Intelligencer – New York Magazine

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early and often

Why the Midterms Battleground Keeps Shrinking

The 2026 races will effectively end with the primaries in much of the country. By Ed Kilgore

ai mêlée

OpenAI Jury to Decide: Do You Trust Elon Musk or Sam Altman?

By Michael Calderone That’s the billion-dollar question as two tech collaborators turned rivals eye trillion-dollar IPOs.

tremendous content

No One Loves This 22-Foot Gold Statue As Much As Trump Does

By Margaret Hartmann People at Trump’s Doral golf course better assume a more worshipful attitude, lest he move this thing to his D.C. sculpture garden.

THE FEED

The Good News About Extortionary World Cup Ticket Prices

FIFA is trying to make Americans pay through the nose, but its plan has an expiration date.

Why Amazon Put Down Rufus, Its Loyal AI Assistant

By John Herrman

Like countless other tacked-on AI chatbots, it repeatedly offered help few people wanted that it was barely equipped to provide.

Vague Comments Add to Puzzle Over Congressman’s Absence

Representative Tom Kean Jr. hasn’t voted on Capitol Hill since March as he deals with an unspecified medical issue.

Most Popular

tremendous content

tremendous content

No One Loves This 22-Foot Gold Statue As Much As Trump Does

By Margaret Hartmann

People at Trump’s Doral golf course better assume a more worshipful attitude, lest he move this thing to his D.C. sculpture garden.

The OpenAI Jury Has to Decide: Do You Trust Elon Musk or Sam Altman?

By Michael Calderone

That’s the billion-dollar question as two tech collaborators turned rivals eye trillion-dollar IPOs.

early and often

early and often

Why the Midterms Battleground Keeps Shrinking

The 2026 races will effectively end with the primaries in much of the country.

What Did and Did Not Happen on Trump’s China Trip

It was short on the traditional deals and agreements, but Trump really loved that ballroom.

the approval matrix

the approval matrix

The Approval Matrix: Folks, Just Don’t Go on a Cruise

Our guide to what’s highbrow, lowbrow, brilliant, and despicable.

A COVID-Conspiracist Erection Expert Is Leading Our Hantavirus Response

Admiral and urologist Brian Christine platformed far-right conspiracies about COVID and the 2020 election on his podcast, per a new report.

early and often

early and often

When Extreme Polarization Outlasts Trump, We Know Who Is to Blame

Samuel Alito’s poisonous Callais opinion is moving to center stage in both parties’ future plans.

tremendous content

tremendous content

Rush Hour 4 Movie: All About Donald Trump’s Passion Project

By Margaret Hartmann

The president personally pressed Paramount to revive the buddy-cop comedy franchise and even took Brett Ratner to China to scout locations.

4 Wild Details From the New York Times Jack Schlossberg Report

The New York Times published a detailed and unflattering account of Schlossberg’s congressional bid, claims that the political scion says aren’t true.

central casting

central casting

Kevin Warsh Now Gets to Prove He Isn’t Donald Trump’s ‘Sock Puppet’

How does the incoming Fed chair’s background signal his approach to inflation, interest rates, and dealing with you know who?

stop the presses

stop the presses

Who Would Want to Buy BuzzFeed?

By Charlotte Klein

An interview with the former viral juggernaut’s new owner, Byron Allen.

The Grand Tradition of Suing the City for School Tuition

By Anya Kamenetz

How did New York come to spend over a billion dollars a year settling special-education lawsuits brought, mostly, by white parents?

american affairs

american affairs

Why Ben Shapiro’s Media Empire Is Collapsing

Not long ago, he was the king of conservative media. A lot has changed in 2026.

14 Things That Definitely Happened on Day One of Trump’s China Trip

By Chas Danner and Nia Prater

This high-stakes trip has it all.

early and often

early and often

The Xavier Becerra Surge Is Turning Into a Pile-on

Becerra shot from single-digit polls to becoming a front-runner in the California governor’s race. Now he’s facing attacks from every direction.

Worried About AI? Here, Have Some AI.

By John Herrman

AI companies keep creating problems only they can solve.

pomp and circumstance

pomp and circumstance

Jonathan Haidt’s NYU Commencement Speech Fittingly Became a Campus Debate

Students are divided on Haidt — or pining for Hilary Duff.

early and often

early and often

What Republicans Got Out of Their Gerrymandering Blitz

The midterms damage to Democrats could have been worse, but the rampage will continue afterward.

OpenAI Futurist Received a Gold “Jackass” Trophy for Challenging Elon Musk

By Michael Calderone

Just the latest courtroom theatrics in the battle of tech billionaires.

Trump’s Vape Fallout Is Growing

The FDA commissioner and a top HHS spokesman have resigned following the recent authorization of fruit-flavored vapes.

higher education

higher education

Getting Straight A’s at Harvard Might Not Be So Easy Anymore

Faculty are voting on whether to make dramatic changes to how top undergrads are evaluated. Here’s the proposal and why it’s so contentious.

masters of the universe

masters of the universe

Trump Arrived in China With Frenemy Elon Musk and 11th-Hour Guest Jensen Huang

The entourage includes Wall Street bigwigs, “Tim Apple,” Brett Ratner, and … Secretary of State Marco Rubio cosplaying as a captured Nicolás Maduro?!