Why Couches Aren’t Built Like They Used to Be

Did you happen to do any furniture shopping last weekend? You might have noticed that the options seem a little ... flimsy. Amanda Mull explains why. Plus: A Wall Street billionaire who’s shaping the presidential election and a worrying trend for female executives. If this email was forwarded to you, click here to sign up .

When the roof of your building catches on fire, the flames and smoke might not make their way down to your floor, but the water used to extinguish the blaze probably will. I learned this the hard way at the beginning of May. Although I’ve since moved out of my waterlogged apartment, with the problem of its moldy drywall and warped floors now exclusively my old landlord’s, there’s still the matter of my couch, which absorbed gallons of black water that drained down through my living room’s overhead light fixture and directly into its upholstery. Replacing it is very much my problem.