Jan 27, 2020

Mary Louise Kelly Made One Mistake: Trusting Mike Pompeo To Begin With

The secretary of state went on an expletive-laden tirade against the host of NPR's All Things Considered, and then called her a liar when she reported it.

Inmate cells at Barnstable County Correctional Facility. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

The Telephone Is A Lifeline For Prison Families. And Calls Are Outrageously Expensive

Jan 27, 2020

In this Jan. 15, 2020, photo, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. In the dawn of what may be her toughest reelection fight, veteran Collins has parachuted into familiar terrain -- the pressure-packed middle of an issue, this time the impeachment of President Donald Trump. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Susan Collins, Mythological Moderate

Jan 24, 2020

Singer/songwriter Lizzo performs on stage at The Anthem on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP)

At The Grammys, Everything Old Is New Again. And I Am Here For It

Jan 24, 2020

Support the news

The Impeachment ‘Trial’ Is The End Of Democracy As We Know It

Mary Louise Kelly Made One Mistake: Trusting Mike Pompeo To Begin With

Susan Collins, Mythological Moderate

The Case For Cohousing: Where Responsibilities Are Shared And Life Is A Little Less Lonely

The Telephone Is A Lifeline For Prison Families. And Calls Are Outrageously Expensive

Why I Said Nothing When My Med School Professor Made Racist Remarks

In Case You Missed It

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joined from left by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, dismisses the impeachment process against President Donald Trump saying, "I'm not an impartial juror. This is a political process," as he meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Donald Trump Is Not On Trial — Senate Republicans Are

Dec 18, 2019

A Positive Pregnancy Test. BBQ Potato Chips. An Eraser. The Gifts That Stay With Us For A Lifetime

Dec 17, 2019

Elizabeth Warren at age 22 holding her newborn daughter, Amelia. (Courtesy of the Elizabeth Warren campaign)

‘You Should Have Told Me You Planned To Have Kids’: Your Stories Of Pregnancy Discrimination

Oct 11, 2019

The author's grandmother, Ethel, pictured in 1974. She was 55 years old. (Courtesy)

'Just Ethel': What My Grandmother, Who Was Much More Than A Domestic Worker, Taught Me About Black Patriotism

Oct 30, 2019

On Air Commentaries

Laura Levis, pictured at Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, Mass. (Courtesy of Peter DeMarco)

My Wife Died Of An Asthma Attack. If She'd Known About 'Peak Week,' She Might Have Survived

02:39Sep 18, 2019

My 12-year-old, Elsa (pictured), is now using "they" pronouns, writes Jane Roper. So far, people have been very supportive. But many also add, with varying degrees of consternation, that they just have trouble with the fact that "they" is a plural. (Courtesy)

'They' Is Here To Stay. Get Over It

02:22Aug 13, 2019

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin poses for a photo beside the U.S. flag on the moon. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)

The Fleeting Hope And Wonder Of Man On The Moon

02:35Jul 18, 2019

Last Thursday morning, Kanwar Singh, pictured here, was in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, when a woman yelled, "Go back to your country!" (Courtesy)

My Response To The Woman Who Told Me To 'Go Back'

03:40Jul 22, 2019

Politics

In this image from video, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)

Jan 23, 2020

The Impeachment ‘Trial’ Is The End Of Democracy As We Know It

If Republican senators acquit the president, writes Steve Almond, his behavior will no longer be an abuse of power. It will become standard operating procedure.

Let's Not Repeat The Sins Of Racial Segregation In Boston's Next Housing Plan

Jan 16, 2020

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., seek to answer a question as Joe Biden pauses Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, during a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Keeping The 'Did-Sanders-Say-It' Story Alive

Jan 15, 2020

I was lucky, considering. But even with insurance, writes Rich Barlow, we wrote a lot of checks. There has to be a better way. (13on/Unsplash)

I Survived Getting Hit By A Truck, But Nothing Could Save Me From The Medical Bills That Followed

Jan 14, 2020

President Trump delivers a statement about the ballistic missile strike that Iran launched against Iraqi air bases housing U.S. troops, at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2019. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Donald Trump Has Never Been More Powerful

Jan 9, 2020

Support the news

More From Cog

The author with Artichoke when he was a puppy. (Courtesy)

The Dog I Never Wanted

Bill Eville became a better dog owner in the same way he became a better father: by letting go of his agenda and following the mysteries of his children's minds.

Jan 23, 2020

Why I Said Nothing When My Med School Professor Made Racist Remarks

These issues are far more complicated than creating stricter policies or having one colleague reprimand another, writes Dr. Abraar Karan.

