Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to North Korea recently, becoming the most senior US official ever to meet with Kim Jong Un.

Barbara Bush dies at 92, one of only two women in American history (her and Abigail Adams) to be both wife and mother of a US president.

Geology major Ryan Zinke never worked in the field, yet as Interior Secretary he frequently calls himself a geologist.

Comey struggles to make hard news with his new book; worse, his self-centeredness reads nearly Trump-like.

A Politico study finds that Trump thrives in places lacking trusted local news media.

If you think the mission your country keeps sending you on is pointless or impossible and that you’re only deploying to protect your brothers and sisters in arms from danger, then it’s not the Taliban or al-Qaeda or isis that’s trying to kill you, it’s America. How our endless wars and a lack of public debate around them have destroyed our soldiers’ morale to fight.

The Midwest has America's most segregated cities and also the widest divergence between black and white accents.

A fascinating report from D.T. Max about the Chinese workers who produce high fashion’s “Made in Italy” luxury goods.

Just in time for Coachella, a new wine made for music fans that's difficult to spill, easy to chug.

More than 95% of the world's population breathes unsafe air; one in three breathes polluted air indoors and out.

One of every 15 Mormons is from Brazil, where missionaries have found their greatest success.

The average American funeral with a burial costs nearly $9,000. No wonder the funeral industry's being "disrupted."

When migration and integration produce a path to prison: an oral history of a former Vietnamese gang member.

Every two weeks another language goes kaput. Wikitongues wants to preserve them for future generations.

It’s the invisibility that hurts. It’s the passing over, the looking away, the casual flick of the hand. It’s the denial of basic recognition. It’s the reluctance to concede that your story deserves to be told. Kelvin Yu responds to Roseanne’s bad joke about TV shows “about Black and Asian families.”

Video: Aaron Yoder now holds the world record for the fastest backward mile, at 5:54.