[{"id":259351,"date":"2026-09-09T11:48:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T15:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longreads.com\/?p=259351"},"modified":"2026-09-09T11:48:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T15:48:37","slug":"ai-agent-crime-legal-rights-protections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/09\/ai-agent-crime-legal-rights-protections\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to the Age of AI Crime and Punishment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What do privilege and accountability look like for an AI agent on the wrong side of the law? Evan Ratliff rounds up a collection of challenging cases in which AI agents have functioned as co-conspirators in criminal acts, offered courtroom statements on behalf of deceased victims, and perpetrated deeds that, for humans, are considered to be illegal. Legal teams have already sought to seal their clients&#8217; chats with AI agents, likening the exchanges to conversations with an attorney. Ratliff&#8217;s feature is an omnibus, and you&#8217;ve likely encountered one or two of his stories via other outlets. Here, the concerns he gathers together reveal the breadth of challenges facing the American legal system.<\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:49030,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.bloomberg.com\\\/features\\\/2026-ai-crime-legal-ikner-chatgpt\\\/?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI chatbots are already serving as confidants and co-conspirators, assisting and even encouraging humans acting on their darkest impulses. They\u2019re occupying ersatz roles as therapists and lawyers, relationships our legal system typically shields with confidential privilege. They\u2019re producing new kinds of criminal evidence and offering up the beguiling possibility of preventing crime before it happens. And as they\u2019re given more autonomy across our digital and physical systems, they\u2019re even gaining the ability to commit crimes themselves, absent specific human instruction \u2014 and, perhaps, in defiance of it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/features\/2026-ai-crime-legal-ikner-chatgpt\/?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;font-size:20px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 ts-2 is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"259351\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>More stories about AI agents and human work<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"259015\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-ai tag-artificial-intelligence tag-autism tag-autistic tag-children tag-communication tag-mit-technology-review tag-neurodivergent tag-robots tag-sara-harrison tag-technology category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/01\/social-robotics-autism-therapy\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">What Happens When a Kid\u2019s Robot Best Friend Dies?<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tSara Harrison | MIT Technology Review | August 17, 2026 | 3,701 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;AI companion toys for neurodivergent children promise connection and therapy, but can they deliver for the long haul?&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"256056\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-ai tag-artificial-intelligence tag-family tag-lane-brown tag-moms tag-mothers tag-new-york tag-parenting tag-productivity tag-technology tag-the-cut category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/06\/24\/agentic-parenting\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Mom Who Runs a Household With a Staff of AI Agents<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tLane Brown | New York | June 17, 2026 | 1,718 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Jesse Genet\u2019s time was scarce. So she hired Claire, Sylvie, Clark, Dan, and Chloe.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"254269\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-ai tag-ai-companionship tag-friendship tag-tech tag-the-walrus tag-thea-lim category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/05\/15\/ai-fake-friendship\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">I Spent Months with an AI Companion. It Was Worse than Being Alone<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tThea Lim | The Walrus | May 6, 2026 | 5,050 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;I hated the mindless reassurance and generic empathy.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;America\u2019s legal system is already grappling with cases where chatbots acted as lawyers and witnesses, generated the evidence, or helped plan a mass shooting. Who will be liable now that some AI agents are doing crimes all on their own?&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Evan Ratliff | Bloomberg Businessweek | September 9, 2026 | 7,864 words","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15973],"tags":[18507,2654,1890,21070,219,71,1811],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[15505],"class_list":["post-259351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editors-pick","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-bloomberg-businessweek","tag-court","tag-crime","tag-evan-ratliff","tag-law","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Welcome to the Age of AI Crime and Punishment - Longreads<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/09\/ai-agent-crime-legal-rights-protections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Welcome to the Age of AI Crime and Punishment - Longreads\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&quot;America\u2019s legal system is already grappling with cases where chatbots acted as lawyers and witnesses, generated the evidence, or helped plan a mass shooting. 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Ben Terris reports on Trump\u2019s obsessive bid for architectural immortality, which is now barreling toward completion, and captures the breathtaking sycophancy required to work for this president: <\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:49029,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/nymag.com\\\/intelligencer\\\/article\\\/donald-trump-white-house-ballroom-helipad-reflecting-pool-supreme-court.html?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260908224843\\\/https:\\\/\\\/nymag.com\\\/intelligencer\\\/article\\\/donald-trump-white-house-ballroom-helipad-reflecting-pool-supreme-court.html?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-09 13:09:04&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-12 17:41:07&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-15 20:01:12&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-19 00:54:40&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-22 08:55:47&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-22 08:55:47&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We had asphalt going into here,\u201d Trump says, standing on the pathway leading to the residence of the White House. \u201cNow you have the best stone.\u201d He points at a pile of square-cut granite\u2014the type being used to replace the asphalt walkway\u2014and looks to his communications director, Steven Cheung, who is accompanying us on this impromptu tour of the White House grounds en route to the construction site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s some stone, huh, Steven?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s incredible,\u201d Cheung concurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLook at the thickness of it,\u201d Trump says. \u201cNormally, you use one inch, as thin as you can. It\u2019s the White House\u2014I said, \u2018Fuck it, what\u2019s the best you have?\u2019 They said, \u2018We have one that\u2019s four inches.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019re restoring glory to the White House,\u201d Cheung says, shaking his head in apparent awe.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/donald-trump-white-house-ballroom-helipad-reflecting-pool-supreme-court.html?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;font-size:20px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 ts-2 is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"259339\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>More stories about the White House<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"259339\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-ballroom tag-ben-terris tag-construction tag-despotism tag-donald-trump tag-east-wing tag-intelligencer tag-new-york tag-politics tag-white-house category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/09\/ballroom-blitz-white-house\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Ballroom Blitz<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tBen Terris | New York | September 5, 2026 | 6,393 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Trump\u2019s obsessive bid for architectural immortality is barreling toward completion.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"258698\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-dana-white tag-donald-trump tag-fighters tag-fighting tag-gq tag-jon-ronson tag-mma tag-ufc tag-ultimate-fighting-championship tag-washington-d-c tag-white-house category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/08\/25\/ufc-freedom-250-white-house-jon-ronson\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">I Went to the White House Brawl and Watched the Manosphere Go Limp<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tJon Ronson | GQ | August 24, 2026 | 4,492 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;It was supposed to be an exhibition of freedom without restraint: a bombastic birthday boy, fourteen uncontrollable athletes, and a South Lawn build-out that was piss-your-pants patriotic. But what united onlookers, in the end, was the sudden realization that American machismo had hit a hard limit.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"239361\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-ashley-parker tag-michael-scherer tag-phones tag-technology tag-the-atlantic tag-trump tag-white-house category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2025\/06\/17\/trump-private-cellphone-history\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Secret History of Trump&#8217;s Private Cellphone<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tAshley Parker and Michael Scherer | The Atlantic | June 2, 2025 | 2,619 words\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;&#8216;Who\u2019s calling?&#8217; the president asks as he answers call after call from numbers he doesn\u2019t know.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Trump\u2019s obsessive bid for architectural immortality is barreling toward 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Helene Washed His Wife Away From Their Mobile Home. Now New Residents Live on the Same Land."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dave Masters watched as his father&#8217;s house careened into a telephone pole and split in two, after Hurricane Frances lifted it from its foundation in 2004. Hayward County, in Western North Carolina, bought the house and declared the patch near the town of Clyde &#8220;permanent open space under a federally funded program to reduce the risk of future loss of life and property damage.&#8221; Not all homes were treated equally, though, in the aftermath of distaster. Hurricanes Frances, Ivan, and Helene, along with Tropical Storm Fred, all brought heavy rains and flooding to the nearby Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park. They&#8217;re &#8220;part the result of a gap in disaster policy that allows mobile home residents to be put in harm\u2019s way again and again.&#8221; For <em>The Assembly<\/em>, in a piece produced for<em> ProPublica<\/em>\u2019s Local Reporting Network, Ren Larson explains why.<\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:49026,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/irp.fas.org\\\/agency\\\/dhs\\\/fema\\\/mitigation.pdf&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:49027,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.theassemblync.com\\\/news\\\/business\\\/housing\\\/western-north-carolina-helene-mobile-home-fema-recovery\\\/?