Maggie Haberman, the Confidence Man’s Chronicler

Plus: Kevin McCarthy’s hollow victory, and its consequences; the editor who edited Salinger; and “Women Talking,” reviewed. View in browser | Update your preferences Saturday, January 7, 2023 Persons of Interest Maggie Haberman, the Confidence Man’s Chronicler During the Trump era, Haberman became an avatar of journalism’s promise as well as of its failures. She sees herself as a demystifier. By Katy Waldman From the News Desk Our Columnists Kevin McCarthy’s Hollow Victory Will Have Economic and Political Consequences If the new House Speaker is to get anything done, he will need to retain the support of far-right extremists. By John Cassidy Wind On Capitol Hill C-SPAN Unleashes Its Inner Scorsese The network’s coverage is usually inert—Lights! Camera! Inaction!—but endless Speaker elections have turned A.O.C., George Santos, and Kevin McCarthy into action stars. By Bruce Handy Daily Comment Netanyahu’s Government Takes a Turn Toward Theocracy The Israeli Prime Minister’s new coalition includes members who would enforce religious prohibitions over democratic liberties. By Bernard Avishai Editor’s Pick Comma Queen The Editor Who Edited Salinger The personal archive of Gus Lobrano, a longtime editor at The New Yorker, provides a glimpse of a vanished literary past. By Mary Norris Books We Recommend This Week Reviews of notable new fiction and nonfiction. If Walls Could Speak, by Moshe Safdie (Atlantic Monthly). This richly detailed autobiography by the renowned architect weaves together memoir, a tour of select projects, and philosophical meditations. Buy now on Amazon or Bookshop. The Island of Extraordinary Captives, by Simon Parkin (Scribner). Between 1940 and 1945, as Great Britain warded off a Nazi invasion, it imposed a cruel irony at home: fearing domestic German sympathizers, authorities imprisoned thousands of “enemy aliens”—many of them Jewish refugees who had fled Hitler’s persecution. Parkin’s account is testimony to human fortitude despite callous, hypocritical injustice. Buy now on Amazon or Bookshop. Dr. No, by Percival Everett (Graywolf). Professor Wala Kitu is a specialist in nothing. At the outset of this waggish novel, he has been hired by a billionaire with the “idiotic” goal of becoming a Bond villain, who needs help breaking into Fort Knox—not for the gold, but to steal an empty box. Buy now on Amazon or Bookshop. No One Left to Come Looking for You, by Sam Lipsyte (Simon & Schuster). In this novel, set in 1993, a bassist in his early twenties sporting the stage name Jack Shit investigates the disappearance of his drug-addled bandmate and his stolen Fender. Buy now on Amazon or Bookshop. The best books of 2022 What are you reading this week? Reply to let us know. Culture Dept. Fiction “Notions of the Sacred” “I thought of the face of the Virgin Mother in scenes of the Annunciation, and had a new understanding of her inward gaze, at once present and far away.” By Ayşegül Savaş This Week in Fiction Ayşegül Savaş on the Mystery of Pregnancy The author discusses “Notions of the Sacred,” her story from the latest issue of the magazine. By Cressida Leyshon The Front Row “Women Talking,” Reviewed: A Sublime Script, a Merely Very Good Movie Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’s novel doesn’t entirely do justice to its powerful source material. By Richard Brody Tables for Two Kwame Onwuachi’s Electric Tatiana, at Lincoln Center At a new restaurant in David Geffen Hall, the young Black chef delivers an autobiographical menu, with riffs on the food of his ancestors. By Hannah Goldfield Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play the Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Will Nediger Daily Shouts What to Do About Your Noisy Neighbors Try pounding on the wall. Show up at their door—covered in fake blood. By Marc Philippe Eskenazi Shouts & Murmurs And the Lord Said, “You’ve Got a Time-Out, Mister” Was banishment from the Garden too tough a punishment for Adam and Eve? And other parental conundrums. By Simon Rich 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.