How Big a Threat Are Iranian-Backed Cyberattacks?
Iran‑backed hacking groups have infiltrated programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that run U.S. water, energy and wastewater systems, prompting a CISA advisory on April 7. The article traces a decade of Iranian cyber intrusions, from a 2013 dam hack to the recent wiperware attack on medical‑technology firm Stryker that delayed surgeries and sank its stock. It also highlights how budget cuts of roughly $707 million have weakened CISA’s ability to defend critical infrastructure. Experts warn that Iran’s persistent, low‑level attacks aim to create uncertainty and political pressure rather than full‑scale outages.
“Michael,” Reviewed: A Sanitized Bio-Pic That’s All Business
Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming biopic “Michael” offers a polished, business‑focused look at the life of pop icon Michael Jackson. Critics describe the film as a sanitized portrayal that prioritizes brand protection over artistic depth. The project arrives amid a surge of...
What Will It Take to Get A.I. Out of Schools?
The rollout of generative AI tools—most notably Google’s Gemini—on school‑issued Chromebooks is rapidly reaching K‑12 classrooms across the United States. Districts from Boston to Los Angeles are embedding chatbots, image generators, and AI‑assisted writing aids into daily lessons, while parents, teachers’...
A Wunderkind’s Best-Selling Nostalgia
Swiss student Nelio Biedermann’s debut novel “Lázár” has become a cultural phenomenon, topping Germany’s bestseller list for 29 weeks and attracting translation deals in over 25 languages. The 300‑page, maximalist saga reimagines his aristocratic Hungarian ancestors’ fate from the Austro‑Hungarian...
Is the Ticketmaster Monopoly Verdict a Mirage?
The New Yorker’s Paula Mejía recounts a night of frantic ticket hunting for the Oasis reunion, only to be thwarted by Ticketmaster’s opaque queues and disappearing seats. The piece uses this personal experience to question whether the recent antitrust verdict declaring...
If You Ask Me: Save the Rich White Women
Libby Gelman‑Waxner’s column spotlights a growing streaming‑TV formula that centers affluent white women in crisis, citing Nicole Kidman’s repeated roles in titles like *The Perfect Couple* and *The Undoing*. The piece outlines a recurring playbook: opulent homes, glamorous wardrobes, troubled...
Thomas McGuane on Decency and Feral Charm
Thomas McGuane discusses his short story “Ordinary Wear and Tear,” focusing on the divergent lives of Carl, a comfortably‑raised lawyer, and Jed, a self‑made, feral‑charming outsider. The interview reveals how memory, unconscious impulses, and class contrast shaped the characters and their...
A Genocide Scholar Asks “What Went Wrong” In Israel
Genocide scholar Omer Bartov, a Brown University professor, released his new book *Israel: What Went Wrong?* arguing that Zionism has evolved into an extremist ideology that enabled a genocide in Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attacks. He contends that Israel’s...
Patrick Radden Keefe on “London Falling,” His Book About a Teen-Ager’s Mysterious Life and Death
Patrick Radden Keefe’s latest book, *London Falling*, expands a New Yorker feature about the mysterious death of teenager Zac Brettler. While in London filming the TV adaptation of *Say Nothing*, Keefe learned Brettler had assumed the identity of a Russian oligarch’s...
“Beef,” “The Drama,” And the New Marriage Plot
Marriage rates in the United States hit a 140‑year low in 2019 and have not recovered, prompting cultural reflection. On the latest Critics at Large episode, hosts discuss Netflix’s anthology “Beef” and A24’s film “The Drama,” both depicting strained couples...
Is Zohran Mamdani’s “Sewer Socialism” Resonating?
Zohran Mamdani’s first hundred days as New York mayor showcase his “sewer socialism” approach—high‑visibility public works paired with disciplined, media‑forward messaging. He has advanced universal child‑care and other affordability initiatives while recalibrating some campaign promises. Mamdani’s governance balances pragmatic cooperation...