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260908163331\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.theassemblync.com\\\/news\\\/business\\\/housing\\\/western-north-carolina-helene-mobile-home-fema-recovery\\\/?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-08 16:45:03&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-11 18:40:44&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-14 21:20:36&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-17 21:54:14&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-21 05:56:52&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-24 11:37:25&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-24 11:37:25&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The federal government\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/irp.fas.org\/agency\/dhs\/fema\/mitigation.pdf\">programs to buy out<\/a>&nbsp;disaster-prone buildings are \u201cthe cornerstone of the Nation\u2019s system for emergency management,\u201d according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the program was developed with traditional homeowners in mind, and mobile homes, the country\u2019s largest source of affordable housing, are often left out. Trailers, even when they become immovable and lifelong homes, aren\u2019t typically considered real estate but instead personal property, like motorcycles and boats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That still leaves people living on flood-prone land. For the state to actually buy that land, mobile home park owners have to take the buyout, and FEMA\u2019s program offers little incentive for them to do so: They can\u2019t collect from the government for lost rent or for the value of the mobile homes on top of the land.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some park owners say the payouts are not high enough to allow them to relocate; others aren\u2019t even aware of the buyout program. So park owners regularly allow new trailers to move into the vacant spots. Art and Lynne Heinmiller, who own the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park, did not respond to questions \u2014 which were emailed, texted and mailed via certified letter \u2014 about allowing trailers and campers to move back to where they\u2019d washed away<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theassemblync.com\/news\/business\/housing\/western-north-carolina-helene-mobile-home-fema-recovery\/?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;font-size:20px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 show-image image-aligntop ts-2 is-3 is-landscape \"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"259301\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>More picks about hurricanes<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"241246\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-clint-smith tag-hurricane-katrina tag-louisiana tag-new-orleans tag-the-atlantic category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2025\/08\/08\/life-before-katrina-and-after-it\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Life Before Katrina\u2014And After It<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tClint Smith | The Atlantic | August 8, 2025 | 2,567 words \t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;The storm destroyed the home where I grew up, and changed New Orleans forever.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"229247\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-army-corps-of-engineers tag-hurricane-ida tag-katie-thornton tag-lafourche-parish tag-the-guardian category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2024\/09\/04\/this-man-saved-his-town-from-deadly-floodwaters-so-why-did-the-us-government-try-to-stop-him\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">This Man Saved his Town From Deadly Floodwaters. So Why Did the Us Government Try to Stop Him?<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tKatie Thornton | The Guardian | August 28, 2024 | 4,464 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Windell Curole built a vast levee to protect his district from disappearing into the ocean\u2014despite federal resistance to his plan.&#8221; <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"230684\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-appalachia tag-climate-change tag-fema tag-hurricane-helene tag-jessica-martell tag-salvation-south tag-storms tag-zackary-vernon category-editors-pick category-uncategorized type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2024\/10\/24\/after-the-deluge\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">After the Deluge<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tJessica Martell and Zackary Vernon | Salvation South | October 19, 2024 | 2,909 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Appalachia&#8217;s &#8216;climate haven&#8217; myth unravels.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Residents of a riverfront trailer park have lost homes and loved ones in multiple storms. A policy gap puts mobile home residents in harm\u2019s way again and again.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":699,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Ren Larson | The Assembly | September 2, 2026 | 3,279 words","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15973],"tags":[29271,21940,29270,26197,29268,2943,396,27343,29269],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[15980],"class_list":["post-259301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editors-pick","tag-disaster-recovery","tag-fema","tag-hurricane-frances","tag-hurricane-helene","tag-hurricane-ivan","tag-hurricanes","tag-north-carolina","tag-the-assembly","tag-tropical-storm-fred","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hurricane Helene Washed His Wife Away From Their Mobile Home. 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A Months-Long Investigation Revealed the Surprising Reason Why."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jake Edmiston, a business reporter for the <em>Toronto Star<\/em>, thinks highly of his mustard chicken recipe. So when one batch goes over like a lead balloon, he checks his namesake ingredients and finds that his usual glass pot of Maille Dijon Originale is extraordinarily spicy\u2014a fact he confirms, good reporter that he is, by conducting a blind test with a professional taster. In no time, Edmiston is on the floor of one of Canada&#8217;s largest mustard mills, trying to stay dry and avoid mustard dust burns(!), and peppering Unilever, Maille&#8217;s owner, with questions. This isn&#8217;t exactly a case for Benoit Blanc, but Edmiston&#8217;s investigation takes a few surprising turns and drops some serious knowledge on glucosinolates on the way. Every ingredient is in harmony here.<\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:49025,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.thestar.com\\\/business\\\/why-is-this-jar-of-mustard-so-much-spicier-than-usual-an-investigation\\\/article_8a05524d-ca9d-4cfc-874e-7d0bb0371db2.html?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260908143748\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.thestar.com\\\/business\\\/why-is-this-jar-of-mustard-so-much-spicier-than-usual-an-investigation\\\/article_8a05524d-ca9d-4cfc-874e-7d0bb0371db2.html?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-08 14:55:27&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-11 15:05:21&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-14 18:09:36&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-18 02:06:00&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-21 16:41:46&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-21 16:41:46&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo a little dollop,\u201d she said, then turned her back so I could do my work in secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I spooned the mustard from my jar onto a plate, and some from another jar of Maille I found in the grocery store that morning. She tried the sample from my jar first and sputtered a little.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s quite spicy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I asked her how much spicier it was than the control jar.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLike, 10 times,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/business\/why-is-this-jar-of-mustard-so-much-spicier-than-usual-an-investigation\/article_8a05524d-ca9d-4cfc-874e-7d0bb0371db2.html?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;font-size:20px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 ts-2 is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"259298\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>A few tasty morsels from our archive of food stories<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"257589\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-ai tag-analog tag-authenticity tag-bettina-makalintal tag-business tag-eater tag-food tag-instagram tag-restaurant tag-social-media category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/07\/29\/analog-restaurant-ai\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">In the Age of AI, the Analog Restaurant Feels Radical<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tBettina Makalintal | Eater | July 22, 2026 | 1,584 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Some restaurants are leaning into handmade touches, as AI-generated food photos and flyers become commonplace.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"257070\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-agriculture tag-blackberries tag-blueberries tag-business tag-corporations tag-driscolls tag-farming tag-food tag-fruit tag-julia-moskin tag-raspberries tag-strawberries tag-the-new-york-times category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/07\/16\/driscolls-raspberries-strawberries-agriculture\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Why Are Berries Everywhere, in Every Season? Driscoll\u2019s.<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tJulia Moskin | The New York Times | July 7, 2026 | 1,848 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;The California giant has helped turn a local, seasonal treat into a worldwide refrigerator staple and marketing juggernaut.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"256358\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-esquire tag-fine-dining tag-food tag-food-environment-reporting-network tag-restaurants tag-ted-genoways tag-tom-colicchio category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/07\/01\/tom-colicchios-final-service\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Tom Colicchio\u2019s Final Service<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tTed Genoways | Food &amp; Environment Reporting Network | June 30, 2026 | 4,400 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Through hosting two decades of <em>Top Chef<\/em>, writing four books, and opening restaurants across the country, the celebrity chef never stopped showing up to cook in the kitchen of Craft, his pioneering New York restaurant. Until he decided to close it.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The search for an answer took us to a mustard dynasty in France, a Hamilton mustard mill and Palliser\u2019s Triangle.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Jake Edmiston | Toronto Star | August 22, 2026 | 2,621 words","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15973],"tags":[29263,18600,28,21035,29267,29264,29265,29266,19393,7594],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[15505],"class_list":["post-259298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editors-pick","tag-dijon","tag-eating","tag-food","tag-heat","tag-jake-edmiston","tag-mustard","tag-spice","tag-spicy","tag-taste","tag-toronto-star","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This Bottle of Dijon Mustard from Costco is Crazy Hot. 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Thief Who Wanted to Save the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Matthew Wolfe&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/magazine.atavist.