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Facebook and others have gotten more serious about hoaxes, hate speech, propaganda, and foreign election interference. Here’s how it helped in the midterms—and why they aren’t going away.

Thanks to Russia, Voting Machines May Be More Secure Than Ever in 2020

Edgardo Cortés and Lawrence Norden

We Finally Understand That Gender Isn’t Binary. Sex Isn’t, Either.

Alexandra Kralick

Smoke From the Camp Fire Is a Public Health Hazard in California. Masks Only Do So Much.

Sofie Werthan

A Wildland Firefighter on How Fires Have Transformed Since His Career Began 20 Years Ago

Stephen D. Fillmore

Facebook Went Down for a Lot of Users on Monday

Aaron Mak

Trump’s Policies Are Taking a Serious Emotional Toll. I See It in My Patients Every Day.

Danielle Ofri

Report: Facebook Failed to Closely Monitor Data Given to Device Makers

Aaron Mak

Human Interest

An honest guide to modern life

View all Human Interest

My Daughter’s Teacher Is Atrocious—What Should I Do?

Carrie Bauer, Matthew Dicks, Brandon Hersey, and Cassy Sarnell

I already reported her to the principal.

The Quotes Around “Woman” on Serena Williams’ GQ Cover Are One Ironic Design Gesture Too Far

Rachelle Hampton

$15 Earbuds and a Free Echo Dot with a Smart Thermostat: Wirecutter’s Deals Best Deals of the Week

Wirecutter Staff

What Was the First Language?

John H. McWhorter

Dear Prudie: My Parents Think a Heart Attack Killed My Sister. Should I Tell Them She Overdosed?

Daniel Mallory Ortberg

Will My Husband Still Sneeze if We Get a Hypoallergenic Dog?

Nick Greene

Why the Satanic Temple, Netflix, Warner Bros., and a Goat-Man Deity Are All Wrapped Up in One Recent Lawsuit

Ruth Graham

Business

Where the money goes

View all Business

Cities Should Never, Ever Agree to an HQ2 Contest Again

Henry Grabar

The billions that Virginia and New York are giving to Amazon will only worsen corporate shakedowns for public subsidies. Here’s how to stop the madness.

Democrats Proved They Can Win Again in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Why Not Ohio?

Henry Grabar

Hamilton’s Chris Jackson Didn’t Know He Was Cast in Hamilton

Catie Lazarus

What Will This Week’s Progressive Victories Mean for Big Banks, Puerto Rico, and Cannabis?

Emily Peck, Felix Salmon, and Anna Szymanski

How Scott Walker’s War on the Public Sector Came Back to Bite Him

Henry Grabar

Red-State Voters Expanded Medicaid, Legalized Marijuana, and Increased the Minimum Wage on Tuesday Night

Jordan Weissmann

Republicans Lost the Suburbs

Henry Grabar

Amazon’s New York Headquarters Will Have a Helipad Because of Course It Will

Henry Grabar

News & Politics

What really matters

View all News & Politics

The Race to Succeed Nancy Pelosi Is Already On

Jim Newell

Meet the ambitious representatives who are jockeying to be the next generation of Democratic leaders.

Democrats Are Poised to Wipe Out Republicans’ North Carolina Gerrymander In Time for the 2020 Election

Mark Joseph Stern

Forget Beto and “the Iron Stache.” Democrats Continue to Rack Up Exciting Wins a Week After Election Night.

Josh Voorhees

The Republican Party Is Again Attempting to Delegitimize Elections

Slate Copy Desk

Maryland Asks Federal Court to Disqualify Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General

Mark Joseph Stern

How to Help the Victims of the California Wildfires

Molly Olmstead

It’s Not Just Kirstjen Nielsen. John Kelly Could Be out of the Administration Soon Too.

Matthew Zeitlin

Notable topics

Cities Should Never, Ever Do HQ2 Contests Again

Forget Beto. Democrats Continue to Rack Up Exciting Wins a Week After Election Night.

Republicans Have Been Shamelessly Bellowing About “Voter Fraud” for Decades

GOP Efforts to Interfere With the Florida Recounts Seem to Be Failing

Gerrymandering

North Carolina Voters Just Brought Their State Back From the Brink of Democratic Collapse

Matthew Whitaker

Maryland Asks Federal Court to Disqualify Whitaker as Acting A.G.

Citizenship

Trump’s Birthright Threat Is Real. Just Look at What the U.S. Does to American Samoans.

European Army

Trump Is Mad at Macron for Trying to Do Exactly What Trump Asked For

Mental Health

I’m a Doctor. Trump Is Taking a Serious Toll on My Patients.

How far back can we trace, with any accuracy, the spoken word?

