This Week’s Issue: David Remnick on Mavis Staples—the Delights of Foley Sound Effects—Annie Proulx on Preserving Wetlands

Plus: Anthony Lane on “Elvis”; and Alex Ross on the Ojai Festival. View in browser | Update your preferences Comment We’re Not Going Back to the Time Before Roe. We’re Going Somewhere Worse We are entering an era not just of unsafe abortions but of the widespread criminalization of pregnancy. By Jia Tolentino Cover Story “House Divided” This week’s cover artist, Chris Ware, discusses America’s fractured present and his fears for the future. By Françoise Mouly Reporting and Commentary Profiles The Gospel According to Mavis Staples A legendary singer on faith, loss, and a family legacy. By David Remnick Letter from Budapest Does Hungary Offer a Glimpse of Our Authoritarian Future? American conservatives recently hosted their flagship conference in Hungary, a country that experts call an autocracy. By Andrew Marantz Onward and Upward with the Arts The Weird, Analog Delights of Foley Sound Effects E.T. was jello in a T-shirt. The Mummy was scratchy potpourri. For Foley artists, deception is an essential part of the enterprise. By Anna Wiener Annals of Nature Swamps Can Protect Against Climate Change, If We Only Let Them Wetlands absorb carbon dioxide and buffer the excesses of drought and flood, yet we’ve drained much of this land. Can we learn to love our swamps? By Annie Proulx The Critics The Current Cinema How “Elvis” Plays the King Baz Luhrmann’s film, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, shows a revolutionary musician being absorbed into the mainstream, but does it critique that process or continue it? By Anthony Lane The Theatre Harmonic Lightscapes in Two Furtively Spiritual Plays In both Will Arbery’s “Corsicana” and Brian Watkins’s “Epiphany,” the terror of love and the agonies of belief are illuminated by the sensitive lighting design of Isabella Byrd. By Vinson Cunningham Books Modern Art and the Esteem Machine Picasso was a joke. Then he was a god. How did his art finally take off in America? By Louis Menand Musical Events Anything Goes at the Ojai Festival This year’s musical gathering was more freewheeling than ever. By Alex Ross Humor from The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs Missed Connections, 1/7/21 You were wearing a tactical vest and climbing onto a statue of Gerald Ford when our eyes met amid the screaming. Meet for coffee? By Mike O’Brien Cartoons from the Issue Cartoons from the Issue Funny drawings from this week’s magazine. Crossword A Challenging Puzzle Major Tom and Ziggy Stardust, for two: nine letters. By Elizabeth C. Gorski Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Will Nediger 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 This Week's Issue 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.