Jan 22, 2020

Who Will Care For Aging Americans?

Americans are living longer -- but when they need care, the U.S. offers little support for them or their families, writes Dr. Ifedayo Olufemi Kuye.

Jan 21, 2020

10 Years After Phoebe Prince’s Suicide, Schools Are Still Getting It Wrong

Schools need to build stronger relationships with students -- both those who are bullied and those bullying -- writes psychiatrist Nancy Rappaport.

Jan 17, 2020

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora speaks during a news conference at Fenway Park in Boston, Sept. 30, 2019. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

My Reaction To The MLB Sign Stealing Scandal? Meh.

Stealing signs is as old as baseball itself. Whether considered merely a mischievous stunt or a crime against the very soul of the nation, writes Bill Littlefield, this scandal too...

Jan 15, 2020

In this Saturday, June 8, 2019 file photo, Britain's Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry ride in a carriage to attend the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in London. (Frank Augstein/AP)

Harry And Meghan Want To Go Their Own Way. How Millennial Of Them

The Sussexes' ambition to define their own identities are developmentally appropriate young adult behavior, writes Julie Wittes Schlack. Just not if you're a royal.

Jan 13, 2020

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave after visiting Canada House in London, Tuesday Jan. 7, 2020, after their recent stay in Canada. (Frank Augstein/AP)

Meghan Markle Has Upended The Royals’ Idea Of Work

The Duchess of Sussex quickly learned that the Crown's way of doing things does not lead to high-impact, broad-based change.

Jan 10, 2020

Fight Evil, Read Lots, Build Community And Support Your Local Book Store

I bought a gift certificate from a local bookseller, writes Ed Siegel, and promptly lost it. Then, something strange happened.

Jan 10, 2020

This photo provided by the U.S. Army, paratroopers assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division deploy as they prepare equipment and load aircraft bound for the U.S. Central Command area of operations from Fort Bragg, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020. (Spc. Hubert Delany III/U.S. Army via AP)

I Fought In Afghanistan. The Last Thing We Need Is Another 'Forever War'

Congress must reassert its authority over America's use of force, writes Jake Auchincloss.

Jan 8, 2020

A U.S. Army soldier's weapon is ready to head out Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020 at Fort Bragg, N.C., as troops from the 82nd Airborne are deployed to the Middle East as reinforcements in the volatile aftermath of the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. (Chris Seward/AP)

Kill Or Be Killed Is No Strategy

The United States is acting unlawfully and unilaterally, writes Monica Duffy Toft. Our use of force -- once widely viewed with a mix of awe and gratitude (if not tolerance)...

Jan 8, 2020

Smoke and wildfire rage behind Lake Conjola, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020. (Robert Oerlemans via AP)

We Are All Australians

Any country that stakes its future on fossil fuels owns the Australian bushfires, writes Frederick Hewett. Any country not 100% committed to a prompt transition to an economy based on...

Jan 7, 2020

A mourner walk back from a funeral ceremony for Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and his comrades, who were killed in Iraq in a U.S. drone attack on Friday, passing graffiti on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Funeral ceremonies for Soleimani drew a crowd said by police to be in the millions, on Monday in Tehran, where his replacement vowed to take revenge. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Soleimani Killing Dispensed Justice. It Still Wasn’t Smart

With Iran vowing retaliation, President Trump needlessly jeopardized American lives and interests.

Jan 7, 2020

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally at Modern Woodmen Park, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Davenport, Iowa. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Why Democrats’ Obsession With Electability Could Backfire

Here’s a thoroughly radical idea, writes Nathaniel Stinnett, just vote for the person you think will make the best president of the United States.

Jan 6, 2020

In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, He Jiankui is reflected in a glass panel as he works at a computer at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. Chinese scientist He claims he helped make world's first genetically edited babies: twin girls whose DNA he said he altered. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Rewriting Our Genes Is Easier Than Ever. That Doesn't Mean We Should Do It

Gene-editing technologies have huge potential to alleviate human suffering, writes Sarah Ruth Bates. But, like all very powerful technologies, they also carry enormous risks if used improperly.

Jan 3, 2020

In this Dec. 24, 2019 photo, President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media following a Christmas Eve video teleconference with members of the military at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

The End Of The Grand Old Party

The Lincoln Project is too little, too late, writes Rich Barlow. Nothing can save the modern Republican Party.