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Atavist Magazine<\/a>&nbsp;| August 2026 | 2,275 words (8 minutes)<\/em><\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:1,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/magazine.atavist.com&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20251001113514\\\/https:\\\/\\\/magazine.atavist.com\\\/&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-02 00:36:10&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-05 00:36:23&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-08 01:05:11&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-11 01:53:39&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-14 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19:09:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-19 19:51:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-22 20:00:01&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-22 20:00:01&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:48967,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/magazine.atavist.com\\\/2026\\\/the-bleeding-hearts-austria-robbery&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:49024,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/magazine.atavist.com\\\/2026\\\/the-bleeding-hearts-austria-robbery?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260908100007\\\/https:\\\/\\\/magazine.atavist.com\\\/2026\\\/the-bleeding-hearts-austria-robbery?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-08 10:17:40&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-11 10:30:12&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-14 12:02:39&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-17 15:14:31&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-20 19:17:03&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-23 21:12:34&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-23 21:12:34&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This is an excerpt from&nbsp;issue no. 179,&nbsp;\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/magazine.atavist.com\/2026\/the-bleeding-hearts-austria-robbery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Bleeding Hearts<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">On the evening of December 22, 2013, an armored van packed with cash made its rounds through the regal streets of Vienna. The city\u2019s elegant Baroque buildings were trimmed with glinting strings of lights; Christmas markets sold spiced gl\u00fchwein on cobbled squares. A little after midnight, as the festivities quieted, the van, operated by the security company Loomis, stopped at a walk-up ATM on a desolate stretch of storefronts. Two guards stepped out, entered a room-size vestibule behind the machine, and commenced replenishing the ATM with cash. A minute later, two figures wearing black balaclavas and carrying handguns emerged from the shadows and followed the guards inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pair ordered the guards onto the ground and handcuffed them. After snatching the keys to the armored van, one of them unlocked the vehicle and began stuffing crisp bank notes into black duffel bags. The thieves then checked the street for witnesses and disappeared into the night with nearly three million euros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignleft is-style-border has-light-gray-background-color has-background has-small-font-size\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/magazine.atavist.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Atavist<\/em><\/a>, our sister publication, publishes one deeply reported, elegantly designed story each month. Support\u00a0<em>The Atavist<\/em> by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/magazine.atavist.com\/subscribe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">becoming a member<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the largest armed robbery in Austrian history. The heist had been near perfectly executed, revealing intimate knowledge of Loomis\u2019s anti-theft procedures\u2014perfect, that is, except for one small oversight. The thieves didn\u2019t realize that the ATM had a security camera that automatically took photos of the street whenever it was being restocked. The images were blurry, but they revealed that the perpetrator who climbed into the van was short enough to stand upright without hitting their head. Detectives decided that it was almost certainly a woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They soon homed in on a former Loomis employee, Tamara S., who, when she worked for the company, had scheduled the routes and was only five feet three inches tall. On the morning of January 10, 2014, federal police raided Tamara\u2019s apartment and arrested her. Initially she denied any involvement in the robbery, but eventually she confessed. Investigators were stunned when she named her accomplice. The man she claimed had masterminded the job was one of their own: Gabriel E., a former officer in the city\u2019s WEGA unit, the Viennese equivalent of SWAT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next day, a team that included some of Gabriel\u2019s former colleagues raided his upscale apartment and placed him under arrest. Unlike Tamara, Gabriel confessed right away. When detectives asked why he had committed such an audacious crime, he replied that he hadn\u2019t stolen the money for himself. He\u2019d done it for the children of Africa; he planned to build an orphanage there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It sounded absurd\u2014the kind of desperate lie a thief might invent to deflect blame or ameliorate punishment\u2014but it was very much the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:100\"><blockquote><p>\u201cWouldn\u2019t it be right,\u201d Gabriel asked, \u201cto steal something from a bank and give it to the poor?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Austrians have a reputation, even among themselves, as scrupulous rule followers. In Vienna it\u2019s rare to glimpse people jaywalking, and the city\u2019s subway runs on an honor system. An Austrian friend suggested that this predilection had its roots in the country\u2019s imperial past. From its power center in Austria, the Hapsburg monarchy ruled enormous portions of Europe for six centuries with the help of a dizzyingly complex bureaucracy. The compulsion to follow rules even a hundred years after the Hapsburgs lost power, my friend explained, was like the twitching of empire\u2019s phantom limb.\u00a0(Austria is also a very private country; the media don\u2019t report the full names of people involved in criminal cases, a practice I\u2019m abiding by too.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a police officer, Gabriel had been an enforcer of rules in a rule-bound society, making his crime all the more perplexing. His family told me that he was staunchly law-abiding, and had never incurred so much as a speeding ticket. In retrospect, however, they realized that there had been hints of where he was headed. He always loved to <em>give<\/em> things: presents to his three children, donations to charity, food to people begging in the street. After leaving the police force and starting a private-security business, he became wealthy, only to grow conspicuously ascetic, donating increasingly large amounts of money and possessions. By the time he was arrested, he\u2019d sold his Audi and his Rolex, and he was down to almost his last suit. When police raided his home, they found bags filled with clothes purchased from H&amp;M that Gabriel planned to give away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-border has-light-gray-background-color has-background has-small-font-size\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">*<em>The Atavist i<\/em>s using pseudonyms for Gabriel\u2019s family members.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gabriel\u2019s son Florian* recalled that the summer before the Loomis heist, his father had posed a curious hypothetical. \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be right,\u201d he asked, \u201cto steal something from a bank and give it to the poor?\u201d Florian, who was studying to become a police officer himself, disagreed, and his father dropped the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, to idly philosophize about such a crime was one thing. To actually <em>do<\/em> it\u2014to fashion oneself into a twenty-first-century Robin Hood\u2014was another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After his arrest, Gabriel was remanded to Vienna\u2019s largest and most forbidding jail, Josefstadt. When I visited him there in 2014, I expected to encounter someone solemn and morally serious\u2014a grim-faced saint. But when Gabriel entered the room, he radiated the warm excitement of a Labrador retriever. A tall, fit man of 50 with fetching salt-and-pepper stubble, Gabriel was wearing a cerulean-blue hoodie, clear-plastic-rimmed glasses, and a beaded necklace. He looked less like a former law enforcement officer than a hip Los Angeles dad. We sat down, and without hesitation Gabriel, still the inveterate benefactor, offered me exactly what I wanted: an explanation of how he\u2019d gotten into this mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:39px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Gabriel\u2019s childhood, he told me, had been shaped by \u201cgruesomeness.\u201d He was raised in Tyrol, Austria\u2019s bucolic eastern province, by an alcoholic father given to punching his two sons. Gabriel and his elder brother eventually came under the care of their grandmother, who as punishment would regularly lock them in a darkened closet. \u201cI had a very <em>fucking<\/em> childhood,\u201d he told me in emphatic, accented English, omitting an adjective but still making the point. (After our first encounter, I would meet with Gabriel several times in the ensuing decade and communicate with him by letter, phone, and email.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two siblings both went into law enforcement, Gabriel in Vienna, where he hoped to help others in desperate situations, and his brother in the state police. Athletic and competitive, Gabriel quickly made the famed Wiener Einsatzgruppe Alarmabteilung (WEGA), the Vienna police department\u2019s most expertly trained unit. Despite his severe upbringing, Gabriel was by nature cheerful. Every WEGA operation, as he saw it, was a new problem to be solved through hard work and an upbeat attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One afternoon in 1994, Gabriel told me, his WEGA squad was tasked with busting up a drug deal in Vienna\u2019s Fifteenth District, which at the time was the city\u2019s seediest neighborhood. When the team moved to make an arrest, the seller, an African immigrant, bolted. Gabriel pursued him, shouting for the man to stop and firing his pistol in the air. As he closed in, the suspect turned and pulled out his own handgun. The two men exchanged fire, hitting each other in the thigh. Gabriel tackled the dealer and, following a short, bloody wrestling match, overpowered him. The pair shared an awkward ambulance ride to the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shooting put Gabriel\u2019s relentless positivity to the test. He endured months of physical therapy to regain the use of his leg. When he returned to work, he transitioned out of WEGA. After a brief, unhappy stint as a traffic cop, he left the force entirely. In 2001, he started his own private-security company, specializing in investigations of corporate theft. He gave it an English name: Service of Secrecy. The early years were lean as Gabriel struggled against larger competitors, but as word of his talents spread, the business thrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gabriel occasionally found himself thinking about the man who\u2019d shot him. He saw him only one additional time, in court, and knew little of his past\u2014not even which country he was from. But at some point, Gabriel learned that the man was an asylum-seeker, as were so many African immigrants in Austria. They\u2019d begun arriving in the country in the 1990s, fleeing civil wars and ailing economies. Gabriel wondered what the man\u2019s life had been like back home, what he was running from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2006, Gabriel told me, he had an opportunity to visit Africa himself; a client had recommended him to authorities in the Central African nation of Gabon, which was interested in creating its own version of WEGA. He told me he flew down for an interview with the defense minister, Ali Bongo, the son of the country\u2019s notoriously corrupt authoritarian president, Omar Bongo, and was offered a lucrative multiyear consulting contract. Gabriel didn\u2019t love the idea of working for a despot, but he had a family to support. And at the end of the day, someone was going to train the country\u2019s police. Why not him? Gabriel accepted the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He commuted between Gabon and Austria every few weeks. During his trips to Gabon, he told me, he spent much of his time touring the countryside, where Bongo wanted to establish an array of military bases. The poverty Gabriel witnessed shocked him. By African standards Gabon was wealthy, mainly due to its coastal oil reserves. In the capital, Libreville, a former French colonial port, supermarkets stocked expensive Bordeaux and Roquefort cheese. But the wealth was unequally distributed. \u201cPeople lived in huts without ANYTHING,\u201d Gabriel wrote to me in 2015. \u201cYet merely one hundred meters further I could see pompous buildings with inconceivable luxury.