The New Yorker
Will Mexico Decide the U.S. Election?
Top officials from the two countries are wrangling over immigration policy. What they resolve will have huge implications on both sides of the border. Stephania Taladrid tours America’s most contested region with a key player in the talks.
Above the Fold
Essential reading for today.
When the Verdict Came In, Donald Trump’s Eyes Were Wide Open
In the courtroom with the former President at the moment he became a convicted felon.
Outside the Trump Courthouse, Times Are Crazy and People Are Strange
A surreal gathering to hear the verdict included a crucifix-wielding town crier, someone yelling “Shawshank!,” and a frisson of violence.
A Forgotten Athlete, a Nazi Official, and the Origins of Sex Testing at the Olympics
In 1936, the Czech track star Zdeněk Koubek became world-famous after undergoing surgery so that he could live openly as a man.
Trump Is Guilty, but Voters Will Be the Final Judge
The jury has convicted the former President of thirty-four felony counts in his New York hush-money trial. Now the American people will decide to what extent they care.
The Missionary in the Kitchen
I longed for purpose, meaning, the sense of being found. Then, one summer, I sort of was.
The Political Scene
The Revisionist History of the Trump Trial Has Already Begun
The ex-President’s war on truth has an instant new target: his guilty verdict.
The Texas School District That Provided the Blueprint for an Attack on Public Education
When conservative activists began waging battle against diversity plans, some had a much bigger target in mind.
Is the Biden Campaign Running on False Hope?
Most polls show Trump leading in swing states, but the Democratic Party strategist Simon Rosenberg believes the President’s chances are better than the surveys suggest.
Vermont Moves to Hold Fossil-Fuel Companies Liable for Climate-Change Damage
A new constituency is willing to stand up to Big Oil (and Gas and Coal): state government.
My Father’s Fate, and India’s
As Narendra Modi vies for a third straight term, an appraisal of the damage wrought by his Hindu-nationalist project—and the effort by ordinary Indians to reëmbrace the country’s founding ideals.
The Critics
The Sexy Mind Games of “Hit Man”
In Richard Linklater’s romantic crime comedy, an undercover operative transforms his love life by means of professional deceptions.
The New Generation of Online Culture Curators
In a digital landscape overrun by algorithms and A.I., we need human guides to help us decide what’s worth paying attention to.
All the Films in Competition at Cannes, Ranked from Best to Worst
The twenty-two films that premièred in the 2024 festival’s main program offered much to savor and revile.
Chatsworth, Revisited
“Picturing Childhood” highlights the private, familial side of a storied estate.
The Journalist Biography in an Age of Crisis
A memoir by Nicholas Kristof and a biography of Barbara Walters invoke halcyon days in the news business. What can we learn from their lives?
What We’re Reading This Week
An exploration of hypochondria through the ages; a narrative history of economic growth and its paradoxical effects on our world; a memoir that braids a family story of immigration and identity with the natural history of ferns; and more.
Goings On
Vivian Maier’s Trove of Street Photography
Jackson Arn on the artistic treasure discovered in a Chicago storage locker; plus, the howling art of Käthe Kollwitz, Machinedrum’s Joshua Tree album, and more.
A Road Warrior’s Driving Lessons in “Furiosa”
Justin Chang reviews the latest addition to the “Mad Max” franchise, which plunges into the backstory of the action hero memorably introduced by Charlize Theron.
Little Island Goes Big
The floating public park will spotlight fewer and more ambitious shows this season. Plus: Inkoo Kang’s streaming picks, a new Nanni Moretti film, and more.
The Casual Confidence of Lola’s
Helen Rosner visits a new restaurant in NoMad, where the chef-owner Suzanne Cupps offers a Southern-inflected menu that subtly sings.
Master of Make-Believe
Zach Horwitz appeared to be thriving in Hollywood, with a young family, movie roles alongside famous actors, and a booming investment business. Then the F.B.I. showed up.
Piecing Together the Secrets of the Stasi
After the Berlin Wall fell, agents of East Germany’s secret police frantically tore apart their records. Archivists have spent the past thirty years trying to restore them.
Ideas
Are We Too Rich?
Capitalism, as it has been practiced throughout the past century, has brought with it plenty of problems. To preserve humanity—and the planet—should we give up growth?
Not Your Childhood Library
An ambitious experiment is changing the way librarians work with their homeless patrons and challenging how we share public space.
The Trials and Tribulations of the Boymom
Gender norms are the ultimate zero-sum binary, and the #boymom phenomenon could not exist without them.
How Fast Can You Really Read?
Phone apps now offer to boil down entire books into micro-synopses. What they leave out is revealing.
The Search for Nessy
Every year, enthusiasts gather at Scotland’s Loch Ness for an event known as the Quest, to debate and investigate the lake’s elusive monster. In 2000, Larissa MacFarquhar reported on the high-tech search for one of the world’s most famous cryptids.
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“Matrescence,” and the Transformations of Motherhood
In her new book—part memoir, part science writing—Lucy Jones argues that having a baby changes the body as much as adolescence, and should be taken as seriously.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.
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