How Did I Catch the Coronavirus?

Plus: Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste”; Trump’s priorities; and Bill Buford on how the French make rice. View in browser | Update your preferences Personal History How Did I Catch the Coronavirus? For the majority of the nearly five million COVID-19 cases across the United States, the point of infection is unknown. By Carolyn Kormann News & Culture Books Isabel Wilkerson’s World-Historical Theory of Race and Caste By comparing white supremacy in the U.S. to the caste system in India, her new book at once illuminates and collapses a complex history. By Sunil Khilnani Letter from Trump’s Washington “Mr. President, What Are Your Priorities?” Is Not a Tough Question Trump is running for reëlection, but, unlike four years ago, he can’t even say why. By Susan B. Glasser Annals of Technology How Vulnerable Is G.P.S.? An engineering professor has proved—and exploited—its vulnerabilities. By Greg Milner Daily Comment It Really Is Time to Get Rid of the Filibuster It is true that the Framers intended the Senate to be a slower-moving institution than the House, but there is no evidence that they wanted legislative paralysis. By Jeffrey Toobin News Desk When Pete Hamill Was Editor of the Daily News When the newsroom rumors began to circulate that Hamill was on thin ice, the staff put together a petition demanding that he remain. The publishers were unimpressed. By Tom Robbins Daily Comment North Dakota Oil Workers Are Learning to Tend Wind Turbines In many ways, clean energy produces jobs as good as those in the oil fields, where boom-and-bust cycles make stability hard. By Bill McKibben PAID POST “A vital exploration of queerness around the globe.” —Samantha Allen Eye-opening, heartfelt, expertly researched, and compellingly narrated, The Pink Line is a monumental—and urgent—journey of unprecedented scope into twenty-first-century identity, seen through the border posts along the world’s new LGBTQ+ frontiers. Kitchen Notes Kitchen Notes How the French Make Rice Lyonnais rice pilaf is made in the oven, and it achieves a surprisingly delicate puffy texture, as if it has been gently but moistly roasted. By Bill Buford Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts Part of the Problem If we’re ever going to heal this nation, we need to start having uncomfortable conversations about why I burn things. By Evan Waite Daily Cartoon Friday, August 7th By Yasin Osman This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To insure delivery, we recommend adding newyorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your contacts, while noting that it is a no-reply address. Please send all newsletter feedback to tnyinbox@newyorker.com. For more from The New Yorker, sign up for our newsletters, shop the store, and sign in to newyorker.com, where subscribers always have unlimited access. Contact us with questions. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.