Cory Doctorow on the High Cost of Living with the Ultra-Rich
Cory Doctorow defines "billionaireism" as the moral vacuum created by ultra‑rich elites and the platform decay he calls "enshittification." In a recent interview he highlights three books that dissect this phenomenon: Sarah Wynn‑Williams’s "Careless People" reveals Facebook’s internal harassment and...
How Project Maven Put A.I. Into the Kill Chain
Project Maven, Palantir’s AI‑powered intelligence platform, has become the Pentagon’s central kill‑chain tool, now backed by a $1.3 billion contract and integrated large‑language models like Anthropic’s Claude. The system can process up to 5,000 targets per hour, enabling rapid strike decisions...
Briefly Noted Book Reviews
The April 13 2026 Briefly Noted roundup spotlights four new titles: Evelyn Iritani’s nonfiction "Safe Passage" reveals the fraught US‑Japan civilian exchanges of World War II, exposing constitutional violations and diplomatic heroism. Benjamin Hale’s true‑crime narrative "Cave Mountain" juxtaposes a 2001 Ozark disappearance...
Douglas Stuart on the Push and Pull of an Old Life Versus a New One
Douglas Stuart discusses how his new short story "A Private View" and upcoming novel "John of John" examine the friction between a working‑class Scottish upbringing and a privileged New York art world. He reveals that his own childhood poverty, his mother’s...
“Blue Heron” Is an Exalted Drama of Troubled Childhood
Sophy Romvari’s debut feature "Blue Heron" opens as a memory‑driven drama set on 1990s Vancouver Island, chronicling sister Sasha’s recollection of her brother Jeremy’s oppositional‑defiant disorder and the family’s struggle to cope. The film blends documentary‑style interviews, precise cinematography by...
Will J. D. Vance Inherit MAGA?
Vice‑President J.D. Vance spent a high‑profile week abroad, meeting Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and heading U.S. negotiations in Pakistan aimed at ending the Iran‑Pakistan conflict he publicly opposed. The Washington Roundtable panel examined how his foreign‑policy forays and alignment with right‑wing autocrats...
Sam Altman’s Trust Issues at OpenAI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman surprised the tech community by striking a rapid deal with the Pentagon to supply AI services, effectively taking over a contract Anthropic declined due to ethical objections. The agreement follows Altman's public endorsement of Anthropic’s stance...
What the Verdict Against Meta and Google Says About the Way We Live Now
A California jury found Meta and Google liable for a teen’s Instagram and YouTube addiction, awarding $6 million in damages. The case, a bellwether for more than a thousand similar lawsuits, sidestepped Section 230 by focusing on the platforms’ negligent design features...
Pam Bondi Fails to Make Her Case
Pam Bondi was dismissed from her role as Attorney General after a series of high‑profile missteps, including the mishandling of Jeffrey Epstein files and her involvement in former President Donald Trump’s attempts to target political opponents. The New Yorker’s Ruth...
“The Drama” Is One Long Troll
“The Drama,” directed by Kristoffer Borgli and starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, has become a cultural flashpoint despite mixed artistic reviews. The film’s premise—an engaged couple confronting a shocking confession about a past school‑shooting plan—has ignited a flood of think...
What Would a Ground Invasion of Iran Look Like?
Supporters of Iran’s government have released AI‑generated videos that blend religious symbolism with violent imagery to rally Shiite supporters and sway global opinion as the Trump administration threatens a ground invasion. The United States has already deployed thousands of troops...
The Scandal of the Sharenting Economy
Family‑centered content creators, or “momfluencers,” monetize everyday childhood moments through brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, and ad revenue, often generating millions annually. The industry faces serious ethical concerns, including exposure to pedophiles, AI‑generated child sexual‑abuse material, and the exploitation of children’s...
Trump’s Offshore-Drilling Dream Is a Recipe for Poisoning the Oceans
The Trump administration is reviving offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, releasing plans to lease up to 1.27 billion acres of public waters and selling 141 thousand acres at record‑low royalty rates. Within days, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved...
