The New Yorker
Are Flying Cars Finally Here?
Silicon Valley has long complained that, as Peter Thiel put it, “We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.” But now a variety of companies are actually building them—or something close, Gideon Lewis-Kraus reports.
Above the Fold
Essential reading for today.
Israel’s Momentous Decision
After Iran’s dramatic but largely ineffective attack, Benjamin Netanyahu’s response will have tremendous consequences.
A Very Busy Court Calendar for Donald Trump
The first criminal trial of a former President starts this week. After all the legal posturing, the action will finally get real—that’s the theory, anyway.
“The Sympathizer” Has an Identity Crisis
The HBO adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel is part espionage thriller, part war drama, and part Hollywood satire—wild genre shifts that come at the expense of its protagonist’s interiority.
The Vatican’s Statement on Gender Is a Missed Opportunity
A new document that strives to reconsider matters of human dignity nevertheless echoes Church rhetoric from decades ago.
Donald Trump’s Trial of the Century
Manhattan prosecutors have argued that the Stormy Daniels case—the first criminal trial of a former President in American history—is about much more than hush money. And legal experts believe that a conviction is likely.
.jpg)
How to Publish a Magazine in a Maximum-Security Prison
For decades, Wilbert Rideau investigated America’s prison system—from the inside.
The Political Scene
Joe Biden and U.S. Policy Toward Israel
After six months of war, has Israel’s killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers compelled the President to do more to save lives in Gaza?
The Fight to Restore Abortion Rights in Texas
With a statewide ban in effect, an unlikely political coalition works to insure that women can get lifesaving care.
Will Historic Job Growth Bring an End to the “Vibecession”?
The Labor Department’s March employment report shows the economy continuing to power ahead. Yet many voters’ perceptions remain stubbornly negative.
Is This Israel’s Forever War?
Foreign-policy analysts whose careers were shaped by the war on terror see troubling parallels.
The Catastrophe in Gaza
Inside Israel’s Bombing Campaign in Gaza
The Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham on his investigations of the I.D.F.’s use of A.I.-backed targeting systems and the dire cost to Palestinian civilians.
What It Takes to Give Palestinians a Voice
A new poll conducted during the war in Gaza and escalating tensions in the West Bank allows Palestinians to tell the world what they want for their future.
The Children Who Lost Limbs in Gaza
More than a thousand children who were injured in the war are now amputees. What do their futures hold?
My Family’s Daily Struggle to Find Food in Gaza
In my homeland, where we used to cook and celebrate together, my relatives are eating animal feed to keep from starving.
Maggie Rogers and the Modern Pulpit
The singer-songwriter’s sudden celebrity made her a kind of minister without training. So she went and got some.
The Critics
Christopher Durang’s Stage Directions for Life
The Tony-winning playwright’s dark, antic satires were many people’s gateway to theatre. I was one of those people.
“Civil War” Presents a Striking but Muddled State of Disunion
Kirsten Dunst plays a war photographer in the trenches of Alex Garland’s speculative dystopian thriller.
Olivia Rodrigo’s Relatable Superstardom on the Guts Tour
The pop star appears to revel in pleasure—even when she knows that whatever it is she’s thirsting after will probably get her into trouble.
The Avant-Garde Is Back on the Launchpad
The Wooster Group gives the Richard Foreman play “Symphony of Rats” its signature spins.
When Preachers Were Rock Stars
A classic New Yorker account of the Henry Ward Beecher adultery trial recalls a time in America that seems both incomprehensible and familiar.
Anni Albers Transformed Weaving, Then Left It Behind
Her textiles are quiet revelations, but even her later prints show how restraint can generate ravishing beauty.
What We’re Reading This Week
A liberating story that follows a family through the distress of 2020, a biography that revisits the life of the celebrated British explorer Captain James Cook, and a stylish mystery novel in an alternative Jazz Age.
Tax Me If You Can
James B. Stewart’s report, from 2012, on the lengths that the ultra-rich will go to avoid paying their taxes.
Ideas
What Stephen Breyer Means by Justice
In our system of government, the Constitution has the final say. But it doesn’t come with a user manual.
So You Think You’ve Been Gaslit
“Gaslighting” has evolved from a niche clinical concept to a casual diagnosis. Or maybe you’re just imagining it.
The Slouching Epidemic
Since the early twentieth century, poor posture has been linked to poverty, bad health, and civilizational decadence. But does the real problem lie elsewhere?
What Phones Are Doing to Reading
It’s becoming harder, or at least less common, to read the old-fashioned way. But the new ways of reading are not all bad.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.
In Case You Missed It
That they were “not young,” though described by observers as “amazingly youthful,” must have been a strong component of their attraction to each other.Continue reading »
