In this issue:

Features

The End of Friedmanomics

The famed economist’s theories were embraced by Beltway power brokers in both parties. Finally, a Democratic president is turning the page on a legacy of ruin.

By Zachary D. Carter

The Swashbuckling Lawyer Who’s Taking on the Sackler Family

Thanks to one judge, members of the family that made billions from OxyContin could escape justice for their role in the opioid epidemic. Mike Quinn may be the best hope of holding them to account. 

By Libby Lewis

The Rise and Fall of an Herbal Viagra Scammer

An internet huckster got rich selling a sex enhancement supplement named Stiff Nights. Then the FDA sampled his wares.

By Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling

Can Criminal Justice Reform Survive a Wave of Violent Crime?

An uptick in homicides across the country is getting blamed on reforms. That argument gets the data all wrong.

By John Pfaff

Signs & Wonders

Why Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley Won’t Be Punished for Fomenting a Riot

The U.S. Senate is incapable of policing itself—and the two Republicans are too shameless to resign.

By Alex Pareene

The Performative Rhetoric of “Allyship”

Why so many white Americans claim to be “allies” in the fight for racial justice

By John Patrick Leary

The Fox News Guest Behind the Republican Frenzy Over Critical Race Theory

A year ago, Christopher Rufo was an obscure documentarian. Now, he’s being invited on Tucker Carlson’s show to gin up fears of Marxism in America.

By Jake Bittle

The IRS Could Be a Force for Social Good

Republicans rigged the IRS in favor of the rich. Biden can revive the agency to serve the rest of us.

By Jacob Silverman

Biden’s Foreign Policy Doctrine Is Stuck in the Twentieth Century

The president’s domestic agenda is surprisingly ambitious and progressive. So why is he proposing conventional, outdated solutions to the world’s crises?

By Aslı Bâli, Aziz Rana

Books & The Arts

How Deep Is America’s Reckoning with Racism?

Juneteenth is an opportunity to recover the possibilities of history 

By Kerri Greenidge

The Liberals Who Weakened Trust in Government

How public interest groups inadvertently aided the right’s ascendency

By Kim Phillips-Fein

The Millionaires Who Want to Abolish Extreme Wealth

In an unequal economy, even some of the winners are unhappy.

By Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein

The Rise of the Very Online Novel

It’s easy to hate the internet. Patricia Lockwood is the rare writer who delights in its chaos.

By Kyle Chayka

Video Games Are a Labor Disaster

Why do game studios keep imploding?

By Alex Pareene

Res Publica

A Third Reconstruction, or a Second Civil War?

American democracy may perish from the earth.

By Win McCormack