The Crosstalk Chaos of the Second Republican Debate

Plus: how NASA brought an asteroid to Earth; the Metropolitan Opera’s “Dead Man Walking”; and our Critics at Large podcast takes on Elon Musk. View in browser | Update your preferences Thursday, September 28, 2023 In today’s newsletter, the frozen G.O.P., and then: • How NASA brought an asteroid to Earth • The Metropolitan Opera’s “Dead Man Walking” • Our Critics at Large podcast takes on Elon Musk The Crosstalk Chaos of the Second Republican Debate The event, which was billed as a chance for Donald Trump’s rivals to change their fortunes, only reinforced the problems with their candidacies. Photograph by Robyn Beck / Getty “Thank you for speaking while I’m interrupting.” That was a line uttered by the biotech founder Vivek Ramaswamy during the second Republican Presidential debate, as he tried to cut in during one of the many instances of overlapping dialogue from the candidates onstage. It turned out to be a fitting summation of the night, Benjamin Wallace-Wells writes, not only in its inanity but because of its core lack of meaning. Last night was, Wallace-Wells notes, the moment that the “confusion and aimlessness of the Republicans challenging Donald Trump for the Presidential nomination became apparent to all.” Why are these candidates so bad? It is not simply that Trump has cemented a firm lead in the polls; he has also taken the Party’s ideology and establishment wing and “preserved it in amber.” It is as if, Wallace-Wells continues, “at the moment that he descended the escalator in Trump Tower, Republican time had stopped.” Read the story Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » From the News Desk Daily Comment The Latino Question at the Second Republican Debate At an event featuring Univision’s Ilia Calderón, the candidates showed little interest in speaking to Latino concerns. By Stephania Taladrid Under Review How the AR-15 Became an American Brand The rifle is a consumer product to which advertisers successfully attached an identity—one that has translated to a particularly intractable politics. By Emily Witt Q. & A. Peter Daou’s Theory of Election Interference—by Democrats The former Clinton aide, now running the third-party Presidential campaign of Cornel West, on his recent political awakening. By Isaac Chotiner New from The New Yorker On the première episodes of the Critics at Large podcast, the hosts Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz take on two big ideas: first they look at the emergence of cringecore and explore why television audiences are drawn to shows such as Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” and others that seem specifically designed to make them excruciatingly uncomfortable; then they discuss the new biography of Elon Musk and how our ideas about the tech entrepreneur, from the robber barons to Iron Man, have shifted over time. New episodes, in which the critics explore the trends and topics dominating the cultural landscape, drop every Thursday. Listen and follow Editor’s Pick Elements How NASA Brought an Asteroid to Earth By sampling some of the oldest rock in the solar system, the OSIRIS-REx mission could revise the story of the origins of life. By David W. Brown Culture Dept. Daily Comment “Dead Man Walking” at Sing Sing The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of a work based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book occasions an unusual presentation of its message. By Paul Elie Books J. M. Coetzee’s Interlingual Romance “The Pole” is a love story that unfolds across a language barrier and a novel about language that can be told only through a love plot. By Jennifer Wilson Fun & Games Dept. Daily Shouts Dear Pepper: Friend, Frenemy, or Foe Can friends come back from something like this? By Liana Finck Crossword A Beginner-Friendly Puzzle Some see-through wedding attire: five letters. By Robyn Weintraub Daily Cartoon Thursday, September 28th By Emily Flake Name Drop: Can you guess the identity of a notable person—contemporary or historical—in six clues? Play our trivia game » P.S. “When I say that I’ve always hated my next-door neighbors and that they’ve ruined my life, I mean it as a tribute—an acknowledgment that my outsized feelings about the noise that comes through the wall have more to do with me than with any unneighborly activity on their part.” Read Nancy Franklin’s classic essay about life in her apartment on Riverside Drive. 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. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the daily newsletter from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.