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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces a new Office of Religious Affairs as he gives a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30, 2026. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Hegseth's holy war has a math problem

Amanda Marcotte

Hegseth's holy war has a math problem

Amanda Marcotte

Forget Iran — the defense secretary is focused on forcing his religion on everyone else

FEATURED

Associate Justice Samuel Alito sits during a group photo of the justices at the Supreme Court on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)

Samuel Alito's gift to Democrats

Heather Digby Parton

The justice's refusal to retire deprives Donald Trump of a Supreme Court vacancy ahead of likely blue midterm wave
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during a campaign event at the Georgia Theater on Sept. 13, 2026 in Athens, Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Jon Ossoff has what JD Vance never will

Amanda Marcotte

The rising Democratic star has what his GOP opponents lack: old-fashioned sex appeal
Tom Cruise in "Digger" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

You can't solve a problem like "Digger"

Coleman Spilde

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film indicts its audience when it should point the finger at itself
Donald Trump looks on during a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on October 5, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

White House defends Iran attack comments

Troy Farah

The president's comments sparked a posting war, outraging even some Republicans

MOST POPULAR

There's no solving a problem like Tom Cruise's "Digger"

You can't solve a problem like "Digger"

Coleman Spilde

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film indicts its audience when it should point the finger at itself

AEW wrestler Pac's death exposes pro wrestling's labor problem

Wrestler Pac's death was a labor issue

Alex Galbraith

Pro wrestling turns the precarity of American gig workers into a glorious spectacle

Trump's failure hides Project 2025 success

Trump's failure hides Project 2025 wins

Heather Digby Parton

OMB director Russell Vought is quietly remaking the federal government, and Congress is next

Netflix's "East of Eden" asks if we've misread its monster

Maybe we've misread "East of Eden"

Melanie McFarland

Zoe Kazan's adaptation of Steinbeck's classic asks us to rethink what leads to evil

Jon Ossoff's not-so-secret weapon against JD Vance and Marco Rubio

Jon Ossoff has what JD Vance never will

Amanda Marcotte

The rising Democratic star has what his GOP opponents lack: old-fashioned sex appeal

Trump's superpower is fading. Can he recharge before the midterms?

Trump's superpower is fading

Brian Karem

Relentless persistence has driven his quest for grift and revenge. With midterm payback coming, it's not enough

NEWS & POLITICS

The MIT Museum’s exhibit “AI: Mind the Gap” looks at deepfake video technology. (Photo by Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

AI in political ads is getting weird

Travis N. Ridout, Erika Franklin Fowler, Michael Franz - The Conversation

Thanks to a patchwork of state legislation, many of these ads do not disclose the use of AI at all
The logo of Russia's consumer and health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor sits on its grounds' fencing in Moscow on October 5, 2026. Russian officials on October 5, 2026 downplayed reports that a laboratory technician in Siberia had died of plague, insisting the situation was under control and that post-mortem tests had not found traces of the disease. (Photo by Igor IVANKO / AFP via Getty Images)

Russian plague catches Trump's eye

Troy Farah

A 28-year-old lab technician's could be a highly fatal disease but a cause of death has yet to be released
President Richard Nixon holding a press conference (Steve Northup/Getty Images)

The dark love affair with Richard Nixon

Heather Digby Parton

MAGA needs to maintain its grip on the GOP after Donald Trump — and the 37th president is key
Members of the right-wing group, the Patriot Front, as they prepare to march with anti-abortion activists during the 49th annual March for Life along Constitution Ave. on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

What causes white nationalism's spread

Patrick Egan, Joshua A. Tucker, James Bisbee - The Conversation

How extensive is white nationalism’s appeal among the broader public, and who is drawn to this extremist ideology?
Sign outside Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, May 9, 2026. (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Man City scandal isn't about soccer

Andrew O'Hehir

Man City scandal isn't about soccer

Andrew O'Hehir

It's a tangled tale of global corruption and cynicism, and we're all complicit
President Trump has a more complicated relationship with Fox News lately, as he complains a lack of coverage of their preferred politician — him. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

Trump demands Fox cover more Trump

CK Smith

Trump demanded more rally coverage as Fox was covering his Ohio rally, warning supporters could stop watching Fox

We have no business running a school

Jennifer Smith Richards, Jodi S. Cohen, Jennifer Berry Hawes, Milo Strain, Carli Brosseau - ProPublica

Our reporting has shown how easily people have founded their own private schools in barns, strip malls and more

Christa Pike needed competent doctors

Austin Sarat

Lethal injection is a cruel procedure. If it's going to be done, doctors should be allowed to administer it
MORE NEWS & POLITICS

CULTURE

(John Johnson/HBO Max)

"Lanterns" finds its power in fear

Melanie McFarland

"Lanterns" finds its power in fear

Melanie McFarland

To fulfill his destiny, John Stewart embraces what he was trained to reject — and so should we
(L-R) Steve Zahn, Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, Liv Tyler and Ethan Embry in "That Thing You Do!" (20th Century Fox / Everett Collection)