\u201d The experience, he added, \u201ccompletely overwhelmed me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gabriel began to feel guilty about the money he made, which had bought him a posh apartment and car. He responded to his unease with an energetic program of handouts. Gabriel had been raised Catholic and later joined a Pentecostal church. He told me that charity was an important part of his faith. He decided to give money to destitute Gabonese. There was no formal plan; when he encountered someone in need\u2014particularly single mothers and people requiring medical care they couldn\u2019t afford\u2014he gave them whatever cash he had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in Vienna, Gabriel\u2019s family was growing. Following an amicable divorce, he had remained close with his first wife, Sabine, with whom he had two children, Julia and Florian. He remarried a woman who taught French\u2014helpful for his work in Gabon, where French is the official language\u2014and, in 2012, she gave birth to his third child. Domestic life was good. But the feeling that plagued Gabriel abroad persisted at home. Soon he began filling the trunk of his car with clothes, toys, appliances, and other items, then driving east to Romania, where he\u2019d stop in poor villages and give it all away. Sometimes he took his two elder children, who by then were teenagers and growing concerned about Gabriel\u2019s haphazard giving. (So was their mother.) But the donations, and the astonished smiles of the people who received them, never failed to make Gabriel happy. It felt more than good, he told me once. Then he paused, searching for the correct English word. \u201cIt was,\u201d he said, \u201cmandatory. My duty. My <em>obligation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2009, Omar Bongo died, and his son left the ministry of defense to run for president. The new defense minister, Gabriel told me, declined to renew his contract. Although the lost income was regrettable, Gabriel was by then so consumed by his mission to help Gabon\u2019s people that he didn\u2019t mind. While making his ad hoc contributions to everyday Gabonese, Gabriel had begun to dream of something bigger\u2014something that, to his mind, would be truly consequential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His difficult upbringing had made him empathetic toward children in dire circumstances, particularly those without parents. He wanted to instill in a frightened child a durable sense of safety and security\u2014a feeling that, growing up, he had been denied. Before leaving Gabon at the end of his consultancy, Gabriel began drawing up plans to build an orphanage there. It was to be a whole complex, in fact, where every child would have their own lodgings, painted in bright colors, and where all their needs would be met. He named the imagined community Blue Sky Village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in Vienna, Gabriel began soliciting donations to make Blue Sky Village a reality. He estimated that he\u2019d need nearly a million euros to begin the project, and he wrote dozens of letters to aid organizations and philanthropists requesting help in financing the plan. Soliciting charity, Gabriel found, was much tougher than handing it out. He received few responses. The people who did reply politely suggested that, given his lack of experience in the aid space, he donate to existing groups. But investigating corporate theft hadn\u2019t done much for his faith in how companies managed their money. What\u2019s more, Gabriel thought that a lot of groups wasted money on lavish fundraisers\u2014the Viennese have a long tradition of philanthropic balls\u2014rather than spending it on people in need. He grew angry when he thought about money being used for frivolities when children were starving and scared. \u201cThis makes me so\u2026 <em>hateful<\/em>,\u201d he told me. The only way to know that orphans in Gabon were being saved, he thought, was to save them himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As he struggled to get his project off the ground, Gabriel received a call from an old WEGA colleague named Heinz, who was now working in security for Loomis. The company had suffered some recent employee thefts, and Heinz wanted Gabriel to help its Austrian branch sharpen its embezzlement protocols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a bleak irony, Heinz had been fired from the Viennese police in 2006, after he was accused of beating a Gambian immigrant resisting deportation. Gabriel told me that he\u2019d heard about Heinz\u2019s case in the media. Despite what Heinz had allegedly done, Gabriel found it easy to rationalize taking the Loomis job: The more money he earned, the more he could give away to those in need. He agreed to come on as a consultant, and the two men became friendly. Soon, Heinz introduced Gabriel to a Loomis employee named Tamara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-text-align-center has-normal-font-size has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/magazine.atavist.com\/2026\/the-bleeding-hearts-austria-robbery?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the full story at <em>The Atavist<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-border has-light-gray-background-color has-background has-small-font-size\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 show-image image-aligntop ts-3 is-3 is-landscape is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"258948\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>More stories from <em>The Atavist Magazine<\/em><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"258948\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-austria tag-heist tag-matthew-wolfe tag-robbers tag-robbery category-the-atavist-magazine type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/08\/austria-robbery-atavist-magazine\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bleeding-hearts-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Thief Who Wanted to Save the World\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bleeding-hearts-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bleeding-hearts-2.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bleeding-hearts-2.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bleeding-hearts-2.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bleeding-hearts-2.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bleeding-hearts-2.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bleeding-hearts-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/08\/austria-robbery-atavist-magazine\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Thief Who Wanted to Save the World<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;An ex-cop pulled off the largest armed robbery in Austria\u2019s history, with his friend\u2019s mistress as his accomplice. But he wasn\u2019t trying to get rich. He wanted to be a real-life Robin Hood.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"257755\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-american-south tag-cancer tag-government tag-holbrook-mohr tag-kentucky tag-labor tag-mitch-weiss tag-nuclear tag-radiation tag-reporting tag-toxic tag-whistleblowers tag-work category-the-atavist-magazine type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/08\/06\/radiation-paducah-atavist\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/atomic-city.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Secrets of the Atomic City\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/atomic-city.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/atomic-city.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/atomic-city.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/atomic-city.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/atomic-city.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/atomic-city.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/08\/06\/radiation-paducah-atavist\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Secrets of the Atomic City<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;For decades, workers at a nuclear facility in Kentucky were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. Management assured them nothing was wrong. Then four friends risked everything to reveal the truth.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"256911\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-alex-ronan tag-children tag-christianity tag-extremist tag-family tag-health tag-longreads tag-medical tag-religion tag-the-atavist category-the-atavist-magazine type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/07\/16\/religious-devotion-child-death\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/KerrFamily_RMorton-140-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"God&#8217;s Children\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/KerrFamily_RMorton-140-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/KerrFamily_RMorton-140-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/KerrFamily_RMorton-140-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/KerrFamily_RMorton-140-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/KerrFamily_RMorton-140-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/KerrFamily_RMorton-140-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/KerrFamily_RMorton-140-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/07\/16\/religious-devotion-child-death\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">God&#8217;s Children<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Kerrs were devoted to one another and to their faith. But when one of their own rejected modern medicine, they faced a dire question: What if her children ever needed a doctor to save their lives?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"254711\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-barry-meier tag-cocaine tag-fugitives tag-sisters tag-true-crime category-the-atavist-magazine type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/06\/04\/cocaine-fugitives-atavist-magazine\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/atavist-full-vertical.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Fugitive Childhood of a Cocaine Smuggler&#8217;s Daughters\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/atavist-full-vertical.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/atavist-full-vertical.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/atavist-full-vertical.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/atavist-full-vertical.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/atavist-full-vertical.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/atavist-full-vertical.