Vox

Why Democrats stopped talking about climate William Lawrence is a Democrat running to represent Michigan’s Lansing-area Seventh Congressional District with a campaign that largely focuses on data centers and affordability. It’s not an unusual story in 2026 — but not long ago, Lawrence was cutting his teeth in progressive politics as a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, primarily focused on organ…

Why Democratic Senate hopes are rising This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here. We’re officially inside 40 days until the 2026 midterms — and Republicans are feeling the pressure.  Nearly every poll seems to bring more bad news for GOP candidates, even in what would normally be […]

The online “burnerverse” trying to ruin young women’s lives Maddie Kowalski is a student at the University of Florida. Last November, someone found nonconsensual intimate images and videos of her, stitched them together, and uploaded them to X, where they were viewed millions of times. “Can you imagine?” asked Ej Dickson, a senior culture writer at Wired who reported on Kowalski’s story earlier t…

Why red states are rejecting Trump’s AI vision for schools Six months ago, first lady Melania Trump walked into a White House education summit next to a faceless robot powered by artificial intelligence, which she said could one day give children personalized instruction. “Imagine a humanoid educator named ‘Plato,’” she said. “Access to the classical studies is now instantaneous…humanity’s entire…

The hard choice Democrats face on Republicans’ anti-trans attacks High energy prices, an unpopular war, and frustration with the economy are hammering Republicans across the country in competitive races.  But they have at least one more card to play: the trans card. Republican groups, including Elon Musk’s America PAC, are spending millions to fund a blizzard of trans-focused attack ads aga…

There’s a global plan to save humans from AI. Can it actually work? When the AI apocalypse becomes regular dinner-table conversation, you know we’ve reached the freakout stage. Rogue AI agents are hacking into competitors. Former Big Tech employees are posting Skynet-style warnings on social media. CEOs are crying for help in ways that have made this once-wonky tech issue a frontline politi…

Trump’s short-lived press ban This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The media outlets President Donald Trump banned from the White House last week are back.  What happened? Early on Thursday morning, a federal district court […]

AI is already deciding whether or not people receive medical care The AI freakout of the past few weeks has centered on nothing less than the risk of human extinction — on the possibility that artificial intelligence could wipe us all out. But the reality is, AI programs are already having a direct and sinister effect on people’s physical health: UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer […]

Why Americans are warming to China This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here. President Donald Trump rolled out the literal red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday afternoon, greeting his plane with a military band and a jet flyover at Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews. It’s [……

A sinkhole swallowed Nicolas Cage’s driveway. Yours might be next. There is a kind of terror-tinged embarrassment that comes from dozing off on your beach towel on the sand, only to find a rising tide intrude upon your mid-nap bliss, lapping at your toes and sweeping away your sunglasses. It is a truth I relearn every June, one that arrives like the season’s first sunburn: […]