The Babe Ruth Truthers
With the baseball playoffs upon us, the strangest conspiracy theory is making its way through the nation’s dugouts
The Curious Case of the Missing Basquiat
For 16 years, a $20 million Basquiat was at the center of a bitter legal battle between an Oscar-winning Italian producer and his ex-wife. Then, just as mysteriously as it vanished, it turned up in a Miami warehouse
Grindr’s Bottom Line
Once “the scariest gay bar on earth,” Grindr is now courting Washington and Wall Street—and selling an ever more expensive route to a familiar destination
The View from Here
In 1980s New York, Donald Trump had the press in the palm of his hand. Only one satirical yet scrupulously reported magazine had the temerity to note the length of his fingers …
The Dos and Don’ts of a Highland Ball
Scotland’s centuries-old ball circuit comes with a strict set of rules: learn the reels, never hire a kilt, and whatever you do, don’t take a picture
The AIR MAIL Diary
A South Korean A.I.-dating show! A Japanese crab-themed resort! And other strange stories from around the globe …
The Earl of Grievance
Charles Spencer’s new memoir takes aim at King Charles—but it also raises awkward questions about his own relationship with Diana
Harry and Meghan in the Court of the Cotswolds
In England’s toniest rural enclave, a royal title only gets you so far. Can the Sussexes charm the people who rule it?
The Earl Making the Royals Squirm
Charles Spencer’s new memoir of his sister, Princess Diana, serves up a royal rogues’ gallery—from King Charles’s alleged elation at her death to tales of a light-fingered Prince Philip
From Russia with Likes
As Cold War–style propaganda becomes less effective, the Kremlin is getting its message out the 21st-century way: via online influencers
A California Brouhaha in Scotland
The Outer Hebrides have weathered Vikings and Atlantic storms—but nothing could have prepared them for a litigious Hollywood scion and her dog, Lady Tarkina Snow Fire
The View from Here
The American voter is a very unhappy customer right now—and management is about to get an earful
A Nepo Star Is Born
First they came for our movies and catwalks. Now the offspring of rock royalty—Gallaghers! Martins! Grohls!—are taking over music festivals. And a Beckham shall lead them
The View from Here
A forgotten 1970s film predicted an A.I. dictatorship. Why is Elon Musk such a fan?
The Recipe Site That Ate Itself
How Food52 went from a wholesome home-cook community to a $300 million e-commerce empire—and ended up being sold for spare parts
Meghan Has Joined the Chat
Having pulled Archie and Lilibet out of their new English school after just two days, Meghan faces fresh peril—yet another parents’ WhatsApp group
The View from Here
Half of America sees Lindsay Clancy as a monster. The other half sees her as a kind of feminist heroine. The truth, I can say from bitter experience, is more complicated
Becoming Gloria Steinem
The artist Barbara Nessim recalls how she and the future feminist icon lived together, danced together—and shared a fierce determination not to settle down
The Unbearable Lightness of Brooklyn
A new biography on David and Victoria Beckham—Brand Beckham—reveals the devastating toll the couple’s fame has taken on their son
The Ken Burns of YouTube
Jon Bois makes documentaries about athletes named Bob, baseball brawls, and the worst team in N.B.A. history. Why are they so moving?
The Mourning Edition
After 9/11, The New York Times’s Portraits of Grief became a defining memorial to those killed at the World Trade Center—but not every family welcomed what the paper chose to remember
The View from Here
From the box office to the ballot box, America is stuck in reverse
The Fall of China’s Most Hated Billionaire
Hui Ka Yan built a $45 billion fortune through Evergrande’s property empire. Its collapse ruined millions—and pushed China to flood the world with goods
The AIR MAIL Diary
The Chinese love disasters! The Italians hate texters! Nobody will visit North Korea! And other strange stories from around the globe …