B A F F L E R

Salvos

12 Downward Spiral

A fan’s notes on the decline of the NFL David J. Roth 26 Three Days in Detroit

Kathryn Bigelow, tour guide Anne Elizabeth Moore

40 The Shark and the Hound

America’s long history of predatory lending Meagan Day 48 The Opinionator

James Bennet and the hegemony of the trollgaze Jason Linkins 72 All Politics is Local

Sinclair News conquers America for Trump, one living room at a time Adele Stan

104 The Master Class on the Make

How the white backlash found its academic bona fides Andrew Hartman 112 State of Sleaze

Erdogan’s authoritarian hustle Suzy Hansen 142 Friends Who Host Benefits

Donald Trump and the rise of the Art-Right Ben Davis

158 The Lost Art of Staying Put

On travel and its discontents Lucy Ellmann 168 Oculus Grift

Capital as the cutting-edge AI app Anis Shivani

Into the Muck The Culture Trust

122 On Poisoned Ground

East Chicago’s legacy of lead pollution and looking the other way Rebecca Burns

86 The Problem with Muzak

Spotify’s bid to remodel an industry Liz Pelly 96 The Loneliness of the

Long Distance Rocker Can music still save your mortal soul? Rhett Miller

Outbursts

6 Fear Factor

Inside the paranoia-entertainment complex Tom Carson 64 Great White Hype

A rising pundit class makes Bannonism sound respectable Ned Resnikoff

136 Wayne’s World

What we still need to learn from an investigative giant Adam Weinstein