Catherine Lacey Reads “Rate Your Happiness”
Catherine Lacey, acclaimed novelist and two‑time Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist, reads her latest New Yorker story “Rate Your Happiness” for a public audio segment. The piece, featured in the April 13, 2026 issue, delves into the paradox of failure, indecision, and perpetual...
How Donald Trump’s War on Iran Helps Vladimir Putin’s War on Ukraine
The article argues that former President Donald Trump’s aggressive posture toward Iran unintentionally bolsters Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. By pressuring Iran, the United States has pushed Tehran closer to Moscow, prompting Russia to share advanced drone technology with Iran....
“DTF St. Louis” And the New Story of the Suburbs
HBO’s new miniseries “DTF St. Louis” turns a quiet suburban setting into a murder‑mystery driven by a secret‑dating app, starring Jason Bateman as a weatherman. Critics on the *Critics at Large* podcast link the show to a long line of suburban...
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The Sci-Fi Novelist Who Disappeared for Decades
Cameron Reed, the cult cyber‑punk author of The Fortunate Fall, disappeared from publishing for 27 years before resurfacing on Bluesky and Mastodon in 2023. Her debut novel, praised for its queer dystopia and cognitive estrangement, was reissued by Tor Books...
The Spectacle of War and the Struggle to Protest
The article argues that war coverage has become a "spectacle," where short‑form video pundits dominate the narrative, diluting genuine political resistance. Drawing on Guy Debord’s theory, it shows how interchangeable images of conflict desensitize the public and turn protests like...
How Pakistan Became a Major Player in Peace Negotiations Between the U.S. and Iran
Pakistan’s military, led by Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, has positioned the country as a broker in the U.S.-Iran war, offering to host talks in Islamabad and relaying President Donald Trump’s demands. The partnership deepened after the May 2025...
John Lithgow on the Controversial Authors Roald Dahl and J. K. Rowling
John Lithgow stars in the new Broadway play “Giant,” which dramatizes the 1980s scandal surrounding Roald Dahl’s antisemitic remarks and his publisher’s demand for a retraction. The production links Dahl’s historic controversy to today’s surge in antisemitism amid Middle‑East tensions. Lithgow...
A Former Federal Prosecutor on Why He Quit Donald Trump’s Department of Justice
Former federal prosecutor Troy Edwards quit his senior national‑security role in the Eastern District of Virginia, citing the Justice Department’s turn toward partisan enforcement under Attorney General Pam Bondi. Edwards, who previously secured convictions against Oath Keepers for Jan. 6 offenses,...
“Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat” And Age of the Prestige Prank Show
The second season of "Jury Duty," retitled "Company Retreat," arrives on Prime Video with a fresh premise set at a Los Angeles hot‑sauce company’s staff retreat. Creator‑team Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky replace the courtroom backdrop with a sprawling corporate‑camp...
The Soft Power of BTS
BTS has re‑emerged after a four‑year military hiatus with the new album “Arirang,” released alongside a Netflix‑streamed concert and documentary. The record signals a deliberate return to Korean cultural roots while showcasing the members’ evolution into their late twenties and...
Louise Erdrich on Novels of Parentless Children
Louise Erdrich, fresh from releasing her story collection *Python’s Kiss*, spotlighted three recent novels that probe the inner lives of children who grow up without parents. She discussed Tayari Jones’s *Kin*, Elizabeth Bowen’s *The Death of the Heart*, and W.G....
CNN’s “Podcast Look” And the Slow Death of Cable News
CNN recently revamped its flagship shows with a casual, podcast‑style set‑up, rolling up sleeves and broadcasting from home offices to mimic the authenticity of popular YouTube and TikTok clips. The experiment aimed to modernize the network’s image but fell flat,...
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
U.S. airport security lines have ballooned to three‑plus hours as a recent government shutdown left TSA agents unpaid and understaffed. The shutdown, the third in six months, forced many agents to call in sick, crippling checkpoint throughput at hubs like...
