Hi 👋 

We’re back again with another reading list of some of the absolute ✨best✨ longform writing across the internet.

Is it just me, or was the Media Machine™ popping off for everyone else, too? There were so many good articles on my feeds last week that I had a hard time keeping up. I haven’t actually finished by TBR yet 🤫

That means our list this week is full of bangers (it always is 😌)

Case in point: Our spotlight is a behind-the-scenes look at the deadly submarine expedition to the sunken remains of the Titanic. Five people were killed. It was major news when it happened—in mid-2023—and it set off a Twitter firestorm of people making fun of billionaires who were way too lavish for their own good.

The truth, as it turns out, is much darker than all the memes made it seem. Greed and incompetence and arrogance make for a deadly combination.

We’re also reading a very smart analysis of how the U.S. Supreme Court has stacked its docket so full that we’re in for a very stressful month. Lots of high-impact verdicts are lined up, and the media cycle, despite being round-the-clock, will likely be unable to keep up.

Plus, of course, some good ol’ science stories. Is it even a TLR newsletter without these? There’s a trio of incredible medical articles in this week’s list, including a historical breakdown of the unbelievable prices of insulin, an investigation into the forced sterilizations of sickle cell disease patients, and a really heartwarming essay about Alzheimer’s disease.

In any case, as with last week, please let me know what you think of the list this week by voting in the poll below. 🙏

And we’re still trying to grow the newsletter! If you like what you read, please consider helping us grow by sharing it to your friends, colleagues and family! 🫶

Happy reading and see you again next Monday!

One long read…

I knew that this had to be our spotlight story this week the second this popped up on my feed.

And it didn’t disappoint. This is some impressive reportage from WIRED. The degree of insider information and documentation that they were able to get their hands on is honestly near-unbelievable.

This story uncovers a lot of new things about the OceanGate incident—though not all of it was completely surprising, frankly speaking.

The biggest takeaway for me was that the CEO was too concerned with the company’s bottomline (and with impressing investors) that he cut way too many corners in terms of safety and the submarine’s durability.

Now, be honest: There’s nothing really new about that, is there? Isn’t it routine business practice at this point to minimize spending wherever possible—even if that sometimes comes with some calculated risks? And isn’t it true that CEOs often lie to investors and the media and the public to make it seem like their companies are doing well?

That said, the details make this story. The emails and the quotes and the off-hand comments really illustrate just how egregious the lying and the shortchanging were.

I have just one gripe: It feels as if WIRED was pushing the reported here first and never revealed publicly before angle a little too hard. I mean… I get it. It was difficult work and a lot of time and effort, but at a certain point, past maybe the 500th mention of it, it started getting tiresome.

A very long story, but very readable. The prose is great and sentences move quickly. Paragraphs aren’t too bulky. Might still take you well over an hour, though, distractions included.

… and then some

⚕️ Coercive Care | STAT News, Free

This was going to be our spotlight story of the week right, until the WIRED story above dropped. STAT News, which is a niche trade publication focused on biopharma and healthcare, looked into the medical care experience of patients with a rare blood disorder called sickle cell disease. What it found was a sickening degree of malpractice and abuse, of doctors essentially forcing their patients to get sterilized, without necessarily following proper medical guidelines.

The sad part is that communities of color are more highly victimized—and that these aren’t isolated incidents. At this point, it shouldn’t really surprise the medical community that trust in it is at an all-time low.

Very long, but also very compelling to read. I’d say 40 to 45 minutes, depending on how focused you are and how fast you read.

💪 ‘Natty or Not?’: How Steroids Got Big | The Guardian, Free

I adore stories that take a seemingly innocuous social trend and then dive deep into it, in the process discovering that the trend is, in fact, harmful, with a long, troubling history and a potentially frightfening future. This story is exactly that: It traces the use of performance-enhancing steroids from its very niche use in professional weight-lifting and bodybuilding, to being what is essentially a foundational fitness supplement.

Pretty long, but honestly not too much. I’d say 30 minutes at most, if you can stay reasonably focused.

🏛️ The Supreme Court’s June Opinion Dump Will Be Devastating and Unprecedented | Slate, Free

Slate is currently running Opinionpalooza, a series of features and explainers that will try to make sense of the deluge of decisions coming out of the SCOTUS this June, before the term ends. I think it’s a great initiative (and something to keep an eye on), especially since, as the writer argues, the Supreme Court is primed to release some particularly devastating rulings in the coming weeks.

Not too long, but particularly important. I’d allot 15 minutes.

🥑 Inside Mexico’s Anti-Avocado Militias | The Guardian, Free

I found this to be a really fascinating story. I couldn’t have imagined that avocados could inspire such radical environmental action from communities in Mexico… but honestly it makes sense. If the fruit—and the conglomerates behind it—is draining your land of nutrients and water, then it’s only sensible that you protect what’s yours, right? There’s a lot of underrated value in keeping communities green and healthy, rather than milking it dry for profits.

A bit long, but it’s an interesting read that doesn’t drag. Maybe 35 to 40 minutes.

💸 The Rise of Poverty Inc. | The Atlantic, $

These are the types of stories that I wish were longer. (There’s a book version of this story, though, so I guess I can go read that). It makes some very important points about how the market approach to alleviating poverty doesn’t really work because companies need people to stay poor so they can keep their profits. It’s pretty twisted, but also really eye-opening. Makes you wonder what other parts of civil society are being compromised because of a corporate approach.

