The New Yorker
Out on a Limb
The tree house, situated in an unlovely strip of forest between a six-lane highway and a freight rail line, was not designed for beauty, or enjoyment, or whimsy. It was a tool. Its purpose was to block the construction of an oil pipeline in Canada, and it functioned only so long as a person was inside it. Robert Moor recounts a summer spent living in a tree.
Today’s Mix
Kristi Noem’s Fireable Offenses
The former Secretary of D.H.S. misspent funds, prioritized her own self-promotion, and defended even the most brutal acts of Trump’s deportation efforts.
The Iran War Spreads to Lebanon
As the region spasms, the clash between Israel and Hezbollah is gathering force.
“Neighbors” Captures the Drama That Follows You Home
In the new HBO docuseries, about petty disputes between homeowners, everyone has a gun, a grievance, and a security camera.
The Captivating Derangement of the Looksmaxxing Movement
In their warped and wrongheaded way, the omnipresent influencer Clavicular and his compatriots are intent on demystifying the ideal of natural beauty.
Iran’s Desperate, High-Risk Survival Strategy
The regime in Tehran knows it likely can’t win the war, but it can certainly globalize the pain of the conflict—even if it’s ultimately at its own expense.
The Lede
A daily column on what you need to know.
In the Texas Primaries, a Good Night for James Talarico, and a Bad One for John Cornyn
Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas in more than thirty years, but on Tuesday night they seemed to have found an interesting prospect.
Do U.S. Presidents Have the Power to Declare War?
On paper, declaring war is reserved for Congress. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution turned a constitutional requirement into a legislative habit of looking away.
What Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Meant to Iran, and What Comes Next
The Supreme Leader, who ruled the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades, has been killed by Israel and the United States. Can the regime survive without him?
The Republicans Are Messing with Texas
Amid the controversy over redrawn district maps and growing dissatisfaction with Donald Trump, has the Party overreached?
Has Trump Thought Through the Endgame in Iran?
The country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes, but the conflict is far from over, and has convulsed the Middle East in a spasm of interstate violence.
Can the Democrats Get It Together?
The fight over the 2028 primary calendar is one of several proxies for a broader battle about the future of the Party—and the search for the best nominee.
Can a “Living Drug” Cure Autoimmune Diseases?
CAR-T was developed as a cancer treatment. Now it is showing promise for conditions that have long been considered incurable, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.
Goings On
Recommendations on what to read, eat, watch, listen to, and more.
The Art of the Xerox in “Hard Copy New York”
Vince Aletti recommends the big two-floor show at the International Center of Photography. Plus: Rachel Syme’s culture picks inspired by “The Bride!”
“How to Get to Heaven from Belfast” Is an Ode to Middle-Aged Friendship
Anna Russell reviews the series, from the creator of “Derry Girls,” which focusses on a group of Irish women investigating a death. But it feels less like a murder mystery and more like a buddy comedy.
An Opera Director Reimagines the Canon
Yuval Sharon—whose Met début, “Tristan und Isolde,” premières this month—discusses a few of his influences.
Spring Culture Preview
Our critics’ picks for the season include a new installment of “Beef”; Kaija Saariaho’s “Innocence,” at the Met; Dance Theatre of Harlem’s “Firebird,” set in a Caribbean rain forest; “The Devil Wears Prada 2”; and more.
The Sexologist Who Unlocked the Female Orgasm
Fifty years ago, a controversial writer named Shere Hite taught us how to talk about sex and pleasure, selling books by the millions. Why do so few people know her name today?
The Critics
“Hoppers” Is a Happy Leap Forward for Pixar
In Daniel Chong’s cheerfully ludicrous science-fiction comedy, robot technology enables an environmental activist to walk and talk with the animals.
Eugène Atget’s Epic Record of Time and Place
An exhibit of the French artist’s work at the I.C.P. shows how he taught photography to be specific.
“Yam Daabo” Reintroduces a Late, Great Filmmaker
Idrissa Ouédraogo’s first feature, now streaming, is a tense drama of romance amid politics and a striking advance in cinematic form.
The Self-Serving Seduction of “Vladimir”
The new Netflix series stars Rachel Weisz as a professor whose lust for a younger colleague renews her lust for life itself—and drives her to alarming extremes.
The Nineteenth-Century French Poetry in New York’s Punk Scene
“Godlike,” by the seminal punk musician Richard Hell, transposes a notorious affair between nineteenth-century French poets to nineteen-seventies New York.
“The Bride!” Exclaims but Never Explains
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s imaginative adaptation of the Frankenstein story, starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, leaves its premise and its principles undeveloped.
What We’re Reading
An immersive chronicle into the lives of six ordinary Syrians attempting to invent a democracy from scratch; the underdog story of Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg’s early days; and more.
Our Columnists
Zohran Mamdani and the Art of the Ask
The new mayor’s plans require funding. How will he get it?
The No-Explanation War
The Trump Administration has decided that it need not make a case for military action. In the current media environment, that approach makes a disturbing kind of sense.
Why a Democratic Congressman Is Supporting Trump’s War with Iran
Representative Greg Landsman explains his hope that the conflict remains limited but also creates an entirely new Middle East.
The Future of Horror Movies Is on YouTube
With releases like “Iron Lung” and “Backrooms,” Hollywood is looking to the platform for the next generation of horror auteurs.
Why Your Next Flight Is Likelier to Hit Turbulence
With climate change, the skies are becoming bumpier. Can today’s planes still keep us safe?
Ideas
What Makes an Object Sexy?
A book of reportage on kinky subcultures describes how “deviant desire” can be transcendent—and completely mundane.
Losing Faith in Atheism
I spent years searching for a livable secular world view, but none of them quite offered the value of belief.
Why the World Cup Can Feel Like War
Soccer stadiums can be dominated by violence, tribalism, chauvinism, and near-religious fervor‚ animated by the memory of old hostilities and the power of ritual.
Is the Rat War Over?
In New York, a rat czar and new methods have brought down complaints. We may even be ready to appreciate the creatures.
“Frankenstein” Forever
In 2018, two centuries after the publication of Mary Shelley’s gothic tale, Jill Lepore wrote about its curious staying power. Readers have seen it as commentary on everything from the French Revolution to the rise of A.I. Filmmakers also find the story irresistible. Four months after Guillermo del Toro’s largely faithful Netflix adaptation, Maggie Gyllenhaal has brought her own version to movie theatres. “The Bride!,” an ostentatiously divergent reimagining, moves the action to Depression-era Chicago and renames the famous creature Frank. Both fit into an established tradition: chopping Shelley’s novel into bits and pieces and stitching them together as a new, distinctive being.
Nineteen Seventy-Six
Does commemoration bind a divided country or simply expose the fractures it hopes to mend? As the nation prepares to mark the two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of its founding, it’s easy to forget that the two hundredth wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.
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