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Oprah Winfrey gestures during a taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" at the Sydney Opera House in Australia on Dec. 14, 2010. The episodes aired in January 2011 as part of the show's 25th and final season. (Brendon Thorne / Getty Images)

Oprah is our cultural Oppenheimer

Melanie McFarland

Oprah is our cultural Oppenheimer

Melanie McFarland

Oprah Winfrey shaped what America reads, buys and believes. Not all of it aged well

FEATURED

Arrests made near RAF Fairford lead to possible a terrorism plot and Iran connections. (David Brown / Getty Images)

5 arrested in UK over Iran terror probe

CK Smith

Investigators are examining a possible Iran connection after suspicious vehicles were stopped near RAF Fairford
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller (right) walks with his wife Katie (2nd from left) and their 3 children on a tour of the Capitol this summer. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

FBI officials demoted amid threat probe

CK Smith

The White House says two agents stifled the investigation, but CNN reports their team found no terrorism center
MLB is considering bringing a special baseball game to the Grand Tetons, building an entire ball park for the event. Conservationists push back as the NPS has strict rules regarding special events in national parks. (Marcia Straub / Gary Yeowell / Getty Images / Salon)

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
Donald Trump dons a "Trump 2028" red hat to close out his rambling attack on the press at the WHCA make-up dinner, rescheduled after a shooting at the April event. (Mandel NGAN / Getty Images)

Trump's pardons unlike other presidents

Caren Morrison - The Conversation

Trump’s second-term clemency has saved convicted defendants nearly $1.7 billion in forgiven financial obligations

MOST POPULAR

Donald Trump abdicates as leader of the free world

Trump abdicates as free world leader

Heather Digby Parton

The president's UN address showed he has ceded that position to Canada's Mark Carney

James Talarico's campaign could do lasting damage to the GOP

Talarico does lasting damage to the GOP

Amanda Marcotte

The Texas Democratic nominee for Senate is teaching evangelical voters that Christians can be liberal

Natalie Harp isn't a joke — she is Trump’s dangerous enabler

Natalie Harp isn’t a joke anymore

Amanda Marcotte

The aide’s constant flattery makes the president’s narcissism worse

Clavicular's charges shows the real danger of MAGA manhood

MAGA manhood is a real danger to women

Amanda Marcotte

Long before his arrest for rape, the looksmaxxing star built a brand based on contempt for women

After Democrats beat Trump in the midterms, here's how they finish him

After Dems win, they can crush Trump

Dan Froomkin

A Democratic majority will have the tools to stop the Trump agenda — but it must use them

Chris Hayes says GOP's domination of Texas is coming back to bite them

Chris Hayes: GOP facing Texas meltdown

Sophia Tesfaye

MS NOW host explains how turning Texas into a lab for "right-wing state policy" ultimately backfired

NEWS & POLITICS

President Donald Trump speaks to the media alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping after giving a tour on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 24, 2026. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fox suffers with Trump's press crackdown

Sophia Tesfaye

One man is waging war against the network from the White House — and it's not Donald Trump
A poster showing a sample mail-in ballot is displayed as U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice on September 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. McCotter announced that an election worker in Utah has been indicted for allegedly throwing away ballots. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

Voters targeted by feds hold green cards

Dion Nissenbaum, Votebeat - Votebeat

There’s no evidence of any organized efforts to cheat the American electoral system
President Trump spoke at the UNGA this week and swore to find a deal with Iran or "annihilate them". He has since rejected a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (WPA Pool / Getty Images)

Trump says no to Iran's Hormuz deal

CK Smith

210 days after launching the war, Trump rejected a proposal that could reopen the critical strait within a week
'Looksmaxxing' influencer Clavicular (Illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Christian Vierig)

MAGA manhood is a real danger to women

Amanda Marcotte

Long before his arrest for rape, the looksmaxxing star built a brand based on contempt for women
President Trump addresses the press gaggle outside Air Force One. The animosity between the two continues with new media bans. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

Trump finds another way to shut out CNN

CK Smith

Trump finds another way to shut out CNN

CK Smith

A judge restored the network's White House access on Thursday. By Saturday, it was blocked from Air Force One
President Donald Trump arrives during the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Sept. 22, 2026. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

After Dems win, they can crush Trump

Dan Froomkin

A Democratic majority will have the tools to stop the Trump agenda — but it must use them

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"

