Most people could name a handful of things the U.S. president can do without breaking a sweat. Sign bills into law. Command the military. Pardon federal criminals. Grant or withhold things by executive order with a stroke of a pen. The office radiates authority in a way that makes it easy to assume the person...
Most people, when they think about crossing a border illegally, imagine a worst-case scenario somewhere in the range of “detained for a few hours” or “sent home on a government’s dime.” For most of the world, that mental picture is roughly accurate. A civil fine. A deportation order. An awkward ride back across the line....
Most of us can recall tossing a banana peel out a car window without a second thought. It’s just a peel. It’s organic. It came from the earth, so surely it goes back to the earth – right? That’s the story we tell ourselves, and it feels reasonable enough that very few people ever stop...
Most people arrive at 50 with a vague sense that they should know exactly where they stand on retirement savings but a quiet dread that they don’t. The number seems abstract until suddenly it doesn’t. One conversation with a financial advisor, one glance at a colleague’s portfolio, one late-night internet search and the question snaps...
America is a place people love fiercely, argue about constantly, and sometimes quietly fantasize about leaving. The national mythology says this is the greatest country on earth – and plenty of people believe it. But a growing number of Americans, and most of the rest of the world watching from a distance, have a list...
A preacher from Galilee, with no army, no political office, and no printing press, stood before a handful of followers in the first century and described events that hadn’t happened yet. Some of them played out within decades. Others unfolded over centuries. A few are still being pointed to today as ongoing fulfillment. Whatever your...
Most people who grew up in homes where warmth was rationed don’t walk around thinking of themselves as someone who was emotionally neglected. The word “neglect” feels dramatic, reserved for more obvious harm. What they do think is that they’re “not great with feelings,” or that they “tend to prefer handling things alone,” or that...
Older Americans in nearly every state are on track to outlive their retirement income and savings. A new analysis found that across the U.S., older adults face an average gap of about $115,000 between what they’re projected to spend during retirement and what they’re likely to bring in from Social Security, savings, and investments. That...
Most garages contain at least one: a half-full can of paint from three years ago, label faded, lid dented, sitting next to a color you’re not even sure you used. Maybe it’s from when you repainted the spare room. Maybe it’s from before you bought the house. The plan was always to “deal with it...
Friendships often don’t end with a big fight or a final confrontation. Instead, they just fade away. A text isn’t returned, an invitation doesn’t come, and a connection that was once warm grows cold. The person being left behind often makes excuses for it. They’ll say people are busy, that life gets in the way,...
A man who is polite, responsive, and makes you laugh certainly deserves credit. Those are good qualities. The problem is that niceness alone is a poor predictor of who will be a good life partner. It’s also the easiest trait to fake, especially in the early stages of a relationship when both people are trying...
When a city gets a low score on a national education list, the reaction is predictable. Local officials often question the report, while residents go online to defend their hometown. Soon after, the conversation dies down, and no one asks the harder questions: Why do the same cities always end up at the bottom, and...
