What Makes TikTok Tick?
It starts with 75 million videos vying for your attention …
Kabul and Kaput
What do the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan and the White Lotus finale have in common? Plenty
Locks, Sex, and Two Smoking Barrels
During shooting season in the U.K., the most coveted “birds” are bagged at night
The Lady Vanishes
Charged with a fraudulent $1.3 million art deal, a millennial, private-jet-hopping grifter is now heading to prison
He Said, She Said
The socialite who shot a police officer in Belize is out of jail and under siege
Black Robe, White Knuckles
Justice Breyer’s refusal to retire is not just annoying—it’s a harsh reminder that we always put our own interests above society’s
Fussy Eaters Are Bad in Bed
And other curious news about these strange days …
When Your Mother Is a Conspiracy Theorist
Gen Z–ers struggle with how to save parents radicalized by social-media-fueled lies
Stories We Tell
The most erudite man in Italy, Roberto Calasso lived for literature—and re-invented it
Stone-Cold Liar
Why did a respected British M.P. stage his own death? Two new biographies seek to offer an answer
Cardinal Sins
Nepotism, prostitutes, Prada handbags … the Vatican insider who was once Pope Francis’s closest ally is now on trial in a $412 million fraud case
The $41 Million Instagram Scammer
And other curious news about these strange days …
The View from Here
Wuthering fights! Will this priceless book collection be preserved or broken up at auction?
King Leer
Why would disgraced monarch Juan Carlos of Spain spy on his ex-mistress? The drama continues …
COVID Social Cues
Soirées, Ascot, and gossip about the new U.S. ambassador are back—but with a ping, not a bang
Booby Trap
Lulu Lakatos allegedly posed as a gem expert, swapping $5.8 million in diamonds for seven pebbles at a Mayfair jeweler
Prophet of the Golden Bull
How did a Bible-reading, Trump-supporting 65-year-old woman become Wall Street’s hottest stock picker?
The Gray Ladies
Watch out, Gen Z—a new crop of over-40 influencers is out to conquer the industry
A Bug’s Life
In the fight to save the planet, the extraordinary lives of insects are going overlooked
Scarlett Johansson Has Women Seeing Red
And other curious news about these strange days …
The View from Here
The Taliban can seize power in Afghanistan again, but this time they can’t turn off the lights
Jackie Chan, (Communist) Party Animal
And more curious news about these strange days …
Out-of-Office Reply
Private jets, free lunches, public pleas … can anything get people back in the office?
The View from Here
Putin’s absolute rule is challenged by a noisy majority of Russian, woke-hating anti-vaxxers
