Morocco Has High-Speed Rail. California Has Excuses

Does an Oil Spill Matter If It’s Not Somewhere Beautiful?

On January 28, 1969, three miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, Union Oil workers began removing lengths of drill pipe from a well. Suddenly a gap in pressure between forces above and below the waters strained the well’s casing, causing gas and mud to burst uncontrollably on the water’s surface. Attempts to stem the oil’s flow over the next several days failed. Oil reached the beaches, killed wildlife, and resulted in the largest oil spill in U.S. history at the time.

ICE Can’t Silence Prince’s Minneapolis

In South Minneapolis, where a teenage Prince couch-surfed, performed, and dreamed up a diverse sound that revolutionized music, thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers still occupy the streets, even as the federal government says it is decreasing forces. By banding together, the people of this Midwestern city challenged the federal government's actions, exposed their lawlessness, and perhaps showed the nation what a multiracial democracy looks like in the process.

No One Should Be President, Gavin Newsom Included

Joe Mathews urges Governor Gavin Newsom to abandon presidential ambitions, arguing the American presidency has become an inherently dangerous, monarchical office that must be abolished to save democracy.

The Massacre That Made Modern California

Discover the forgotten 1880 Mussel Slough massacre, a bloody conflict between settlers and railroad barons that sparked national outrage and fueled the transformative Progressive Era movements in California.

The Origins of the Beach Read

The lists begin to appear around Memorial Day with media outlets as varied as NPR, <i>Oprah Daily, New York Times Book Review, Forbes</i>, and BookTok influencers touting the best summer reads. One recommends a gossipy thriller it describes as “<i>White Lotus</i> meets Gossip Girl,”  another proclaims the opening of “Lit Girl Summer.”