DAILY NEW YORKER. . .And so it goes

Friday, November 22, 2024

Eric Lach
Staff writer

Eric Lach, a staff writer, has contributed to The New Yorker since 2008. He writes a regular column about New York City politics, people, and more.

"I’m not a lawyer, just a reporter who was in the courtroom during the course of the trial. 

After Merchan’s ruling today, someone texted me asking whether I thought the case was “dead.” 

I don’t know. 

I do know that, back when the case was first being considered in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, under Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus Vance, Jr., it was known as the “zombie case,” for its tendency to come back to life after periods of dormancy.

Photograph by Justin Lane / Reuters

In getting to a trial, and then to a conviction, it went further than many thought possible. This case is a weird one, and we’re in uncharted legal and constitutional waters.  For now, it’s undead.

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Editor’s Pick

Administration Hopefuls Descend on Mar-a-Lago Since Election Day, the Florida club has played host to a rotating cast of characters from MAGA world, all vying for positions of power. Photograph by Saul Martinez / The Washington Post / Getty Antonia Hitchens reports from Palm Beach, Florida, where Elon Musk, Sebastian Gorka, Steve Bannon, Sylvester Stallone, and scores of others have arrived to jockey for proximity to the President-elect. “It’s ‘Game of Thrones’ meets ‘Hunger Games,’ ” a person involved in the Administration’s transition tells Hitchens. “It’s, like, a moral obligation to make their lives a living hell until they give Trump what he wants,” he says, referring to members of the Senate who will vote on potential Cabinet picks. He adds, “I respect the Constitution, and advise and consent, but at the end of the day we live in extraordinary times.” Read the story

The Lede

Reporting and commentary on what you need to know today. The Pain Creating a New Coalition for Trump Photograph by Kent Nishimura / Getty The mood of celebration in Kamala Harris’s campaign “misunderstood an angry electorate,” Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor writes. “Exulting in good vibes mistook a political mood that was turning dark.” The suffering among Americans—owing to financial debt, food and shelter insecurity, substance abuse—was not responsive to joy. Read the story »

From the News Desk

News Desk Turning a Blind Eye to War Crimes A second Trump Administration could give impunity to American soldiers who commit atrocities. By Parker Yesko  Letter from Trump’s Washington The Explosion of Matt Gaetz and Other Early Lessons in Trump 2.0 There are many more manic Thursdays to come. By Susan B. Glasser

Culture Dept.

The Current Cinema “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Offer Nostalgic, Half-Satisfying Showdowns With a musical return to Oz and a bloody epic of ancient Rome, Hollywood studios double down on blockbuster spectacle. By Justin Chang