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Our brains are hardwired to crave community and belonging — a tribal instinct that drives politics in the United States, says political strategist Sarah Longwell. She shares what she learned trying to convince people to vote against their political party in a recent election and shows why telling a better story about democracy is key to bridging the ideological divide.

Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The Times, explains what this could mean for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. How it might complicate Israel’s strategy in the war.

Michele Norris has spent the last 14 years collecting what she calls "an archive of the human experience" She wanted to see how Americans really talk and think about race, so she asked people to share their thoughts in six words.

Walter Brooks was found dead from a bullet to the head on Valentine’s Day 1902. Suspicion immediately fell on Brooks’ sometimes-girlfriend, Florence Burns. Despite all the evidence indicating guilt, Burns was never brought to trial for the murder or even formally charged with a crime.

The Los Angeles basin is the country’s undisputed capital of cargo theft. Some 20 million containers move through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach every year. In the era of e-commerce, freight train robberies are going through a strange revival.

Democrats and Republicans were closing in on a game-changing deal to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Karoun Demirjian, who covers Congress for The Times, explains why that deal is now falling apart.

German families in the 60s loved tasty, cheap American-raised chicken. Americans were loving fun, cheap Volkswagen Beetles. This arrangement was too good to last. How a trade dispute over frozen chicken parts changed the American auto industry.

Hidden Brain is kicking off a new series about how we form our political beliefs. We begin with psychologist Kurt Gray, who studies how we think about our political allies and opponents. Have you tried to talk with someone who disagrees with you about politics? Have you found effective ways to get through?

This episode includes strong language and audio excerpts of violence. Eric Umansky, an editor at large at ProPublica, explains why body cameras haven't been the fix that many hoped they would be.

Katie Engelhart, a writer for The New York Times Magazine, tells the story of one family’s experience. Katie Englehart has reported on dementia for years, and one image of a prisoner haunts her.