The New Yorker
The Joy of the Great Trash Movie
The trash movie is more a matter of sensibility than it is of thematic preoccupation or stylistic continuity. It is difficult to pin down its hallmarks, except to insist that it would find even the smallest dose of self-awareness fatal. Becca Rothfeld on the cinematic trash-master Neil Breen and what makes a movie so bad it’s sublime.
Today’s Mix
The Floods Nepal Didn’t Cause
Flash floods, triggered by a glacial collapse in the Himalayas, have killed at least five hundred people in a nation that has contributed little to climate change but is disproportionately affected by it.
How Alex Eala Became a Symbol of the Philippines
At only twenty-one, the tennis phenom is likely already the best-ever player from Southeast Asia. Now she is seeking her first Grand Slam title at this summer’s U.S. Open.
Going Through the Motions with Khloé Kardashian’s “The Girls”
Yes, there are Botox parties and rollerblading dates, but the women in the family’s latest spinoff give the sense that they are just clocking in at the reality-show office.
Where to Get Fire Outfits for Burning Man
Heading to the playa like Paris Hilton and Mark Zuckerberg once did? Need a faux-fur coat or a secret stash pouch? The Burning Man Bazaar has you covered.
New Maps Show How Israel Has Thwarted Hopes for a Palestinian State
The breakneck expansion of settlements in the West Bank has rendered American talk of a two-state solution increasingly irrelevant.
The Lede
A daily column on what you need to know.
How the Meta Settlement Could Change the Internet
Even while refusing to admit legal fault, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram has accepted, for the first time, that much of its business model is unacceptable for children.
Could Data Centers Swing an Election in Wisconsin?
As A.I. becomes increasingly unpopular among voters, the politics of data centers are scrambling political lines across the country—including in a tight race for the Wisconsin governor’s mansion.
Adam Hamilton and Taking Back Religion from the Right
Democratic socialists are getting more of the attention, but Democratic Christians may prove more influential this November.
Is R.F.K., Jr., Winning or Losing?
A case for cautious optimism about the Trump Administration’s war on vaccines.
Does Anybody Know Who Darline Graham Is?
Lindsey Graham’s younger sister, who was appointed to his South Carolina Senate seat upon his death, may soon be elected to a full term. Political insiders say she is a “black box.”
Sean Duffy in the Real World
Donald Trump’s Transportation Secretary got his big break on reality TV, and is now out with a six-part YouTube show about a family road trip. How bad could it be?
There’s No Place Like Group Chats
My old friends and I have ended up scattered across different states, in different time zones, but we’ve made our own neighborhood inside the black and blue bubbles of our phones.
Remembering Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s Quietly Inspiring Defense of Marriage
The death of Parton’s husband, in March, 2025, called rare attention to a steadfast union that the fame-friendly country star had kept private for decades.
Dolly Parton for the People
She was commonly called the Queen of Country Music, but that is exactly wrong: she was democratic to her bones.
What Dolly Parton Built
Thinking about Parton’s music and beauty means thinking about what it means to be a visionary–inventing a whole world from nothing.
Honky-Tonk Angel
Dolly Parton belonged to a beloved category: the outlaw Christian, who loved Jesus and refused to hate anyone else.
The Great Floating Homes of Los Angeles
In the city’s burnt neighborhoods, rebuilding is brutally expensive. Now residents have turned to a lost art: moving entire houses to their vacant lots.
Goings On
Recommendations on what to read, eat, watch, listen to, and more.
Kacey Musgraves, Crossover Queen
Sheldon Pearce looks forward to the Texas singer-songwriter’s upcoming show at Madison Square Garden. Plus, Richard Brody on Ridley Scott’s latest movie, starring Jacob Elordi; and more.
Consider the Oyster Bar
The salinity, the lightness, the slipperiness, even its intoxicating effects: a raw oyster belongs at a bar, with all the other alchemical things one can sip and shoot and gulp, Helen Rosner writes.
In “Adults,” Gen Z Gets the Hangout Sitcom It Deserves
Inkoo Kang on how the FX series, which is returning for a second season, won’t restore the genre to its normcore roots—but, happily, it has no interest in doing so.
Melissa Auf der Maur’s Chronicle of Nineties Rock
The photographer, who played bass for Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins, captured a moment in which one generation’s subculture became the next generation’s mainstream, Kelefa Sanneh writes.
