Donate

Kyle McAuley

Kyle McAuley is a freelance writer and radio producer in New York. As a producing intern at The Takeaway, he works on both breaking news and culture. He is also a Ph.D. candidate in English literature at Rutgers University.

Mr. Met

Being a sports team mascot isn’t all fun and games. Just ask Mr. Met.

Sports

AJ Mass spent three years donning the costume of Mr. Met for baseball games. While someone else will be wearing the suit this weekend when the Mets return to Shea Stadium to take on the Kansas City Royals in the World Series, the experience transcends years.

After being accepted to all eight Ivy League schools, Victor Agbafe plans to attend Harvard University in the fall.

He got accepted into all 8 Ivy League schools and Stanford. And decided.

Education
Waitresses at the Maid Cafe New York serve an order at the cafe on November 20, 2013. Such cafes have existed in Japan for years, designed to cater to the fantasies of anime and manga fans.

Why the deck is stacked against working-class feminists

Culture
Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon display the SNP's election manifesto in Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 21, 2015.

The UK’s likely election kingmaker doesn’t even want to be part of the UK

Global Politics
Space-based laser

The Pentagon’s drive to field a workable missile defense shield has produced a $10 billion flop

Technology
Jaime Jarrín

The Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcaster has been serving the team since its first days in LA

Sports

Jaime Jarrín grew up in Ecuador, a fan of soccer. When he came to the US, he moved to LA — right about the time the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to town. Through perseverance, he got a spot broadcasting the team’s games in Spanish — a gig he’s held since.

US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power reads a statement following a United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution about the ongoing crisis in Iraq on August 15, 2014.

Shocking photos push Samantha Power to seek peace in Syria

Conflict

A photo exhibit now lining the halls of UN headquarters in New York shows Syrian victims of torture. It’s hard to look at, but US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power says the images are yet more evidence that peace is desperately needed in Syria — and motivation to make sure the Assad regime is toppled.

An illustration from an 18th century history of the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards.

How disease and genocide marked the start of the ‘human age’

Environment

A new study gives us a new date for the start of the human, or Anthropocene age: 1610. That’s when the movement of crops, animals and diseases around the world shows up clearly in the geological record — but it still has some competition.

Voters cast their ballots in US midterm elections in Ferguson, Missouri, on November 4, 2014.

Think our voting system is colorblind? Think again

Justice

Minority voters once faced poll taxes, tests and other blatant methods of keeping them away from the polls. But while those methods are gone, political science says voter discrimination is now simply more subtle — and possibly more widespread.

Iraqi boy

Life under ISIS rule is worse than we ever imagined, and some fighters and citizens have had enough

Conflict

ISIS’ self-proclaimed Islamic State is crumbling. With momentum lost and victories in short supply, the terrorist organization has struggled with the most basic responsibilities — like keeping the lights on.