COVID-19 vaccines, chemtrails, the Great Reset…why do people invent false conspiracies when there are so many real ones to worry about? There’s only one way to find out: ask a believer. 

George Monbiot reflects on the world of conspiracy and why it's so attractive in this time of uncertainty. 

Read by Simon Mattacks.

The Guardian

‘You’re going to call me a Holocaust denier now, are you?’: George Monbiot comes face to face with his local conspiracy theorist

As Israel marks its Independence Day, its Zionist ideology faces hard questions. Yuval Noah Harari argues that to understand current developments in Israel - and the country’s tumultuous history - it is necessary to clarify what Zionism has really meant over its 150 years of existence. Read by Michael Satow.

The Washington Post

Will Zionism survive the war?

After several years of chronic underperformance in the shadow of the US’s growth, The Financial Times explains how EU policymakers are searching for ways to inject dynamism into Europe’s economy. Read by Emma Powell.

Financial Times

Can Europe’s economy ever hope to rival the US again?

"The ultimate problem isn't just that too many administrators can make college expensive. It's that too many administrative functions can make college institutionally incoherent," writes Derek Thompson. Read by Mark Deakins.

The Atlantic

No one knows what universities are for

Tim Cook and his inner circle are “old enough and rich enough to retire”, so insiders are starting to talk about who’s next. Mark Gurman reveals that the head of hardware engineering is emerging as a potential successor to the CEO. Read by Karl Miller.

Bloomberg

Tim Cook can’t run Apple forever. Who’s next?

In living with cancer, Suleika Jaouad has learned to wrench meaning from our short time on Earth—and made survival a creative act, Jennifer Senior writes. Read by Emily Woo Zeller.

Suleika Jaouad: The art of survival

Gangs are gaining ground in Latin America, and iron-fist policies won’t stop them. The Economist reflects on why a more patient, focused approach, led by civilian police forces and the courts, is the best way to curb violence in the long run.


The Economist

The world’s most violent region needs a new approach to crime

Ted Nordhaus argues that investment must go beyond intermittent renewable energy to secure the most reliable low-carbon electricity systems. Read by Jonathan Booth.

Foreign Policy

Can wind and solar solve climate change?

From installing electrified doorknobs to ballistics-grade walk-in closets, the city’s ultra-rich are feeling ultra-paranoid. Bridget Read speaks to the contractors who specialize in building security amenities for New Yorkers. Read by Gina Rogers.

New York Magazine

New York’s panic-room boom

Human rights lawyers hope to close some gaps in international law and want new curbs on AI and autonomous weapons. But, The Economist reports, they cannot hold back states bent on violence.

The world’s rules-based order is cracking

There’s a widespread assumption that old age is painful, lonely and unattractive, but this negative picture isn’t true. Rather than fearing getting old, Berit Lewis reveals how to embrace it. Read by Sean Crisden.

Psyche

Rather than fearing getting old, here’s how to embrace it

A route is desperately needed for human societies to prosper while the planet heals. Ville Lähde reflects on the complex debate about decoupling economic growth from environmental harm. Read by Ron Butler.

Aeon

How to think about the prospects of truly green growth

Will critics miss globalisation when it's gone? 

The Economist argues that the rise in protectionism, subsidies, and sanctions is threatening to reverse decades of progress, with the institutions and rules intended to foster international trade and investment falling into abeyance.

How crises reshaped the world financial system

Deepfakes are easier to make than ever — putting our sense of reality and democracy at risk. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talks to Lorena O'Neil about deepfake porn: "It parallels the same exact intention of physical rape and sexual assault." Read by Deanna Anthony.

Rolling Stone

Fake photos, real harm: AOC and the fight against AI porn

A devoted father with a zest for life, he was given an indeterminate sentence in 2006. He is still locked up – and losing hope that he will ever be released. Simon Hattenstone reflects on the enduring controversy and human cost of sentences like imprisonment for public protection (IPP). Read by Jonathan Booth.

Martin Myers tried and failed to steal a cigarette. Why has he spent 18 years in prison for it?

An outreach towards transgender sex workers is marking the most radical stage of Pope Francis' papacy. The Washington Post reflects on how his unprecedented opening to the LGBTQ+ community has reached its zenith — and ballooned into the most explosive issue of his tenure. Read by Michael Satow.

How Pope Francis opened the Vatican to transgender sex workers

In Putin's bid to recast Russia as a global superpower, he champions a society built on pro-war activism, puritanical values, and scaled-back social rights. 

As he approaches his fifth term in power, Robyn Dixon reflects on Putin's anti-Western shift. Read by Marni Penning.

Under Putin, a militarized new Russia rises to challenge U.S. and the West

With Netflix's Baby Reindeer fallout, the paradox of true crime as entertainment strikes again. Aja Romano reflects on how the public aftermath of the show raises questions about accountability and the responsibility of creators in depicting sensitive and potentially harmful narratives. Read by Marni Penning.

Baby Reindeer’s messy stalking has led to more messy stalking offscreen

What's it like inside Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign team? Aides describe a cultlike environment in which dysfunction and unprofessionalism reign.

The Wall Street Journal explores how Kennedy's unconventional campaign strategies shed light on the challenges and controversies surrounding his bid for the White House. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.


The Wall Street Journal

Inside RFK Jr.’s chaotic White House bid

Are critics of U.S. campus demonstrations aiming at the wrong target? Howard W. French argues that we need to study more history, not less, to understand contemporary issues. Read by Simon Mattacks.