The New Yorker
Conviction
Lucy Letby was found guilty of killing seven babies. Colleagues reportedly called the British nurse an “angel of death,” and the Prime Minister, echoing a nation, condemned her. But, in the rush to judgment, serious questions about the evidence were ignored. Did Letby do it? Rachel Aviv investigates.
Above the Fold
Essential reading for today.
The Historic Trump Court Cases That We Cannot See
The former President is on trial in a courtroom that has banned cameras. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is deciding whether his other trials should even happen.
An Israeli Newspaper Presents Truths Readers May Prefer to Avoid
Haaretz consistently attempts to wrestle with the realities of what is going on in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.
Stormy Daniels’s American Dream
Donald Trump’s lawyers tried to portray the adult-film actress as a lying profiteer. Instead, she emerged as a credible witness who is also very good at making money.
The Other Side of the River
Millions of Palestinians live in Jordan, where rage about the suffering in Gaza has reached a boiling point. Can the country’s leaders, who have a long-standing peace agreement with Israel, keep things under control?
Amy Herzog Wants You to Enter Into the Strangeness of Caregiving
The playwright on the new production of her play “Mary Jane,” which stars Rachel McAdams as the mother of a two-year-old born with serious medical conditions.
Swimming with My Daughters
It was so reasonable—why couldn’t we want different things? Two could go into the water and one could stay on the shore. But I didn’t want to leave her there.
The Critics
Nellie Bowles’s Failed Provocations
In “Morning After the Revolution,” the former Times reporter sets out to uncover a not-so-forbidden truth—that the left can be somewhat goofy.
“Baby Reindeer” and “Under the Bridge” Are Stranger Than Fiction
The two streaming series grapple with horrific real-life crimes—and with the complexity of the relationship between perpetrators and victims.
The Beautiful Rawness of Steve Albini
The producer was uncompromising in his opposition to the commercialization of music. That might seem today like a Gen X relic—or it might seem kind of awesome.
Looking at Art with Peter Schjeldahl
Recalling a friendship with The New Yorker’s late art critic.
How Hindsight Distorts Our View of the Beatles in “Let It Be”
Usually seen as a document of the band’s breakup, the documentary, newly restored by Peter Jackson, is just as much a record of freewheeling inspiration.
Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Our Moment of Bad Reading
The once-upon-a-time defense of the poetics of rap has been ceded to the millennial mind of genius.com, taking every syllable as ripe for mundane exegesis.
What We’re Reading This Week
A detailed history of humanity’s prehistoric roots; a thoughtful study of four of Shakespeare’s female contemporaries; a novel that follows a family of globe-trotters and interlopers searching for perfect love; and more.
Ideas
Blurring the Line Between Money and Media
Hunterbrook, a hybrid media-finance company, wants to monetize investigative journalism in the public interest. Is it a visionary game changer or a cynical ploy?
The Hidden-Pregnancy Experiment
An attempt to hide personal news from online ad trackers makes clear how much surveillance we are engaged in, as both subjects and objects, and how insidious the problem is becoming.
Can Suing People for Lying Save Democracy?
The lawyers at Protect Democracy have brought defamation suits against Rudy Giuliani, Kari Lake, and Project Veritas, hoping to limit the spread of disinformation. Others worry that their efforts could impinge on freedom of speech.
A TikTok Ban Won’t Fix Social Media
You can take the platform away from American users, but it is far too late to contain the habits that it has unleashed.
The Workingman and the Company Store
Can a progressive campaign break the coal industry’s hold on West Virginia politics?
The Peculiar Delights of the Enormous Cicada Emergence
As loud as leaf blowers, as miraculous as math, the insects are set to overtake the landscape.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.
In Case You Missed It
When we got to her house, she came at me.Continue reading »
