The New Yorker
Democracy Needs the Loser
The observance of defeat is often all that keeps a state from tipping into chaos. Barbara F. Walter writes about the threat of post-election violence as America barrels toward another contentious Presidential contest.
Today’s Mix
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Steps Aside for Donald Trump
As Kennedy’s 2024 election campaign collapses, he has embraced a new role as the former President’s latest ally.
Can Kamala Harris Keep Up the Excitement Through Election Day?
At the Democratic National Convention, the sense of relief was as overwhelming as the general euphoria—but the campaign against Donald Trump has only just begun.
The Italian Renaissance in Men’s Tennis
Italy boasts the No. 1 player in the world, and has as many players in the Top Forty as the United States. It’s not an accident.
Teen-Age Alienation, on Display
In the nineteen-eighties, Andrea Modica took photos of the students at her Catholic alma mater. “I recognized something there that I had to deal with about my time in high school—something both horrible and wonderful,” she said.
Why Was It So Hard for the Democrats to Replace Biden?
After the President’s debate with Trump, Democratic politicians felt paralyzed. At the D.N.C., they felt giddy relief. How did they do it?
The Lede
A daily column on what you need to know.
Kamala Harris’s “Freedom” Campaign
Democrats’ years-long efforts to reclaim the word are cresting in this year’s Presidential race.
The Democratic Party Rebrands Itself Before Viewers’ Eyes
As Kamala Harris prepared to take the spotlight at the D.N.C., Party factions sought to project unity and joy.
Can Kamala Harris’s Campaign Solve the Latino Turnout Problem?
For decades, Democrats have struggled to motivate communities that could guarantee them victories. Harris may have the best shot yet.
A Proud and Impassioned Joe Biden Passes the Torch at the D.N.C.
In a valedictory speech in Chicago, the President asked to be remembered as a man who pulled the country from the maw of tragedy.
An Inside Look at the Democratic National Convention
Photographs captured artifice, chaos, and ambiguity that weren’t as evident on TV.
The Political Scene
Among America’s “Low-Information Voters”
Donald Trump has dominated in polling of people who pay little attention to political news. What do they have to say?
How Ezra Klein Helped Set the Stage for Kamala Harris’s Nomination
An early advocate for replacing Joe Biden, the columnist and podcaster has been a window into Democratic Party strategy.
The Obamas’ Rousingly Pragmatic Call to Action
For better and for worse, the former First Couple are still the best communicators that the Democrats have.
Kamala Harris’s “Different Kind of Hope Campaign”
“The enthusiasm is real, but I don’t think it’s so much around an agenda of Harris’s as much as it is around an agenda of stopping Trump,” Susan B. Glasser says.
Was Linguistic A.I. Created by Accident?
Seven years after inventing the transformer—the “T” in ChatGPT—the researchers behind it are still grappling with its surprising power.
August 23, 2024
Our Columnists
The Speech of Kamala Harris’s Lifetime
The Democratic Presidential nominee leaves Chicago with her party united, but Donald Trump is not yet defeated.
What Kamala Harris May Have to Do Next
The D.N.C. was remarkably well orchestrated, but unscripted tests remain.
Should We Think of Our Children as Strangers?
A new line of inquiry asks us to imagine them as random individuals who just happen to live in our homes.
How the Harris Campaign Beat Trump at Being Online
Trump has always drawn ideas from the darker corners of the Internet, but his new opponent has found a different kind of traction by embracing the Web’s native formats.
The Cult in the Forest
A pastor led his followers into the woods. Hundreds have since been found dead.
Infiltrating the Far Right
The threat from domestic terrorism is rising, but, with Republicans decrying the “deep state,” the F.B.I. is cautious about investigating far-right groups. Vigilantes are leaping into the fray.
The Critics
“Between the Temples” Is a Songful, Scathing Jewish American Love Story
Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane bring imagination and energy to Nathan Silver’s high-strung comedy about a grieving cantor and an elder bat-mitzvah student.
