The Limits of Joe Biden’s Calls for Press Freedom

Plus: the Met Gala; the danger of deregulating banks; and Hollywood writers go on strike. View in browser | Update your preferences Tuesday, May 2, 2023 In today’s newsletter, journalists under attack, and then: • The Met Gala’s cat-forward looks • The danger of deregulating banks • What does it mean to be the world chess champion? The Limits of Joe Biden’s Calls for Press Freedom After decades of exposing corruption in Guatemala, the journalist José Rubén Zamora has been jailed. Why can’t the U.S. help him? Photograph by Moises Castillo / AP The Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora has faced intimidation throughout his career. In 2003, men dressed as police officers broke into his house and put a gun to his head. In 2008, he was drugged and briefly kidnapped. Now he finds himself living in a small, cinder-block cell, a prisoner of the government on charges of money laundering and extortion—which he and press-freedom advocates around the world say are false allegations pursued by the Guatemalan President, Alejandro Giammattei, as a form of retribution. Zamora’s newspaper, elPeriódico, has regularly published exposés alleging corruption in Giammattei’s government. Nine current or former journalists from the paper are now under investigation; and several of Zamora’s lawyers have either been jailed or charged with crimes themselves. In a vital and stirring new Dispatch, published ahead of World Press Freedom Day, Joel Simon visits Zamora in prison and lays out why the Biden Administration—which has declared its intention to combat corruption, promote transparency, and fight autocracy abroad—has not been able to do more to agitate for the release of the hundreds of journalists currently imprisoned around the world. In March, the State Department issued a statement calling on Guatemala to reject the criminalization of journalists. But, as Zamora notes, “A tweet is not going to get me out of here.” Read the story Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » From the News Desk Our Columnists Deregulating Banks Is Dangerous As First Republic Bank is sold to JPMorgan, the Federal Reserve relearns some important lessons. By John Cassidy Editor’s Pick Notes on Hollywood Why Are TV Writers So Miserable? On the cusp of the W.G.A. strike, which began today, writers explained why no one is having much fun making television anymore. By Michael Schulman Culture Dept. On and Off the Avenue The Met Gala’s Reverential, Cat-Forward Karl Lagerfeld Looks This year’s event featured plenty of gemstones, puffy fabrics, feathers, black leather, evening gloves, and homages to the late fashion designer’s feline friend. By Rachel Syme The Sporting Scene What Does It Mean, Now, to Be the World Chess Champion? Ding Liren defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi to take the title. But the game has changed, and the old status markers may not carry the same weight they once did. By Louisa Thomas The Art World Bob Thompson’s Fraught Dance with the Old Masters Thompson was typecast as a disciple of a white, European tradition. But his art was something much stranger than homage. By Jackson Arn Under Review Catherine Lacey’s Provocative Novel in Disguise “Biography of X,” a fictional account of a shape-shifting conceptual artist, is an experiment in authorial ambiguity. By Audrey Wollen Sale Ends Tomorrow! Enjoy 15% off select items in The New Yorker Store using the code MOM15 at checkout. Valid through May 3rd. 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 A Brief History of My Life with Bangs Bangs are back? By Ali Solomon Crossword A Moderately Challenging Puzzle 2022 MacArthur Fellow with the memoir “Heavy”: eleven letters. By Natan Last Daily Cartoon Tuesday, May 2nd By Zoe Si P.S. David Byrne, a well-known two-wheel enthusiast, brought his bicycle to the Met Gala last night. But he wore white—and not one of his famous gray suits. In 2020, he explained the role that suits have played in his performances throughout the years. “You can kind of infiltrate, and you’ll get taken more seriously, maybe, if you dress like a professional,” he said. Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. 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.