What Kevin McCarthy Will Do to Gain Power

Plus: Argentina vs. France was the best World Cup final ever; Iran detains its most celebrated actress; and the Cartoons & Puzzles Issue. View in browser | Update your preferences Monday, December 19, 2022 In today’s newsletter, hurdles for the Speaker-in-waiting, and then: • The best World Cup final ever seen • Iran detains its most celebrated actress • Games and gags in the Cartoons & Puzzles Issue What Kevin McCarthy Will Do to Gain Power The Republican leader’s ambition has always been his defining characteristic. Attempting to placate both Trumpists and moderates may lead to his downfall. Illustration by Barry Blitt “It’s easy to imagine a scenario in which Kevin McCarthy was the Republican hero of 2022,” Jonathan Blitzer writes, in a revealing Profile in this week’s issue on the “telegenic and celebrity-obsessed” G.O.P. leader and his long quest to become Speaker of the House. As it stands—after the “red wave” predicted for the midterms never materialized—“the Speaker’s race is McCarthy’s to lose, and yet he could lose it still.” Blitzer’s reporting takes him from the Capitol to McCarthy’s home town of Bakersville, California, where he speaks with the congressman’s classmates, colleagues, and mentors, some of whom are questioning who he has become and what he stands for. “His main strength has always been his malleability,” Blitzer writes. “There are no red lines, core policy beliefs, or inviolable principles, just a willingness to adapt to the moods of his conference.” McCarthy is one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters among the establishment, and, as the Republican Party has become increasingly fractured, he has constantly negotiated and renegotiated his position. “Everyone knows the joke,” a former House staffer said. “All Kevin McCarthy cares about is Kevin McCarthy.” —Jessie Li, newsletter editor Read the story Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » From the News Desk Replay Argentina vs. France Was the Best World Cup Final I’ve Ever Seen From Lionel Messi’s penalty kick to Kylian Mbappé’s hat trick, the match was stuffed with so many remarkable incidents, so much tension, such dramatic momentum swings, such joy. By Ed Caesar Daily Comment Iran Detains Its Most Celebrated Actress Taraneh Alidoosti is the latest prominent figure to be arrested, as the regime faces the most serious challenge to its rule since it took power in 1979. By Dexter Filkins Culture Dept. 2022 in Review The Best New Yorker Photos of 2022 Many of the magazine’s most memorable images this year made work of subverting the familiar. By The New Yorker Cultural Comment Jonah Hill, Selena Gomez, and the Rise of Celebrity Vulnerability Today’s young stars place their mental health front and center in a way that feels new. By Carrie Battan Cover Story Rejoice: The New Yorker’s annual Cartoons & Puzzles Issue is here! The artist Chris Ware talks about how he turned his animated cover, “Ups and Downs,” into a game of its own—and whether he even likes puzzles in the first place. “I guess I’m just one of those people who finds life puzzling enough as is,” Ware says. For the rest of us, there are more than a dozen great games to try—and, this year, they can be played online. Let the fun begin! More from the Cartoons & Puzzles Issue Comic Strip Roz and Emily Eat Their Way Through Midwood Our first stop: a cheese Danish. Can’t skip breakfast. By Roz Chast and Emily Flake Puzzles & Games Dept. There Goes the Neighborhood Piece together the jigsaw puzzle, or face the monsters’ wrath. Bonus points if you can spot the eight famous New York City buildings scattered throughout the image. By Edward Steed Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Matt Jackson Daily Shouts America!: Hallmark Launches New Line of True-Crime Christmas Specials “Cinnamon Shakedown,” “The Knife Before Christmas,” and more new holiday classics. By Ali Fitzgerald Crossword A Challenging Puzzle Hudgens’s “High School Musical” co-star: five letters. By Anna Shechtman Daily Cartoon Monday, December 19th By Brendan Loper P.S. Could Jack have fit on the floating debris with Rose? Twenty-five years after “Titanic” was released, fans continue to debate the film’s controversial drowning scene. Now the filmmaker, James Cameron, is reportedly looking to settle the argument, “once and for all,” using scientific research in an upcoming documentary. Spoiler: “There was no way they both could have survived,” he told Postmedia. In 1997, Anthony Lane called the three-and-a-half-hour drama “the least boring movie of the year,” and noted, “At the close of the century, Cameron is pushing at cinema much as D. W. Griffith did at the start—raising the stakes of the spectacular, outwitting the intellect, and heading straight for the guts.” 🌊 Today’s newsletter was written by Jessie Li. 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.