The Free Press✓

The writers who help us make sense of a world in upheaval are all in one place. Subscribe now to read them all, at 20 percent off for a limited time.

Portsmouth, Ohio, used to be America’s pill mill capital. Now, it’s been taken over by addicts who are looking to get clean but end up falling into a system of chronic abuse, neglect, and fraud. @FrannieBlock spent months talking to locals, politicians, and recovering addicts to get to the bottom of it. Read her full report here:

In the first six months of 2026, 660 settler attacks killed six Palestinians and wounded 140, according to Israel. These violent clashes bring shame on the Jewish state, writes @yardenas. Read her full essay here:

There’s no guarantee that French culture and traditions will survive ceaseless attacks from discontents inside the country. @DouglasKMurray dives into this in his recent column. Read it here:

RT @IsabellaRedjai: I asked @GadSaad how his term “suicidal empathy” helps explain everything we’ve seen coming out of France and across Europe over the past week. Listen:

RT @ollywiseman: What happens when a town becomes 'the drug rehab capital of the world'? A must-read @FrannieBlock story.

RT @FrannieBlock: NEW: My reporting on the 'rehab capital of America' in @TheFP Recovery centers are intended to fill an essential need for a heavily drug-addicted community, still struggling decades after the height of the opioid crisis. But some wonder whether their invasion of Scioto County - a small, rural county with few jobs and little industry - is the next exploitation of Appalachia.

Author @GadSaad famously coined the term “suicidal empathy.” Could this help explain the unrest unfolding across France? @IsabellaRedjai sat down with him to find out.

The former pill mill capital of America has become overrun by addicts seeking treatment. Locals say the emerging industry is rife with exploitation, abuse, and fraud, writes Frannie Block.

A writer for “The Atlantic” recently tried to cast Zohran Mamdani as a moderate Democrat. But @Liel doesn’t buy it. Read why here:

RT @rupasubramanya: The patriotic case for separatism, and why more Canadian conservatives are looking to Alberta as a refuge from a country they increasingly feel they no longer recognize. My latest.

RT @ollywiseman: Read @SnoozyWeiss on David Sabatini's ordeal finally coming to an end.

Tyler Cowen says Elizabeth Holmes should not be behind bars. Liel Leibovitz on whether Mayor Mamdani is a moderate in disguise. The alarming Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. And more.

Democrat James Talarico has led nearly every recent poll, and local Republicans worry their voters won’t turn out. The blame game has already begun, writes Audrey Fahlberg.

Centrist Democrats want to cast the mayor as a chastened progressive. But his record reveals a man who compromises when forced and pushes left when the power is his to wield, writes Liel Leibovitz.

RT @katrosenfield: I was in the forest all day so missed the opportunity to fully promote this but @thefp is having a subscription sale if you want to get while the getting’s good

As attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank escalate, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is undermining the rule of law, empowering extremists, and putting Israel’s international standing at risk, writes Yardena Schwartz.

RT @ollywiseman: Sarah Ditum with the definitive essay on the Sally Rooney brouhaha in @TheFP:

In 2022, one of America's top molecular biologists lost his job after a younger colleague, that he had been in a relationship with, accused him of sexual harassment. Now, he's won $6m in damages from his accuser. @SnoozyWeiss reports on the MIT professor who fought and won the fight to clear his name.

Should Elizabeth Holmes be in jail? Should any mother? @tylercowen doesn’t think so. He argues that the benefits to society of keeping mothers out of jail outweigh the negatives of freeing them. Read his full piece at the link in our bio or

By donating her royalties to Palestine Action, she gave her work the political significance she has always desired but never attained, writes Sarah Ditum.