The Thread
Where policy, equity, and culture come together
A Roadmap to Beating the Mental Load: Unpacking Emotional Labor with Leah Ruppanner
To Win the AI Race, America Must Close the Digital Divide
America Turns 250, and Confidence in Democracy Is Shaky
What Comes After the Epstein Files: A Q&A with Atossa Araxia Abrahamian
Editor’s Picks
The Cost of Beauty: Inside the Broken Promise of Cosmetology School
The Dilemma of Jury Duty in Trump and Jeanine Pirro’s DC
How Netflix’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ Might Change Our Thinking on Nuclear War
On-Screen Representation Means More Than Just Identity. It’s About Context.
How to Protect Your Privacy Online: Five Tips from Tech Policy Experts
Is Trump Really a Fascist? Examining the Controversial Claim
The Latest
Four Ways to Protect Yourself from the Deepfakes Taking over the Internet
Deepfakes are now being widely used online—even by the government. A tech policy analyst shares four tips to spot them and limit their harms.
A Roadmap to Beating the Mental Load: Unpacking Emotional Labor with Leah Ruppanner
The mental load is gaining attention. Sociologist Leah Ruppanner offers practical tools to overcome it in her new book.
To Win the AI Race, America Must Close the Digital Divide
Chhaya Kapadia warns a lack of federal focus on closing the digital divide threatens U.S. competitiveness in the AI era.
America Turns 250, and Confidence in Democracy Is Shaky
Ted Johnson and M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska discuss modern American patriotism, past anniversaries, and how this 250th anniversary can spur change.
What Comes After the Epstein Files: A Q&A with Atossa Araxia Abrahamian
Impunity for the rich is still winning, even as outrage about elite corruption and crime crosses partisan lines.
The SAVE Act Is the Wrong Way to ‘Nationalize’ Elections. There’s a Better One.
American elections need more federal consistency. But Lee Drutman says there’s a better, nonpartisan way.
In a Well-Being Economy, Time Isn’t Money—It’s Care
Anna Mercury explores measuring time in care & why well-being may mean surrendering control to biological, ecological, and relational tempos.
Remembering the Village Impulse: Toward a Well-Being Economy That Rewards Care
Serena Bian discusses how capitalism’s relentless focus on growth has pushed us to abandon connection.
What Would a Well-Being Economy Look Like? Reimagining It Through Poetry, Stories, and More
Writers from the Well-Being Economy Writing Cohort reimagine economic narratives, starting with a poem reframing immigration debates.
Trump’s TikTok Deal Is Less About Security, and More About Consolidating Power
Lilian Coral explains Trump’s TikTok deal, implications for users, and the blurred line between national security and civil liberties online