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Your Mileage May Vary is an advice column offering you a new framework for thinking through your ethical dilemmas and philosophical questions. This unconventional column is based on value pluralism — the idea that each of us has multiple values that are equally valid but that often conflict with each other. Here is a Vox reader’s question, […]

If you were a Roman citizen around 200 BCE, you might have assumed that Rome was going to last forever. At the time, Rome was the greatest republic in human history and its institutions had survived several invasions and all kinds of disasters. But Rome’s foundations started to weaken less than a century later, and […]

On an unseasonably warm October afternoon, I did something I’ve done just about every fall since 2009: I made my way to Howard University’s (HU) campus to celebrate homecoming. It’s an event that’s reached almost hagiographic status: name-checked in rap songs and even launching modeling careers.  The energy in October at my alma mater is […]

CALI, Colombia — In the face of extreme and accelerating wildlife declines, government officials from nearly every country have agreed to a groundbreaking new deal meant to funnel more money and other resources into conservation, especially in poor regions of the world. If it works, the deal — finalized Saturday morning at a United Nations […]

In the lead-up to the election, allegations are flying that social media platforms have been “shadow banning,” or in some way filtering the political content of, celebrities. After multiple Latine stars spoke out against the racism and misogyny on display at last week’s Madison Square Garden rally, Ricky Martin posted an Instagram Story claiming that […]

Starbucks announced this week that starting November 7, its US and Canada stores will drop extra charges for plant-based milks — including oat, soy, almond, and coconut — that add 70 to 80 cents to a drink’s cost. It’s a change that plant-based food advocates have long campaigned for, citing the dairy industry’s grave animal […]

With just days until the 2024 election, it can feel like Americans are more divided than ever. Former President Donald Trump and his supporters have attacked opponents in increasingly vicious terms. There have already been incidents of political violence — including multiple alleged arsons targeting ballot boxes and a terrorism arrest in Arizona after the […]

Halfway through the run of Martha, the new Netflix documentary about the former domestic goddess-turned-Sports Illustrated cover star, Martha Stewart lingers over the moment in 2004 when she received a guilty verdict at the end of her high-profile insider trading trial. Stewart’s lips purse viciously with disgust. She rolls her eyes. “Guilty guilty guilty on […]

In the game Jenga, players take turns removing wooden blocks from a rickety tower and then stacking them back on the top. Each removed piece makes the base more wobbly; each block put back on top makes it more unbalanced until it eventually topples.   This, I’d argue, is basically how we should be thinking about […]

On Friday evening, the Supreme Court ruled it would leave in place a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that made it marginally easier for certain voters in the state to cast a ballot. The Republican Party had asked the justices to block that decision; doing so would have likely disenfranchised thousands of voters. But that won’t […]

For anyone closely watching the 2024 election, scrutinizing the daily drop of polls has become the norm. Each new data point gives people cause to celebrate or despair depending on how their candidate is faring. But if you understand what polls are actually capable of telling you, it might dispel any desire you have for […]

Welcome to the Vox crossword! New puzzles are published daily, Monday through Saturday, and our moderated comments section is now live. The registration link is below every puzzle so get over there and add your two cents. Puzzle editors, constructors, and other solvers will be on hand to answer your questions and reply to your […]

Elon Musk has arguably done more than any single individual to aid Donald Trump’s campaign. The mega-billionaire has put more than $75 million toward electing the former president, turned America’s most politically influential social media platform into a vehicle for right-wing propaganda, orchestrated a (shambolic) get-out-the-vote effort, and repeatedly appeared beside Trump on the campaign […]

Political violence has reached alarming levels in the US over the last few years.  The January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, the attack on former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and multiple assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump are all examples of America’s increasingly polarized and perilous environment.  Now, the 2024 election could […]

When election season rolls around I always run into a lot of people who are having a pretty bad time. It’s the drumbeat of dire news and last-minute plot twists and scandals. It’s the absurdly close polls. It’s the feeling that we — especially people like me in California — are approximately powerless while a […]

In the midst of a heated presidential election, political coverage and commentary can feel unavoidable. Kids are not immune — they might be picking up information about the race from the adults in their lives, at recess, or on social media. As much as parents may think their children are oblivious, research shows kids, including […]

The 2024 election cycle has produced some stunning and sometimes counterintuitive narratives about how demographic subgroups might end up voting. We may just see a historic gulf in the way men and women vote — or not. Polls suggest we’re in for the greatest racial realignment since the Civil Rights Act was passed — or […]

Arab Americans are one voting bloc that’s used to being slighted by both major parties. In 1984, Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate for president, returned donations made by Arab Americans; a campaign official at the time said it was the campaign’s policy to refuse contributions from that community. In 1988, Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis rejected […]

If you’re confused, it’s not an accident. Republicans are trying to have it both ways on health care during the 2024 campaign. They boast that they want to deregulate insurance and massively cut government spending, yet they also claim that they would never do anything to endanger people’s coverage. That two-step keeps getting them into […]

For the most part, Donald Trump has been mum on who he’d appoint to his administration if he wins. But he has made one pretty clear promise: Trump has said he’ll let conspiracy theorist and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild” on health, food, and drug regulation. That could have massive consequences for […]

The Biden era has witnessed a revolution in the Democratic Party’s approach to policing large corporations. Under the leadership of chair Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission has grown markedly more aggressive in blocking mergers and cracking down on big business’s exploitative practices. This has earned Khan’s FTC plaudits from critics of corporate power. But […]

Another season of Love Is Blind has come and gone, and in its wake we were left with two marriages, five breakups, a villain who bullies, a gold-digging hero, and at least one secret father who never mentioned his children to his partner. Initially, season seven didn’t look like it was ever going to peak […]

This story originally appeared in Kids Today, Vox’s newsletter about kids, for everyone. Sign up here for future editions. I remember the first time I encountered Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. It was second grade, and another kid had smuggled a copy of the Alvin Schwartz horror collection out to the playground during recess. We […]

Apple just put AI in millions of people’s pockets. The company is rolling out what it calls Apple Intelligence this week, bringing some basic text generation and image editing features to iPhone, iPad, and Mac users who opt in. I’ve been testing these tools through the developer beta version of the software for a couple […]