The Magazine
January 20, 2025
Goings On
Goings On
The Outsized Influence of De La Soul
Also: Ronald K. Brown’s “Grace” and its sequel; the Broadway comedy “All In,” reviewed; the Philadelphia Orchestra’s study of Mahler, and more.
Photo Booth
A Limousine Driver Watches Her Passengers Transform
In the eighties, the photographer Kathy Shorr became a chauffeur, capturing working-class New Yorkers on their way to new lives.
The Talk of the Town
David Remnick on Trump’s oligarchy; scenes of devastation in Los Angeles County; the bricks of Stonewall; Lahiri looks back.
Comment
The Inauguration of Trump’s Oligarchy
Certain business titans have made Mar-a-Lago a scene of such flagrant self-abnegation, ring-kissing, and genuflection that it would embarrass a medieval Pope.
The Lede
On the Ground During L.A.’s Wildfire Emergency
With four fires raging, tens of thousands have evacuated and others are confronting the precarity of where they live.
Dept. of Totems
How the Stonewall Inn Bricks Avoided the Trash
When the improvised weapons that (apocryphally) spurred the gay-liberation movement were discarded during a renovation, Kurt Kelly, a current owner, went dumpster diving.
The Literary Life
Jhumpa Lahiri’s Writing Career Began in Stolen Notebooks
The author surveys school book reports and some fan mail, from M. Night Shyamalan, in her archives, which she recently sold to the New York Public Library.
Reporting & Essays
Letter from Israel
Netanyahu’s Media Poison Machine
The talk-show host Yinon Magal is at the center of a campaign to protect the Prime Minister and destroy the opposition.
Profiles
Lorne Michaels Is the Real Star of “Saturday Night Live”
He’s ruled with absolute power for five decades, forever adding to his list of oracular pronouncements—about producing TV, making comedy, and living the good life.
A Reporter at Large
How Religious Schools Became a Billion-Dollar Drain on Public Education
A nationwide movement has funnelled taxpayer money to private institutions, eroding the separation between church and state.
Shouts & Murmurs
Shouts & Murmurs
Welcome to Our First/Final Book Club
Since reading isn’t our strong suit, let’s skip talking about the book that was recommended by a hot movie star and just eat brunch.
Fiction
Fiction
“Ming”
He has won the lottery of fellowships—think of it that way and he’ll never be bothered about it again.
The Critics
A Critic at Large
Why Zora Neale Hurston Was Obsessed with the Jews
Her long-unpublished novel was the culmination of a years-long fascination. What does it reveal about her fraught views on civil rights?
Books
Does One Emotion Rule All Our Ethical Judgments?
When prehistoric predators abounded, the ability to perceive harm helped our ancestors survive. Some researchers wonder whether it fuels our greatest fights today.
On Television
The New Season of “Severance” Is All Work and No Play
The sci-fi series was hailed as a dark, timely satire of office life—but its return is bogged down by abstract ethical conundrums and rote emotional ones.
Cartoons
Puzzles & Games
The Mail
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