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/06\/04\/cocaine-fugitives-atavist-magazine\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Fugitive Childhood of a Cocaine Smuggler&#8217;s Daughters<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;When their parents ripped two young sisters from their privileged lives, gave them fake names, and took them on the lam, they thought it was because their father was in trouble with the IRS. 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Tour with the Eclipse Chasers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>A man named Donald Liebenberg tops&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/eclipse-chaser-log.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eclipse-chaser-log.com<\/a>&nbsp;with a whopping 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 41 seconds of darkness from 27 total eclipses\u2014stats I didn\u2019t even know people tracked until I read Rudi Zygadlo\u2019s piece. It turns out there\u2019s a dedicated subculture of umbraphiles logging every second of totality. Zygadlo meets a veteran British couple who\u2019ve built their lives around these fleeting events, then travels to Spain in August 2026 to see his own first total eclipse. Adding 1 minute 38 seconds to the board earns him a place near the bottom, but judging by the awe he feels in those brief moments of darkness, he may be moving up the league yet. <\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:49022,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/eclipse-chaser-log.com&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260614162610\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.eclipse-chaser-log.com\\\/&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-07 22:13:49&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-10 22:44:21&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-14 02:16:25&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-17 08:32:29&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-21 04:03:23&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-24 11:47:45&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-24 11:47:45&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:49028,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/dispatch-media.com\\\/on-tour-with-the-eclipse-chasers\\\/?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260908165203\\\/https:\\\/\\\/dispatch-media.com\\\/on-tour-with-the-eclipse-chasers\\\/?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-08 17:07:58&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-11 22:09:44&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-15 02:56:58&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-18 10:05:26&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-21 17:28:52&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-24 21:21:02&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-24 21:21:02&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are various eclipse-chasing guests in our hotel. You can identify many of them from themed caps and T-shirts. The largest party is an alumni group from UCLA. We meet several by the pool. A couple from Minnesota, a sommelier from New York. \u201cI was in Montreal for 2024,\u201d says Mees from the Netherlands, treading water. \u201cMy wife is a virgin.\u201d Everyone is friendly, but somewhat shifty when it comes to the issue of where to watch. We are too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By 6pm on the day of, we are stationed on the infernal hillside, on a dusty path beneath pine trees and an immaculate sky. There are better vantage points but we have some degree of privacy here. We can hear others, but we can\u2019t see them. The partial phase begins with a yodel at 7:34pm when the sun is eight degrees \u2014 or a fist\u2019s length \u2014 above the horizon and my father-in-law produces a bottle of local white, which immediately turns warm in the glass. The nibble of the moon turns into a bite then into a crescent and I\u2019m surprised how well my bottom-of-the-range bridge camera with a solar filter over the lens captures the partial phases. Later I\u2019ll wish I never turned the thing on. Meara is quiet. Glowing. She is more pregnant than ever.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/dispatch-media.com\/on-tour-with-the-eclipse-chasers\/?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;font-size:20px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 ts-2 is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"259283\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>More picks on astronomy <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"259283\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-astronomy tag-dispatch tag-eclipse tag-longreads tag-rudi-zygadlo tag-solar-eclipse tag-subculture category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/07\/on-tour-with-the-eclipse-chasers\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">On Tour with the Eclipse Chasers<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tRudi Zygadlo | Dispatch | September 3, 2026 | 3,780 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;They spend their lives seeking seconds of darkness.&#8221; <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"240738\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-astronomy tag-henry-wismayer tag-longreads tag-noema tag-solar-flares tag-solar-storms tag-space-weather tag-sun category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2025\/07\/24\/the-unseen-fury-of-solar-storms\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Unseen Fury of Solar Storms<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tHenry Wismayer | June 24, 2025 | No\u0113ma | 6,505 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Lurking in every space weather forecaster\u2019s mind is the hypothetical big one, a solar storm so huge it could bring our networked, planetary civilization to its knees.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"240545\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-asteroids tag-astronomy tag-defense tag-financial-times tag-ft-magazine tag-nasa tag-outer-space tag-science tag-space tag-space-force tag-tomas-weber category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2025\/07\/21\/what-happens-once-we-spot-the-asteroid-that-will-hit-earth\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">What Happens Once We Spot the Asteroid That Will Hit Earth?<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tTomas Weber | FT Magazine | July 19, 2025 | 4,536 words\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;This year, the alert system for defending the planet against incoming space rocks was activated for the first time. It won\u2019t be the last.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"229864\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-astronomy tag-dave-eggers tag-nasa tag-science tag-space tag-space-travel tag-the-washington-post category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2024\/09\/26\/the-searchers-3\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Searchers<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tDave Eggers | The Washington Post | September 17, 2024 | 6,805 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;[T]he work being done at JPL is the most inspiring research and exploration being done by any humans on our planet.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"176492\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-astronomy tag-earth tag-interstellar tag-science tag-solar-system tag-space category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2020\/09\/09\/the-weird-space-that-lies-outside-our-solar-system\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Weird Space That Lies Outside Our Solar System<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tPatchen Barss | BBC | September 8, 2020 | 2,234 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Launched in the 1970s, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 \u2014 the first two spacecraft and human-made objects to leave our solar system \u2014 have reached interstellar space and now beam back images from this mysterious region.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"174743\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-asteroids tag-astronomy tag-death tag-depression tag-dying tag-father-daughter-relationships tag-grief tag-grieving tag-loss tag-meteors tag-suicide tag-susanna-space tag-when-children-grieve category-editors-pick category-essays-criticism category-nonfiction type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2019\/01\/25\/what-falls-to-earth-2\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">What Falls to Earth<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Grieving the mysterious death of her father, Susanna Space seeks refuge in the study of meteors. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;They spend their lives seeking seconds of darkness.&#8221; 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&#8220;Conformation Show&#8221; and the Pursuit of the Ideal Dog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a conformation show, purebred dogs are evaluated by judges according to written documents that strive to capture the exemplary features of each breed. (These standards are searchable via the American Kennel Club; my dog&#8217;s breed standard, for instance, is &#8220;interested and even mischievous&#8221; in expression, but might be faulted for a &#8220;short, prancing, or choppy gait.&#8221; Noted.) Hannah Berger files a remarkably observed dispatch from one such show in Virginia, where she has traveled to consider show dogs as signifiers, &#8220;the ideal against its approximation.&#8221; There&#8217;s plenty of human folly here, not limited to the interpretation of a &#8220;breed standard&#8221; and its pursuit over time. A janitor ceaselessly sweeps away dog hair; a mother silences her child as one might a yapping pet. Berger layers her observations into an ending so clever that I gasped. <\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:49019,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.theparisreview.org\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/03\\\/the-conformation-show-and-the-pursuit-of-the-ideal-dog\\\/?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now under the jurisdiction of the American Kennel Club in the U.S., conformation shows measure the degree to which a dog \u201cconforms\u201d to its \u201cbreed standard,\u201d a document that transmutes historical function into superficially measurable and marketable qualities: proportions, attitude, gaiting patterns. These documents vary widely in length and style. The greyhound\u2019s standard, for example, is a spare two-hundred-word document that strays from sobriety just once in its description of the eyes: \u201cdark, bright, intelligent, indicating spirit.\u201d The standard of the Coton de Tulear, the bichon-like \u201cnational dog\u201d of Madagascar, is nearly eight times as long, describing colors and shapes in percentages and angles. Its \u201cjoie de vivre\u201d is mentioned twice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2026\/09\/03\/the-conformation-show-and-the-pursuit-of-the-ideal-dog\/?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;font-size:20px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 ts-2 is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"259142\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Man&#8217;s best friend indeed!<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"258848\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-arkansas tag-bentonville tag-change tag-countryside tag-cycling tag-cyclists tag-dogs tag-gentrification tag-growth tag-jordan-p-hickey tag-northwest-arkansas tag-rural tag-southlands category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/08\/26\/bentonville-arkansas-dogs-cyclists\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Yarddogs of Northwest Arkansas<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tJordan P. Hickey | Southlands | August 26, 2026 | 3,073 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;What is never discussed in all of this hand-wringing is the fact that those dogs and their owners likely far predate the people riding their bikes here.