Maraú Península: My Mother, the Gambler

A photo of the writer Victor Lodato as a baby, with his parents and his older brother, in New Jersey.

My Mother, the Gambler

For a long time, I didn’t know that what my mother was doing—playing the so-called Italian lottery—was illegal. She certainly didn’t look like a criminal.

By Victor Lodato

From the News Desk

A photo of the front of the U.S. Supreme Court Building, pictured from an angle.

Comment

The Supreme Court Needs Fixing, but How?

President Biden has proposed radical changes to the Court. Reviewing them is a reminder of why reform is so hard, despite dissatisfaction and a wealth of ideas.

By Amy Davidson Sorkin

A photo of a person wearing a shirt that reads “ARAB AMERICANS FOR TRUMP,” during the final night of the Republican National Convention.

Q. & A.

Inside Donald Trump’s Effort to Woo Arab Americans

Will voters fed up with Biden’s approach to Gaza turn to a man who once called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”?

By Isaac Chotiner

An illustration of the flags of Palestine and Israel intersecting over a dotted outline of the West Bank.

The New Yorker Radio Hour

Israel’s Other Intractable Conflict

The writer Nathan Thrall and the lawyer Raja Shehadeh on the occupation of the West Bank, and whether there can be any prospect for peace.

With David Remnick

If you know someone who would enjoy the Daily, please share it. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up.

An illustration of two people riding a tandem bicycle.

The Paris Olympics

A photo of LeBron James and Stephen Curry, of Team U.S.A., celebrating during the game against South Sudan at the 2024 Olympics, in Paris.

The Sporting Scene

U.S.A. Basketball Is Still an Awkward Fit at the Olympics

The team probably has too much talent to lose. Still, turning twelve superstars into a selfless whole may be an impossible task.

By Louisa Thomas

A photo of sprinters crossing the finish line during the women’s one-hundred-metre final at the 2024 Olympics, in Paris.

The Sporting Scene

A Universe in Ten Seconds

At the Paris Olympics, the drama of the women’s hundred-metre races culminated in swift, decisive endings.

By Hanif Abdurraqib

An illustration of a book with a knife sliced through the spine, with fallen paper shavings.

Editor’s Pick

Collage illustration of stills from the 1979 film A Little Romance

Personal History

Under the Bridge of Sighs

On watching—and rewatching—“A Little Romance,” George Roy Hill’s late-seventies classic teen-age love story.

By David Gilbert

An illustration of three books on a windowsill with an eye and a cloud appearing through the window.

Culture Dept.

A surreal illustration of a possum lying down among abstract trees.

Fiction

“Clay”

He was pointing something at her. A gun. Her gun?

By Caleb Crain

A photo of Caleb Crain in blue. The background has some cursive writing on a red background.

This Week in Fiction

Caleb Crain on Whether Violence Always Wins

The author discusses his story “Clay.”

By Willing Davidson

An illustration of an open book with an orange cover.

Fifty Days of Flash Fiction

A silhouette of a woman made from coffee spills on the floor.

Flash Fiction

“Gravity”

She wanted to feel sorry for the neighbor and say how horrible it was and how she must have really been suffering, but all that came out was anger.

By Etgar Keret

An illustration of a crossword puzzle wrapped around the arms of a person.

Fun & Games Dept.

Person running upside down, with her hands as feet.

Shouts & Murmurs

My New Thing

My new thing is doing everything kind of both thanks to and despite myself.

By Riane Konc

A top hat with long legs on a beige background.

Name Drop: Can you guess the identity of a notable person—contemporary or historical—in six clues? Play our trivia game »

P.S. Barack Obama turns sixty-three today. In 1996, Mariana Cook visited Barack and Michelle Obama in Hyde Park as part of a photography project on couples in America. “It’s that tension between familiarity and mystery that makes for something strong,” Obama told Cook, about Michelle, “because, even as you build a life of trust and comfort and mutual support, you retain some sense of surprise or wonder about the other person.”