September 27, 2026 at 7:00 AM EDT
The "Satanic Panic" Made Her a True-Crime Obsession. The Truth Is More Haunting.

The "Satanic Panic" Made Her a True-Crime Obsession. The Truth Is More Haunting. Before she became infamous as one of the youngest American women ever sentenced to die, Christa Gail Pike was a North Carolina teenager who broke into a community center to steal some candy. At 5-foot-3, with thick auburn curls, she'd been in trouble at home and in school but not with the law. A juvenile court judge put Pike on probation, but she ran afoul of the rules. In the fall of 1991, when she was 15, Pike was sent to the Juvenile Evaluation Center in Swannanoa. She arrived just before Thanksgiving.

September 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT
What the Prairieland Jury Never Got to Hear

What the Prairieland Jury Never Got to Hear On the last day of the Prairieland trial, in which nine Texas protesters were accused of crimes including providing material support to terrorists, the attorney for activist Benjamin Song presented a novel argument that, if true, would have upended the federal government's case. Song had been charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing a gun at the first police officer who arrived on the scene after a noise demonstration outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado on July 4, 2025.

September 25, 2026 at 2:25 PM EDT
The Backlash to "NAZA" Shows How Little Israeli Citizenship Really Means

The Backlash to "NAZA" Shows How Little Israeli Citizenship Really Means A graffiti mural depicting Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, directors of the documentary "NAZA," seen in Ashdod, Israel, on Sept. 16, 2026. Initially painted by an artist accusing the filmmakers of being "traitors," the text on the mural was subsequently modified by another artist to read "heroes."Photo: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images The Israeli documentary "NAZA" will make its North American premiere tomorrow at the New York Film Festival on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vitriolic speech at the United Nations, which was met by mass protests, arrests, and diplomats walking out. Other Israeli documentaries have screened at Lincoln Center, including one at the New York Jewish Film Festival in January on the movement for LGBTQ+ rights or another about an October 7 hostage. But this film, co-directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, has proven extraordinarily controversial in its home country, reviled by nearly every sector of media and politics.

September 25, 2026 at 6:00 AM EDT
The Blueprint for Democrats to Win Back Voters

The Blueprint for Democrats to Win Back Voters It's the year of the democratic socialist. But the group that helped start the earthquake currently transforming the Democratic Party almost didn't make it to 2026.

September 24, 2026 at 7:21 PM EDT
Flock Wants The Most Detailed Map of Its Surveillance Cameras Taken Offline

Flock Wants The Most Detailed Map of Its Surveillance Cameras Taken Offline Amid mounting concerns about its sprawling surveillance camera network, Flock Security told the press this summer that it operates more than 120,000 cameras nationwide. But a new map published Wednesday by a cybersecurity researcher reveals Flock's nationwide reach is even bigger. Based on location coordinates from Flock's own database, the map shows more than 170,000 cameras, plus more than 130,000 accompanying gadgets that play a part in the company's expansive American surveillance network.

September 24, 2026 at 3:49 PM EDT
Congress Failed Again to Stop Trump's Iran War. This Group Is Trying Through the Courts.

Congress Failed Again to Stop Trump's Iran War. This Group Is Trying Through the Courts. With Congress unable to rein in President Donald Trump's war against Iran through legislative action, a group advocating for diplomacy filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration arguing the military action violates the Constitution. National Iranian American Council Action on Thursday filed its suit in a Washington federal court asking a judge to declare the war on Iran illegal on the basis that it violates the Declare War Clause of the Constitution.

September 24, 2026 at 2:20 PM EDT
Green Energy Is Coming for the Desert

Green Energy Is Coming for the Desert When asked recently if he used artificial intelligence, President Donald Trump -- whose Truth Social account is rife with AI slop -- offered an unconvincing "yeah" while refusing to provide specifics. Trump, who falls asleep at Cabinet meetings, press events, and even at a 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial service, followed it up by stating that the government doesn't need to regulate AI since he's monitoring it. "The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT," he boasted, adding: "WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!"

September 24, 2026 at 4:45 AM EDT
As the Pentagon Expands Across the Pacific, Guam Offers a Warning

As the Pentagon Expands Across the Pacific, Guam Offers a Warning I. Leevin Camacho was brushing his teeth one day last fall when his mother called. The water is contaminated, she said. Moments later, she texted him a photo of a flyer issued by the local water authority. "Cancer risk," it warned. "Increased likelihood of adverse impacts on the liver." And in bold capital letters, "DO NOT DRINK." Camacho stared at the message. Water flowed from the faucets as his children, who were 10 and 12, gulped and spit, their faces reflected in the mirrors above the two bathroom sinks.

September 24, 2026 at 12:05 AM EDT
Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous War Profiteers

Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous War Profiteers This article and video are being co-published with Responsible Statecraft.

September 23, 2026 at 5:34 PM EDT
The Ellisons Could Make a Killing in Big Surveillance With the Paramount Merger

The Ellisons Could Make a Killing in Big Surveillance With the Paramount Merger Entertainment workers protest outside the Melrose Gate at Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026, one day after state attorneys general announced a settlement agreement with Paramount Skydance for its merger with Warner Bros.Photo: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Mark Zuckerberg's Meta remains embroiled in litigation over whether its products are designed to hook kids. But Zuckerberg's got nothing on another centibillionaire pushing to expand his influence over the next generation: Larry Ellison, the octogenarian oligarch of Oracle. Ellison not only brags about having even more data about us than Meta but runs a global surveillance machine and is a major military contractor.

September 23, 2026 at 12:52 PM EDT
DoorDash Spent $1.4 Million Trying to Stop Mamdani From Becoming Mayor. Now We Know Why.

DoorDash Spent $1.4 Million Trying to Stop Mamdani From Becoming Mayor. Now We Know Why. Last year, well before DoorDash's $131.5 million settlement with New York City for underpaying 264,000 delivery workers was announced Tuesday, the company spent around $1.4 million on the campaign to stop Zohran Mamdani, who oversaw the historic settlement, from becoming mayor. At the time, DoorDash's campaign contributions in the run-up to the 2025 mayoral election were considered unusually large -- it made a single $1 million gift to a super PAC that, at the time, was the largest donation in the race -- and faced criticism from other candidates in the race. The food delivery giant's settlement agreement, the largest worker settlement in the city's history, brings further scrutiny to those donations.

September 22, 2026 at 4:53 PM EDT
Another U.S. Soldier Is Dead as Iran War Casualties Rise

Another U.S. Soldier Is Dead as Iran War Casualties Rise The U.S. toll of the Iran war continues to climb as the military stumbles toward a breakdown and the Trump administration struggles to find an exit ramp. Another U.S. soldier died this month, according to newly released Pentagon statistics that classify the death as "non-hostile." A female soldier was on a military flight headed to Saudi Arabia when she suffered an undisclosed "medical incident," a defense official told The Intercept. Another 66 U.S. personnel have also been wounded in action just this month, according to that official. This has pushed the official count of war casualties above 850. Almost half the total -- 419 wounded or dead -- have occurred since Iran stepped up attacks in early July.