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"256235\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-dogs tag-longreads tag-pets tag-sociology tag-the-guardian tag-william-davies category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/06\/29\/dog-training-power-control-sociology\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">What Training My Chaotic Dog Taught Me About Power, Control \u2013 and Human Beings<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tWilliam Davies | The Guardian | June 25, 2026 | 4,052 words \t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Our lovable yet unruly boxer Dusty forced me to wonder: if a dog has no morals, how do you teach it to be \u2018good\u2019?&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"251638\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-blair-braverman tag-dogs tag-love tag-musher tag-sled-dogs tag-the-new-york-times-magazine category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/03\/19\/their-power-feels-like-mine-a-dog-sled-racer-says-goodbye-to-her-pack\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">\u2018Their Power Feels Like Mine\u2019: A Dog Sled Racer Says Goodbye to Her Pack<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tBlair Braverman | The New York Times Magazine | March 18, 2026 | 4,665 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;After years of racing, I wanted to take my sled dogs back into the wilderness.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Just inside the Farm Bureau Center, the doormats were already covered in fur.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Hannah Berger | The Paris Review | September 3, 2026 | 2,233 words","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15973],"tags":[6684,29260,80,29259,27910,1250],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[15505],"class_list":["post-259142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editors-pick","tag-competition","tag-dog-show","tag-dogs","tag-hannah-berger","tag-people","tag-the-paris-review","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The &quot;Conformation Show&quot; 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But this conversation with Amanda Petrusich, which bloomed from a personal correspondence between the two writers, feels like an especially vital tribute to Berry. Here, his decades of thought on sustainability and its human limits find gloriously vivid expression; after all, place shapes our voices, too. Throughout, Berry is luminous and pithy and discerning: &#8220;We&#8217;re alive only in some place in particular.&#8221; &#8220;Every generation is a bridge between something that&#8217;s past and something that&#8217;s coming.&#8221; &#8220;Our conversation is worth more right now than either one of us thinking separately.&#8221; The last is a perfect sentiment for any dialogue, including those on the page.<\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:49018,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.newyorker.com\\\/culture\\\/the-new-yorker-interview\\\/going-home-with-wendell-berry?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Part of manners used to be to say to somebody you just met, \u201cWhere you from?\u201d And I quit asking it, because so many people say they\u2019re from everywhere or nowhere. I\u2019ll tell you a little bit of my history that may be pertinent. My mother was born and grew up in Port Royal, my father about four miles south. Both of their families had lived here since about the beginning of the nineteenth century. When I came to teach at the University of Kentucky, Tanya and I thought we would live in Lexington, and we would have \u201ca country place.\u201d And we hardly had laid our hands to this house, which needed some preservation work, when we realized, we\u2019re not going to have a country place; we\u2019re going to live here. And so we have. We bought this home and twelve acres in the fall of 1964, and moved in, in the midst of renovations, in the summer of 1965. That put our children here, and now we\u2019ve got grandchildren who are at home here. That comes from a decision that we made to be here, and to be here permanently.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/the-new-yorker-interview\/going-home-with-wendell-berry?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;font-size:20px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 ts-2 is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"259052\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>A few surprising essays on the ways we understand home<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"259022\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-belongings tag-diane-roberts tag-family tag-florida tag-home tag-house tag-memory tag-oxford-american tag-time category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/02\/florida-home-memory-family\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Memory Architecture<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tDiane Roberts | Oxford American | August 11, 2026 | 3,521 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Devotion to a Florida home.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"258854\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-architects tag-architecture tag-design tag-dwell tag-emilia-petrarca tag-father tag-home tag-housing category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/08\/27\/nyc-architect-design-legacy\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">You Can Never Go Home Again. But You Can Spend a Lifetime Trying<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tEmilia Petrarca | Dwell | June 30, 2026 | 2,286 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8216;My father designed two of the houses I grew up in. Then he died. I\u2019m still untangling where his taste ends and mine begins.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"251122\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-allergies tag-cedar tag-home tag-olfactory tag-scent tag-smell tag-texas tag-trees category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/03\/09\/texas-scent-cedar-fever\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Sense of Scents<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"newspack-post-subtitle newspack-post-subtitle--in-homepage-block\">\n\t\t\t\t\tAna Marie Cox | Texas Highways | February 26, 2026 | 2,753 words\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;The annual olfactory rush of cedar pollen is a sign of home.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The writer and farmer on 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Anatomy of a Journalism Scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In mid-August, <em>The New York Times<\/em> lost a defamation lawsuit in Alabama. It&#8217;s the first such case the paper has lost in more than half a century. Back in 2023, the <em>Times <\/em>reported that a University of Alabama basketball player named Kai Spears was at the scene of a fatal shooting\u2014information that turned out to be false, and based on a single anonymous source. A jury found the paper liable for damages to the tune of $9.25 million. Ryan Phillips, the only reporter to attend the duration of the defamation trial, describes the experience:<\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:48977,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.nytimes.com\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/03\\\/pageoneplus\\\/editors-note-june-3-2023.html&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20240607150943\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.nytimes.com\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/03\\\/pageoneplus\\\/editors-note-june-3-2023.html&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-02 02:13:10&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-05 02:44:04&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-08 03:22:05&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-11 08:47:55&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-14 09:57:18&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-17 14:55:53&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-21 02:07:40&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-24 05:32:50&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403}],&quot;broken&quot;:true,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-24 05:32:50&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:403},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:48989,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/patch.com\\\/alabama\\\/tuscaloosa\\\/column-anatomy-journalism-scandal?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260903110310\\\/https:\\\/\\\/patch.com\\\/alabama\\\/tuscaloosa\\\/column-anatomy-journalism-scandal?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-03 11:20:22&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-06 12:50:47&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-09 14:03:00&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-12 16:01:53&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-15 18:25:25&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-18 20:43:32&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-22 02:33:34&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-22 02:33:34&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chief among the post-publication issues was the <em>Times<\/em>&#8216; reluctance to issue a correction or retraction when it became immediately clear that Witz&#8217;s anonymous source had been wrong in their assertion that Spears was in Miller&#8217;s car during the shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The jury heard lengthy testimony about how the newspaper published &#8220;updates&#8221; in the form of &#8220;Editor&#8217;s Notes&#8221; to the online story to reflect each new denial coming from the University of Alabama, UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, Spears&#8217; father, and then the Alabama walk-on himself in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apart from the updates, which the Times argued were tantamount to a correction when applying Alabama law to the evidence, the story remained unchanged until an official correction was eventually\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/06\/03\/pageoneplus\/editors-note-june-3-2023.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published by <em>The New York Times <\/em>on June 3, 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div style=\"--wp--block-button--width: 50;\" class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-background-color has-background has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/patch.com\/alabama\/tuscaloosa\/column-anatomy-journalism-scandal?src=longreads\" style=\"padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px;font-size:20px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the story<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 ts-2 is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"259043\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>More stories about journalism<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"259635\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-cheyenne-roundtree tag-crime tag-fraud tag-journalism tag-mary-carole-mcdonnell tag-podcast tag-podcasting tag-rolling-stone tag-scam tag-true-crime tag-tv category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/16\/mary-carole-mcdonnell-dirty-money-moves-podcast\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">A True-Crime Producer Posed as an Heiress \u2014 Then Allegedly Stole $30 Million<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Mary Carole McDonnell made low-budget crime shows, but her own story was built on deceptions fit for one of her series. Now, she\u2019s on the FBI\u2019s Most Wanted list and the target of a global manhunt.