The W.N.B.A.’s Big, Complicated Moment

Plus: Beyoncé’s “Black Is King”; a hot new language game; and how TikTok holds our attention. View in browser | Update your preferences Persons of Interest Nneka Ogwumike and the W.N.B.A.’s Big, Complicated Moment Amid a global pandemic and nationwide protests, the W.N.B.A. is playing basketball in a bubble. Ogwumike is trying to make sure it succeeds. By Louisa Thomas Culture and More Culture Desk Beyoncé’s Knowing Ethnic Splendor in “Black Is King” The “visual album” does not attempt to provide cultural lessons but, rather, invitations to awesome delights. By Lauren Michele Jackson Letter from the U.K. The Laughing-Gas Wars of London Whatever the reason—ostentatious littering, the mad desire for a furtive lockdown high—nitrous-oxide cannisters are ubiquitous in London this summer. By Anna Russell Comma Queen Stet!, the Hot New Language Game A card game based on “Dreyer’s English” and other matters of grammatical interest. By Mary Norris Watch The Ongoing Relevance of “Norma Rae” Viewed today, the 1979 movie, starring Sally Field, is most striking in its suggestion that no struggle can take place alone. By Naomi Fry PAID POST One of the most anticipated books of summer Both an ode to our threatened world and a breathtaking page-turner, Migrations is about a woman chasing the world’s last birds—and her own final chance for redemption. From the Archive Brave New World Dept. How TikTok Holds Our Attention The Chinese-owned short-video app has come under scrutiny recently, and Trump has tried to intervene in its operations in the U.S. From 2019: TikTok doesn’t ask you to pretend that you’re on the Internet for a good reason. By Jia Tolentino American Chronicles The Fight to Redefine Racism In “How to Be an Antiracist,” Ibram X. Kendi argues that we should think of “racist” not as a pejorative but as a simple, widely encompassing term of description. As the word “racist” becomes more capacious, will it lose its power? By Kelefa Sanneh Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts New Kinds of Surprise Health-Care Billing A hospital administrator drives by your house and throws a brick with a medical bill wrapped around it through your window, and more. By David Guzman Daily Cartoon Tuesday, August 4th By Millie von Platen 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.