With 1 million new cases in the past 15 days, the US has now passed 4 million total coronavirus cases, with hospitalizations reaching a record high.

California now finds itself at the center of the pandemic twice over.

In Southern California, Huntington Beach has come “to symbolize resistance to many of the coronavirus safety rules.” Thankfully, a pair of West Hollywood comedians are on the case.

Disease experts explain how they made charts to help people navigate risk during a pandemic.

Related: Tips on how to persuade people to wear masks from an FBI hostage negotiator.

Heading into November, the federal Election Assistance Commission is neglecting key responsibilities, and two of its four commissioners are repeating the president’s unfounded warnings about vote by mail.

Donald Trump’s deployment of federal forces is transforming his political war on big cities into “something much closer to the real thing.”

Trump cancels the Republican National Convention in Florida. Meanwhile, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivers a lesson in decency on the House floor.

Related: Women who have run for office describe the worst sexism they’ve experienced in politics.

As Republican Senators argue over federal unemployment benefits, it's too late to reprogram state systems without a gap in payments.

Education Secretary DeVos says children are "stoppers" of COVID-19—which is not only wrong for our current virus numbers, but false.

Black Mainers account for approximately 23% of coronavirus cases in a state where they're less than 2% of the population.

A series of portraits of Black women who work in hospitals, schools, and retail, by Brooklyn's Aya Brown. See also: Paintings by Esiri Erheriene-Essi “re-imagine more humane and liberating narratives than what has gone before.”

Vic Mensa, Aja Monet, and other artists appear on "Defund the Sheriff," calling on Los Angeles County to divest funds away from the police.

“The camera was truly objective. It wasn’t shaking, it wasn’t moving.” Reinaldo Marcus Green, director of the excellent Monsters and Men, on the amateur footage capturing police brutality.

A map shows which law enforcement agencies in the US are using what surveillance technologies.

In Nairobi's settlements, policing provides the “de facto forms of urban infrastructure” that shape how people live—and die.

One little-known player quietly reshaping smaller police departments around the US: the insurance industry.

The subminimum wage, used to pay service workers as little as $2.13 an hour, turns out to be a relic of slavery.

A profile of climate activist Jamie Margolin focuses on what it's like to manage a national movement while you're in high school.

See also: Caity Weaver annotates nearly everything she Googled for four days as a reporter. Also, a round-up of apps that Charles Darwin would have used.

The idea of expeditionary solitude—from space voyages to wilderness travel—has too long been gendered for lone male explorers.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg reflects on her nine female classmates at Harvard Law School.

The Science Museum in London has a question for the public: "Do you know what this is? No, seriously, can you tell us?"

Scientists capture the first direct image of a planetary system around a star like our Sun, located about 300 light-years away.

Start-ups that provide end-of-life services find sudden demand for "tombstone generators" and final tweets.

Travel ad spending is starting to rebook across Europe.

How Costco convinces brands to self-cannibalize: it's not the same margins as a private label, but it’s not unprofitable.

A remarkable visualization of wealth uses a single pixel to help you understand the vastness of Jeff Bezos's riches (and much more).

Early returns from Germany suggest—among other quirks from this strange sporting season—that home field advantage disappears without fans.

Baseball is (mostly) back, with 60 games planned this season. Ahead of Thursday's opening game between the Nationals and Yankees, players on both teams kneeled before the Star-Spangled Banner.

Your weekly soothe: A boyfriend rates wedding dresses.

Finally, we were reminded of this epic 2014 history of the New York Times Style Section, thanks to a recent profile of TMN favorite Choire Sicha.