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[Report] Playing Dead

Do the Democrats really want reform?

by Andrew Cockburn,

Current Issue August 2025

[Essay] Your Face Tomorrow

The puzzle of AI facial recognition

by Michael W. Clune,

[Revision] Debt Reckoning

Has the Treasury market started to crack?

by Mary Childs,

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that an American has been present for a mass shooting : 1 in 15

[Harper’s Index]

That an American has been injured in a mass shooting : 1 in 46

[Harper’s Index]

Number of congressional Democrats who have died in office since January 2023 : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans who say that it would be appropriate for the pope to influence U.S. politics : 17

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans who said last year that white people face “some” or “a lot of” discrimination : 66

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of people worldwide who say they would contribute 1 percent of their income toward combating climate change : 7/10

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of American women who would support resurrecting dinosaurs through genetic engineering : 1/8

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that a stuffed animal sold in the United States last year was purchased for an adult : 1 in 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which Americans who identify as politically moderate are likelier to believe in astrology than conservatives : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who said that the Bible was “true” in 2016 : 36

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who regard religious leaders as trustworthy sources of medical information : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that masturbation can “definitely” cause blindness : 1/50

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who say they would bring food to a friend or neighbor if they were sick : 67

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage who believe their friends or neighbors would do the same for them : 42

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of personal medical crowdfunding efforts that meet their fundraising goals : 15

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who trust information about nutrition on social media : 68

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans taking paid online surveys who have used AI to write their responses : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Average percentage by which AI-generated misinformation on X receives more views than misinformation produced by humans : 8

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that a recently graduated U.S. computer-engineering major is unemployed : 1 in 13

[Harper’s Index]

Age at which the average American says it would be ideal to buy their first home : 29

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated annual amount that a U.S. household needed to earn to afford a median-priced home in 2019 : $67,000

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans aged 18–44 hoping to have a child this year who are reconsidering it because of the economy : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage chance, according to the betting platform Polymarket, that the United States will enter a recession this year : 23

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that an American has been present for a mass shooting : 1 in 15

[Harper’s Index]

That an American has been injured in a mass shooting : 1 in 46

[Harper’s Index]

Number of congressional Democrats who have died in office since January 2023 : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans who say that it would be appropriate for the pope to influence U.S. politics : 17

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans who said last year that white people face “some” or “a lot of” discrimination : 66

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of people worldwide who say they would contribute 1 percent of their income toward combating climate change : 7/10

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of American women who would support resurrecting dinosaurs through genetic engineering : 1/8

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that a stuffed animal sold in the United States last year was purchased for an adult : 1 in 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which Americans who identify as politically moderate are likelier to believe in astrology than conservatives : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who said that the Bible was “true” in 2016 : 36

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who regard religious leaders as trustworthy sources of medical information : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that masturbation can “definitely” cause blindness : 1/50

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who say they would bring food to a friend or neighbor if they were sick : 67

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage who believe their friends or neighbors would do the same for them : 42

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of personal medical crowdfunding efforts that meet their fundraising goals : 15

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who trust information about nutrition on social media : 68

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans taking paid online surveys who have used AI to write their responses : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Average percentage by which AI-generated misinformation on X receives more views than misinformation produced by humans : 8

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that a recently graduated U.S. computer-engineering major is unemployed : 1 in 13

[Harper’s Index]

Age at which the average American says it would be ideal to buy their first home : 29

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated annual amount that a U.S. household needed to earn to afford a median-priced home in 2019 : $67,000

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans aged 18–44 hoping to have a child this year who are reconsidering it because of the economy : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage chance, according to the betting platform Polymarket, that the United States will enter a recession this year : 23

Weekly Review

August 12, 2025

It was reported that the Israeli military surveillance agency is using Microsoft technology to collect and store millions of cell phone calls made daily by Palestinians, women who had joined an app where they “could anonymously warn each other about dangerous men” filed a class-action lawsuit after a data breach revealed their government IDs, full names, and addresses, and the audio of a fight between two characters in the film Marriage Story has been used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to scare wolves from killing livestock. Read More

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Nightflight, 1941, a chiaroscuro woodcut engraving by Rockwell Kent, whose work is on view through August 16, 2025 as part of the exhibition Shaping American Art: A Celebration of the Art Students League of New York at 150 at The Art Students League of New York. Courtesy the permanent collection of the Arts Student League of New York

“Renatinha’s 6th Birthday, Serra Community, Belo Horizonte, MG, 1987,” a photograph by Afonso Pimenta, whose work is on view through October 5 at Croisière as part of Les Rencontres de la Photographie Arles, France. Courtesy the artist

For the great relief of having you to talk to, a painting by Liorah Tchiprout, whose work is on view through September 13 at Fernberger in Los Angeles. Courtesy of the artist and Fernberger, Los Angeles

“As Thomas searches for Painted Lady butterflies at the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya, Erei protects him from wild animals and armed poachers, who may become hostile when interrupted.” This photograph is by Lucas Foglia, from his book Constant Bloom, which was published in May by Nazraeli Press. The project traces the Painted Lady butterfly's migration, which is the longest on Earth, spanning Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Foglia’s work is on view through September 28 at the Fotomuseum Den Haag, in the Netherlands © Lucas Foglia and courtesy Fredericks & Freiser Gallery, New York City

Chance that an American has been present for a mass shooting : 1 in 15

August 12, 2025

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Microplastics were found in sixty-two of sixty-two human placentas from a biobank in Texas.

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