Ring In the New? A Hard Question for You and Me — and Our Species
“While the future’s there for anyone to change, still you know it seems, it would be easier sometimes to change the past.” — Jackson Browne, “Fountain of Sorrow”
Recent Stories
What ‘Law and Order’ Really Costs Democracy
Arkansas whipped prisoners until 1968. Now we celebrate El Salvador’s concentration camps. A reckoning with punishment’s price.
Jack Smith’s Deposition Is Must See TV for Americans
The country would be in a better place if more people actually did their own research instead of regurgitating what they read online from people they choose to follow. And they should start with the primary documents that show how Donald Trump tried to steal the 2020 election.
They Told You Half the Story: Why This Kind of Journalism Matters
As the year ends, we remind ourselves why we do this — and commit to another year of leveling with you.
A New Year, Same Old Trump
While the rest of the media likes to gloss over many of the crazy things Donald Trump says and does, we won’t be cowed into silence or worn down by a president who proves on a daily basis that he is unfit for office in every way.
Trump Waves the White Flag on National Guard Deployments
Donald Trump on Wednesday conceded defeat over his right to dispatch the National Guard to governors who don’t want the troops in their cities.
In Spite of Scrutiny and Sabotage, Zohran Mamdani Must Succeed
Mamdani’s success or failure in New York City may determine the next president of the United States.
This Year in Conservation Science: Whales, Birds, and Killer Roads
We asked conservation researchers around the world to send us their favorite papers of 2025. They address the planet’s most pressing problems — and important solutions.
A Terrible Year That Could Have Been Worse Draws to a Close
Donald Trump poses an unprecedented threat to democracy, the rule of law, and the values the Founders aspired to. However, after setting the country on the fast lane toward authoritarianism right after being sworn in, the president and his goons lost some steam in the second half of the year.
Our Favorite Jon Richards Cartoons of 2025
Whether he’s skewering Republicans or Democrats, Jon Richards always has a sharp eye for the political hypocrisy of the moment.
Donald Trump’s Gold Card Is an Invitation to International Grifters
Mar-a-Lago Liberty greets immigrants with the Trump administration’s new inspirational message.
In This War, Not Losing … Is Winning
Something George Washington, faced with a comparable power dynamic, understood and acted upon.
What He Said: How Russ Shed Some Light on a Very Challenging Year
Stock up on the antacids before visiting this buffet of my spiciest columns of 2025.
The Best of DonkeyHotey Cartoons for 2025
This was a banner year for Trump Engagement Syndrome in the cartoon department. Here are some of our favorites.
The GOP Is a Party Without a Post-Trump Plan
What do Republicans have to offer Americans apart from grievances, lies, conspiracy theories, and policies eroding the social safety net to benefit the rich? The answer to that question will determine what happens after Trump.
The Best of Saturday Hashtag
Each week, “Saturday Hashtag” investigates and contextualizes the largely unknown systems that directly influence our lives.
Our Favorite Ted Rall Cartoons of 2025
Ted Rall pulls no punches. He’s a patented political pugilist, landing haymaker after haymaker, week after week. Rall’s cartoons may not float like a butterfly, but they certainly sting like a bee. Here are some of our favorites from 2025.
365 Mornings of Fresh Hell: My Commentaries on a Year of Trump
A year like nobody’s ever seen before.
WhoWhatWhy’s Top 10 Podcasts of 2025 — Part 2
This year, podcasts became the essential space where complexity found its voice — not just reflecting our world, but helping us understand the forces remaking it.
Trump Sends Christmas Greetings to Fellow Former Friends of Epstein
Donald Trump kept his string of bizarre holiday messages alive by sending a shoutout to people who, like himself, once thought that Jeffrey Epstein was a great guy and then abandoned him.
Happy Holidays From WhoWhatWhy
From our family to yours, we wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
It’s Been a Rough Year for What America Aspires to Be
A look at some of our favorite Sunday editorials. This year, they had more of a common theme than we would have preferred. Then again, Donald Trump poses a unique threat to the Constitution and the founding ideals of the United States, so calling out his lawlessness is our most important responsibility.
Is SCOTUS Signalling? The Implications of Its Trump v. Illinois Realignment
The Supreme Court took its time with this “emergency” case. Was it taking stock of Trump’s descent into madness?
Our Best Climate & Environment Stories of 2025
Climate change and myriad other environmental crises were not meaningfully addressed in 2025. But WhoWhatWhy and our Covering Climate Now partners remained dedicated to bringing you news on all of it.
