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September 21, 2024
The Best
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No. 271
Weekend
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In This Week’s Issue
STOP THE PRESSES

New York’s star political reporter Olivia Nuzzi usually writes news, but this week she’s in it after being placed on leave for having a lengthy sexting affair with her former profile subject R.F.K. Jr. …

PRESIDENT OR BUST!

With hundreds of millions of dollars in legal debts looming over him if he loses the election, Trump finds himself in an all-too-familiar position—though this time it might not be so easy for him to get out of it …

SOFTBANK’S HARD RIDE

Inside the titanic wins and colossal losses of Masayoshi Son, the businessman whose risky and idealistic tech investments have made—and could break—the Japanese bank …

THE LINE OF FIRE

In the wake of two Trump-assassination attempts, Adam Kirsch argues that conspiracy theorists still can’t grasp the haunting, headline-making power of a lonely, deranged loser …

A HOLLYWOOD TRAGEDY

More than 40 years after Playmate Dorothy Stratten’s horrific murder, her sister, Louise, recalls their early years together, their relationships with Peter Bogdanovich, and where it all went wrong …

DUMB MONEY

Cazzie David gets to the bottom of how nonsensical TikTok trends—blueberry-milk nails, hot rodent boyfriends, Brat summer—have become cash cows for influencers and corporations alike …

A REVISIONIST’S HISTORY

Malcolm Gladwell joins Jim Kelly to discuss why Harvard has so many sports teams and what motivated him to expand on his 2000 classic with a new book, Revenge of the Tipping Point …

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

How Sally Rooney’s new novel, Intermezzo, measures up, according to Jenny McPhee … how Sweden became Europe’s capital of violence … where Donald Trump and Prince Harry meet … A Very Royal Scandal nails Prince Andrew … Lisa Henricksson’s latest deadly pleasures … Cast your vote for this week’s biggest Attention Whore!

But First …
Issue No. 271

The View from Here The assassination attempts on Donald Trump show that history is made not just by great men and women but also by insignificant ones

By Adam Kirsch
Read On
Barry Blitt’s Sketchbook
Dangerous Liaisons

The Hack and the Wack The revelation of sexts between star reporter Olivia Nuzzi and erstwhile presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has blown minds—and shattered journalistic ethics

By Ashley Baker
Read On
Risky Business

The Man Who Bought the World The Japanese tech visionary Masayoshi Son might have made and lost more money than anyone in history. His former right-hand man recalls how hubris brought him low

By Jim Armitage
Read On
The Money Trail

What’s in Trump’s Wallet? If Donald Trump loses the presidential election, his personal finances will be ruined. And it won’t be the first time

By Louise Callaghan
Read On
AIR SUPPLY

Rare Finds

AIR SUPPLY has scoured the market for exceptional wares that you cannot find everywhere. From Wms&Co. hinoki pencils to Chez Dede silk scarves made exclusively for AIR MAIL, discover gifts and goods that stand out
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Illustration: Pictures Now/Alamy (Spring Rides a Unicorn)
Little Britain

Class War in the Schoolroom The new Labour government is hiking up taxes on Britain’s acclaimed private schools. Is it leveling the playing field or getting revenge on Boris Johnson?

By Ashley Baker
Read On
Modern Times

Nonsense Sells From hot rodent boyfriends to having a strawberry-girl summer, “vibe trends” are multiplying exponentially—and consumers are eating them up

By Cazzie David
Read On
Guest Edit

Sophie Lou Jacobsen’s Favorite Things The glass-and-housewares designer’s new collection with de Gournay is currently on view as part of the London Design Festival. Here, she shares her style dispatch

Shop
Hollywood Lives

Love Among the Ruins: Part One Accompanying my sister, Dorothy Stratten, to the Playboy Mansion at 12 was a shock. But nothing could have prepared me for what followed

By Louise Stratten
as told to Sam Kashner
Read On
Small Talk
“It’s really a shame—you put in all this work, only to have them chintz out on the marketing.”
“It’s really a shame—you put in all this work, only to have them chintz out on the marketing.”
T.G.I.S.