Trump's press ban? I've seen this show

Brian Karem

Before this week, only Jim Acosta and I knew what this felt like. It's nice to see some solidarity at last
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CULTURE

Merritt Wever and Robert Pattinson in "Primetime" (A24)

"Primetime" isn't Chris Hansen's story

Coleman Spilde

"Primetime" isn't Chris Hansen's story

Coleman Spilde

Robert Pattinson's role as the "To Catch a Predator" host turns the tables on its audience
The latest person in Trump's orbit to make the late night circuit — Natalie Harp. Skits on SNL and Jimmy Kimmel have featured Trump's personal aide as overly dedicated to the president. (Disney / Randy Holmes)

"SNL" returns with "Natalie Harp"

CK Smith

The comedy sketch show turned Trump aide Natalie Harp's devotion to the president into a horror-movie gag

The Monkees was our first boy band

Melanie McFarland

Hey hey, Boomers and Gen X after-school TV kids: this one's for you

A homecoming for "A Different World"

Melanie McFarland

Netflix's anticipated revival prioritizes Black joy at a time when HBCUs and other universities have been targeted
Milla Jovovich in "Resident Evil," directed by Paul W. S. Anderson (Rolf Konow/Sygma via Getty Images)

The "Resident Evil" films rule, actually

Coleman Spilde

Zach Cregger's reboot might surprise, but it can't thrill like its outrageous predecessors
Tom Morello (Didier Messens/Redferns/GettyImages)

Tom Morello wants rock dangerous again

Caryn Rose

On his new album, Morello urges listeners to fight for what they believe
There is often a gap between educational idealism and the hyper-competitive reality of schooling. (Getty Images)

Wanting the best school for your kid

Alex Galbraith

Nikole Hannah-Jones' controversial essay asks if you can fight for a better world while accepting the one you have
Kathy Griffin at the TIME 2026 Women of the Year Gala ( Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

Kathy Griffin still won't stay silent

Melanie McFarland

Nine years after her politicized exile, the comedian still has plenty to say — and so should other stars
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
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
A collage of restaurant loyalty cards and receipts (Ashlie 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

The price of diesel fuel is displayed at a gas station on September 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Diesel fuel prices in the U.S. topped $6 a gallon for the first time ever. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

August was brutal for consumers: report

Troy Farah

Two new reports paint a stark picture of the U.S. economy, with no relief in sight
Young man worried about saving money and paying bills (Getty Images/Westend61)

Personal bankruptcy filings are soaring

Jay L. Zagorsky - The Conversation

Personal bankruptcy filings are soaring

Jay L. Zagorsky - The Conversation

Here's what to know about this growing trend
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos gives a statement after a court hearing on August 19, 2024 in West Islip, New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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

Being fired for resisting tech saved me

Susan Shapiro

Pushed out of academia by new requirements, I beat the system and helped my students
MORE MONEY

SCIENCE & HEALTH

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

Ectopic pregnancy deaths nearly doubled

Andrea Suozzo, Agnel Philip - ProPublica

ProPublica’s analysis of CDC data found that almost 200 women died after an ectopic pregnancy from 2020 to 2025

Lying about clean water will backfire

Troy Farah

The ruling begs the question: What is even the point of government?
MORE SCIENCE & HEALTH

FOOD

Ingredients for banana cake. (Vladimir Mironov / Getty Images)

The banana cake that gave me back myself

Helene Rosenthal

The banana cake that gave me back myself

Helene Rosenthal

I left advertising to raise my daughters. A banana cake helped me find the creative life I thought I’d lost
MORE FOOD

LIFE STORIES

Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder in "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma" (MUBI)

"Camp Miasma" made me want to date again

Kelly McClure

Jane Schoenbrun’s latest freak-matching film moved me to swear off swearing off love
Ivy, living her best life (Illustration by Salon / Annie Bennett / Dikas Studio)

My dog taught me about rental culture

Annie Bennett

Everything is for rent, even joy

I was a farmers market failure (Ashlie Stevens )

I was a farmers market failure

Ashlie D. Stevens

I knew how to want everything at the farmers market. I just didn’t know how to shop there
"Chopped" on television ((Illustration by Salon / fhm / Cavan Images / Anna Khomulo / Getty Images) )

How "Chopped" keeps us together

Lawrence Everett Forbes

As dementia reshapes family life, my household finds comfort, routine and connection in an unlikely TV ritual
MORE LIFE STORIES
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