The Most Important Moment of the Debate

It got to the core of what’s dividing the party.

By Jamelle Bouie

Why Clinton Won the Debate Even Though Sanders Did Just as Well

By Jim Newell

Watch Bernie Sanders’ Shrewd, Spirited Takedown of Donald Trump’s Bigotry

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If Ikea Designed a Chocolate Christmas Tree, This Is What You’d Get

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Brow Beat

Nostalgia Overkill

The Kessel Run, holochess, and many other original-trilogy references in Episode VII.

By Ali Arikan

Movies

The Force Awakens Reinvigorates Star Wars for the 21st Century

J.J. Abrams restores balance to the Force.

By Dana Stevens

Did The Force Awakens Meet Expectations? What About That Big Twist? Three Critics Debate.

By Dana Stevens, Jamelle Bouie, and Forrest Wickman

The Secret Contractor Memos for Construction of the Starkiller Base

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Sisters: You Know a Movie’s Bad When Even Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Can’t Save it

Scientifically Proven Ways to Raise More Generous Kids

A Family Finds a Frozen Kitten Outside. You Will Definitely Believe What Happens Next.

Dec 20, 3:36 PM - JIM FESTANTE Angry Storms on Venus Seen in Incredible New Detail by Japanese Orbiter (Video)

Dec 20, 1:54 PM - DANIEL POLITI - 1M to read Trump: I Won’t Change Message Even if Terrorists Use my Words to Recruit

Dec 20, 1:49 PM - AISHA HARRIS - 4M to read Slate Picks the Best Christmas Song Covers

Dec 20, 1:35 PM - SHARAN SHETTY - 1M to read The Force Awakens Broke Pretty Much Every Box Office Record But One

Dec 20, 12:49 PM - DANIEL POLITI - 1M to read Sanders Campaign Suspends Two More Staffers Over Data Breach

Dec 20, 11:48 AM - DANIEL POLITI - 2M to read Community Honors Tennessee Teen Killed Shielding Three Girls From Bullets

Dec 20, 11:08 AM - JORDAN G. TEICHER - 2M to read Are These Giant Cruise Ships Destroying Venice?

Dec 20, 10:25 AM - DANIEL POLITI - 1M to read Fake Bomb Forces Air France Flight to Make Emergency Landing in Kenya

Dec 20, 10:17 AM - SHARAN SHETTY Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Skewer Modern Matchmaking in SNL’s “Meet Your Second Wife”

Dec 20, 9:30 AM - PHIL PLAIT - 2M to read SpaceX Will Attempt a Launch and a Landing Tonight

Dec 20, 8:47 AM - SHARAN SHETTY Amy Poehler and Kate McKinnon Joined Forces as Hillary Clinton on SNL

Dec 20, 8:00 AM - JEREMY STAHL - 6M to read Sweden’s Bizarre Tradition of Watching Donald Duck Cartoons on Christmas Eve

Dec 20, 12:52 AM - JAMELLE BOUIE - 3M to read The Most Important Debate Exchange Was Bernie and Hillary’s Fight Over Middle Class Taxes

Dec 19, 11:52 PM - DAN KOIS - 5M to read Starkiller Base: The Contractor Memos

Dec 19, 11:28 PM - JOSH VOORHEES - 1M to read How Could ABC’s Debate Moderators Not Ask a Single Question About Climate Change?

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Donald Trump’s Debate Strategy Is Stolen From 8-Year-Olds and Cicero

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Star Wars Is a Postmodern Masterpiece How George Lucas mashed up Westerns, samurai flicks, war movies, and more into a world-conquering collage.

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Television The 10 Best TV Shows of the Year

Politics

Let’s Play “Trump, Carson, or Cruz” Pretend they were your only choices for president. Whom would you pick?

Podcasts

Slate Money Slate Money on the Economics of Star Wars
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“Everyone knows America has been going down the tubes for years—decades, actually. Generations, even. But what if, all along, those tubes have been Fallopian?” How Did America Get So “Pussified”?

“Paul Ryan assured conservatives that he would abide by the Hastert rule if they supported his bid. On his first big funding bill, Ryan will just … not follow the rule that he said he would follow.” The Paul Ryan Compromise

“Nicki Minaj’s payday is all the more jarring given that she joined the chorus of Black Lives Matter. It appears that when those black lives happen to be in Angola, their lives matter less than a paycheck from a dictator.” Nicki Minaj Shouldn’t Be Performing for Dictators

Christina
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Newell

Thor
Halvorssen

News & Politics

Politics

Dec. 19 2015 10:50 PM Who Won the Democratic Debate? Vote in our poll. Chris Kirk

Here’s What Twitter’s Smartest Liberals and Conservatives Are Saying About ABC’s Debate

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Is Acting Just Like the Villain Bernie Sanders Says She Is

Why Hillary Clinton Should Defend Bernie Sanders Against the DNC’s Harsh Punishment

Here’s What Happened When Three CIA Officers Played Homeland: The Game

Suriname’s Coup-Leading, Drug-Running President Is the Prime Suspect in a 1982 Murder

Pope Francis Will Make Mother Teresa a Saint. She’s a Fanatic, a Fundamentalist, and a Fraud.

The Simple Truth About Ted Cruz: He Lies

Business

Moneybox

Dec. 18 2015 4:57 PM Scandinavia Is a Land of Unicorns. No, the Other Unicorns. Paul Grossinger

Is Amazon Trying to Build Its Own FedEx?

A Surprising Reason Why You Might Not Realize “Sponsored Content” Is Actually Advertising

The Madcap Tale Behind the Arrest of Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli

Bud Light Needs More Millennials to Drink It. Is That Why Its New Can Looks Like Craft Beer?

Villainous Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Has Been Arrested for Securities Fraud

“Technical Cashmere” Is a Hot Fashion Item. It’s Not the Fancy Material You Think.

Janet Yellen Promises You That She Isn’t Trying to Kill the Economy

Life

Holidays

Dec. 19 2015 9:01 AM Saving Santa’s Mail Bag A century ago, charities fought to have children’s wish lists sent to the dead letter office. They lost. Alex Palmer

The Short, Glorious History of the Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving

Five Digital History Projects That Dazzled Us in 2015

For Queer Youth, Safety and Home Can Be Elusive Concepts

Australia Is Home to a Big Mango That Weighs 7 Tons (and Is Made of Fiberglass)

Why This Florida Man Is Putting Up Gay-Pride-Themed Festivus Poles in State Capitols

Why Chocolate Experts Think the Mast Brothers Are Frauds

Of Course Donald Trump Is the Most Pro-Gay Republican Presidential Candidate

Double X

The XX Factor

Dec. 18 2015 1:55 PM How Did America Get So “Pussified”? Christina Cauterucci

The Year We Wondered if Emotional Labor Should Come With a Price

Women Who Have C-Sections May Now Have Less to Worry About (And Really Shouldn’t Worry Anyway)