What led a New York midwife to fake 12,499 vaccine records?

Jeanette Breen, a New York midwife, falsified 12,499 vaccine records using homoeopathic pellets instead of actual vaccines. James D. Walsh reflects on how her actions raised public health concerns and legal scrutiny amid tightening vaccination laws. Read by Michael Satow.

New York Magazine chronicles the ideas, people, and cultural events that are forever reshaping our world.

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What led a New York midwife to fake 12,499 vaccine records? And what, exactly, did parents know?

Is it criminal accountability or prosecutorial overreach? Examining Trump's charges in his hush-money case, legal columnist Elie Honig explains how the former president's characterization is all a matter of perspective. Read by Karl Miller.

Donald Trump’s trial is a Rorschach test

Barry Silbert, CEO of Digital Currency Group, is accused of defrauding thousands of people. Should he get to keep their money anyway? Kevin T. Dugan examines how the billionaire's legal manoeuvring casts doubt on the return on investments, leaving the crypto community in suspense. Read by Ron Butler.

The crypto world has a new villain

Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker is spending part of his fortune to fund ballot referenda in Arizona and Nevada to protect abortion rights. Gabriel Debenedetti explores how it’s one way that the Democrats will try to boost turnout for their side in the 2024 election. Read by Gary Furlong.

Can Democrats make 2024 the abortion election?

It's been eight years since a Clinton was on the ballot. Now, they and the Democratic Party are trying to work out what their most useful role could be. Gabriel Debenedetti reflects on Bill and Hillary's return for the 2024 election. Read by Ron Butler.

The return of the Clintons

Are there supporters who, in good faith, can reassure anxious Americans that a second Trump presidency will not end in a dictatorship? David Freedlander reflects on his time challenging Trump’s intellectual defenders to convince him the Republican front-runner's success won’t spell the end of the nation's democracy. Read by Karl Miller.

Is Trump really, truly going to be a dictator?

The mistaken assumptions of Democrats have put the party in peril. Jonathan Chait delves into the unexpected shift of young voters towards Trump, challenging the long-held assumption of their unwavering loyalty to the Democratic Party. Read by Michael Satow.

Are young people actually progressive?

At Chipotle, Steve Ells changed the way Americans eat lunch. Elizabeth G. Dunn reveals that now he’s opening a new restaurant, Kernel, that he thinks could be even more revolutionary. Read by Gary Furlong.

Steve Ells is still trying to solve lunch

Andrea Long Chu critiques the McCarthyist suppression of pro-Palestine speech within cultural institutions. In this opinion piece, she argues that the left should prioritize justice over abstract notions of free speech amid a genuine culture war. 

Read by Sharon McCune.

The free-speech debate is a trap

With voting beginning in less than two months, the primary has become a two-person play-in contest between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis to take on Trump in the championship round. And it is increasingly looking like a Trump-Haley tilt is coming, David Freedlander reports. Read by Sean Crisden.

Has Nikki Haley figured out what no other Trump foe could?

Arguments about antisemitism often get bogged down in assertions about a given claim’s motivation, which in most cases is unknowable to determine if a statement should be branded as antisemitic. Eric Levitz argues that the focus should be on its explicit meaning.

Is that antisemitic? The fraught terminology surrounding the war in Gaza

Delving into the historical and ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Sarah Schulman argues that denying history has become a tool to justify the sustained murder of thousands in Gaza. Read by Sarah Naughton.

Explanations are not excuses

Though the details are yet to be announced, onlookers can draw one conclusion from the WGA's tentative deal: strikes work. Sarah Jones reflects on how the movement offers an alternative vision to corporate power and highlights the importance of solidarity and fairness in the workforce. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.

The strikes are working

Match Group, the company behind dating apps like Tinder and Hinge, is using AI to improve the online dating experience. They're developing AI-driven features to assist users in selecting better photos and offering engagement advice. John Herrman ponders on how AI may streamline online dating but also raises concerns about potential challenges and the future impact of the technology on user experiences. Read by Sean Crisden.

Welcome to the age of AI-powered dating apps

Why isn’t a mainstream Democrat challenging the president?

The demand for a different option is robust. What is mystifyingly absent is the supply. Jonathan Chait reflects on the reluctance of mainstream Democrats to challenge President Joe Biden for the nomination in the upcoming presidential election despite polls showing a close race between Biden and former President Donald Trump. Read by Sean Crisden.

Biden or bust

The candy sellers: how NYC's newest migrant children live

Each day, migrant women and children sell candy on the train cars and platforms of the New York subway. What brought them to the city? Jordan Salama reflects on the stories of the largest wave of Ecuadoran migration to the U.S. since the turn of the century. Read by Mark Deakins.

The candy sellers: the lives and livelihoods of some of the city’s newest migrant children

His actions have led to internal dissatisfaction and declining performance at Goldman Sachs. Will he survive at the helm much longer? Jen Wieczner examines the controversies and challenges surrounding CEO David Solomon. Read by Sarah Naughton.

“Is David Solomon too big a jerk to run Goldman Sachs?”

How democrats can address the Hunter Biden sleaze problem

The scandal in American politics lies not in what's illegal but in what's legal. Powerful individuals often exploit clever ways to bend the law without committing crimes, leading to scandalous behaviour that remains within legal bounds. Jonathan Chait reflects on how the cases of Hunter Biden and Clarence Thomas both show what happens when lax rules let unethical people get away with legal sleaze. Read by Michael Satow.

The sleaze problem

Vice Media, once worth more than The New York Times, filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. So why does Chief Executive, Shane Smith, have a no-ceiling contract worth millions? Kevin T. Dugan examines the digital media conglomerate's strategy to turn things around, including keeping Smith at the helm, and questions whether Vice will survive. Read by Michael Satow.

Shane Smith has a secret multimillion-dollar vice deal

How should policymakers respond to today's elevated rates of price growth? From the costs of managing inflation through engineered recessions to the causes of the post-COVID economy, Eric Levitz addresses the "greedinflation" argument and the relevance of fiscal policy. Read by Mark Deakins.