Rachel Maddow on Authoritarians and Thieves

Plus: how Trump benefitted from the politics of inflation; the end of American climate leadership; and a novel that captures Modi’s India. View in browser | Update your preferences Monday, November 11, 2024 Critical reporting at a critical moment. Subscribe to The New Yorker for just $1 a week for one year. In today’s newsletter, an insult to historians. And then: • How Trump benefitted from the politics of inflation • The end of American climate leadership • A novel that captures the start of India’s Modi era Dead Last Authoritarian rule always entails corruption. With Donald Trump in office, watch your wallet. Illustration by Ben Wiseman Historians have repeatedly listed Donald Trump among the nation’s worst Presidents. And so, Rachel Maddow writes, “it says something about our respect for expertise that we decided to give the man another go.” It also says something about our national tolerance for crooks and thieves. In this week’s issue, Maddow joins a collection of writers looking outward and inward to consider what Trump’s reëlection reveals about America. Read Jia Tolentino on the gender war, George Saunders on understanding systemic rot, Jane Mayer on the coming decades for the Supreme Court, Kelefa Sanneh on white-grievance politics, Timothy Snyder on how fascism takes hold, and much more. Read the series The Lede Reporting and commentary on what you need to know today. The Sun Sets on U.S. Climate Leadership Photograph by Martina Melzer / Getty Just how bad a second Trump Administration will be for climate policy remains to be seen, but the most likely scenarios are all pretty bleak. As this year’s global climate negotiating session gets underway, the U.S. has been sidelined and left without any leverage, Elizabeth Kolbert reports. Our journalism relies on your support. If you believe in fearless, fair, and fact-checked reporting, please subscribe today. Subscribe now John Cassidy Donald Trump’s Victory and the Politics of Inflation Source photograph by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Kamala Harris and the Democrats fell victim to an anti-incumbency backlash that has spread across the globe, tied in large part to prices that rose as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. John Cassidy explores what the Biden White House and the campaign might have done differently, faced with the hard truth that “even when an inflationary period peters out, prices don’t magically return to where they were before it began.” Read the column » The Financial Page publishes every Monday. If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it. Was it forwarded to you? Sign up. Editor’s Pick Books A Début Novel Captures the Start of India’s Modi Era In “Quarterlife,” Devika Rege uses three very different protagonists to explore the country’s ideological ferment—setting them first at play, then at war. By James Wood The Talk of the Town Illustration by João Fazenda On the morning after Election Day, Sarah Larson joined a sombre tour of the White House, where the group considered relics of Administrations past—and received a pep talk from a member of the Secret Service. “Do good work,” he said. “Be involved in your community. That makes a difference.” Read more » Prep for 2025 with the New Yorker Desk Diary, a day planner featuring classic New Yorker covers and cartoons. Browse the color options » Fun & Games Dept. Crossword A Challenging Puzzle People born a year after Rats: four letters. By Erik Agard Daily Cartoon Monday, November 11th By Brendan Loper Name Drop: Can you guess the identity of a notable person—contemporary or historical—in six clues? Play a quiz from our archive » P.S. The Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris, rang its bells on Friday, the first time since a devastating fire consumed much of the structure’s roof, in 2019. The cathedral is scheduled to reopen next month, after a restoration process that recreated its famous spire. For a while, though, there had been a push to consider a more ambitious modern redesign for a building that has been repeatedly altered during its long history to reflect changes in mood and aesthetics. As Thomas de Monchaux writes, architecture “has the seeming power—perhaps alone among the arts, perhaps uniquely in human endeavor—to give you the past you wish you had.” Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. What did you think of today’s newsletter? Let us know. If you like the daily newsletter, browse more New Yorker newsletters. 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 2024. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.