The Quest for a Hangover Cure
When we drink, our bodies convert alcohol into a chemical called acetaldehyde. Some companies claim that it’s the cause of hangovers—and that a chemical called DHM can keep it in check. But the health effects of these substances are surprisingly complicated.
The Critics
Sundance Is a Feast of World Cinema
This year’s edition of the prime showcase for American independent filmmaking offered two instant classics, “Filipiñana” and “zi,” made in Asia.
Toons Have Seldom Been Loonier Than in “Coyote vs. Acme”
Dave Green’s film about Wile E. Coyote’s quest for compensation sounds a note of zany triumph, having escaped, Road Runner-like, Warner’s attempt to cancel it.
Get a Tech Job, Babies!
The puzzling rise in high-level science books for infants and toddlers.
He Gave the Knicks Their Name. Why Was He Forgotten?
In “A Washington Irving Sketch Book,” the essayist Phillip Lopate tries to rescue New York City’s original mythmaker from literary oblivion.
Shirley Clarke Lived Her Art to the Fullest
A new biography of this crucial New York filmmaker, whose work confronts racial and economic divisions, reveals her furiously inventive activity away from public view.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Hooters
The chain is attempting a wholesome revival. Will it work?
What We’re Reading
A wide-ranging history of the ideas and technology that have transformed political life; an unsparing novel that asks readers to reconsider what they owe their families, particularly in light of what they owe themselves; and more.
Our Columnists
What If Canada Joined the E.U.?
The Trump Administration’s trade war with Canada has pushed a fringe idea into mainstream conversation, on both sides of the Atlantic.
A Sex Tape Won’t Make You Famous Anymore
Influencers inspired by the Kardashian origin story seem to have drawn the wrong lessons from it.
How the Job Market Will Shape the Next Generation
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Young people are already discontented. It’s not going to get better anytime soon.
Why Israeli Authorities Are Encouraging Settler Violence Against Palestinians
The retired I.D.F. colonel Doron Meiner, who was arrested while trying to protect a Palestinian community from settlers in the West Bank, discusses Israel’s strategy in the run-up to October’s election.
“Wishes and Fears”
It was the end of the world, and a number of us had gathered in a large, abandoned house.
Dept. of Hoopla
From the mind of Susanna Wolff.
Stumped by a Medical Mystery? Try Metagenomics
When doctors can’t figure out what’s ailing us, they can search our bodies for snippets of genetic material from viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Songs of Summer
A series on music and memory.
“Janice STFU”
With his new album “Iceman,” Drake, the master of the summer banger, is not done airing his grievances.
“Choosin’ Texas”
Ella Langley’s chart-topping lament is about what everyone wants to do in mid-August: give in and let go.
“Padam Padam”
Kylie Minogue’s 2023 track belongs to a category of solid, danceable pop music that barely penetrates the eardrums of self-professed thirtysomething old folks.
Iran Is Using Foreign Criminals to Attack Its Critics Overseas
Pouria Zeraati, a dissident who was living in London, was stabbed by a group of Romanian thugs. His case is part of a widening campaign by the Iranian regime to silence its detractors.
Ideas
The End of the European Summer
As extreme heat overwhelms the Continent’s great cities, they are racing to transform themselves for a climate that they were never built to withstand.
Are You a Human?
From branding irons to iris scans, the ancient business of proving who you are has never been stranger—or more lucrative.
Can Extreme Morning Sickness Be Cured?
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For decades, the condition was thought to be psychological, and women were shamed for their illness. Now a scientist has found a biological cause.
The Mystery of Dark Oxygen
Scientists used to think oxygen could only be found near Earth’s surface, where plants and algae grow. Then they found it deep underground—raising profound questions about what else could be down there.
A Political Awakening in Arab America
A Midwestern Muslim family’s story of immigration, assimilation, and how one year changed the life of its youngest son.
Puzzles & Games
Take a break and play.
In Case You Missed It
When Nidhi was fourteen, her mother became pregnant again. People were understandably surprised, no one more so, it seemed, than her own parents. They made their usual jokes, both about the pregnancy and about the deed that had produced it.
Her mother: “If we’d known, we’d have put some drama into the sex, yaar. Now this poor kid will grow up and become a banker or some other boring thing.”Continue reading »
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