Jan 3, 2020

Commuters walk across Boylston St in Copley Sq. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

You Can Say 'Hello' On The Street, Boston. We'd All Be Better For It

I am trying to unlearn all the icy tendencies I’ve developed over years in New England, writes Laura Everett. The only way I know to “love thy neighbor” is to...

Jan 2, 2020

The author as a junior in high school, in the role of Millinette, a French chamber maid, in a Denver community theater production of "Fashion: Or Life in New York in the 1850." (Courtesy)

Taking Measure Of My Life, 50 Years Since High School

In reflecting on the girl I was and the women I've become, writes Anita Diamant, I found plenty of changes and even more consistencies.

Dec 30, 2019

It’s A War Movie. A Story About Building A Home. A Tale Of Grief.

Watching "It’s a Wonderful Life” is our annual ritual, writes Holly Lebowitz Rossi, and we watch it both knowing what to expect and with no idea whatsoever what will leap...

Dec 23, 2019

Charles Dickens Was The Greatest Christmas Food Writer Of Them All

Nigella Lawson, Christopher Kimball and many others have taken up both pen and carving knife. They all labor in the shadow of the author of "A Christmas Carol."

Dec 23, 2019

Highlights from the year that was on Cognoscenti: asthma Peak Week, the case for co-housing, the ongoing impeachment inquiry, a visit to Auschwitz and the college admissions scandal.

Cognoscenti's Top 21 Stories In 2019

Cog published nearly 450 pieces this year. Here are the pieces that attracted the most readers, and took up the most space in our hearts and brains.

Dec 20, 2019

Radiolab

Mary Louise Kelly Made One Mistake: Trusting Mike Pompeo To Begin With

The Telephone Is A Lifeline For Prison Families. And Calls Are Outrageously Expensive

Susan Collins, Mythological Moderate

At The Grammys, Everything Old Is New Again. And I Am Here For It

The Impeachment ‘Trial’ Is The End Of Democracy As We Know It

Mary Louise Kelly Made One Mistake: Trusting Mike Pompeo To Begin With

Susan Collins, Mythological Moderate

The Case For Cohousing: Where Responsibilities Are Shared And Life Is A Little Less Lonely

The Telephone Is A Lifeline For Prison Families. And Calls Are Outrageously Expensive

Why I Said Nothing When My Med School Professor Made Racist Remarks

Donald Trump Is Not On Trial — Senate Republicans Are

A Positive Pregnancy Test. BBQ Potato Chips. An Eraser. The Gifts That Stay With Us For A Lifetime

‘You Should Have Told Me You Planned To Have Kids’: Your Stories Of Pregnancy Discrimination

'Just Ethel': What My Grandmother, Who Was Much More Than A Domestic Worker, Taught Me About Black Patriotism

My Wife Died Of An Asthma Attack. If She'd Known About 'Peak Week,' She Might Have Survived

'They' Is Here To Stay. Get Over It

The Fleeting Hope And Wonder Of Man On The Moon

My Response To The Woman Who Told Me To 'Go Back'

The Impeachment ‘Trial’ Is The End Of Democracy As We Know It

Let's Not Repeat The Sins Of Racial Segregation In Boston's Next Housing Plan

Keeping The 'Did-Sanders-Say-It' Story Alive

I Survived Getting Hit By A Truck, But Nothing Could Save Me From The Medical Bills That Followed

Donald Trump Has Never Been More Powerful

The Dog I Never Wanted

Why I Said Nothing When My Med School Professor Made Racist Remarks

Who Will Care For Aging Americans?

10 Years After Phoebe Prince’s Suicide, Schools Are Still Getting It Wrong

My Reaction To The MLB Sign Stealing Scandal? Meh.

Harry And Meghan Want To Go Their Own Way. How Millennial Of Them

Meghan Markle Has Upended The Royals’ Idea Of Work

Fight Evil, Read Lots, Build Community And Support Your Local Book Store

I Fought In Afghanistan. The Last Thing We Need Is Another 'Forever War'

Kill Or Be Killed Is No Strategy

We Are All Australians

Soleimani Killing Dispensed Justice. It Still Wasn’t Smart

Why Democrats’ Obsession With Electability Could Backfire

Rewriting Our Genes Is Easier Than Ever. That Doesn't Mean We Should Do It

The End Of The Grand Old Party

You Can Say 'Hello' On The Street, Boston. We'd All Be Better For It

Taking Measure Of My Life, 50 Years Since High School

It’s A War Movie. A Story About Building A Home. A Tale Of Grief.

Charles Dickens Was The Greatest Christmas Food Writer Of Them All

Cognoscenti's Top 21 Stories In 2019