "rattlesnake roundups," the latter now on the wane.

Texas Observer | Asher Elbein

​Sucker​

A Mormon journalist, staked with $10,000 from The Atlantic, enters the world of online gambling: "Practically overnight, we took an ancient vice—long regarded as soul-rotting and civilizationally ruinous—put it on everyone’s phone, and made it as normal and frictionless as checking the weather. What could possibly go wrong?"

The Atlantic | McKay Coppins

​You could be next​

"I’m being handed a shovel and told to dig my own grave." A peek inside the contract work at Mercor, where educated and skilled experts work grueling hours to train their AI replacements.

The Verge | Josh Dzieza

​They came to spy on America​

As the Iron Curtain fell, some Czech spies decided they rather liked their undercover lives in America, pursuing New Age spiritualism and coaching Little League.

Politico | Zach Dorfman

​I was never the kind of Indian girl that Indian guys liked​

A beautifully written personal essay on love, parenthood, and living in the shadow of cancer.

Electric Lit | Kalpana Narayanan

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​The chronicler of decline​

Reading Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, turning 250-years-old in the same year of the Declaration of Independence, in a particularly fraught time for the USA.

The Hedgehog Review | Ed Simon

​Liberalism: A future worth wanting​

From the Institute for Humane Studies, a new publication dedicated to the ideas of liberalism: "The story of liberalism is, overwhelmingly, a story of things getting better."

Liberalism.org | Aaron Ross Powell

​Trump, Iran, nuclear weapons​

As war with Iran escalates, one must consider what stands between Trump and the use of nuclear weapons. The answer is worryingly little.

Executive Functions | Jack Goldsmith

​Red states get Waymos. Blue states get studies.​

As evidence mounts for the safety of autonomous vehicles, process delays in Democratic-run jurisdictions means that red states are leading the way on expansion.

The Argument | Kelsey Piper

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​The dead of winter is the life of the party​

Photos and reporting from "The Dark," a weeklong arts event revitalizing Chatham, New York, in the darkest and coldest time of year.

The New York Times | Ashley Gilbertson

​Is it offensive to wear the Hudson's Bay point coat?​

A history of the Hudson Bay point coat, a striking garment and symbol of Canada laden with colonialist associations.

The Walrus | Rollie Pemberton

​How technology rescued cocktail tradition​

Say what you will about the social impacts of the internet, but at the very least it's done wonderful things for the modern cocktail.

Imbibe | Wayne Curtis

​Kentucky Meat Shower 150th anniversary​

A "Kentucky meat shower" may sound like something from Urban Dictionary, but it's a surprisingly wholesome event.

WEKU | Cheri Lawson

​The giant, voracious sea lions that humans cannot stop​

In Pacific Northwest news, an exploration of the competing priorities of sea lions, salmon, and humans.

The Atlantic | Katherine J. Wu

​Critically endangered kākāpō parrot has standout breeding season​

And in bird news, some encouraging conservation success in New Zealand.

Mongabay | Shanna Hanbury

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