| | | | Amid cries of “rigged” elections, a short documentary shows the effect of election conspiracies in a crucial jurisdiction.  A woman shaking with rage hints at violent revolution. Another reads from the Bible, promising that the godly will walk “in the bloodstained fields of slaughtered, wicked men.” A man tells the government officials sitting in front of him, “You are the cancer that is tearing this nation apart!” In these scenes from “Denial,” a new short documentary, directed by Paul Moakley and Daniel Lombroso, we watch as Arizona residents, convinced that election conspiracies are swirling around them, vent their fury to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. And we see Supervisor Bill Gates, a lifelong Republican and the target of their anger, responding flatly to each speaker, thanking them for their comments. “Denial” follows Gates during the week leading up to the 2022 midterms, as the board in Maricopa prepares to run voting on Election Day and to later certify the results. The film captures the sense of frenzy that has surrounded what was formerly considered a bland bureaucratic exercise, and the emotional toll that it takes on one man at its center. Gates is tasked not only with helping run an election but also, somehow, placating people who, ginned up by opportunistic politicians, can never be truly satisfied. And the fight continues. As the New Yorker writer Rachel Monroe notes in an introduction to the documentary, this year, before the voting has even started, “a number of the candidates have already begun to openly question the election’s legitimacy.” Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | | | | | The Lede | Reporting and commentary on what you need to know today.  Photograph by Jim Watson / AFP / Getty If Harris wins North Carolina, capturing its sixteen electoral votes, it would be highly probable that she would win the Presidency. But no Democrat has won the state since Barack Obama, in 2008. Party strategists are hoping that with more boots on the ground—and an unpopular Republican candidate for governor—they might have a chance. Read the story » | | | | From the News Desk |  The Political Scene The Last Stand of the Rural DemocratsOnly around a million people live in Montana, but the state will likely determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. By E. Tammy Kim | | | | |  | If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up. | | | | Jay Caspian Kang | |  Illustration by Till Lauer Who are the undecided voters? “We still don’t really know who these people are,” Jay Caspian Kang writes, “despite the fact that we, as the press, have seemingly interviewed every single one of them, sometimes more than once.” Whoever they are, we’re told again and again that they will swing the election. Without knowing much, “we are left searching for their will in patterns that might very well be useless.” Read the column » Fault Lines publishes every Friday. | | | | | | The Next Style Trend | | This week’s Fall Style & Design issue includes pieces about “S.N.L.” ’s Bowen Yang, the French perfumer behind Baccarat Rouge 540, and Zendaya’s stylist. For the newsletter, we asked New Yorker staffers to predict the next “it” look. Here, from the newsletter editor Hannah Jocelyn, is today’s fashion prophecy. We’ll be bringing you more predictions through the weekend. It’s 3 a.m. You’re on the corner, leash in hand, the creature at its other end munching on a sad, sidewalk-crack grass patch. The streetlights are on and the only movement is from the rare car or fellow-zombie. You’re wearing cushioned, quilted Teva slip-ons, a gigantic flannel-lined denim shirt, yesterday’s smudgy makeup, and no pants—and it’s kind of working? The look is wee-hours-dog-walk chic. Comfort, convenience, randomness. It’s the carefree Instagram carrousel come to life—except without the curation. Just wear whatever combination of items is closest at hand. If you need an industry nudge, look to Prada, where spiffing haphazardness was the theme of its spring/summer 2025 collection; one runway outfit combined a sparkling metallic cocktail dress with a yellow rain slicker and a woven sun visor. Someone once said that, in New York, the square block around your apartment building functions as your front yard, where you’re free to be the kind of freak you’d normally only be on private property. This fall, dress like your front yard extends everywhere. | | | | Culture Dept. |  Second Read The Banned Irish Writer Who Mined the Pain and Perks of Mid-Century MasculinityYears after John McGahern became the center of a national censorship debate, his novel “The Pornographer” cast an impassive eye on death, sex, and patriarchal repression. By Jessica Winter | | | | | Fun & Games Dept. | Sketchpad White Men Can’t AccessorizeNietzsche’s kneecaps, Tesla’s caftan, and Tolstoy’s chest hair tell the story. By Barry Blitt | | Mini Crossword A Bite-size puzzleNearly two hundred of them are flown outside the U.N. headquarters: five letters. By Mollie Cowger | | Daily Cartoon Friday, September 20th By Stephen Raaka | | | | |  | Name Drop: Can you guess the identity of a notable person—contemporary or historical—in six clues? Play a quiz from our archive » | | | | | P.S. This week, David Remnick spoke with Ezra Klein about the conflict in Gaza in advance of the first anniversary of October 7th. Listen to the interview on “The Ezra Klein Show,” and revisit Remnick’s recent reporting from Israel. | | | | | | | |
