Issue 5: The Kill Chain

In this week's cover story, Edward Ericson Jr. reveals the connection between drones, which President Obama and the U.S. military have used to assassinate enemies a world away--along with, according to multiple reports, lots of innocent people--and Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Lab, which, according to some critics, uses 90% of its $1.1 billion budget developing them.

In lighter news: Did you know the Ravens are in the Super Bowl this week? Baltimore’s Superest Alternative Weekly helps you get ready for the Big Game with our own City Paper Super Bowl drinking game and Spitballin’s advice to both Ballers and Rookies.

In Mobtown Beat, Ericson revisits his previous feature story about the mortgage fraud of Josh Goldberg, who was recently indicted for mortgage fraud, and Van Smith details new Federal charges of inmate beatings at the hands of correctional officers at Rox­bury Cor­rec­tional Insti­tu­tion (RCI) in Hager­stown.

In the Arts, Chloe Helton-Gallagher talks with Joshua Wade Smith about his Hamiltonian fellowship and walking from Baltimore to Washington. Evan Serpick reviews August: Osage County, the first play at Everyman Theatre’s new digs. Damien Ober talks to filmmaker Matt Porterfield at the Sundance Festival where his new film I Used to be Darker just premiered, and Brandon Weigel wonders how anyone could not love Die Hard. In books, Raymond Cummings reviews Ian Svenonius’ new Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ‘n’ Roll Group, and in music, Charlie Vascellaro talks to Dweezil Zappa, who's band Zappa Play Zappa covers his old man's songs, while Andrew Zaleski runs down the latest in Jazz and blues in his column Blue Notes.

In Eats and Drinks Jenn Ladd goes way vintage with a new history of wine and introduces Suds, a new column on beer, while Baynard Woods breaks down your local drinking options for watching the Big Game.

This week, we bring back a couple old favorites. Noah Scialom asks “How’s it Goin’?” while the Nose returns with the tales of a massage parlor whose happy endings weren’t so happy after all. And don't forget the Baltimore City Power Rankings and Murder Ink.