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Hi 👋 

Welcome back to The Lazy Reader, where we curate some of the best longform journalism from across the Web ✨

The news cycle has been absolutely insane the past few days—and I don’t even live in the U.S. I can’t imagine how it must be for you guys who do.

If in case you need of some mild distraction (can’t get too distracted from the things that matter!), this week’s newsletter has you covered. And even if you don’t, I’m sure you’ll still find some great reads below. A quick peek at what’s inside:

• An organized hacking force from North Korea.

• Curing Ozempic’s origin.

• The suicide crisis in Canada’s Indigenous population.

As with last week, please let me know what you think of the list this week by voting in the poll below.

Happy reading and see you again next Monday!

PS - Thanks again to Lulu for sponsoring this week’s newsletter. Please, please consider clicking their ad link below, after the fold, or in the banner up top. It’s a free and really easy way to help The Lazy Reader.

Thank you!

Story in Spotlight

The Oscar’s apparently happened last week. I never know with these things. I’m never up-to-date with these things.

And to be honest, it’s not like I care about it too deeply (if at all). Mainstream pop cultre isn’t exciting for me. But this story effectively mixes that with something that I am interested in, which is a really good crime caper. Extra points for a low-stakes crime, too (relatively, I mean).

Unlike most of the stories that get the top spot, I don’t think there’s really a lot to unpack here. Sure, maybe there’s something to be said about how many public resources law enforcement is willing to throw at this case (to retrieve what are essentially just empty symbols of over-the-top affluence). There’s also probably a point to be made about the Oscar’s being so hung up over their image that they were willing to offer half a billion dollars for a bunch of dressed up pewter statues.

But I don’t really think we need to do all that. Really, this is just a straight-up well-researched, well-written crime story with an entertaining cast of characters and a low-level crime that, for some reason, stumped authorities and captured everyone’s attention.

Not too long. Really easy read, too. 30 minutes tops.

The Longform List

The Delirious, Violent, Impossible True Story of the Zizians | WIRED, $

Insane story. I’m convinced that every person in this movement (and the one they splintered from) has some form of personality disorder or narcissistic streak or whatever. Impressive work from the writer, too, for untangling the many, many strings of this story.

The Talented Mr. Lonergan | Vanity Fair, $

Yet another story full of people with oversized egos. I typically don’t find the lives of the ultra-rich too interesting, but this one was just so over-the-top, and the crime itself was very intriguing, that I was completely hooked.

A Death in the Winelands | Roads & Kingdoms, Free

Just recently figured out that R&K is a travel magazine, and now I’m even more all in. Not that I’m an expert on the subgenre but I think this is how you do a travel story. Give me a deeply reported, well-told, culturally sensitive story that gives me some deep insight on a place’s history and customs (doesn’t have to be about crime!). None of those fluffy shallow listicles for me.

The Incredible Rise of North Korea’s Hacking Army | The New Yorker, $

Always wary of North Korea stories, and while this one just barrels through tired tropes and doesn’t really think about foregone assumptions, it’s still a very interesting subject. Overall good research and narrative about something that I think is vastly under-reported.

‘The Deepest Silences’: What Lies Behind the Arctic’s Indigenous Suicide Crisis | The Guardian, Free

Trigger warning: Addresses the issue of sexual and emotional and sometimes physical abuse head-on. If this is something that triggers you, please consider skipping this one outright.

Otherwise, you’re in for a really heavy read. This is a really candid look at how the Canadian settler society has exploited and been utterly disrespectful of the Indigenous population that it supplanted. Lots to chew on here. Gotta say: Don’t completely appreciate the writer sort of painting himself as a force of good overall, when it’s likely that he’s also been complicit or at least permissive of this culture of abuse.

On a Mission to Heal Gila Monsters | The New York Times, $

Was baited because I thought this was a piece about Ozempic again (the drug was discovered from Gila Monsters) but turns out it’s much more than that. This one follows a scientist who’s using his pharma expertise to treat animals. Really admirable career choice in itself, but also a deeply interesting path. Wish the article was longer.

The Three-Way Race to Exploit Deep-Sea Life | bioGraphic, Free

Another fun science story, this time about how companies are looking for their next breakthrough in the deep ocean. Very complex topic, which is unfortunate because the story itself is relatively short. Would have wanted a deeper exploration of this, especially the power and money dynamics involved.

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Bonus!

It’s very unfortunate, but this unelected official is now consistently in the news, and for decidedly awful reasons.

One of his more unhinged, foolish impacts on the government is the creation of DOGE. Which… I get it. The idea makes sense, and cutting out state inefficiencies is, on paper, a good thing. But its execution has been nothing short of catastrophic. Thousands laid off, millions left to suffer from a hamstrung government, and even more deprived of aid.

And, as this story illustrates, Musk’s DOGE is extremely hypocritical. Many of his companies—Tesla and Starlink in particular—benefited so, so heavily from state funding. The same funding that he’s now trying to cut off. The story holds back a bit, but I’ll say it: there’s massive conflict of interest here. It’s not lost on me that Musk is using DOGE to kill off competition.

Aside from the slightly soft tone, the writing in this story is top-notch. Structure was well-thought out, and really lays its arguments and evidence out in a way that makes it easy to digest. Speaking of evidence: It’s the research that makes this story what it is. Impressive gumshoe work from the team here, hounding down sources and tracking down filings, which I imagine weren’t easy to come by or parse through. Plus points for the clear data viz, too.

Not too long, honestly. Maybe 30 minutes tops.

Thanks for reading! Please, please reach out if you have feedback, suggestions, or questions. Alternatively, you can fill out this super quick survey form. I promise it won’t even take five minutes of your time, and it’ll be a HUGE help!

ALSO: I know some of the stories I recommend might be behind paywalls, and maybe I can help you with access to those. Send me a message and let’s see what we can do 😊

Until next Monday! 👋