Seyward Darby

A stunning investigation reveals how deceptive political fundraising—urgent appeals in texts and emails that seem to come directly from candidates, pre-checked boxes for recurring donations, promises of inclusion at non-existent VIP events—has misled elderly Americans into giving away millions of dollars. More than 1,000 reports have been filed with federal authorities about the matter. One of them concerned Richard Benjamin, 81, who believed he was in personal communication with Donald Trump:

Transplants, retirees, and second-homers thought western North Carolina would be a refuge from the ravages of climate change.

Since October 7, 2023, the IDF has offered the family of every fallen soldier post-mortem sperm retrieval (PMSR)—meaning, at the same time a family

Sarah Aziza's piece marking the anniversary of the beginning of Israel's relentless assault on Gaza does far more than reflect on the preceding 365 days.

A meditation on boxes, borders, pottery, the Container Store, and much more. If you, like me, find solace in organization—hello, fellow Virgos!—this essay will prompt you to take a step back and weigh its true value:

If you think everyone on the right flank of US politics believes climate change is a hoax, think again.

This week, Donald Trump announced that his White House chief of staff will be Susie Wiles, the first woman to ever hold the role. Wiles is a longtime political strategist and lobbyist in Florida, where she's both respected and feared. Outside the Sunshine State, she isn't well-known. That low profile is by design. As Michael Kruse shows in this chilling profile, Wiles is slippery. She's masterful at accomplishing what she wants without leaving a trace of herself in the doing. Now she's hitched her wagon to a man hellbent on running the US government in as fascistic a way as possible. Kruse wants to know why, and he posits that the answer lies in what one of his sources describes as Wiles's need to be “the most important person to the most important person”:

As a kid, Myriam Gurba was obsessed with Dorothea Lange's famous photo “Migrant Mother.” A copy of it hung on the wall of her dad's office.

On January 30, 2023, a forty-eight-year-old Mexican man named Gabriel Cuen Buitimea was shot dead in southern Arizona.

Despite, or perhaps because of, growing up in the heart of NASCAR country, I am not a fan of car racing.