The “Baritenor” Michael Spyres Soars in the Met’s New “Tristan Und Isolde”
The Metropolitan Opera’s latest "Tristan und Isolde" under Yuval Sharon blends philosophical ambition with a visually crowded stage. Michael Spyres, a self‑styled "baritenor," delivers a securely sung Tristan that eclipses many recent interpretations. Lise Davidsen’s Isolde, while dazzling in the...
“Two Prosecutors,” “Palestine ’36,” And the Tribulations of Resistance in the Thirties
Sergei Loznitsa’s "Two Prosecutors" and Annemarie Jacir’s "Palestine ’36" both dramatize resistance in the 1930s, one within Stalin’s Soviet Gulag system and the other amid the British‑mandated Arab revolt. Loznitsa adapts Georgy Demidov’s novella, using a dual‑hour structure to mirror...
Julio Torres Makes Everything Funny—Including Color Theory
Julio Torres, known for SNL, Los Espookys, and Problemista, returns to HBO with a new special titled "Color Theories." The hour‑long program pairs his trademark surreal humor with a synesthetic exploration of color, turning hues into punchlines and philosophical musings. Filmed...
Remembering Calvin Tomkins, a Master of the Profile
Calvin Tomkins, the legendary New Yorker staff writer who pioneered the modern artist profile, died at 100 on March 20, 2026. Over nearly seven decades he produced more than 80 in‑depth profiles, from Marcel Duchamp to contemporary figures like Tala Madani, many of which...
“Judy Blume: A Life” And the Problem of Biography
Mark Oppenheimer’s new biography, "Judy Blume: A Life," offers an intimate look at the author’s formative years, family dynamics, and the cultural forces that propelled her to sell over ninety million books. The book details Blume’s pioneering of realistic teen fiction that normalized puberty,...
“The Life You Want,” Reviewed
Adam Phillips’s latest book, The Life You Want, examines how desire, frustration and the tension between novelty and continuity shape our lives. Drawing on Freud’s depth and Richard Rorty’s pragmatism, he argues that therapy should be a listening cure that...
Chloé Zhao on “Hamnet,” Which Is Nominated for Eight Academy Awards
Chloé Zhao, the second woman ever to win Best Director, is back on the Oscar shortlist with her adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell’s novel “Hamnet.” The film, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, has secured eight Academy Award nominations, including Best...
The Limits of Iran’s Proxy Empire
After the United States and Israel assassinated Iran’s supreme leader, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al‑Houthi publicly vowed solidarity and readiness to support Tehran, yet the group has remained largely absent from the ensuing conflict. Iran’s other proxies, including Hezbollah and Iraqi...
Two Playwrights Tackle Father Figures
Two recent New York theater productions revisit father figures in unconventional ways. Clare Barron's revived “You Got Older” at Cherry Lane, under A24’s management, depicts a tender, realistic bond between an adult daughter and her ailing father, highlighted by Peter...
Patricia Cornwell on Crime and Creativity
Patricia Cornwell, author of over 40 novels and 120 million copies sold, is preparing the launch of her “Scarpetta” series on Amazon starring Nicole Kidman. She announced her upcoming memoir, “True Crime,” slated for May, in which she shares lessons on...
How Putin Views Trump’s War in Iran
The United States, under Donald Trump, launched a war against Iran that immediately killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting Vladimir Putin to issue a rare public condemnation while acknowledging that the conflict mirrors his own vision of a rule‑by‑force world....
The Creator of Wordle Tries to Solve the Cryptic Crossword
Josh Wardle, who sold Wordle to the New York Times for over $1 million, turned his post‑viral fatigue toward cryptic crosswords. Inspired by a podcast and modern clue‑writers, he co‑created Parseword, a game that breaks cryptic clues into definitional and word‑play components. The...
The Lawlessness of Trump’s War in Iran
On February 28, the United States and Israel began an intensive air campaign against Iran, a war President Trump has justified with vague regime‑change and nuclear‑proliferation claims. The bombardment has caused civilian deaths estimated at over a thousand, notably a...