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Explainers

Here’s what you need to know about Sri Lanka’s escalating political crisis

Green Book builds a feel-good comedy atop an artifact of shameful segregation. Yikes.

“This will make schools less safe”: why Betsy DeVos’s sexual assault rules have advocates worried

The US economy doesn’t need more Amazon jobs. It needs higher wages.

The world just redefined the kilogram

Florida’s high-stakes recounts for governor and Senate, explained

The latest Brexit drama, explained

How Trump-skeptical Republicans swung the 2018 midterms

Why the political fight in Georgia is far from over

California’s wildfires are hardly “natural” — humans made them worse at every step

Marijuana legalization, explained

More states and countries are legalizing marijuana. Here’s what you need to know.

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Police shootings and brutality in the US: 9 things you should know

Racial disparities in American policing are under heightened scrutiny. Here’s what you need to know.

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Transgender people: 10 common myths

As transgender issues get more attention, pernicious myths remain. Here’s what you should know.

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Why racist politics appeals to white women, explained by American history

House Democrats have a sweeping plan to protect millions of workers’ legal rights

The many scandals of Trump’s new acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, explained

Peloton’s $2,000 stationary bike has totally disrupted working out at home

Gerrymandering, explained

How politicians draw the lines to benefit themselves.

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Amazon HQ2: the many layers of backlash against the company’s expansion, explained

I looked for a state that’s taking gun violence seriously. I found Massachusetts.

Massachusetts offers a model for dealing with gun violence that the rest of the country could follow.

The races that still haven’t been called in Florida and Georgia, explained

The controversies of Trump’s Paris trip, explained

The Trump administration’s anti-birth control agenda, explained

YouTube is full of cringey, clickbait DIY channels. They’re even weirder than you think.

The Florida voter fraud allegations, explained

The asylum ban — Trump’s boldest immigration power grab yet — explained

What the new Democratic House majority might actually pass on health care

Ariana Grande’s greatest asset isn’t her amazing voice. It’s her resilience.

The Arizona, Florida, and Georgia election recounts, explained

Democratic wins in these 9 states will have seismic policy consequences

A new report says Trump was directly involved in campaign finance crimes

The fight to lead House Republicans now that they’re in the minority, explained

America’s unique gun violence problem, explained in 17 maps and charts

I’ve covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren’t a big mystery.

America’s gun problem, explained

The public and research support gun control. Here’s how it could help — and why it doesn’t pass.

Trump’s bizarre post-election press conference, explained

White evangelicals turned out for the GOP in big numbers again

All the policy wins that explain evangelical Christians’ loyalty to Trump — and their role in the 2018 midterm elections.

Why wasn’t the blue wave bigger?

Trump’s free ride from Congress just ended

Beto O’Rourke could lead a blue wave in Texas — even though he lost his Senate race