| Our coverage of the legal, political, and historical dimensions of the case against the former President.  Photograph by Alex Wong / Getty The tragedy of the Trump era in American political life has entered its third act, David Remnick writes, with the news yesterday of the former President’s indictment by a grand jury in New York. As in the hours following Trump’s election as President, in 2016, and in the aftermath of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, in 2021, Remnick urgently lays out the continued threats that Trump and his enablers represent. With Republican politicians again falling in line behind the former President, and Trump himself warning of “death and destruction,” Remnick writes that, “once more, the American political imagination reels and the stakes for American democracy could not be higher.” The New Yorker is also covering the more practical aspects of the Trump indictment. Eric Lach spent the past week at Manhattan’s Criminal Courthouse, waiting for an announcement that began to seem unlikely—until the moment it wasn’t. And John Cassidy has broken down the possible outlines of the case against Trump, which he notes could hinge on payments made to people beyond the actress Stormy Daniels. Cassidy also explains the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s potential next steps. “By itself, falsifying business records is usually a misdemeanor,” he writes. “But if Bragg can show that Trump falsified the records in connection with another crime—making an illegal campaign contribution, let’s say—he could conceivably elevate the charge.” Among the many unresolved questions—including whether Trump is likely to face other charges in other jurisdictions—is the timing of what comes next. “With the 2024 Presidential primary season fast approaching,” Cassidy notes, “there is obviously a great deal of interest in how quickly the case would proceed.” Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | 
