| | | | | Don Luigi Ciotti leads an anti-Mafia organization, and for decades he has run a secret operation that liberates women from the criminal underworld. Don Luigi Ciotti, a seventy-nine-year-old priest, has become a household name in Italy for his lifework as an anti-Mafia activist. But he has also been running a far less publicized side operation, helping women get away from the Mob and protecting them from the often deadly reprisals that come when someone tries to break free. For the past twenty years, he has developed an informal network of safe houses, burner phones, and coöperative policemen to assist those women who are ineligible for the country’s witness-protection program but still desperately need to escape. In remarkable reporting for this week’s issue, D. T. Max travels to Italy to meet with Ciotti and witness his clandestine operation in action. Because of his notoriety among members of the Mob, Ciotti travels in an armored car, is protected 24/7 by a security detail of five bodyguards, and never sleeps in the same place two nights in a row. Max also interviews several women who have made tentative new lives for themselves with Ciotti’s help, yet still face immense danger from husbands and other family members from their past. “Women are the generators of life,” Ciotti says, explaining why he has been drawn to this work. “In the town squares of the world, it’s the women who battle for liberty.” Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | | | | | The Lede | Reporting and commentary on what you need to know today.  Photograph by Hassan Ammar / AP Air strikes across Lebanon, on the heels of last week’s pager and walkie-talkie explosions, have left the country in a state of dread. The death toll from these incidents has reached into the hundreds and is rising, with several thousand wounded. Few in Beirut pin their hopes on U.S. mediation, given that Washington’s calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and prudence in Lebanon have been coupled with continued military, political, and diplomatic support of Israel. Rania Abouzeid, writing from Beirut, reports on whether Israel and Hezbollah are headed toward an “open-ended battle.” Read the story » | | | |  | If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up. | | | | Editor’s Pick |  Elements The Quest to Build a Telescope on the MoonIf the FarView radio telescope is built, it would double as a demonstration of two unprecedented activities: mining and manufacturing in space. By Matthew Hutson | | | | | | | Joshua Rothman | |  Illustration by Josie Norton How did Kamala Harris go from being seen as inauthentic and generic to compelling and appealing? Joshua Rothman speaks with the sociologist Julia Sonnevend about the Democratic Presidential nominee’s apparent evolution. Sonnevend attributes the change to “demasking,” “restaging,” and charm—an “everyday magic spell,” based on momentary glimpses of personality, that renders politicians “accessible, authentic and relatable in their quest for power.” Will it be enough to get her elected? Read the column » Open Questions publishes every Tuesday. | | | | Culture Dept. |  Pop Music Sophie Is Gone. Her Music Lives OnThe artist’s posthumous album is less an expression of her journey than a guide for the rest of us—a last gift. By Jia Tolentino | | | | | The Pictures Sebastian Stan’s Crash Course in Becoming TrumpAfter a long tour of duty in the Marvel universe, the Romanian-born actor is conquering the festival circuit, with starring roles in “The Apprentice” and “A Different Man.” By Alex Barasch | | | | | Fun & Games Dept. |  Crossword A Moderately Challenging Puzzle Salty chicken-piccata ingredient: six letters. By Paolo Pasco |  Daily Cartoon Tuesday, September 24th By Adam Douglas Thompson | | | | |  | 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. Sally Rooney’s new novel, “Intermezzo,” is out today. Waiting for your copy from the library? Read an excerpt and our interview with the author, on how she developed the central characters. A story of two brothers and the overlap between desire and despair, the book is well timed to the season. “Rooney’s voice is bright and crisp,” Lauren Collins wrote in 2018. “There’s something autumnal about her.” 📖 | | | | Today’s newsletter was written by Hannah Jocelyn. | | | | | | | |
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