When Emily Dickinson Mailed It In
The supposed recluse constantly sent letters to friends, family, and lovers. What do they show us?
Mourning the End of “Evil,” a Show Like Nothing Else on Television
The Paramount+ procedural’s unusually serious treatment of faith made it a bright spot in an increasingly risk-averse TV landscape.
With “Close Your Eyes,” a Legendary Filmmaker Makes a Stunning Return
In his first feature in more than two decades, the Spanish director Víctor Erice tells a story haunted by the ghosts of cinema past.
How Post Malone Made Himself at Home in Country Music
Everyone’s headed to Nashville these days, but no one is as comfortable there as he is.
Are Bookstores Just a Waste of Space?
In the online era, brick-and-mortar book retailers have been forced to redefine themselves.
What We’re Reading This Week
A series of biographical essays about the psychology and personal history of prominent Nazis, an environmental historian’s exploration of the concept of sea level in a chaotic world; an account of the ways that small bookstores provide a haven from commercialism in American life; and more.
Goings On
Recommendations from our writers on what to read, eat, watch, listen to, and more.
Pacita Abad’s Charismatic Quilts
Jackson Arn on the bright vitality of the Filipina artist’s textile work, on display at the Walker Art Center. Plus: the Nigerian singer Asake, “Once Upon a Mattress,” and more.
Fall Culture Preview
Our critics on what to look forward to this season in art, theatre, TV, music, dance, and movies.
A Fictional World of A.I. Parenting
Katy Waldman reviews Helen Phillips’s new novel, “Hum,” in which humans have outsourced their best selves to tireless, empathetic robots.
“BRAT” Summer and the Unstable Hierarchy of Pop
Naomi Fry and Kelefa Sanneh discuss the pop girlies Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, “Espresso,” and more—complete with a playlist for listening along.
Ideas
The Veterinarians Preventing the Next Pandemic
Most new diseases have their origins in animals. So why aren’t we paying more attention to their health?
Our Very Strange Search for “Sea Level”
As the oceans ebb and surge, staggering ingenuity has gone into inventing the measure. What can it tell us about living on our changeable planet?
The Sephora Generation
Tweens are mimicking the semi-professionals they see on their phones, imbibing ideas about beauty rooted in deep desires and capitulations.
An Ode to Old Bay
The condiment is a spice-and-herb mix that’s super salty and slightly sweet, a culinary simulation of late summer and early fall. Marylanders put it on everything; everybody should.
The Vigil Keepers of January 6th
In the aftermath of the assault on the Capitol, a trio of women with family members who participated in the riot moved to D.C. to seek their own kind of justice.
In the Dark
In Season 3, Madeleine Baran investigates the killing of twenty-four civilians in Haditha, Iraq, and asks why no one was held accountable for the crime. Subscribers get early access.
Episode 1: The Green Grass
A man in Haditha, Iraq, has a request for the In the Dark team: Can you investigate how my family was killed?
Episode 2: I Have Questions
A trip to a Marine Corps archive reveals a clue about something that the U.S. military is keeping secret.
Episode 3: Sounds Like Murder
We travel around the U.S. to find the Marines who were on the ground in Haditha on the day of the killings.
Episode 4: What They Saw
Two conflicting stories about what happened that day emerge—one from the Marines involved in the killings, and another from a very different perspective.
Episode 5: Four Brothers
Was it a face-off with insurgents or the murder of four innocent brothers? We investigate what happened in the final house the Marines entered that day.
Episode 6: The Full Picture
Startling new information emerges from deep within the investigation files. Then the In the Dark team gets a big break.
“Fratelli Carbonai”
Felix Bazalgette and Joshua Hughes’s film follows a young man from Mali as he carves out a life for himself and forges friendships in an ancient Calabrian trade, as Italian politics take a hard turn to the right.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.