"Ad Astra" Is James Gray's Biggest Production Yet

Plus: the moral quandaries of humanitarian intervention, and Trump's war on expertise. View in browser | Update your preferences Profiles James Gray’s Journey from the Outer Boroughs to Outer Space “Ad Astra,” starring Brad Pitt, is the filmmaker’s biggest production yet. Is it also his most personal? By Nathan Heller Annals of Diplomacy The Moral Logic of Humanitarian Intervention During Samantha Powers’s years in the Obama White House, it became clear that benevolent motives can have calamitous results. By Dexter Filkins Campaign Chronicles The Last Governor in the Presidential Race Steve Bullock, whose bid is centered on a pledge to reform campaign finance, watched Thursday’s Presidential debate from a gastropub. By Eren Orbey Our Columnists Trump Wages War on Government and Expertise In the President’s eyes, procedure exists only to thwart him, and experts only complicate things. By Masha Gessen News Desk Hurricane Dorian Was a Climate Injustice Small Island Developing States such as the Bahamas are on the front lines of climate-change disasters and have little power to reverse the crisis on their own. By Bernard Ferguson PAID POST Can the world control the technology it creates? From Microsoft’s president, a new book on the impact of AI, the rise of cyberattacks, threats to digital privacy, and more. Culture and More Personal History How I Learned to Cycle Like a Dutchman In the bike-friendly Netherlands, cyclists speed down the road without fearing cars. For an American, the prospect is thrilling—and terrifying. By Dan Kois Photo Booth A View of Jazz Music’s Private Side The photographs of Francis Wolff preserve precious moments of some of the greatest musicians at work on some of the most enduring recordings. By Richard Brody Culture Desk The Blazing Path and Legacy of Raul Julia A new documentary, “Raul Julia: The World’s a Stage,” explores the life of the late actor, who opened a door for the Hispanic performers who followed him. By Michael Schulman Puzzles Dept. The Weekend Crossword Star of “Denial,” “Disobedience,” and “Definitely, Maybe”: eleven letters. By Elizabeth C. Gorski Fiction Fiction “Harbor” “It had been months since I had seen the sea, a year, and I was hungry for it.” By Garth Greenwell Humor from The New Yorker Blitt’s Kvetchbook Our Intrepid Cartoonist Takes on the Democratic Debate Live-drawing while on ayahuasca. By Barry Blitt Daily Shouts The Power of Imagining Ten Thousand Dollars Three years ago, I could barely think about ten dollars a day, let alone ten thousand. But then suddenly everything changed. By Ellis Rosen Sign up for more newsletters from The New Yorker. Visit The New Yorker shop. Question about your subscription? Contact Customer Care. New Yorker digital subscribers get unlimited access to everything on newyorker.com. Log in to your account here. We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions to TNYinbox@newyorker.com. This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, NewYorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2019. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.