The New Yorker
Pissed Off
Andres Serrano’s art work “Piss Christ” helped launch the culture wars that would become a defining theme of the Republican Party. Louis Menand writes about how the fight over Serrano, Robert Mapplethorpe, and the National Endowment for the Arts presaged the politics that followed.
Today’s Mix
An Idea for Democrats to Keep It Together in 2028
What if a candidate picked a running mate from another faction of the Party right away, and they ran on a unified vision?
The A.I. Gender Gap Meets the Parenting Gender Gap
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Women use A.I. less than men and do more of the cognitive work at home. The A.I. “family assistant” promises to bridge both divides.
I Won’t Cry for You, Argentina
The team is headed back to the World Cup final, but one lifelong fan has fallen out of love.
How Mary Kay Built an Empire Out of Other Women’s Dreams
The founder of the global cosmetics empire feminized the sale of cure-all lotions and potions—and gave the girlboss her first shot of good press.
“The Odyssey” Leaves the Gods in the Outtakes
Christopher Nolan’s Homer adaptation presents a modern, relatable Odysseus, rather than trying to understand the ancient world on its own terms.
When A.I. Is a Member of the Family
A single mom, her two daughters, and the chatbots that fill in the gaps.
The Lede
A daily column on what you need to know.
How Ukraine Brought the War to Russia
Long-range drone and missile strikes on Russian soil have shifted the balance of the conflict—will they be enough to end it?
Democratic Schadenfreude and the Latino Vote
Trump’s once strong approval rating among Latinos has collapsed, but Democrats can’t count on their support.
The Remaking of Lindsey Graham
Once a harsh critic of Donald Trump, the South Carolina senator became one of the President’s most dependable allies—a sign of what it takes to remain influential in today’s Republican Party.
An O.M.B. Plan to Defund Science and Anything Trump Doesn’t Like
Under a new proposal, Administration officials could deny government grants to any group or project on the ground that it didn’t fit the President’s agenda.
Can Office-to-Residential Conversions Survive the Pfizer-Building Crisis?
The thirty-seven-story tower in midtown was stabilized after almost falling over. Now the real-estate developer behind its renovation will have to deal with the fallout.
Would You Let New Mexico Pick the President?
How the debate over the first-in-the-nation primary became a battle over the future of the Democratic Party.
The Critics
Éric Rohmer’s Novel “Élisabeth” Is a Precocious Literary Triumph
Before he had any interest in movies, Rohmer was a writer, and his 1946 début is a fine-grained vision of small-town lives in prewar France.
An Unbeliever’s View of the Jonestown Massacre
Shiva Naipaul’s newly reissued book of reportage, “Journey to Nowhere,” from 1980, is far less interested in the trope of the charismatic cult leader than in the mechanisms of belief.
“Remake” Confronts a Father’s Grief and a Filmmaker’s Responsibility
The documentarian Ross McElwee’s new feature is an anguished reflection on the life and death of his son, Adrian, who was a frequent subject of his films.
“Birthright” and “Giant” Tackle Jewish Identity
The plays explore interpersonal rifts over Israel, but only one lets the ugliness linger.
How New York Watched the World Cup
Ahead of hosting the championship match, New Yorkers gathered in crowded bars and restaurants, sometimes overflowing onto street corners, to follow the twists and turns of the tournament.
The Met Turns Orientalism Inside Out
In a new show, exotic colonial fantasies are set beside paintings that depict the so-called East from within.
What We’re Reading
A microbiologist’s wide-ranging meditation on what it means to be biologically “fit” in Western society today; an ambitious novel springs from a moment of apparent inhuman cruelty; and more.
Songs of Summer
A series on music and memory.
“Hold On”
In 1990, Wilson Phillips, three daughters of rock royalty, released a song so wholesome and unguarded that it could disarm even the angstiest teen.
“No Letting Go”
To a young d.j. in 2003, Wayne Wonder’s dancehall anthem seemed like a beacon from a better world.
“I Gotta Feeling”
More than a decade and a half later, the Black Eyed Peas’ 2009 earworm sounds like one of the last gasps of the monoculture.
“Bad Moon Rising”
To an eleven-year-old, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 hit sounded like it came from somewhere distant, deep, and haunted.
Rope-a-Dope
At one time, sports allowed performance-enhancing drugs. The backers of the Enhanced Games, held in Las Vegas, with funding from Peter Thiel, are hoping to show that enhancement, far from being an existential threat to fairness, could actually be a cure for death.
Our Columnists
Graham Platner’s Very Online Undoing
He rose to prominence partly through selfie videos that allowed him to provide confessional-style, improvisational-seeming direct addresses to his base—and he ended his campaign with one, too.
V.A.R. and the Rise of Our New Tech Overlords
The World Cup replay system has fostered a very contemporary kind of paranoia about who controls the machines.
Donald Trump’s Needless War with Iran Is His Biggest Economic Blunder
As the midterm elections approach, gas prices have started to rise again, and the President’s poll ratings are in the cellar.
Inside ICE’s Largest Detention Center
On a military base in West Texas, where the government has built a sprawling tent complex to hold thousands of immigrants, deprivation and dire conditions are part of the design.
Ideas
Our Plastic-Surgery Nightmare
As cosmetic procedures become both more invisible and more extreme, our connection to reality is fraying.
Can A.I. Keep a Parent Alive?
You can now make a virtual replica of a loved one. The question is what it can give you in return.
What Scientists Learned by Eavesdropping on Thousands of People
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After researchers discovered that we’re speaking less and less each year, I spent a week collecting audio recordings from my own life.
When Should You Say Goodbye to a Pet?
Across the country, the booming industry of pet hospice is teaching people how to face the loss of their beloved companions.
Ana Mendieta, the Body Artist
Decades after her death, her bold innovations are finally coming into focus.
The Human Cost of DOGE’s War on U.S.A.I.D.
Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and the “public man-made death” that they’ve caused.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.
In Case You Missed It
My passengers are old, but rarely senile. Still very much themselves. The Black dude I wheel toward his flight to Paris every other Thursday morning wears a patchwork cardigan and a teal silk scarf, regardless of the season, because, he tells me, the airport’s temperature is always the same.
Bet you keep this bitch freezing on purpose, Carl says.
It’s out of my hands, I say.
Whatever, Carl says.Continue reading »
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