The Attention-Whore Index Elon Musk is failing, Donald Trump is flailing, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is whaling

Read On
Best
WEAR DearMax More than a decade ago, Tony Melillo perfected the T-shirt, as any ATM by Anthony Melillo fan (and we are many!) can… COOK Café Cecilia After developing the perfectLondon culinary résumé by working at E5 Bakehouse, Skye Gyngell’s Spring, Fergus Henderson’s… READ Charles Willeford According to Elmore Leonard, “nobody writes a better crime novel” than Charles Willeford—one of the most deliciously twisted… LISTEN Dylan Eight years was an eternity in popular music in 1974. That’s how long Bob Dylan had been off the road when he abruptly announced… CARRY Rimowa Rimowa is known for creating some of the most stylish suitcases to ever grace the carousel, but the German brand is increasingly turning its… SPARKLE Bulgari The Art Deco movement dominated architecture and design in the early 20th century, influencing jewelry trends with… WEAR DearMax More than a decade ago, Tony Melillo perfected the T-shirt, as any ATM by Anthony Melillo fan (and we are many!) can… COOK Café Cecilia After developing the perfectLondon culinary résumé by working at E5 Bakehouse, Skye Gyngell’s Spring, Fergus Henderson’s… READ Charles Willeford According to Elmore Leonard, “nobody writes a better crime novel” than Charles Willeford—one of the most deliciously twisted… LISTEN Dylan Eight years was an eternity in popular music in 1974. That’s how long Bob Dylan had been off the road when he abruptly announced… CARRY Rimowa Rimowa is known for creating some of the most stylish suitcases to ever grace the carousel, but the German brand is increasingly turning its… SPARKLE Bulgari The Art Deco movement dominated architecture and design in the early 20th century, influencing jewelry trends with…
Small Talk

Prince Harry vs. Donald Trump How similar are the Prince of Wails and the Complainer in Chief? Let us count the ways

By George Kalogerakis
Photo illustration by Chop Choppish Shop
Read On
Stockholm Syndrome

The Nordic Connection How a turf war between rival gangs turned Sweden—yes, Sweden—into the most violent country in Europe

By Ravi Somaiya
Read On
Television

Sweating the Details with Randy Andy A Very Royal Scandal dramatizes the notorious interview Prince Andrew gave about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. But how much of it is true?

By Kate Mansey
Read On
Listen

Lunch with Christian Louboutin On this week’s episode, the shoe designer explains how he went from being a young punk to having his red-bottom stilettos featured on Sex and the City

Read On
Eight Questions

Malcolm XYZ Malcolm Gladwell discusses his latest book, Revenge of the Tipping Point, misconceptions about his work, and his penchant for universal laws

By Jim Kelly
Read On
Small Talk
Inside Story

The Garden of Heathens Between the turmoil of the World Wars, a few Europeans settled on a desolate Galápagos island. The experiment quickly descended into chaos

By Abbott Kahler
Read On
Books
Jenny McPhee On

Intermezzo

by Sally Rooney
Read On
Gerard DeGroot On

Operation Biting: The 1942 Parachute Assault to Capture Hitler’s Radar

by Max Hastings
Read On
Murder, They Wrote

Deadly Pleasures to Read and Watch This month’s best mystery books and TV shows

By Lisa Henricksson
Read On
Open Book

Jonathan Becker, In Focus From garden strolls with Brassaï to nights out with Andy Warhol, a new book by the American photographer documents intimate moments with the 20th century’s high society

10
Andy Warhol and his corsets, photographed by Jonathan Becker at the fourth Warhol Factory, New York, 1986.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, Los Angeles, 2000.
Madonna, Martha Graham, and Calvin Klein at New York City Center, 1990.
Fran Lebowitz at the Oscar party, 2000.
Pat Cleveland and André Leon Talley, New York, 2013.
King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles at Buckingham Palace, 2001.
Bob Guccione and April Warren at home, New York, 2004.
Jocelyn Wildenstein at home, New York, 1998.
Fazenda Santarém in Três Rios, Brazil, 1988.
Gloria Vanderbilt at home, New York, 2011.
Read On
Small Talk
“I also like to hang a bunch in the shower to create a spa-like atmosphere.”
“I also like to hang a bunch in the shower to create a spa-like atmosphere.”
Listen

A New Look at the Life and Death of Dorothy Stratten On this week’s podcast, Louise Stratten reveals why she’s finally speaking out about her sister’s tragic murder, Hollywood, Hefner, and more

Read On
Travel

Hide and Seek For centuries, the island of Ponza was a penal colony. Now it’s a favorite vacation spot among Romans

By Catherine Fairweather
Read On
Close-up

Dhruv As an undergraduate at Yale, he pivoted from statistics to songwriting. With his sophomore album, Private Blizzard, the young pop star is testing a more ambitious sound

By Clara Molot
Read On
Highlight
Leonardo DiCaprio in Coney Island, by Bruce Weber, 1994.

