Will Wisconsin’s Republicans Make Voting Meaningless?

Plus: the Fed struggles to understand a crazy economy; how undersea Internet cables detect earthquakes; and Joni Mitchell’s gifts. View in browser | Update your preferences Tuesday, July 26, 2022 In today’s newsletter, the war on voting, and then: • The Fed faces a crazy economy • How undersea cables detect earthquakes • Do we want what the algorithm is selling? Will Wisconsin’s Republicans Make Voting Meaningless, or Just Difficult? Activists are combining voter suppression with election conspiracies to capture the state in 2022. Photograph by Erinn Springer for The New Yorker “Do they realize what the alternatives are to a functioning democracy?” That’s Claire Woodall-Vogg, the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, speaking to Dan Kaufman about the Republican officials pursuing chilling attacks on voting rights in Wisconsin ahead of this year’s gubernatorial election. Woodall-Vogg has received hundreds of threats since 2020, when Joe Biden won the state by nearly twenty-one thousand votes, out of 3.3 million cast. Despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud, Kaufman writes, “more than sixty per cent of the state’s Republicans now believe the election was stolen, a figure that both reflects the persistent attacks on Wisconsin’s election infrastructure and creates a justification for escalating them.” This circular logic has spun up a fervent coalition dedicated to taking over election administration and making it harder to vote—in Wisconsin and beyond. —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » From the News Desk Our Columnists The Fed Is Struggling to Understand a Crazy Economy The models that economists have long relied on to analyze inflation have broken down since the coronavirus pandemic began. By John Cassidy Elements Undersea Internet Cables Can Detect Earthquakes—and May Soon Warn of Tsunamis A trick of the light is helping scientists turn optical fibres into potential disaster detectors. By Jeffrey Marlow Cultural Comment Shinzo Abe’s Assassin and Japan’s Complicated Spirituality The country’s so-called new religions have caused a disproportionate amount of turmoil. By Hiroko Yoda Editor’s Pick The Desperate Lives Inside Ukraine’s “Dead Cities” Photograph by Daniel Berehulak for The New Yorker Read Luke Mogelson’s reporting from the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, where Russia has been mounting a ferocious attack on the civilian population since April. The staff writer Emily Nussbaum calls Mogelson’s story “the most powerful piece of journalism I’ve ever read.” Culture Dept. Infinite Scroll The Age of Algorithmic Anxiety Interacting online today means being besieged by system-generated recommendations. Do we want what the machines tell us we want? By Kyle Chayka Afterword The Man Who Would Be a Machine Peter Scott-Morgan had A.L.S. and hoped that, by using himself as a test subject, he could help the cause of others. By Susan Orlean The Front Row “Nope” Is One of the Great Movies About Moviemaking Jordan Peele’s latest, a science-fiction Western, embodies the moral and spiritual implications of cinematic representation—and exploitation. By Richard Brody Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Will Nediger Daily Shouts These New “Book” Things Are Going to Ruin Society I don’t wish to sound backward, but Gutenberg’s creation is the worst thing to happen to civilization since Copernicus lied about the sun. By Julien Darmoni Crossword A Moderately Challenging Puzzle Greek goddess who threw the Apple of Discord: four letters. By Patrick Berry Daily Cartoon Tuesday, July 26th By Jason Adam Katzenstein P.S. Joni Mitchell returned to the stage with a surprise appearance this past weekend at the Newport Folk Festival. Mitchell, who is seventy-eight, told “CBS Mornings” that she had taught herself to play the guitar again, after surviving a brain aneurysm, in 2015. For more, read Dan Chiasson’s lovely essay on her life and work, in which he writes that Michell’s “gift was so enormous that it remade the social space around her.” And it still does. 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.