In Biden Redux, Trump Tries to Convince Americans Their Struggles Aren’t Real
How much do regular Americans care about things like the GDP and the stock market as opposed to their own finances? That is one of the central questions heading into a midterm election year.
How Trump’s Big Ag Bailout Is Alienating His MAHA Base
The administration’s pro-industry tilt — across three executive agencies — is feeding the MAHA movement’s growing discontent.
Trump Strikes a Blow Against His Greatest Enemy
Donald Trump’s obsession with offshore windmills is costing Congress a chance to reach a deal on legislation that would benefit the country’s energy infrastructure.
Review of a Week’s Mayhem: Oil Grabs, Mass Shootings, and a Little Wag-the-Dog
Ginning up a case for war with Venezuela, and a few notes on miscellaneous madness.
Trump Will Never Shake Epstein Suspicion Like This
If the Trump administration is trying to convince Americans that there is nothing to see in the Epstein files, it is doing a terrible job.
A Second Look at Trump’s Latest National Security Strategy
The strategy seemingly ignores active threats to the US and instead seeks to redefine what it means to be an American.
What’s in a Name? Trump Doesn’t Care, as Long as It’s His
Having his toadies put his name on the Kennedy Center is far from the worst thing Donald Trump has done this year, month, or even week. But it is the most telling of where he wants to take the country.
Where Will It End? What Other Monuments Will Donald Trump Spoil With His Name?
Americans were disgusted to witness the current president’s act of stolen valor accomplished by putting his name above the name of the Kennedy Center.
The New Scramble for Tanzania’s Savanna
The Maasai are being pushed aside for luxury safaris and carbon-credit deals that promise to save the planet, but threaten to erase a people.
DOJ Ignores Epstein Transparency Law
In defiance of a law requiring the Trump administration to release all its Epstein files, DOJ has held back hundreds of thousands of documents while promising to make them available at a later date.
Trump’s Unpredictability and Pro-Kremlin Sympathies Rattle Nerves in Ukraine
“We don’t really listen to what Trump, Macron, or Zelenskyy say anymore. We focus on our work,” one soldier said.
Prime-Time Trump: Just Lyin’ and Yellin’ in the Rain
The networks may be cowards, but Wednesday night they did us all a big favor.
WhoWhatWhy’s Top 10 Podcasts of 2025 — Part 1
This year, podcasts became the essential space where complexity found its voice — not just reflecting our world, but helping us understand the forces remaking it.
In Prime Time Trainwreck, Trump Promises Americans the Moon
Donald Trump gave Democrats an early Christmas gift on Wednesday night by promising Americans an economic boom that is unlikely to materialize.
The Fight to Stop Data Center Creep
Generative AI isn’t inevitable, and people are already fighting hard to keep power-hungry data centers out of their communities.
Trump’s Colonized Mind: The Cognitive Dysfunction Destabilizing the Planet
The neurological, psychological, and political breakdown of the American president — and the people taking full advantage of it.
It’s Not Always About Guns or Monsters
University of Chicago economist Jens Ludwig challenges nearly everything we think we know about gun violence — and, by extension — violence itself.
Inaugural FIFA Peace Prize Recipient Threatens Venezuela
Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a blockade of “sanctioned oil tankers” coming from and going to Venezuela.
JD Vance Test Drives the Lies That Republicans Hope Will Win the Midterms
Instead of trying to make things more affordable, the Trump administration is lying about who is responsible for the state of the economy. Today, it was Vice President JD Vance’s turn to gaslight the American people.
Exxon’s Next Supreme Court Play
Oil companies are once again asking the high court to intervene in climate deception lawsuits — part of an all-hands-on-deck effort by Big Oil and the Trump administration to shut the cases down.
Trump Finds a New Low; Can Republicans Find the Courage to Point It Out?
In a social media post that is disgraceful even for him, Donald Trump weighed in on the murder of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner by making it all about himself. Will Republicans find it within themselves to call out their president for his deplorable rant?
A Free-Speech Nobel Nomination for Musk and Other Head-Slapping Absurdities
Elon decides whose voice is heard.
Trump’s A+++++ Economy Is a Tough Sell
To prevail in the midterms, Republicans have to hope that an out-of-touch billionaire who only cares about himself can convince Americans that the economy he is ruining with his policies is working great and that the higher prices they are paying are a hoax. Good luck!