<p>This week on The Stakes: - Ana Marie Cox reports from Ted Cruz's last stand - Meredith Graves lays out the dystopian hellscape of American rape law - Julianne Ross heart-eyes winky-face surfer-dude - Jaime Fuller introduces us to Veto the Dog - Marcus Ellsworth gives an elegy for Afeni Shakur Davis</p>

Where The Buffalo Roam

The Stakes is your look at the week's news, without the filler of talking heads and clickbait. Every week, MTV’s Holly Anderson and her team of writers — including Ana Marie Cox and Jamil Smith — guide you through the week’s news, social justice issues, and culture stories through a mix interviews, essays, special reporting, and poetry. The Stakes is investigative, thoughtful, and BS-free.