This Week’s Issue: What Is Happening to the Republicans?

Jelani Cobb on the G.O.P.’s tenuous future. Plus: New York’s year of COVID, the shooter Malibu refused to see, and Octavia E. Butler. View in browser | Update your preferences The Political Scene What Is Happening to the Republicans? In becoming the party of Trump, the G.O.P. confronts the kind of existential crisis that has destroyed American parties in the past. By Jelani Cobb Comment New York’s Year of COVID There is plenty to be anxious about as people emerge from their pandemic confinement. But here in the city there are green shoots. By Nick Paumgarten A Reporter at Large The Rise of Made-in-China Diplomacy While political leaders trade threats, the pandemic has made Americans even more reliant on China’s manufacturers. By Peter Hessler Dept. of Business When Investment Firms Acquire Trailer Parks The financial industry’s pursuit of profits from mobile-home communities is undermining affordable housing. By Sheelah Kolhatkar Letter from Malibu A Shooter in the Hills Who was behind the mysterious attacks in the California wilderness? By Dana Goodyear A Critic at Large How Octavia E. Butler Reimagines Sex and Survival The parasites, hybrids, and vampires of her science fiction make the price of persisting viscerally real. By Julian Lucas Books How Much of Your Stuff Belongs to Big Tech? In the digital era, the old rule book on ownership doesn’t work anymore. But beware of what’s replacing it. By Elizabeth Kolbert On Television Queen Latifah Obliterates Trumps n’ Musks in “The Equalizer” The crime procedural is a gimme for those who’d die to have this therapeutic queen dismantle racial capitalism in one fell girl-boss swoop. By Doreen St. Félix Pop Music Genre Is Disappearing. What Comes Next? As record stores close and streaming algorithms dominate, the identities that music fandom supplies are in flux. By Amanda Petrusich Newsletters Sign Up for The New Yorker’s Books & Fiction Newsletter Book recommendations, fiction, poetry, and dispatches from the world of literature, twice a week. Humor from The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs Macmuffin: A Tragedy Bubble, bubble, rat hair and stubble! By Jay Martel Cartoons From The Issue Cartoons from the Issue Drawings and drollery from this week’s magazine. You're receiving this e-mail because you signed up for This Week's Issue 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.