This Week’s Issue: How a Fringe Legal Theory Became a Threat to Democracy

Plus: how Marvel swallowed Hollywood; and a short story by George Saunders. View in browser | Update your preferences Letter from North Carolina How a Fringe Legal Theory Became a Threat to Democracy Lawyers tried to use the independent-state-legislature theory to sway the outcomes of the 2000 and 2020 elections. What if it were to become the law of the land? By Andrew Marantz This Week’s Cover Cover Story “The Look of Pride” The artist of this week’s cover, Sasha Velour, discusses gender, self-expression, and how drag can be an antidote to shame. By Françoise Mouly Shop covers from The New Yorker in the Condé Nast Store » Reporting and Commentary Personal History A Mother’s Exchange for Her Daughter’s Future Two lives bound into one story by immigration and illness. By Jiayang Fan Onward and Upward with the Arts How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Swallowed Hollywood Robert Redford, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Rudd, and Angela Bassett now disappear into movies whose plots can come down to “Keep glowy thing away from bad guy.” By Michael Schulman Life and Letters The Writer Who Insists He Knew Tennessee Williams James Grissom says that he met the playwright and his famous muses, and quoted them extensively in his work. Not everyone believes him. By Helen Shaw Comment Child Labor Is on the Rise State legislatures across the country are making it easier to hire minors in low-paid and dangerous jobs. By William Finnegan The Critics Books Economists Love Immigration. Why Do So Many Americans Hate It? In a democracy, a policy appraisal has to contend with political as well as economic consequences. By Idrees Kahloon Books The Afterlives of Susan Taubes Her suicide, on publication of her first novel, made her an icon of doomed femininity, but rediscovered works are revealing a more complex writer. By Merve Emre The Current Cinema Celine Song’s “Past Lives” Is a Calm but Moving Début This story of childhood friends from Seoul who reunite as adults in New York is less a love story than a meditation on transplantation and transience. By Anthony Lane Books The Perils and Potential of the Runaway Imagination In “Owlish,” Dorothy Tse’s dreamlike début novel, a lonely professor falls in love with a mechanical ballerina. By Katy Waldman Fiction from the Issue Fiction “Thursday” “What a strange, uncomfortable thrill it was, being judged from within by someone not oneself.” By George Saunders Humor from The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs A Network Executive Writes a Sitcom FRANKLIN (portly, non-SAG) is foiled by his battle-axe mother-in-law. (Standing ovation from studio audience for the show’s brave pro-management stance.) By Teddy Wayne Cartoons from the Issue Cartoons from the Issue Funny drawings from this week’s magazine. Crossword A Challenging Puzzle Sandwich sometimes made with pâté: six letters. By Natan Last Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Andy Kravis Newsletters Sign Up for the New Yorker Recommends Newsletter Discover what our staff is reading, watching, and listening to each week. More from The New Yorker The Sporting Scene Nikola Jokić Got Here Patiently The Denver Nuggets and their M.V.P. big man took their time getting to the N.B.A. Finals. It paid off. By Louisa Thomas The Weekend Essay The Lows of the High Life I had never had money, and then I did. For three days in New York, I learned how not to use it. By Andre Dubus III 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 This Week's Issue 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.