Joy Williams reads her story “Stuff,” from the July 25, 2016, issue of the magazine. Williams is the author of five story collections and four novels, including “Breaking and Entering” and “The Quick and the Dead.” Her collection “99 Stories of God” was published by Tin House this month. She has been publishing fiction in The New Yorker since 1981.
The Lede
Ghislaine Maxwell’s Petition to the Supreme Court
The convicted sex offender is raising an important legal question—about whether an agreement by one federal prosecutor binds his colleagues across the country.
By Jeannie Suk Gersen
The Current Cinema
“My Undesirable Friends: Part I” Is a Staggering Portrait of Russian Journalists in Dissent
In Julia Loktev’s epic documentary, filmed before, during, and after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, several courageous Moscow reporters see their worst fears realized.
By Justin Chang
Humor
Daily Cartoon: Thursday, August 14th
A drawing that riffs on the latest news and happenings.
By Benjamin Schwartz
The Front Row
Roman Polanski’s Self-Centered “An Officer and a Spy”
This historical drama, about efforts to clear the wrongly convicted French captain Alfred Dreyfus, brings to mind the director’s own legal troubles.
By Richard Brody
Flash Fiction
“An Open Heart”
Arman scoffed at the idea of a life beyond death, and Dad pointed out the irony of a ghost denying the afterlife.
By Jamil Jan Kochai
Critics at Large
Les Américains à Paris
Americans have had a long cultural love affair with the French capital. What is it about Paris that draws us in?
Shouts & Murmurs
Why I’m Actually Inviting You to My Party
This won’t be fun, but it will be expensive.
By Jennie Egerdie
Crossword
The Mini Crossword: Thursday, August 14, 2025
Lover of Eurydice: seven letters.
By Mollie Cowger
The Political Scene Podcast
What Happens After Someone Is Arrested by ICE?
Whether or not Trump can fulfill his promise of deporting one million people in a year, the nation should be concerned about the harm done—and rights violated—en route to that goal.
Book Currents
Dan-el Padilla Peralta on Learning How to Combat Loss
The Princeton classicist shares works that informed his thinking on identity and world-building, and his book “Classicism and Other Phobias.”
Humor
Daily Cartoon: Wednesday, August 13th
A drawing that riffs on the latest news and happenings.
By Guy Richards Smit
Books
What We’re Reading
Our editors and critics review notable new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
By The New Yorker