The Sudden Rise of the Coronavirus Lab-Leak Theory

Plus: online test-monitoring; Congo’s cobalt rush; and the Diana interview. View in browser | Update your preferences Annals of Inquiry The Sudden Rise of the Coronavirus Lab-Leak Theory Scientists and political commentators are no longer dismissing the possibility that COVID-19 emerged from a Chinese laboratory. What changed? By Benjamin Wallace-Wells Annals of Technology Is Online Test-Monitoring Here to Stay? Despite students’ complaints and the coming return to in-person learning, Proctorio and its rivals are betting on a lucrative future. By Nora Caplan-Bricker A Reporter at Large The Dark Side of Congo’s Cobalt Rush Cell phones and electric cars rely on the mineral, causing a boom in demand. Locals are hunting for this buried treasure—but are getting almost none of the profit. By Nicolas Niarchos A Critic at Large From Guns to Gay Marriage, How Did Rights Take Over Politics? The N.R.A., the Supreme Court, and the forces driving the country’s most intractable legal debates. By Kelefa Sanneh Daily Comment The Power and Paranoia of the BBC’s Princess Diana Interview Recent revelations about how Martin Bashir’s conversation with the Princess was obtained don’t alter its emotional power. By Sam Knight Culture and More Books What the Bolinas Poets Built Along the coast of California, a vibrant literary community came together, but its many styles could not be defined together. By Dan Chiasson Spandex Dept. Reopening New York with Frat Boy Farva and Masha Slamovich The professional wrestlers at a Staten Island strip mall can now entertain audiences with body slams, face-spitting, and head-bashing with metal trash cans. By Dan Greene Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts America!: Mystical Fixes for Our Crumbling Infrastructure Vampires, giants, and demonic clowns may be our best hope. By Ali Fitzgerald Daily Cartoon Thursday, May 27th By Jason Adam Katzenstein 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.