The New Yorker
The Long Way Home
Had I proposed earlier that we invite someone stranded to drive with us to New York, Hugh would have said no. But now there was really no way for him to back out. David Sedaris writes about travelling with Hugh, a cancelled flight, and the stranger who joined them on the drive home.
Today’s Mix
The Rise of 4B in the Wake of Donald Trump’s Reëlection
Why the South Korean feminist movement, which calls for a boycott of men, is gaining traction among American women.
Conner O’Malley Is the Bard of the Manosphere
The comedian’s absurd, poignant work captures the lives of the kind of frustrated young men who helped Donald Trump win the election.
Celebrating the Holidays in N.Y.C.
Favorite traditions light up the season, including “Messiah”s, “Nutcracker”s, Scrooge, James Joyce, the Rockettes, and more.
“Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Offer Nostalgic, Half-Satisfying Showdowns
With a musical return to Oz and a bloody epic of ancient Rome, Hollywood studios double down on blockbuster spectacle.
Donald Trump’s Administration Hopefuls Descend on Mar-a-Lago
Since Election Day, the Florida club has played host to a rotating cast of characters from MAGA world, all vying for positions of power.
The Lede
A daily column on what you need to know.
The Pain Creating a New Coalition for Trump
Despair permeates white, Black, and Latino working-class life. Democrats will have to find a new way to speak to it.
The Technology the Trump Administration Could Use to Hack Your Phone
Other Western democracies have been roiled by the use of spyware to target political opponents, activists, journalists, and other vulnerable groups. Could it happen here?
The Northeast Is Becoming Fire Country
Maps of recent fires across the region resemble California in August, with hundreds of red dots.
Donald Trump’s U.F.C. Victory Party
Dana White, the C.E.O. of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, helped Trump reach young male voters. Now White says he’s done with politics: “I want nothing to do with this shit.”
The Island Where Environmentalism Implodes
New Caledonia is home to thousands of species found nowhere else—and to nickel that companies like Tesla desperately need.
Our Columnists
The Explosion of Matt Gaetz and Other Early Lessons in Trump 2.0
There are many more manic Thursdays to come.
The Fantasy of Cozy Tech
From the “cozy gaming” trend to a new generation of A.I. companions, our devices are trying to swathe us in a digital and physical cocoon.
Why Do We Talk This Way?
Technology is dramatically changing political speech, rewarding quantity and variety over the neat messages of the past.
Why Is Elon Musk Really Embracing Donald Trump?
After spending more than a hundred million dollars to help Trump get elected, Musk stands to earn a lot more.
Marielle Heller Explores the Feral Side of Motherhood
With “Nightbitch”—in which Amy Adams turns into a dog—the director portrays parenting as a visceral transformation.
Trump’s Team
The Rise of Doctor Oz
Trump has chosen Mehmet Oz, the cardiologist and TV personality who made a name for himself touting questionable remedies, to oversee Medicare and Medicaid. In 2013, Michael Specter wrote about Oz’s relationship to facts.
How R.F.K., Jr., Became Part of Trumpworld
Trump has selected the former Presidential candidate, who has compared U.S. COVID protocols to Nazi fascism, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. In August, Clare Malone wrote about Kennedy’s troubled past.
How Elon Musk Rebranded Donald Trump
The President-elect has tapped Musk to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency. Last week, Kyle Chayka wrote about Trump’s alliance with the tech billionaire and its far-reaching implications.
Pete Hegseth’s Path from Fox to the Pentagon
No decision more clearly reveals Trump’s disdain for his country’s armed forces than his selection of the TV host as his Secretary of Defense, Marc Fisher wrote last week.
Should a Country Speak a Single Language?
In India, one of the world’s most polyglot countries, the government wants more than a billion people to embrace Hindi. One scholar thinks that would be a loss.
The Critics
“The Franchise” Gives Hollywood the “Veep” Treatment
Satirizing the superhero-blockbuster business, HBO’s new comedy finds mostly easy targets, but eventually something more.
Faustian Bargains in “Death Becomes Her” and “Burnout Paradise”
The audience gets what it paid for in both the musical adaptation of the 1992 film, with Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard, and a new show about the treadmill of life.
Can Shostakovich Ever Escape Stalin’s Shadow?
Endless debate over whether the ending of the composer’s Fifth Symphony represents a capitulation to Soviet demands or a secret dissent obscures a more tantalizing possibility.
A Novelist’s Unnerving Memoir of Disordered Eating
In “My Good Bright Wolf,” Sarah Moss recounts a dangerous romance with self-deprivation.
Frank Auerbach’s Raw Truths
“I find it all very difficult,” the late German-born British artist said, and few painters have done as much to show the struggle of creative endeavor.
El Museo del Barrio Offers a Timely Triennial of Latino Art
The unique history of El Museo has allowed it to be at the vanguard of what is now more widely accepted as the purpose of museums.
What We’re Reading This Week
A haunting book that traces the history of a segregated asylum; a curious novel about the residents of a fictional New York City hotel for women; a poetry collection of dispatches from the rubble of Gaza; and more.
Goings On
Recommendations on what to read, eat, watch, listen to, and more.
Dalí, Basquiat, Haring, and Hockney at Luna Luna
Jackson Arn on the Hamburg amusement park that’s been transported to the Shed; Interpol’s “Antics” turns twenty; Darren Criss plays a bot on Broadway; and more.
Josh Brolin’s Favorite Books
On the occasion of his new memoir, the “Dune” actor reflects on some of his formative reading experiences.
The Elegiac Art of Robert Frank
Hilton Als on the work of photographer Robert Frank, Rachel Syme on seasonal calendars with special charm, Chief Keef's evolution, and more.
Upstairs and Downstairs at Clemente Bar
Helen Rosner reviews the new lounge above Eleven Madison Park, which offers refined plant-based bites and beverages while leaving fine-dining social hierarchies intact.
The Price Lebanon Is Paying for the Hezbollah-Israel War
The group’s supporters remain steadfast in the face of widespread displacement and thousands of deaths.
Ideas
The Complex Politics of Tribal Enrollment
How did the U.S. government become involved in “adjudicating Indianness”?
The Artificial State
As American civic life has become increasingly shaped by algorithms, trust in government has plummeted. Is there any turning back?
Silicon Valley, the New Lobbying Monster
From crypto to A.I., the tech sector is pouring millions into super PACS that intimidate politicians into supporting its agenda.
What Do Animals Understand About Death?
The question isn’t whether other creatures share our concept of mortality; it’s whether any living being truly grasps what it means to die.
The Frenemies Who Fought to Bring Birth Control to the U.S.
Though Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett shared a mission, they took very different approaches. Their ensuing rivalry was political, sometimes even personal.
The Lizard King of Long Island
Jon Sperling secretly spread a non-native species across the Northeast. “It’s insane what this guy was doing,” a biologist said.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.
