Toto Wolff, the Perfectionist Behind Mercedes’s Formula 1 Team

Plus: Xi Jinping’s historic bid; an interview with Prue Leith; and Lauren Michele Jackson on Taylor Swift’s “Midnights.” View in browser | Update your preferences Sunday, October 23, 2022 The Sporting Scene Toto Wolff, the Compulsive Perfectionist Behind Mercedes’s Formula 1 Team Mercedes drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, dominated the world’s fastest motorsport for a decade. Now they can’t win a race. By Sam Knight From the News Desk Comment Xi Jinping’s Historic Bid at the Communist Party Congress In his efforts to escape the “cycles of order and disorder, rise and fall” that China’s emperors could not, is Xi himself slipping into them? By Evan Osnos Politics and More Podcast Can Kanye West Buy Free Speech? After a week of publicity stunts, the hip-hop icon has inflamed debates over the state of “cancel culture” and the future of the Republican Party. With Tyler Foggatt Editor’s Pick Listening Booth In Taylor Swift’s “Midnights,” the Easter Eggs Aren’t the Point Fans treat her every song as a decoder ring, but it’s Swift’s vocal technique that gives her new album its power. By Lauren Michele Jackson Culture Dept. The New Yorker Interview Prue Leith Can’t Resist The judge of “The Great British Bake Off” offers thoughts on British food and British politics, plus a word about the “Mexican Week” episode. By Helen Rosner The Theatre “A Little Life” Is a Little Much A stage adaptation, at BAM, crams Hanya Yanagihara’s sprawling novel into a single evening—not without some violence. By Helen Shaw Poems “The Night Nurse” “The night nurse knows my heart like no one else on earth.” By Emily Fragos Poems “Finally” “Not afterglow, / not the last / word.” By Rae Armantrout Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play the Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Liz Maynes-Aminzade Cryptic Crossword The Cryptic Puzzle Hear a wildebeest once again: four letters. By Patrick Berry Daily Shouts Raising Felix: I Used to Read Books My pursuit of knowledge in preparation for life is over! It’s too real now. By Julia Wertz Cartoons from the Issue Cartoons from the Issue Funny drawings from this week’s magazine. \ 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.