Loading game...
The Crossword: Tuesday, February 24, 2026
A moderately challenging puzzle.
Paolo Pasco, a games editor at TED, won the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 2024 and 2025. He is the author of “Crossword Puzzles for Kids.”
Video
Virtual Togetherness Through Partner Crosswords
Social dynamics of the crossworld, a crossword meet-cute, and other ways to puzzle with friends while social distancing.
Book Currents
How Michael Pollan Expanded His Consciousness
The writer discusses a few of the works that influenced his new book, “A World Appears.”
Poetry Podcast
Adrian Matejka Reads C. D. Wright
The poet joins Kevin Young to read and discuss “Against the Encroaching Grays,” by C. D. Wright, and his own poem “Almost Home.”
Under Review
What We’re Reading
Our editors and critics review notable new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Letter from Trump’s Washington
Donald Trump’s State of the Union Was Long and Wrong
But at least the President thinks everything is going great.
American Chronicles
The Betrayal of a Friend’s False Testimony
Under pressure from interrogators, a teen-ager helped send three of his friends to prison for murder. How could he ever make amends?
The Lede
“TBPN” and the Rise of the Tech-Friendly Talk Show
Silicon Valley had grown to resent the mainstream media. Two tech insiders decided to build their own version of it.
Under Review
What Makes an Object Sexy?
A book of reportage on kinky subcultures describes how “deviant desire” can be transcendent —and completely mundane.