World Wide Weber

This fall, photographer Bruce Weber’s new show, “My Education,” at the Prague City Gallery, will reveal 300 images taken over five decades.

One image in particular stands out—a portrait of the Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar staring straight at the camera with an almost cartoonish cat sitting on his great thatch of hair. The broad-faced duo wear similar expressions of round-eyed curiosity. At once intimate and playful, it is vintage Weber. READ ON

Leonardo DiCaprio in Coney Island, by Bruce Weber, 1994. Read On
The Perfect Ending

Elizabeth Olsen

The actress answers 21 of life’s most pressing questions
Read On
David Downton’s Sketchbook
Sophia Loren’s swaying walk—head held high, neck extended—is one of the most hypnotic in cinema. A sex symbol with innate dignity and an instinct for fun, she outgrew her beauty-pageant beginnings to become an Oscar winner and a model of regal stardom. Italy’s “diva popolana” turned 90 on September 20.
Is Edited By

Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley

Creative Director

Angela Panichi

Deputy Editors

Ashley Baker Ash Carter Chris Garrett Nathan King Julia Vitale

Chief Technology Officer

John Tornow

Editor at Large

George Pendle

Books Editor

Jim Kelly

Arts Intel Report Editor

Laura Jacobs

Senior Editors

Elena Clavarino Jensen Davis Clara Molot

Photo Director

Ann Schneider

Copy Editor

Adam Nadler

Research & Legal Editor

Matt Kapp

Production Editor

H. Scott Jolley

Associate Editors

Carolina de Armas Lucy Horowitz Jeanne Malle Paulina Prosnitz Jack Sullivan

Art Director

Paloma Huerre

Senior Photo Editor

Emine Gözde Sevim

Designer

Zoé Gillette

International Editor

Isabelle Harvie-Watt

Communications Director

Harrison Vail

Columnists

Dana Brown Cazzie David Lisa Henricksson
Walter Isaacson Pico Iyer Rachel Johnson
John Lahr Jonathan Margolis Linda Wells
James Wolcott

Writers at Large

Lili Anolik Bridget Arsenault Johanna Berkman Joseph Bullmore Vassi Chamberlain William D. Cohan Rich Cohen Michael Hainey Stuart Heritage George Kalogerakis Sam Kashner James Kirchick Alexander Lobrano Alexandra Marshall Daphne Merkin Sam Wasson

Contributing Artists

Monica Ahanonu Barry Blitt André Carrilho Pip Carter Paul Davis David Downton Andrea Ferolla Josh Gosfield Cathy Graham Eric Hanson Angelica Hicks Hilary Knight Danielle Kosann Michael Lindsay-Hogg Ross MacDonald Joe McKendry James McMullan Donald Robertson Charles Dare Scheips Grant Shaffer Ed Sorel Ralph Steadman

Contributing Photographers

Jonathan Becker Justin Bishop Alex Board James Emmerman Marcos Fecchino Daniel Paik Art Streiber Sharon Suh Justin Weiner

Architectural Consultant

Basil Walter

Head of Audience Development

Rachel LeSage

Audience Growth Manager

Merritt Johnson

Cartoon Editor

Bob Mankoff

Music Supervisor

Randall Poster

Technology

Brooks Oakley Justin Rubaloff

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Bill Keenan and Emily Davis

Air Supply General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Anjali Lewis

Business Development Director

Catherine Scott

European Sales Director

Selim Mataraci

Financial & Business Operations

Marc Leyer

Chief Strategy Adviser

Adam Mendelsohn

Chief Merchant

Jennifer Noyes

Shop Editor

Jessica Iredale

E-Commerce Manager

Isaac Metlitsky

E-commerce Associate

Lilly Schoenbaum

In Memoriam

Peter Bogdanovich Duncan Hannah Douglas McGrath Richard David Story André Leon Talley

Issue No. 271
September 21, 2024
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Issue No. 271
September 21, 2024
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