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"259043\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-alabama tag-anonymous-sources tag-basketball tag-journalism tag-law tag-libel tag-new-york-times tag-ryan-phillips tag-trial tag-tuscaloosa-patch tag-university-of-alabama category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/03\/new-york-times-defamation-alabama\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Anatomy of a Journalism Scandal<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;The first time &#8216;The New York Times&#8217; had lost a defamation case in over half a century.&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"257852\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-confession tag-court tag-crime tag-financial-times tag-journalism tag-matthew-bremner tag-murder tag-north-carolina tag-police tag-winston-salem category-editors-pick type-post\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/08\/05\/winston-salem-five-murder\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Six Teenagers, a Brutal Murder and the Story They Couldn\u2019t Take Back<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;In 2002, a group of friends from North Carolina told a story that ruined all their lives. What if it wasn\u2019t true?&#8221;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The first time &#8216;The New York Times&#8217; had lost a defamation case in over half a century.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1294,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Ryan Phillips | Tuscaloosa Patch | August 22, 2026 | 4,107 words ","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15973],"tags":[4932,29247,204,348,1811,29244,29245,29240,29246,29241,29242],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[16813],"class_list":["post-259043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editors-pick","tag-alabama","tag-anonymous-sources","tag-basketball","tag-journalism","tag-law","tag-libel","tag-new-york-times","tag-ryan-phillips","tag-trial","tag-tuscaloosa-patch","tag-university-of-alabama","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Anatomy of a Journalism Scandal - Longreads<\/title>\n<meta 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Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Jon Ronson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI do unashamedly want to write page-turners,\u201d Jon Ronson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/the-new-yorker-interview\/jon-ronsons-guide-to-the-culture-wars?src=longreads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told <em>The New Yorker<\/em><\/a> in an interview. \u201cI can never understand why most nonfiction books have such limited creative ambitions.\u201d Ronson, who is \u201cnot a thrill-seeker,\u201d then recounts fearing for his life while being pursued by members of a secretive political gathering\u2014a chase that found its way into <em>Them: Adventures with Extremists<\/em>, his 2001 breakthrough book. Thrills have a way of finding Ronson, either through active pursuit or some subtler means of revelation. <em>The Men Who Stare At Goats<\/em> begins with a US Army general who attempts to walk through walls, repeatedly smacking into them. In the opening of <em>The Psychopath Test<\/em>, a neurologist hands Ronson a baffling package, copies of which have been anonymously mailed to academics throughout the world. The pages turn themselves.<\/p>\n<span hidden class=\"__iawmlf-post-loop-links\" data-iawmlf-links=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:48983,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.newyorker.com\\\/news\\\/the-new-yorker-interview\\\/jon-ronsons-guide-to-the-culture-wars?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260903100313\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.newyorker.com\\\/news\\\/the-new-yorker-interview\\\/jon-ronsons-guide-to-the-culture-wars?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-03 10:13:58&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-06 10:46:33&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-09 13:24:37&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-12 17:17:28&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-15 21:18:03&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-19 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17:55:43&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:48987,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.newyorker.com\\\/magazine\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/15\\\/andrew-tates-empire-of-abuse&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260829225632\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.newyorker.com\\\/magazine\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/15\\\/andrew-tates-empire-of-abuse&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-03 10:00:16&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-06 10:48:45&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-09 13:24:40&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-13 06:22:32&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-16 12:12:30&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-19 21:34:44&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-23 03:02:40&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-23 03:02:40&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:48988,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\\\/books\\\/318255\\\/the-castle-by-jon-ronson\\\/?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260903101727\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\\\/books\\\/318255\\\/the-castle-by-jon-ronson\\\/?src=longreads&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-03 10:58:44&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-06 15:27:26&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-09 20:32:19&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-13 06:23:39&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-16 12:13:28&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:503},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-19 21:35:52&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-23 03:03:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:404}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-23 03:03:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:404},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]\"><\/span>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"678\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=678%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-258492\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7998025178968156;width:244px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=678%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 678w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=199%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 199w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=768%2C1160&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=1017%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1017w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=1356%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1356w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=1200%2C1813&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=780%2C1178&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=400%2C604&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?resize=706%2C1067&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE.jpg?w=1688&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1688w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cover-THE-CASTLE-678x1024.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ronson&#8217;s latest, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/jonronson.com\/book\/the-castle\/?src=longreads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Castle<\/a><\/em>, earned a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publishersweekly.com\/9781594634208?src=longreads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">starred review<\/a> from <em>Publisher&#8217;s Weekly<\/em>, which praised the book as &#8220;a blockbuster portrait of men gone mad\u201d and Ronson&#8217;s style as &#8220;intuitive but rigorous.&#8221; His podcast, <em>Things Fell Apart<\/em>, was recently renewed for a third season, in which Ronson will shift focus from American culture wars to individual battles against institutions. He once <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/lifeandstyle\/article\/2024\/jun\/01\/jon-ronson-its-getting-harder-to-be-optimistic?src=longreads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told <em>The Guardian<\/em><\/a>, \u201cI get called faux-na\u00eff all the time. But I honestly think I am just genuinely naive.\u201d It\u2019s an observation that reminds me of Joan Didion\u2019s own famous self-assessment: that she was \u201cso physically small, so temperamentally unobtrusive . . . that people tend to forget that my presence runs counter to their best interests.\u201d Ronson is warmer than that, but his access is no less astonishing. Time and again, someone allows him to get very close\u2014closer, perhaps, than they might be aware of. Each of Ronson&#8217;s books is a testament to his depth of inquiry, his proximity to the surprising, and his conviction that a good narrative should be propulsive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014<em>Brendan Fitzgerald<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where did you grow up?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cardiff, Wales. In a suburb called Lisvane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What places feel like home?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">London, for sure. As a child, when we\u2019d visit my grandparents, I\u2019d sneak away and jump on a bus and just get lost in the City. Even when it wasn\u2019t home, it felt like home. Eventually I lived there for decades, loving especially Soho and Islington. I also love our tiny town in the Hudson Valley. We\u2019ve lived here since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Other than family members, who or what has shaped you the most?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a teenager, watching Nick Broomfield documentaries and reading the great nonfiction adventurers from the \u201960s and \u201970s like Hunter S. Thompson and PJ O\u2019Rourke and the writers featured in Tom Wolfe\u2019s <em>The New Journalism<\/em>. And when I started in journalism, the editors who first gave me a break: Ian Parker, Chris Heath, Deborah Orr, Ian Katz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is your favorite time of day?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early morning. I make a coffee and for the first few hours my brain is at its best and I can write a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are you <em>really<\/em> good at?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Narrative nonfiction. If I go off on some journey, I know <em>exactly<\/em> how to make it work. It\u2019s the only thing I\u2019m good at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s the best gift you\u2019ve ever received?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recently the BBC gave me a subscription to Descript, a text-based audio editing program. It\u2019s a dream gift for a detail-oriented storyteller. I can finally do the audio editing myself. I sit there for hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Describe your favorite meal.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I guess some kind of salad with lots of fruit and vegetables and a good dressing. You can\u2019t beat Greek dressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sound or silence? (And if sound, what sound?)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silence! I can\u2019t believe how great the silence is here in the Hudson Valley. There\u2019s something very comforting about knowing it won\u2019t end. They\u2019ll never turn this country lane into a big road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where do you do your best thinking?