Have Chinese Spies Infiltrated American Campuses?

Plus: Volodymyr Zelensky’s comedic courage; Putin’s genocidal war; and “Abbott Elementary” revives the sitcom. View in browser | Update your preferences Monday, March 14, 2022 In today’s newsletter: • Volodymyr Zelensky’s comedic courage • Is Putin’s war a genocide? • “Abbott Elementary” revives the sitcom Have Chinese Spies Infiltrated American Campuses? The U.S. government arrested Chinese professors, implying that they were foreign agents. The professors say that they’ve been caught up in a xenophobic panic. Illustration by Jun Cen In 2019, Franklin Tao, a chemistry professor at the University of Kansas, was awoken in his home by federal agents, who handcuffed him and hauled him to a waiting car. Tao would eventually be indicted for wire fraud and making false statements in connection with employment forms and applications for research funding—but the government had suspected him of far more serious crimes, and hoped to out him as a spy. The investigation was part of a Department of Justice operation known as the China Initiative, launched during the Trump era to counter threats of industrial and academic espionage. But, as Gideon Lewis-Kraus writes in a twisting and multilayered new story, the U.S. government, in its efforts to protect the nation’s technological supremacy, “had created a situation in which even a glancing scientific connection to China could be criminalized.” —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story The War in Ukraine Portfolio Ukrainian Refugees’ Journeys Have Just Begun In this collection of portraits from the Polish border, we see ordinary people, whose lives have been violently upended by the Russian invasion, grabbing on to comfort and weighing where to go next. Photographs by Rafał Milach Cultural Comment Volodymyr Zelensky’s Comedic Courage The Ukrainian leader shows how wit and mockery can undermine brutal authority. By Adam Gopnik Daily Comment Is It Time to Call Putin’s War in Ukraine Genocide? In international law, genocide has nothing explicitly to do with the enormity of criminal acts but, rather, of criminal intent. By Philip Gourevitch Our Columnists How Big a Threat to the U.S. Economy Is the War in Ukraine? There are more important things than inflation, such as defending democracies. But the longer the war goes on, the bigger the economic costs are likely to be. By John Cassidy Daily Comment Naftali Bennett’s Calculated Effort to Engage With Vladimir Putin on Ukraine—and Iran The Israeli Prime Minister’s government has a choice to make on two fronts—between American leadership and its own course. By Bernard Avishai Get the in-depth analysis and on-the-ground reporting you need to understand the war in Ukraine. Subscribe today » Cover Story The artist Ana Juan discusses “Motherland,” her cover for this week’s issue of the magazine, which evokes the horror of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I kept thinking about a mother’s hands,” Juan says. “When you are lost and you don’t have the words to understand the world, a mother’s hands are your shelter. It can also be the hands of a relative or, as happens during a war, the hands of a stranger.” Culture Dept. Page-Turner How It Felt to Have My Novel Stolen On the verge of selling my first book, I was scammed by a manuscript thief. My deepest insecurities about wanting to be a writer came rushing to the surface. By Peter C. Baker On Television “Bel-Air” and “Abbott Elementary” Reboot and Revive the Network Sitcom The former, on Peacock, is a humorless remake of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” while the latter, an original series by Quinta Brunson, has rejuvenated the form. By Doreen St. Félix Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Matt Jackson Daily Cartoon Monday, March 14th By Ellis Rosen Crossword A Challenging Puzzle Swift specialty: six letters. By Patrick Berry Daily Shouts Untapped “Star Wars” Spinoff Ideas “Fan Solo,” “The Rise of Background Walker,” and more. By Ward Sutton P.S. It’s Pi Day, when mathematicians “are prodded out of our burrows like Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day, blinking and bewildered by all the fuss,” as Steven Strogatz writes. Yet there is more to pi than numerical novelty and calendar tie-ins. “The beauty of pi,” he writes, “is that it puts infinity within reach.” Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.