Who owns America? (The Atlantic)
by Patrick Wyman
Everyone knows how much power multibillionaires have in the United States. But we sometimes ignore the way the local rich—owners of large swaths of farmland or dozens of McDonald’s franchises—also set the nation’s agenda.

Plant a tree? Not so fast (Vox)
by Benji Jones
Trees absorb carbon dioxide, anchor ecosystems, and provide countless benefits to people. But decades of government, nonprofit, and business initiatives to plant more trees have had decidedly mixed, and sometimes downright destructive, consequences.

The many meanings of the R. Kelly trial (The New York Times)
by Troy Closson
The R. Kelly trial has spawned a massive network of YouTubers, Facebook groups, and TikToks examining every angle of Kelly’s case. Why do the singer and his alleged crimes matter so much to Black America?

The abortion debate, and the bigger picture (Nursing Clio)
by R.E. Fulton
The question of whether abortion should be legal is one of the most polarizing in US politics. But the issue looks different when we study it within a larger historical context.

The technology of religion (Wired)
by David DeSteno
In lab experiments, moving together with others, giving thanks, and practicing meditation show measurable benefits for people’s mental health and prosocial behavior. What would it mean for psychology to engage seriously with practices developed by the world’s religions over the millennia?

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