A High-Stakes Election in the Midwest’s “Democracy Desert”

Plus: an epidemic of teen-age fentanyl deaths in Texas; and the misery of college-admissions TikTok. View in browser | Update your preferences Tuesday, March 28, 2023 In today’s newsletter, dark money in Wisconsin, and then: • An epidemic of teen-age fentanyl deaths in Texas • The misery of college-admissions TikTok • Lana Del Rey’s new album How Wisconsin Became a “Democracy Desert” The race for control of the state’s Supreme Court could change the course of the entire country. Illustration by Matt Rota A judicial battle is under way in Wisconsin, where the state Supreme Court currently has a 4–3 conservative majority. But this could change next Tuesday, when voters decide on a replacement for the retiring conservative justice Patience Roggensack. “Wisconsin is arguably the country’s most pivotal swing state,” Dan Kaufman writes, in an alarming and deeply reported dispatch, “so the election has national implications, too.” Kaufman talks with officials and voters about how the state has transformed in the past decade, owing to redrawn district maps that have given Republicans control in areas that had previously been Democratic. Judicial elections are “increasingly dominated by dark-money groups,” Kaufman writes, and this particular race could decide a number of hot-button issues, including the fate of abortion access in the state. “For better or worse, Wisconsin seems permanently poised right on the fulcrum,” the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party said, and its shifts could potentially “affect the whole future of American democracy.” Read the story Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » From the News Desk Letter from the Southwest The Horrifying Epidemic of Teen-Age Fentanyl Deaths in a Texas County Students have overdosed during class, in bathrooms, and in an elementary-school parking lot. By Rachel Monroe Our Columnists The Particular Misery of College-Admissions TikTok A common theory of teen unhappiness says that kids these days are under an inordinate amount of pressure to compete. The evidence is all over social media. By Jay Caspian Kang The Sporting Scene The N.B.A.’s Supernova Era The more good players there are in the league, the more central the great ones have become. By Louisa Thomas Daily Comment Has Benjamin Netanyahu’s Assault on Israeli Democracy Been Stopped? In the face of mass protests, the Prime Minister has backed down from his plan to overhaul the judiciary—for now. By Bernard Avishai Tune in: On The Political Scene podcast, Jia Tolentino examines the celebrity obsession with Ozempic, the diabetes drug that has been embraced as a tool for weight loss in Hollywood. Editor’s Picks Profiles The Wild World of Music What can elephants, birds, and flamenco players teach a neuroscientist-composer about music? By Burkhard Bilger Listening Booth Lana Del Rey’s New Album Searches for Transcendence On “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” the artist asks lofty questions with an earnestness that’s sometimes sublime and sometimes a bit dippy. By Lauren Michele Jackson Culture Dept. Sketchbook The Legend of the C Train Few have seen her with their own eyes. Fewer still have ridden her. By Roz Chast Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Will Nediger Daily Shouts The Monopoly Bank Bailout Never in our nation’s history have we allowed a player to pass Go without collecting two hundred dollars, and we cannot start now. By Evan Waite and River Clegg Crossword A Moderately Challenging Puzzle Anne of “Anne of the Thousand Days”: six letters. By Anna Shechtman Daily Cartoon Tuesday, March 28th By Dan Misdea P.S. When Lana Del Rey’s fifth album, “Lust for Life,” was released, Jia Tolentino described the pop star’s “extravagant self-consciousness,” which reminded her of a line from John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing,” about how a woman is “almost continually accompanied by her own image of herself.” Today’s newsletter was written by Jessie Li. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.