Monday, October 5, 2026
The Guardian: The Long Read·Samanth Subramanian, Nicola Alexandrou, Ellie Bury·Science
Scientists argue over whether slime moulds possess intelligence, a debate that could fundamentally reshape how we understand consciousness itself.
“Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place within it”
Long read·Oct 4, 2026·Read at theguardian.com →
Aeon·Thomas Söderqvist·Essays
A Swedish memoirist posts fragments of his life to Facebook, discovering that his readers remember his past differently than he does.
“When I was about 15, alone in the flat one afternoon, I sneaked into my mother’s writing desk and found a small pocket calendar from 1946 pushed to the back of a drawer. I had grown up with my mother and her parents, not knowing who my biological father was, or how I had come about; the question was simply …”
≈ 24 min read·Oct 5, 2026·Read at aeon.co →
The New York Times Magazine·Janet Reitman·Crime
Federal prosecutors pursue terrorism charges against a group of Texas protesters, raising questions about how the law defines political violence.
Long read·Oct 5, 2026·Read at nytimes.com →
Mother Jones·Isabela Dias·World
ICE separates children from detained parents and classifies them as unaccompanied minors, a practice designed to deter families from crossing the border.
“Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.”
≈ 20 min read·Oct 5, 2026·Read at motherjones.com →
The New Yorker·Emma Green·Politics
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative powerhouse for decades, confronts its relevance as the right shifts toward populism and influencer politics.
“A group of neatly dressed young people gathered in the auditorium of the Heritage Foundation headquarters this summer to observe the cherished rituals of the D.C. internship. Most of the girls had long skirts and updos; the boys wore suits that didn’t quite fit—still trying Washington on for size. From a low stage, Kevin Roberts, the president of Heritage, bantered …”
≈ 30 min read·Oct 5, 2026·Read at newyorker.com →
Sunday, October 4, 2026
The New York Times Magazine·Trisha Thadani·Profiles
Cancer patients encounter predatory clinics peddling unproven treatments to the desperately ill and their families.
Long read·Oct 4, 2026·Read at nytimes.com →
The Intercept·The Intercept Briefing·Politics
A student activist detained by ICE for protesting Israel recounts his ordeal in a Louisiana facility and his ongoing fight against deportation.
“Three years into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the U.S. government is still targeting pro-Palestine student activists.”
≈ 33 min read·Oct 2, 2026·Read at theintercept.com →
The New York Times Magazine·Max Read·Essays
Silicon Valley's obsession with risk and randomness has fundamentally reshaped how technology companies build their products.
Long read·Oct 4, 2026·Read at nytimes.com →
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Noema·Nathan Gardels·Politics
Germany grapples with the resurgence of far-right politics and what remains unresolved from its twentieth-century past.
“Nathan Gardels is the editor-in-chief of Noema Magazine. He is also the co-founder of and a senior adviser to the Berggruen Institute.”
≈ 11 min read·Oct 2, 2026·Read at noemamag.com →
Mother Jones·Edward Wasserman·Profiles
Daniel Ellsberg's final memoir reveals a whistleblower grappling with moral compromise alongside his most celebrated act of conscience.
“Daniel Ellsberg, under indictment for leaking Pentagon secrets to the press, addresses reporters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in July 1971.AP”
≈ 14 min read·Oct 3, 2026·Read at motherjones.com →
ProPublica·Lexi Churchill and The Texas Tribune·Politics
A Texas education official quietly advances an AI learning platform after the state board rejected it, raising questions about regulatory oversight.
“A little-known effort to bring an artificial intelligence tool into Texas public schools began about a year ago, with the help of the state’s top education official, Mike Morath.”
≈ 10 min read·Oct 1, 2026·Read at propublica.org →
The New York Times Magazine·Lisa Sanders, M.D.·Science
A woman's debilitating headaches respond only to recumbency, sending a diagnostic detective down an unlikely medical mystery.
Long read·Oct 2, 2026·Read at nytimes.com →
Friday, October 2, 2026
ProPublica·Jennifer Smith Richards·Business
Reporters test how easily anyone can start a private school, exposing minimal barriers across three states.
“We’re reporters, not teachers. That doesn’t matter. Inexperience has hardly been a barrier for those who want to start their own schools, as we have reported this year. And it didn’t stop us, either.”
≈ 12 min read·Oct 2, 2026·Read at propublica.org →
Aeon·Megan Kang·Crime
A young man in a cycle of urban violence reckons with loss and the logic of retaliation.
“The day before we spoke, King1, 26, had learned that his friend Lamont had been killed. He was at home when his cousin called to break the news and asked him to come over. ‘I’m on my way,’ King replied immediately, knowing what was being asked of him. He ran up to his room to retrieve his Glock, opened his …”
≈ 19 min read·Oct 2, 2026·Read at aeon.co →
The New York Times Magazine·Nitsuh Abebe·Essays
A linguistic tic about vagueness spreads from Hollywood studios into everyday speech, revealing how people use language to smooth social friction.