Pretty short, unfortunately. Maybe 10 minutes if you stay focused.

💉 The Insulin Empire | The Baffler, $ (if you’ve burned your free stories)

If you live in the U.S., where drug prices are so egregiously out of control, then I’d say this is essential reading for you. As the writers report, insulin, which can be really life-saving for millions of diabetics, was meant to be a free (or at least very accessible) public good, according to the wishes of its original developers. Pharma had other ideas, clearly, and now some patients have to pay hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket per month just to keep their blood sugar in check.

This is a long story, but it’s also really important. If you have maybe 40 minutes, then you should dive into this.

🥛 Big Milk has taken over American schools | Vox, Free

This is a classic story of how corporate lobbying overrides common good. In this case, Big Milk (which I didn’t think was an actual thing) has bought into the school boards and the panels that develop dietary guidelines to secure a place for their products in school cafeterias. Students are actively disallowed from seeking alternative drinks. The planet suffers, too, because milk isn’t exactly the most sustainably produced beverage.

A long story, but it reads really well. Sentences and paragraphs are punchy. Maybe a 30 minute commitment.

𖡎 My Mom Had Alzheimer’s. Now I Do Too, but I Learned From Her Not to Despair. | The New York Times, $

This is a really heartfelt essay about finding courage and grace in the face of a chronic, life-destabilizing, and incurable disease. This one goes by really quickly, and I’m not sure it even qualifies as longform, per se, but it’s still really well-written and tells a beautiful story of finding an example of strength in your family.

Really short. Ten minutes tops.

🤖 Google’s AI Overview Search Results Copied My Original Work | WIRED, $

It’s very, very clear to me at this point that AI developers aren’t interested in talk of copyright and IP and propriety. This story is very egregious, but it’s just one example of in a quickly growing list of the AI industry’s insults toward writers and artists. It’s ironic, too, because it’s our material that they use to train their algorithms.

Not too long, honestly, and very infuriating. If you’re motivated by anger, this will be really qucik for you. Maybe 15 minutes at most.

📜 Piecing Together the Secrets of the Stasi | The New Yorker, $

I went into this story thinking that it was one of those hidden histories type. There’s a bit of that, definitely, but the writer also gives a lot of space to the current-day effort to literally piece together the scraps of paper from Germany’s secret service. It’s an interesting read, for sure, I just think that it kind of spread itself too thin. I would have preferred a story that focused entirely on the hidden history of the stasi.

Very long. Maybe a 1-hour commitment.

Bonus reco!

This one was a very close second-place to the WIRED story up top for our spotlight. It just lost out because it didn’t go as deep as I would have wanted, plus I have other minor issues with it.

But I think this should be essential reading for anyone who’s serious about their climate advocacy—especially if you live in the U.S.

⚠️ Rant incoming ⚠️

There’s so much being said about saving the environment lately, but since the U.S. media essentially dominates the global discussion on it, climate justice has taken a very unfortunate back seat.

Which is a shame, because for the vast majority of people on the planet, it’s probably the single most important aspect of the climate crisis.

Let’s face it. The current planetary meltdown isn’t our fault. And by “our,” I mean most of us people who live in the thirld world (or if you’re being pedantic, under-developed and developing nations). We simply do not have access to the technologies and conveniences and luxuries that are so inexplicably tied to emissions.

(Granted, those in the uppermost crust of society in these countries are also to blame, but still. The point stands).

This story makes the very important case for climate reparations. For holding accountable those who have ravaged the planet for their own prosperity: the U.S. and Europe, mostly, but also China and India too, to a very small degree (but that’s another rant for another day). This is your mess, clean it up, so the argument goes.

I just didn’t appreciate that it again slyly painted America as this savior that will lead the charge on environmental sustainability for the rest of the planet. That’s not true. The U.S. has expelled way too much trash and radioactive waste and carbon—and has so fiercely fought binding international treaties that would hold it responsible. How can the villain become the hero?

Not a long essay, but very, very important. If you have 20 minutes this week, read this.

Around the world

Here are some of the most important/interesting/infuriating news bits from around the world last week:

1 - After the assassination of a high-ranking commander in an air raid, Lebanon’s Hezbollah bombs Israeli military sites.
+ Maldives has barred Israel passport holders from entering the country.

2 - The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld widespread access to a popular abortion pill.
+ Meanwhile, SCOTUS has also delayed its decision on a big climate lawsuit, giving Big Oil time to regroup and assemble a defense.

3 - Xylitol, a popular sugar substitute, has been linked to strokes and heart attack.

4 - An elephant in a park in Thailand has given birth to twins, an exceedingly rare phenomenon. The birth itself was very dramatic.
+ In other elephant news, a recent study has found that elephants have names for each other.

5 - Malawi’s vice president has died in a plane crash.

6 - 23andMe was apparently on the receiving end of a big data breach in October 2023. Authorities in the U.K. and Canada are set to investigate the genetic testing company.

Thanks for reading! Please, please reach out if you have feedback, suggestions, or questions. I know some of the stories I recommend might be behind paywalls, and maybe I can help you with access to those, too!

Also, I’d appreciate it so much if you help me grow by sharing The Lazy Reader with friends or family who you think might also enjoy a good longform story 🫶

Until next Monday! 👋