The New Yorker

The premise of “The Pitt” is dead simple: it’s “E.R.” meets “24,” with each episode corresponding to an hour at the hospital. The 15-part season spans one long and difficult day in the life of Dr. Robby, played by Noah Wyle—the fourth anniversary of his mentor’s death in the same E.R. It also happens to be the first day on the job for a gaggle of fresh-faced young medics. Between the large cast of mostly unfamiliar faces and the relentless stream of cases and crises, the show’s pacing is disorienting, almost frantic. “And yet, the series is also built on nostalgia and predictability,” Inkoo Kang writes. “It’s structured such that you know you’ll have your heart broken and mended several times per episode—it’s just a matter of how.” Read our TV critic’s review of the new Max series, which she calls “a counterintuitive comfort watch”: https://lnkd.in/gbeFfX3F

A cartoon by Christopher Weyant, from 2023. #NewYorkerCartoons https://lnkd.in/g2jfFRu9

The new Administration’s move to shutter U.S.A.I.D. has halted vital aid programs around the world and left thousands of development workers in a state of limbo. https://lnkd.in/ggJzyeMz

To celebrate The New Yorker’s centenary, a talented ensemble of actors, including Cynthia Nixon and Liev Schreiber, will bring to life a selection of iconic fiction stories from the archive, on February 12, at Symphony Space. Each reading is taken from “A Century of Fiction in The New Yorker,” a newly published anthology that will be available for purchase at the event. Get your tickets today. #NewYorker100 https://lnkd.in/eRD3CjkY

A cartoon by Avi Steinberg. #NewYorkerCartoons Sign up for our Humor newsletter and get cartoons delivered straight to your in-box: https://lnkd.in/gQnMYacz

Megan Marshall’s two grandmothers, mother, and aunt all shared a trait that influenced their lives: all four were left-handed. Marshall thought she would be, too, until it became undeniable that her right hand was dominant. Uncertainty reigns when it comes to determining the origins of left-handedness. What makes a person left-handed? Is it a matter of habit or preference? And if handedness is innate, Marshall wonders, “Why did none of my left-handed mother’s and aunt’s children—eight of them—share the trait?” At the link in our bio, Marshall explores changing ideas about handedness, and what the trait meant to some of the most significant women in her life: https://lnkd.in/gU3Ny84S

Even after a report that concluded 1 Seaport was leaning, work on the tower did not stop. To compensate for the lean, higher floors were poured out of alignment, in the opposite direction, which only compounded the problem. https://lnkd.in/gvpB7YME

On a new episode of the Political Scene, Atul Gawande joins the hosts to discuss the life-and-death implications of the Trump Administration ending foreign aid, why U.S.A.I.D. was targeted, and which federal agencies might be next. https://lnkd.in/gdmXFpMd

At 22, Alma Mahler-Werfel gave up ambitions of being a composer to marry Gustav Mahler. After his death, in 1911, she acquired a reputation as a femme fatale, a sort of intellectual dominatrix. She had an affair with the artist Oskar Kokoschka, then was briefly married to the Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius. Her final husband was the writer Franz Werfel, whom she followed into exile, first in France and then in the United States, where she lived until her death in 1964. She was, and remains, “smolderingly controversial,” Alex Ross writes. Her marriages and affairs brought her notoriety and, later, vilification. “At various points in her life, she was both oppressed and oppressor,” Alex Ross writes. “We are confronted by a personality of maddening complexity—no less complex than that of any of the august men around her.” But amid the swirl of affairs, scandals, and imbroglios that made up the astonishing life of Mahler-Werfel, one element remained fixed: her inexhaustible passion for music and the arts. Ross reassesses the life and achievements of the most legendary widow of the 20th century: https://lnkd.in/g2_AuhaT

The way your Elon Musk plays, moves, and communicates offers important data about his development. Can he wave hello and goodbye and point to Cabinet employees he plans to fire? Say at least three words besides “Mama,” “Dada,” “Earth,” “wow,” and “billion?” If your Elon Musk is showing signs of aggressive behavior, such as biting, hitting, spitting, or creating the largest platform for disinformation in the world, this could be a cause for concern. Reinforce prosocial behaviors, such as shrinking his carbon footprint, and ignore his attempts to make fascist hand gestures in his stroller. See more developmental guidelines and helpful advice for raising your Elon Musk: https://lnkd.in/giSp9Six