Lydia DePillis

Personal news: I am writing a book! The conversation around birthrates has grown toxic. The truth is that fertility decline is mostly a consequence of freedom and opportunity, and seems unlikely to reverse. We can deal with the downsides--if we confront them head on, rather than wishing them away.

There are a handful of apparel brands that proudly cut and sew their clothing in America. Even they're not cheering the wild, on-again-off-again tariffs coming out of the White House. I took a field trip to the garment district to learn why: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/b...

Today with @haleaziz.bsky.social : Most of the Korean workers detained during an ICE raid on a Ga. battery plant last week were on short-term businesses visas. In at least one case, ICE acknowledged a worker hadn't violated his visa, and forced him to deport anyway. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/b...

One more from my stint in South Korea: At last count, some 7 million people studied abroad. As Trump pushes away international students, it appears that fewer of them will come to American schools. But Southeast Asia is aggressively taking up the slack. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/b...

Energy costs are falling, but overall prices are still rising -- we unpack the ups and downs of CPI in July. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/b...

Today from me: After a summer of eye-popping heat, vicious wildfires and relentless storms, businesses are finally facing up to climate change. (Or at least protecting themselves from its effects.) www.nytimes.com/2026/08/11/b...

The final cut on a jobs report that feels as gross as this summer's weather: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/07/b...

Today from me: I wade into the strange world of token economics, in which companies are spending huge sums on a mysterious resource that they can't be sure will deliver a return and might just be a waste of money. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/b...

Today from me: A.I. companies suddenly have a voracious appetite for electricians and carpenters. I wrote about the hundreds of millions of dollars they're pouring into training as competition sends wages soaring: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/b...

Job loss fears have soured many Americans on AI, while Congress and the White House do nothing to cushion the impact. So a bunch of big companies and foundations have ponied up $500m to work with states on building a workforce strategy for the transition: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/b...

Today from me: America has usually been thought of as a place with relatively "inelastic" gasoline demand. But that is changing, as remote work and hybrids and EVs become more available. Gas sales are down since the war started, and may not fully rebound. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/b...

Today from me: The Trump administration is squeezing almost every legal immigration path into the U.S. Except one: H-2A visas for guest farmworkers. That program is getting cheaper and easier to use. The problem is, it's long been plagued with labor abuses.

Americans take birthright citizenship for granted, but most countries don't allow it. I wanted to know what that means for kids who are born in a society without the full right to participate. We found some answers in Ireland and Germany. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/b...

Today from me: Everybody knows that GDP is a flawed metric, blind to the wellbeing of humans and the planet, but we keep chasing it because no alternative measure has gained traction. Inside the fight over how to knock GDP down a peg: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/b...