Long read·Oct 1, 2026·Read at nytimes.com →
Aeon·Sasha Mudd·Essays
A philosopher argues that reducing human reason to mere optimization mistakes what makes us fundamentally different from the machines we build.
“A few months ago, I sat in a packed university auditorium listening to a celebrated computer scientist explain the brilliance of large language models (LLMs). These systems optimise, he said. And they improve at optimisation on the basis of past experience. He paused. That, he said with a smile, is intelligence. The audience nodded along approvingly. Meanwhile, a philosophical alarm …”
≈ 17 min read·Oct 1, 2026·Read at aeon.co →
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Vanity Fair·Tom Dotan, Yuko Shimizu·Business
Larry Ellison weaves together data centers, politics, and islands into a web of influence that spans from Hawaii to the Oval Office.
“In the early days of July, the residents of Lanai started seeing a C8 Stingray the color of a traffic cone tearing along the island’s switchback roads. Then other signals came. The clerk working the cigarette counter at the Pine Isle Market said her nephew, a private chef, had flown in and had been shopping for a big group.”
≈ 36 min read·Oct 1, 2026·Read at vanityfair.com →
GQ·Liz Plosser·Sports
At the world's premier sauna competition, towel masters choreograph heat and scent for judges and hundreds of naked spectators.
“Minutes before the biggest aufguss of his life, Travis Talmadge can’t find his vial of chamomile.”
≈ 12 min read·Oct 1, 2026·Read at gq.com →
The Guardian: The Long Read·Jack Shenker·World
A UAE royal's rise from fixer to global power broker shows how one man is positioning himself at the center of AI's future.
“On the night of 12 November 1993, a slim, young Brazilian named Royce Gracie stepped into an octagonal cage in Denver, Colorado, and found himself staring up into the eyes of a giant. Gerard Gordeau, a Dutch kickboxer, stood five inches taller, weighed almost three stone more than him, and had an extra decade of fighting experience under his belt. …”
≈ 29 min read·Sep 30, 2026·Read at theguardian.com →
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
ProPublica·Annie Waldman·Crime
A California farm sells unlicensed raw milk that sickens children, but regulators choose a lenient path despite clear evidence of danger.
“Sitting in a pediatric intensive care unit last year, watching a ventilator keep her 17-month-old daughter alive, Emily Marris scoured the contents of her phone for evidence to give to California health and food safety investigators.”
≈ 21 min read·Sep 30, 2026·Read at propublica.org →
The Guardian: The Long Read·Katie McQue, Mei-Ling McNamara, Nicola Alexandrou, Ellie Bury·Crime
Meta's platforms have become marketplaces for child sex trafficking, a two-year investigation reveals, while the tech giant struggles to intervene.
“In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers …”
Long read·Sep 29, 2026·Read at theguardian.com →
n+1·Grace Glass·Profiles
A security guard at a New Jersey home goods store carries his homeland with him through a jersey and the memory of the journey that brought him here.
“A month before Senegal’s first 2026 World Cup match, Oumar updated his WhatsApp status. In the photo, he stands in the middle of a bright white stairwell, lit by overhead LEDs bouncing off mirrors on the walls. His back to the camera, Oumar looks down at the bottom of the stairs. Glossy tiles glow beneath his feet. He places one …”
≈ 23 min read·Sep 29, 2026·Read at nplusonemag.com →
The New Yorker·Peter Hessler·World
A treacherous mountain highway in Colorado kills and injures drivers regularly, yet repair efforts stall amid competing interests and indifference.
“The Million Dollar Highway, prone to rockfall and avalanches, is the site of horrific crashes and courageous rescues.”
≈ 37 min read·Sep 28, 2026·Read at newyorker.com →
The Guardian: The Long Read·James Crawford, Nicola Alexandrou, Ellie Bury·Science
As concrete and steel poison our cities, timber construction offers a radical reimagining of how we build the urban landscapes of tomorrow.
“Our buildings are monuments to extraction and extreme emissions. But what if we turned from destructive concrete to timber?”
Long read·Sep 27, 2026·Read at theguardian.com →
The New Yorker·Eyal Press·Politics
Government lawyers confront a crisis of conscience when institutional loyalty collides with their doubts about the administration they serve.
“On March 7, 2025, Celia Cohen, a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, was finishing up a meeting at 26 Federal Plaza, in lower Manhattan, when she learned that a federal marshal had arrived on the premises and wanted to see her. She was soon led to a conference room where the marshal …”
≈ 32 min read·Sep 28, 2026·Read at newyorker.com →