There’s No Acceptable Rationale for That GQ Cover

I Really Want a Dog, but My Husband Is Super Allergic

R.I.P., Stan Lee

A History of Stan Lee’s Cameos—in His Comics

Stan Lee Was Many Wonderful Things, but He Was Not the “Creator” of Marvel

The Stars of Marvel Movies and Beyond Pay Tribute to Stan Lee

Is it possible that your parents have chosen a more comforting fiction?

Help! If I Refuse to Get a Flu Shot, I Won’t Be Allowed to See My New Grandkid. Seriously?

Dear Prudence Uncensored: Babies Everywhere

Help! My Wife Is Dying. Does That Mean I Have to Be Lonely?

Help! My Cousin Is Taking Advantage of My Mom to Get Free Child Care.

Democrats Are Poised to Wipe Out Republicans’ North Carolina Gerrymander In Time for the 2020 Election

The Quotes Around “Woman” on Serena Williams’ GQ Cover Are One Ironic Design Gesture Too Far

Forget Beto and “the Iron Stache.” Democrats Continue to Rack Up Exciting Wins a Week After Election Night.

Pete Davidson Is Awful on SNL. But “Pete Davidson” Is the Show’s Most Successful Character.

The Republican Party Is Again Attempting to Delegitimize Elections

Maryland Asks Federal Court to Disqualify Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General

A Black Security Guard Caught a Shooting Suspect. Police Arrived—and Killed the Guard.

Trump’s Performance in Paris Was a Stunning Abdication of Global Leadership

Why the 2018 Midterms May Have Been Bluer Than You Think

Why Can’t Democrats Win in Ohio?

Support Slate’s Journalism

A History of Stan Lee’s Cameos in His Comics

Pete Davidson Is Awful on SNL. But “Pete Davidson” Is the Show’s Most Successful Character.

Trump Is Calling for New Elections. Stephen Colbert Knows Where He Can Start.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Makes Fun of Its Own Fans With an Elaborate Musical Number About “Shipping”

Hasan Minhaj on the Oil Crisis and Netflix’s Islamophobia

Yvonne De Carlo, the Future Lily Munster, Dated Howard Hughes

The Lasting Legacy of To Kill a Mockingbird

Why Social Media’s Misinformation Problem Will Never Be Fixed

Thanks to Russia, Voting Machines May Be More Secure Than Ever in 2020

We Finally Understand That Gender Isn’t Binary. Sex Isn’t, Either.

Smoke From the Camp Fire Is a Public Health Hazard in California. Masks Only Do So Much.

A Wildland Firefighter on How Fires Have Transformed Since His Career Began 20 Years Ago

Facebook Went Down for a Lot of Users on Monday

Trump’s Policies Are Taking a Serious Emotional Toll. I See It in My Patients Every Day.

Report: Facebook Failed to Closely Monitor Data Given to Device Makers

My Daughter’s Teacher Is Atrocious—What Should I Do?

The Quotes Around “Woman” on Serena Williams’ GQ Cover Are One Ironic Design Gesture Too Far

$15 Earbuds and a Free Echo Dot with a Smart Thermostat: Wirecutter’s Deals Best Deals of the Week

What Was the First Language?

Dear Prudie: My Parents Think a Heart Attack Killed My Sister. Should I Tell Them She Overdosed?

Will My Husband Still Sneeze if We Get a Hypoallergenic Dog?

Why the Satanic Temple, Netflix, Warner Bros., and a Goat-Man Deity Are All Wrapped Up in One Recent Lawsuit

Cities Should Never, Ever Agree to an HQ2 Contest Again

Democrats Proved They Can Win Again in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Why Not Ohio?

Hamilton’s Chris Jackson Didn’t Know He Was Cast in Hamilton

What Will This Week’s Progressive Victories Mean for Big Banks, Puerto Rico, and Cannabis?

How Scott Walker’s War on the Public Sector Came Back to Bite Him

Red-State Voters Expanded Medicaid, Legalized Marijuana, and Increased the Minimum Wage on Tuesday Night

Republicans Lost the Suburbs

Amazon’s New York Headquarters Will Have a Helipad Because of Course It Will

The Race to Succeed Nancy Pelosi Is Already On

Democrats Are Poised to Wipe Out Republicans’ North Carolina Gerrymander In Time for the 2020 Election

Forget Beto and “the Iron Stache.” Democrats Continue to Rack Up Exciting Wins a Week After Election Night.

The Republican Party Is Again Attempting to Delegitimize Elections

Maryland Asks Federal Court to Disqualify Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General

How to Help the Victims of the California Wildfires

It’s Not Just Kirstjen Nielsen. John Kelly Could Be out of the Administration Soon Too.

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