COVER

How The Gun Won (Nation)

Support for stricter gun laws has ebbed over the past 20 years. You can thank, or blame, a lot of people for that

EDITOR'S DESK

BRIEFING

Cable Wars (Economy)

Why channel blackouts are getting worse

Need for Speed (Ideas for Business)

Glamorizing cheap fashion costs more than you think

COMMENTARY

Rise of the Smart Grid (New Energy)

Obama's plan for a state-of-the-art electrical grid is gaining power bit by digital bit

Failure to Launch (Worldview)

Why Romney's critique of Obama's foreign policy record will not fly

BRIEFING

Web MDs (Health&Science)

Social media are changing how we diagnose disease

FEATURES

5 Ways Syria Can Get Even Worse (World)

As Assad's regime teeters on the brink, the Middle East and most of the world know they can't live with the dictator, but living without him may be another nightmare

When the Rains Stop (Nation)

A historic drought has already wilted U.S. corn crops, and the damage has only begun

I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do (Society)

The same-sex-marriage debate--and polygamy's rising cultural profile--has encouraged once secretive plural families to fight for recognition of their unions

LETTERS

THE CULTURE

10 Questions for Steven Tyler (10 Questions)

Rock god and former American Idol judge Steven Tyler talks about sex and drugs and his lip-care regimen

Mock the Vote (Movies)

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis hit the Campaign trail

Stuff and Nonsense (The Awesome Column)

My clutter reveals my true self. My wife's clutter reveals shoes

Boomers, Busted (Books)

A talk with Kurt Andersen, author of True Believers