The market knows what Congress knows
Lawmakers from both parties want to ban congressional stock trading. The harder question is what public service should require people to surrender.
August 12, 2026 · Archive recordThe record beneath the record.
Reporting, essays, and cultural criticism about the people, systems, places, symbols, and unresolved questions shaping American life.
When privacy becomes a price tag
What if the price you see is shaped by what a company thinks it knows about your urgency, location, and ability to pay?
August 11, 2026 · Archive recordThe camera that already knows your face
Facial recognition can identify a suspect in minutes. It can also turn an ordinary face into a permanent investigative lead.
August 10, 2026 · Archive recordWho gets to call it an emergency?
Presidents inherit extraordinary powers meant for extraordinary moments. Congress wrote the keys—and rarely takes them back.
August 8, 2026 · Archive recordWhen the pulpit enters the ballot box
The tax code separates churches from candidate campaigns. The First Amendment argument refuses to stay that simple.
August 6, 2026 · Archive recordWhy we trust the news next door
Americans distrust national media more than local reporting. Is proximity a cure for polarization—or simply a smaller mirror?
August 4, 2026 · Archive record