Alena Smith’s Subversive “Dickinson”

Plus: America’s embarrassing COVID-19 response, Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and Julien Baker. View in browser | Update your preferences Persons of Interest Alena Smith’s Subversive “Dickinson” The show seemed like a modern riff on a beloved poet. After two seasons, it looks more like a radical reading of the poems themselves. By Katy Waldman The Political Scene The Good, the Bad, and the Embarrassing in America’s COVID-19 Response Were Americans too unruly, or did elected officials expect too little of them? By Benjamin Wallace-Wells The New Yorker Interview Shaka King Grapples with Hollywood and History The director of “Judas and the Black Messiah” discusses what he owes to the Black Panther Party, and to the Black filmmakers who came before him. By Jelani Cobb Our Columnists Why Won’t Amnesty Call Alexey Navalny a Prisoner of Conscience? The recent change appears to be the result of a pressure campaign that got the organization trapped in its own scruples. By Masha Gessen The New Yorker Documentary Caring for Plants, and a Marriage Listening to your plants may be easier than listening to your loved ones, “Noble Planta,” a short documentary about a long partnership, suggests. By Nathan Burstein Culture and More Pop Music Julien Baker’s Songs of Addiction and Redemption On her new album, “Little Oblivions,” it is sometimes hard to tell whether Baker is singing about drug use or love. By Amanda Petrusich The Pictures Framing the Wide-Open Spaces of “Nomadland” The cinematographer Joshua James Richards logged some van life with his partner, the director Chloé Zhao, in preparation for her new film with Frances McDormand. By Dana Goodyear Man’s Best Friend Sniffing Out COVID for the Miami Heat Dogs have been trained to detect everything from bedbugs to bombs. Now they can tell if you’ve got the coronavirus. By Adam Iscoe Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts Grammar Tips from a Thirty-Eight-Year-Old with an English Degree For professional wordsmiths and those simply hoping to make their daily correspondence more polished. By Reuven Perlman Daily Cartoon Thursday, February 25th By Colin Tom You're receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Was this e-mail forwarded to you? Sign up. Unsubscribe | Manage your e-mail preferences | Send newsletter feedback | View our Privacy Policy Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.