The Magazine
March 17, 2025
Goings On
Goings On
Othership, the SoulCycle of Spas
Plus: Photographs of labor and solidarity at I.C.P., the Roots bring jazz rap to the Blue Note, the unstoppable Twyla Tharp, and more.
The Talk of the Town
Dhruv Khullar on Trump’s war on science; robot chefs; Whoopi’s shoe collection; John Larroquette’s night in court; a doorman.
Brave New World
Can Artificial Intelligence Stir-Fry?
Ed Zitron, an A.I. skeptic worried about “rot-com” in the tech industry, gives robot-fried chicken a try.
Shoe-In
Whoopi Goldberg’s Shoe-and-Tell
The “View” host gives a private tour of her two hundred and eighty-eight pairs, from glittery Dr. Martens to banana-peel heels.
The Real Thing
“Night Court” Goes to Night Court
With the reboot of the beloved sitcom in its third season, John Larroquette, its star, finds that the show’s Burbank set is as dingy as the real thing in downtown Manhattan.
In or Out Dept.
New York’s Pickiest Doorman Gets a Piece of the Action
Frankie Carattini has worked the door for Baz Luhrmann, Stella McCartney, and Anne Hathaway (and he once turned away Cuba Gooding, Jr.). Now he brings his “encyclopedia of faces” to bear at People’s, a new club downtown.
Comment
Trump’s Agenda Is Undermining American Science
Research funded by the federal government has found useful expression in many of the defining technologies of our time. This Administration threatens that progress.
Reporting & Essays
Our Local Correspondents
The Case of the Missing Elvis
When a kitschy bust of the King was swiped from the East Village restaurant where it had lived for thirty-seven years, the theft ignited a fight over the soul of downtown.
Annals of Real Estate
What Do We Buy Into When We Buy a Home?
Homeownership, long a cherished American ideal, has become the subject of black comedies, midlife-crisis novels, and unintentionally dystopic reality TV.
The Political Scene
The Unchecked Authority of Greg Abbott
The Texas governor gained national attention by busing migrants to Democratic cities. Jonathan Blitzer reports on how he’s paving the way for President Trump’s mass-deportation campaign.
Letter from Sweden
Zyn and the New Nicotine Gold Rush
White snus pouches were designed to help Swedish women quit cigarettes. They’ve become a staple for American dudes.
Takes
Takes
Louisa Thomas on John Updike’s “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu”
The article, about Ted Williams’s final game, was described as the best piece about baseball The New Yorker ever printed—which, Updike later allowed, was small praise.
Shouts & Murmurs
Shouts & Murmurs
Prayers for Everyday Life
Good God Almighty, Holy, and Merciful, how do you get these tear-off produce bags to open?
Fiction
Fiction
“Techniques and Idiosyncrasies”
It’s astonishing, Lilian often thought, that people feel this urge to talk about themselves with a stranger, however much or little they have lived.
The Critics
Books
How the Red Scare Reshaped American Politics
At its height, the political crackdown felt terrifying and all-encompassing. What can we learn from how the movement unfolded—and from how it came to an end?
Books
Briefly Noted
“A Matter of Complexion,” “The Moral Circle,” “The Boyhood of Cain,” and “Theory & Practice.”
Books
What Made the Irish Famine So Deadly
The Great Hunger was a modern event, shaped by the belief that the poor are the authors of their own misery and that the market must be obeyed at all costs.
The Art World
Should We View Tatlin as a Russian Constructivist or a Ukrainian?
In “Tatlin: Kyiv,” at the Ukrainian Museum, the revolutionary artist—a star of the avant-garde while the Soviet Union still permitted one—is Volodymyr, not Vladimir.
Dancing
Akram Khan’s “Gigenis” Mines the Drama of Indian Classical Dance
In a piece loosely inspired by the Mahabharata, performers from various traditions enact a dance that feels like a collective ritual of mourning.
Musical Events
Two Young Pianists Test Their Limits
Yunchan Lim tackles Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and Seong-Jin Cho presents a Ravel marathon.
The Current Cinema
“Eephus” Is as Surprising as the Baseball Pitch It’s Named For
In Carson Lund’s stylistically innovative directorial début, two amateur teams say farewell to a beloved field—but will their game yield a result?
Poems
Poems
“One Vessel”
“I’ve had the time of my life, friends, / living quietly like a snail in a pocket.”
Cartoons
Puzzles & Games
The Mail
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