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I\u2019m out on a story, in some strange place, gathering material. I just instinctively know what\u2019ll work, what the best moments are. Fiction people can do that in their imaginations. I can\u2019t. But when I\u2019m out on a story, I just know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What journey\u2014physical, creative, intellectual, or otherwise\u2014has meant the most to you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The journey of leaving Cardiff and moving to London when I was 18. I felt like finally my life could begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where do you like to read?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I listen to audiobooks when I\u2019m out walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s the last rabbit hole you disappeared into?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/ufc-at-the-white-house?src=longreads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">I went to the cage match on the White House South Lawn for <em>GQ<\/em><\/a>, because it was theme-adjacent to my new book <em>The Castle<\/em>. So I watched all manner of fighter interviews and UFC super-fan videos for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Name three publications you enjoy reading these days.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The New Yorker<\/em>, <em>The Guardian<\/em>, <em>The New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s one longread that you can\u2019t stop thinking about?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2026\/06\/15\/andrew-tates-empire-of-abuse\">Andrew Tate\u2019s Empire Of Abuse<\/a>\u201d was the last one I listened to from beginning to end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What was the last book you read?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Shakespeare: The World as Stage<\/em> by Bill Bryson. I listen to it over and over to get to sleep. So I still don\u2019t know how he dies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What piece of nonfiction are you most proud of writing?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every book I\u2019ve written has chapters I\u2019m equally proud of: sneaking into Bohemian Grove with Alex Jones and getting chased by the Bilderberg Group in <em>Them<\/em>, the goat staring in <em>The Men Who Stare At Goats<\/em>, pretty much all of <em>The Psychopath Test<\/em>, much of <em>Lost at Sea<\/em>, Justine Sacco in <em>So You\u2019ve Been Publicly Shamed<\/em>. <em>The Castle<\/em> feels really good. I felt very confident writing it, mixing up tones and styles in a way I don\u2019t think I could have managed before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s your most reliable way to get creatively unstuck?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just wandering around Reddit can be good. The whole world is somewhere on Reddit. And if you don\u2019t find your next story, it might still unlock some part of your brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who\u2019s a writer you turn to when you need some inspiration?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kurt Vonnegut, for his brevity and his clashes between comedy and horror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What words do you overuse?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It used to be \u201cThere was a silence\u201d but I\u2019ve cured myself of that, thank God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s your favorite guilty pleasure?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don\u2019t know if this counts, but every book I read for pleasure is a celebrity memoir, mostly musicians and actors. Cher. Anthony Hopkins. Bruce Springsteen. I LOVED the English actor Kathy Burke\u2019s one, <em>A Mind Of My Own<\/em>. Right now it\u2019s Johnny Marr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What superpower would you like to have?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think I\u2019d like to be able to shoot fire out of my hands. No. Teleportation through space and time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What animal or nonhuman being do you most identify with?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I really identified with my dog, Floppy\u2014how he wanted to be around people but didn\u2019t want to interact with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>If you have a free solitary hour in your day, what do you typically do?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Run or walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What five items would you place in a time capsule?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talking Heads\u2019 <em>Stop Making Sense<\/em>. <em>The Pitt<\/em>. <em>Succession<\/em>. All of NPR\u2019s Tiny Desk Concerts, especially Doechii, Sierra Ferrell, and Chappell Roan. Bruce Springsteen\u2019s 1979 No Nukes concert video. Huh, it\u2019s almost all music. I guess that\u2019s the stuff we should remember. People being their best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What does your writing space look like?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-258493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=600%2C800&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=450%2C600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=300%2C400&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=150%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=780%2C1040&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=400%2C533&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?resize=706%2C941&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-rotated.jpeg?w=960&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4440-768x1024.jpeg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Jon Ronson\u2019s nonfiction books include&nbsp;<\/em>So You\u2019ve Been Publicly Shamed<em>,&nbsp;<\/em>The Psychopath Test<em>,&nbsp;<\/em>Them: Adventures with Extremists<em>,&nbsp;<\/em>Lost at Sea,<em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<\/em>The Men Who Stare At Goats<em>.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>They have all been international and\/or <\/em>New York Times<em> bestsellers and have been translated into more than 30 languages. His latest book,&nbsp;<\/em>The Castle<em>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/318255\/the-castle-by-jon-ronson\/?src=longreads\">now available<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-border has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-3 show-image image-aligntop ts-2 is-3 is-uncropped is-style-borders\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"258491\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>More questionnaires<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"259206\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-el-paso tag-espn tag-interviews tag-journalists tag-roberto-jose-andrade-franco tag-sports tag-sports-writing tag-texas tag-texas-highways tag-writers category-questionnaire type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/17\/questionnaire-roberto-jose-andrade-franco\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?fit=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-uncropped size-newspack-article-block-uncropped wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Roberto Jos\u00e9 Andrade Franco\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?w=2400&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=300%2C175&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=1024%2C597&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=768%2C448&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=1536%2C896&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=2048%2C1195&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=2000%2C1167&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=780%2C455&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=400%2C233&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?resize=706%2C412&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1.png?fit=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/17\/questionnaire-roberto-jose-andrade-franco\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Roberto Jos\u00e9 Andrade Franco<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The <em>ESPN<\/em> writer tells us what feels like home, the best gift he\u2019s ever received, and the <em>Esquire<\/em> read he can\u2019t stop thinking about. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-17T06:00:00-04:00\">September 17, 2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-09-17T15:29:40-04:00\">September 17, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"258491\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-books tag-interviews tag-jon-ronson tag-questionnaire tag-reading tag-reporting tag-the-castle tag-writers category-questionnaire type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/03\/longreads-questionnaire-jon-ronson\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?fit=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-uncropped size-newspack-article-block-uncropped wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Jon Ronson\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?w=2400&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=300%2C175&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=1024%2C597&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=768%2C448&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=1536%2C896&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=2048%2C1195&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=2000%2C1167&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=780%2C455&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=400%2C233&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?resize=706%2C412&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Template-JonRonson-1.png?fit=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/09\/03\/longreads-questionnaire-jon-ronson\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Jon Ronson<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The author of <em>The Castle<\/em> likes his music in a time capsule and silence in his home\u2014but definitely not in his stories.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published updated\" datetime=\"2026-09-03T06:00:00-04:00\">September 3, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"258100\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-eater tag-food tag-food-writing tag-interviews tag-jaya-saxena tag-journalists tag-ravenous tag-reading tag-writers category-questionnaire type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/08\/20\/questionnaire-jaya-saxena\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?fit=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-uncropped size-newspack-article-block-uncropped wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Jaya Saxena\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?w=2400&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=300%2C175&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=1024%2C597&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=768%2C448&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=1536%2C896&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=2048%2C1195&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=2000%2C1167&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=780%2C455&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=400%2C233&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?resize=706%2C412&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/longreads.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Questionnaire-Jaya-Saxena.png?fit=1200%2C700&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2026\/08\/20\/questionnaire-jaya-saxena\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Jaya Saxena<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The former <em>Eater<\/em> correspondent has a new home\u2014and a full plate. Here, she talks about growing up in NYC, favorite meals, and memorable reads.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published updated\" datetime=\"2026-08-20T06:00:00-04:00\">August 20, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em><br><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The author of <em>The Castle<\/em> likes his music in a time capsule and silence in his home\u2014but definitely not in his 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