The fake hit song we could all agree on

Alex Galbraith

Tom Hanks' directorial debut produced a fake song that was undeniable

I grew up next door to Ted Kaczynski

Jamie Gehring

Netflix's "Unabomber" wants to know what "made" him. I was his neighbor. There was no single moment

Maybe we've misread "East of Eden"

Melanie McFarland

Zoe Kazan's adaptation of Steinbeck's classic asks us to rethink what leads to evil
(Curly_photo via Getty Images)

Please don’t send me your robot music

Troy Farah

Generative AI can churn out endless songs. Its evangelists miss why we hit play
SNL's cold open features Trump, Vance, McConnell, Hegseth and Rubio searching for GOP midterms message. (Will Heath / NBC)

SNL’s Rubio & others panic over midterms

CK Smith

The cold open imagines Republicans scrambling for a winning midterm message as Trump offers voters a $5,000 bribe
A scene from "Promising Young Woman," left, and Cornell University's campus in Ithaca, N.Y. (Illustration by Salon / Focus Features / Getty Images / Barry Winiker)

The film Cornell has people rewatching

Coleman Spilde

The Cornell Daily Sun staff's courage points to what Emerald Fennell's debut got right

A magical comedy for a mad world

Melanie McFarland

Produced by Lilly Wachowski, this show is a darkly funny delight for occult history buffs
MORE CULTURE

MONEY

Christian athlete and celebrity Tim Tebow helped promote a financial organization that is now under investigation for its predatory practices under the guise of a worship event. (Derek White / Getty Images)

The controversy of Tim Tebow & LifeSurge

CK Smith

Christian star is taking heat over Life Surge, but dozens of celebs lent credibility to questionable financial org
President Donald Trump (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Pro-Trump ads paid for by taxpayers

Troy Farah

The controversial ads have invited bipartisan criticism. The White House said it was “educational" and "patriotic"
A Wendy's burger is seen in Ohio on Aug. 4, 2026. (Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Fast food and the private equity fallout

Alex Galbraith

The places Americans once loved for being cheap are a lesson in what buyouts do
Flock license plate reader and camera with solar panel against a blue sky, Pleasant Hill, California, April 16, 2026. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Texas unplugs over 900 Flock cameras

Ayden Runnels - The Texas Tribune

Fourteen cities and counties have dropped Flock contracts or cut their number of cameras
A collage of restaurant loyalty cards and receipts (Ashlie Stevens)

I don't want another restaurant app

Ashlie D. Stevens

I don't want another restaurant app

Ashlie D. Stevens

In an age of predictive shopping and fake-friendly alerts, a paper punchcard respects your appetite

Young man worried about saving money and paying bills (Getty Images/Westend61)

Personal bankruptcy filings are soaring

Jay L. Zagorsky - The Conversation

Here's what to know about this growing trend

Kalshi kicks out George Santos forever

Troy Farah

Meanwhile, a federal appeals court ruled 3-0 that states can regulate prediction markets like gambling

Trump's Iran war has economists aghast

Troy Farah

No "endgame" in sight, says JPMorgan, as gas prices keep soaring
MORE MONEY

SCIENCE & HEALTH

The cost of scheduling conversations

Nicole Karlis

What’s lost when spontaneous communication declines?

New MLB ballpark could be in Grand Teton

CK Smith

MLB & federal officials are considering Grand Teton for future game, despite strict rules protecting national parks

Fat Bear Week should be every week

Troy Farah

Give me the "American Idol" version of meadowlark songs

Are we in the AI end times?

Troy Farah

Anxiety over the dangers of artificial "intelligence" says more about human nature than about the machines

Suing Ken Paxton over abortion access

Shefali Luthra - The 19th

The case argues that Texas’ near-total abortion ban violates the state and U.S. constitutions
MORE SCIENCE & HEALTH

FOOD

Vinegar bottles (Ashlie Stevens)

Your soup needs a little vinegar

Ashlie D. Stevens

Your soup needs a little vinegar

Ashlie D. Stevens

Before reaching for salt, add acid

MORE FOOD

LIFE STORIES

Mystic ritual with tarot cards, vintage objects, cross and candles. (Getty Images/Vera Petruk)

My affair with witchcraft

Sarah Herrington

Reeling from two break-ups — romantic and spiritual — I went to a local witch's Halloween healing event
Devil Mask (Getty Images)

"Where will you spend eternity?"

S.J. Stover

An evangelical theater experience like "Sleep No More" meets Dante's "Inferno," as interpreted by Franklin Graham
Ghost in a corn field (Massonstock/Getty Images)

I smell dead people

Kelly McClure

You may believe that ghosts don't exist because you've never seen one, but eyes aren't the only indicators

A woman facing a cemetery (Photo illustration by Salon/Photo courtesy of the author/Getty Images)

What owning a cemetery taught me

Sarah Gundle

Despite being featured on Zillow Gone Wild, the house — a renovated church — sat on the market for nearly a year
MORE LIFE STORIES
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