The New Yorker
Backstage at the Fund-Raiser
At a fateful event last spring, Barack Obama, George Clooney, and others were stunned by Joe Biden’s weakness and confusion. Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson on why Biden and his advisers decided to campaign for reëlection—and throw the race to Donald Trump.
Today’s Mix
How an Election Denier Became the U.S. Treasurer
Brandon Beach was a state senator in Georgia who got involved in Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. Now his name will be on our money.
The Astonishing Threat to Suspend Habeas Corpus
The Trump Administration is stepping up its war on the rule of law. Is this bluster aimed at intimidating judges, or the start of something worse?
Three Faces of American Capitalism: Buffett, Musk, and Trump
As the Sage of Omaha announces his retirement, the Trump family’s crypto ventures and Musk’s DOGE cuts illuminate darker aspects of the system.
Is Asylum Still Possible?
A young democracy activist fled Venezuela, where the government threatened to arrest her for treason. Now in ICE custody, she knows that she may be quickly deported.
My New York City Tour of Tours
Things I learned by embedding with the tourists: the Ramones loved Yoo-hoo, Peter Stuyvesant was uptight, and how to do “a quick Donald Trump dance.”
The Lede
A daily column on what you need to know.
The Next Phase of Trump’s Retribution
What the replacement of Ed Martin, who punished his own prosecutors for bringing cases against January 6th rioters, signals about the President’s signature campaign promise.
Why End Energy Star?
Many of the Trump Administration’s proposed rollbacks of climate policies run counter to its own goals.
Can Head Start Survive the MAGA Era?
A sixty-year consensus on the War on Poverty program is at risk of finally coming undone.
Will the First American Pope Be a Pontiff of Peace?
Leo XIV’s pontificate will likely be defined by his approach to the violent conflicts rending the globe, which his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, referred to as “a Third World War in pieces.”
Brazil’s President Confronts a Changing World
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Trump, Putin, and a collapsing global order.
Russia and Ukraine Are Playing Trump’s Blame Game
With the President intent on a speedy end to the war, Putin and Zelensky are competing to make each other the subject of his ire.
Is Jeff Bezos Selling Out the Washington Post?
How the paper that brought down Richard Nixon is struggling to survive the second term of Donald Trump.
Richard Kind Is the Perfect Second Banana
The inveterate character actor discusses Don Quixote, his time as George Clooney’s roommate, and his latest gig: m.c.ing John Mulaney’s absurdist talk show.
The Critics
One Hundred Years of New York Movies
Ten lesser known films from the past century have captured the city just as indelibly as modern classics by the likes of Martin Scorsese or Spike Lee.
Spare a Thought for the Snitch
In “Spotlight: Snitch City,” the Boston Globe skillfully reveals how police abused confidential informants in a Massachusetts port town.
Andrea Long Chu Owns the Libs
The writer is known for her acerbic criticism of liberals. Is she one herself?
The Secrets of Physique Magazines
The mid-century publications didn’t need to announce themselves as gay, even if they had been able to. Their readers understood the necessity of balancing discretion and seduction.
Cut Right Through the Boat and Illuminate Everything
The Singaporean photographer Nguan spent a decade capturing New York via the Staten Island ferry.
Rediscovering a Great Film Critic of Hollywood’s Golden Age
In his brief, brilliant career, Andre Sennwald advanced a visionary view of cinema.
The Best Books We Read This Week
The epic story of Chinese immigrants in America; an incisive memoir tracking the evolution of Facebook’s political dealings; a tense novel that explores the dynamics of siblinghood; and more.
Our Columnists
Why Basketball Is Different in the Playoffs
As the stakes rise, the physicality of the game increases, too—and that may give the less favored teams a better shot at upsets.
The Paradoxes of Feminine Muscle
In a new book, the author Casey Johnston argues that pumping iron helped her “escape diet culture.” But a preoccupation with strength can take many forms.
A Day in the Live-Streamed Life of Donald Trump
America’s TV-obsessed President has made his rambling Oval Office press gaggles the signature of his second term—chaotic, self-aggrandizing, random, and frequently nasty.
The Dynamics Behind the India-Pakistan Clash
How internal politics in both countries could escalate the conflict in the wake of a tourist massacre in Kashmir.
Ideas
My Brain Finally Broke
Much of what we see now is fake, and the reality we face is full of horrors. More and more of the world is slipping beyond my comprehension.
Is It Happening Here?
Other countries have watched their democracies slip away gradually, without tanks in the streets. That may be where we’re headed—or where we already are.
Will the Humanities Survive Artificial Intelligence?
Maybe not as we’ve known them. But, in the ruins of the old curriculum, something vital is stirring.
Why I Broke Up with New York
Most people accept the city’s chaos as a toll for an expansive life. It took me several decades to realize that I could go my own way.
How Lorna Simpson Broke the Frame
For more than four decades, Lorna Simpson has been complicating what it means to see, and to be seen. Her early portraits of Black women with turned backs helped define conceptual photography; her newest paintings are planetary in scope and intimate in feel.
New York: A Centenary Issue
Why Can’t New York Have a Nice Mayor?
As Donald Trump encroaches on the city, Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams try to salvage their political careers.
Pity the Barefoot Pigeon
Bumblefoot, string-foot, and falcons are just a few of the hazards that New York’s birds have to brave.
Circling the Block
New York drivers waste two hundred million hours a year looking for a place to park. If you arranged all the city’s curbside spaces single file, the line would reach Australia. Yet nobody can find a spot.
Tight Quarters
In Queens, the newest arrivals crowd together in apartments often owned by earlier waves of immigrants, in a shadow world that is becoming even more precarious in the age of Donald Trump.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.