Longreads

Phillip Herr finds the USPS fascinating: ubiquitous, relied on, and headed off a cliff. Its trucks are everywhere; few give it a second thought. "It's one of those things that the public just takes for granted," he says. "The mailman shows up, drops off the mail, and that's it." He is struck by how many USPS executives started out as letter carriers or clerks. He finds them so consumed with delivering mail that they have been slow to grasp how swiftly the service's financial condition is deteriorating. "We said, 'What's your 10-year plan?' " Herr recalls. "They didn't have one."

UCLA said its accepted students had "demonstrated excellence in all aspects of their lives." Citing its record 57,670 applications, the university proclaimed itself "the most popular campus in the nation." Such announcements tell a story in which colleges get better — and students get more amazing — every year. In reality, the narrative is far more complex, and the implications far less sunny for students as well as colleges caught up in the cruel cycle of selectivity.

On his book, "Obama's Wars." "Biden says, 'You’re gonna have to make some goddamn tough decisions, man' Not 'Mr. President,' [Laughs.] but 'man.'"

If there is one thing that I’ve learned since those very dark days of my suicidal years, it’s that scientific knowledge changes perspective.

Nixon said ... that appearing on Laugh-In is what got him elected - and I believe that. And I've had to live with that. - George Schlatter, Creator of Laugh-In

There are worse places to be stuck in traffic than midtown Manhattan, worse people to be stuck with than Philip Roth.

Chronicling the Great Migration.