The New Yorker
Remembering Francis, the Down-to-Earth Pope
Pope Francis has died, at the age of eighty-eight. In a historic moment characterized by autocrats and would-be autocrats, Paul Elie writes, the Catholic reformer was the antithesis of a strongman.
Today’s Mix
Pope Francis’s Tangled Relationship with Argentina
Amid the extreme political polarization in his home country, the Pope found himself at odds with nearly every President.
The Cost of Defunding Harvard
If you or someone you love has cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or diabetes, you have likely benefitted from the university’s federally funded discoveries.
Trump’s Deportation Obsession
Right-wing ideologues have long fantasized about the prospect of mass self-deportation: the Trump Administration is attempting something far more radical.
Can “The Last of Us” Outlive Its Antihero?
The series’ most exhilarating episode yet ended with the brutal murder of a beloved character. Where does the show go from here?
The Quest to Build a Perfect Protein Bar
A great number of Americans wish to optimize their diets—and their lives.
Follow the Leader
Donald Trump is at the center of a brazenly transactional ecosystem that rewards flattery and lockstep loyalty. Antonia Hitchens reports on the culture of sycophancy overtaking Washington, D.C.
The Lede
A daily column on what you need to know.
Why Harvard Decided to Challenge Donald Trump
Universities are accustomed to acquiescing to the government, but Trump made Harvard an offer it couldn’t not refuse.
The Terrorism Suspect Trump Sent Back to Bukele
An MS-13 leader knew key details of a secret deal that his gang allegedly made with the Salvadoran President—then the White House put him on a flight to El Salvador.
China’s Plan to Fight Trump’s Trade War
A professor at M.I.T. on how Xi Jinping is likely to respond to U.S. tariffs and why the standoff won’t weaken the Chinese Communist Party’s grip on power.
Trump’s Defiance of the Supreme Court
The Administration’s position position in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia cannot stand—not if the rule of law is to survive.
Trump’s Tariffs and the Price of Calm
The view from northern Europe, which, until very recently, had long seen the United States as a land of hope.
How to Survive the A.I. Revolution
The Luddites lost the fight to save their livelihoods. As the threat of artificial intelligence looms, can we do any better?
Mistaking Mary Magdalene
The subject of numerous controversies, she is defined by ambiguity, welcoming outcasts to the Church and provoking more imaginative approaches to faith.
The Critics
London Theatre Shimmers with Mirrors and Memory
New productions of Shakespeare’s “Richard II,” Annie Ernaux’s “The Years,” Robert Icke’s “Manhunt,” Tennessee Williams’s “The Glass Menagerie,” and more.
“Sinners” Is a Virtuosic Fusion of Historical Realism and Horror
Ryan Coogler’s vampire movie mines vampirism’s symbolic potential to tell a tale of exploitation and Black music in nineteen-thirties Mississippi.
Pictures from Where the Senses Encounter the World
Cig Harvey’s “Emerald Drifters” is a rallying cry to exist in our bodies.
Kurt Weill Kept Reinventing Himself
Fresh New York stagings of “The Threepenny Opera” and “Love Life” show off the composer’s daring and range.
War Movies: What Are They Good For?
“Warfare” reconstructs an ill-fated 2006 mission in Iraq from the memories of the Navy SEALs involved. Does this method bring us closer to the reality of combat?
Who Wants a Second Helping of “The Wedding Banquet”?
In Andrew Ahn’s remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 crowd-pleaser, two gay couples strike a bargain that turns both Faustian and farcical.
The Best Books We Read This Week
A haunting dystopian novel in which a technology company tests the efficacy of product placement in people’s dreams; an animated biography that chronicles Albert C. Barnes’s lifelong campaign to make art accessible to the working class; and more.
Our Columnists
Why Harvard Can Afford to Stand Up to Trump
The university’s $53.2-billion endowment has positioned it to resist the bullying tactics of an increasingly authoritarian President.
The Plight of the Taxman
As I.R.S. employees toil through tax season, their agency is being dismantled by the government it powers.
Recession Indicators Are Everywhere
The memes responding to Trump’s seesawing tariff policy hint at a collective psychological state.
The Decline of Outside Magazine Is Also the End of a Vision of the Mountain West
After its purchase by a tech entrepreneur, the publication is now a shadow of itself. A letter signed by its illustrious contributors says as much about a way of life as it does about the media industry.
Ideas
The Dire Wolf Is Back
A genetics startup has birthed pups that contain ancient DNA retrieved from the remains of the animal’s extinct ancestors. Is the woolly mammoth next?
Does a Fetus Have Constitutional Rights?
After Dobbs, fetal personhood has become the anti-abortion movement’s new objective.
Hospitals in Ruins
Doctors are delivering lifesaving care in a ravaged health-care system—and risking their own lives in the process.
The First Earth Day
On April 22, 1970, Congress took the day off, and two-thirds of its members participated in events across the country dedicated to celebrating and conserving the natural environment. That first Earth Day was organized by a handful of activists without a major centralized organization. In 2013, Nicholas Lemann wrote about the origins of the American environmental movement, how it became an establishment presence in Washington, and its best hopes for the future.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.