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1 Jonathan Chait’s cover story in the last issue argued that Donald Trump must be prosecuted if the country is to move forward (“Lock Him Up?” September 14–27). In Washington Monthly magazine, Nancy LeTourneau suggested that prosecuting Trump “will be necessary, but not sufficient to complete the task. Many of the ways that Trump has corrupted our democracy don’t constitute crimes that can be prosecuted in court. Some of those could be addressed for the future by passing new laws, such as requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns and a more complete requirement for divestment from business interests.” Washington Post columnist Max Boot agreed with Chait and pointed to his previous writing on the president’s malfeasance: “I am now convinced that Trump’s wrongdoing is so pervasive and brazen that he must be prosecuted to uphold the rule of law and deter even greater lawbreaking by future presidents.” The Nation contributor Joshua Holland added, “Good to see this coming from instinctively cautious centrists.” Online, the story provoked both ire and applause. @jo_eliza1 wrote, “If we don’t prosecute Trump and address all the systemic weaknesses that allowed him to get elected and amass power, someone worse will come along and exploit those weaknesses even more effectively. Trump has given our next dictator a roadmap.” Steve Berman wrote, “Impeachment is the forum for a sitting president’s misdeeds. If Trump loses this election, his time in office is history, not a trove to be mined for crimes.” And j.sullivanmd added, “I don’t think it’s helpful to talk about this before the election, because the ideas might fire up
Trump voters.” Claire L. Frankel wrote, “I would be happy to contribute a large slice of my take-home pay to see Donald Trump prosecuted for his crimes.”
2 In her debut essay for the magazine, model Emily Ratajkowski considered the men who own her image and recounted an alleged assault by photographer Jonathan Leder (“Buying Myself Back,” September 14–27). In addition to being read by more than a million people, her story was covered widely by national and international press outlets. On Instagram, it was shared by many in the Hollywood and fashion communities, including Amy Schumer, @DietPrada, and the model Meredith Mickelson, who wrote, “This is such a commendable important article & one that speaks so close to me.” Playwright Jeremy O. Harris tweeted, “Kudos to @emrata for this incredibly vulnerable excavation of the traumatic disassociations of being a ‘captured figure.’ ” BuzzFeed editor Sharanya Haridas said, “So many women can relate to having our reflections distorted by the male gaze and our stories stolen. An incredibly brave essay, narrated unflinchingly.” But in her newsletter, Haley Nahman critiqued how the essay failed to grapple with the changes needed in the modeling industry: “Did anyone praising the piece on Twitter as politically powerful walk away from reading it with a sense of what needed to change, or how it possibly could within the constraints of the value system Ratajkowski so baldly proliferates?” After the story was published, Ratajkowski appeared on the Cut’s new podcast and explained her motivation for writing the essay, saying she hopes “other women will recognize themselves in this piece and be like, Holy shit, these are power dynamics that we don’t often acknowledge, and they are so real and they can be so painful. And that’s why I’m putting this out into the world.”
3 “The Culture Pages” ranked 100 songs that define New York hip-hop (“The City and the Beats,” September 14–27). Carlos J. Harris raved, “This list is everything. Brought back so many childhood memories of me obsessing over Yo! MTV Raps.” The story also kicked off plenty of debate. @CalmYe_ said, “I don’t have a big problem with Hot N---- being top 10. Good representation of a modern New York monster iconic record. Kinda surprised how high Lean Back is although it was a major banger.” Journalist Thomas Hobbs said, “this is a great fucking list, but the fact camp lo’s luchini isn’t on it hurt my spirit tbh.” Jay-Z’s appearance at No. 41 was arguably the most controversial. @tahze commented, “Bobby Shmurda placed above BOTH Jay-Z & Nicki Minaj???” @BrotherEzra said, “I was sure I was gonna hate this thing & even more sure Jay-Z would’ve been overly rated. I’m glad to be wrong on both.” Many readers were just excited by the memories it evoked. Stylist and designer Shannon Stokes tweeted, “Wow. This list is . No city or area can compete. Sorry.” @dustweetr wrote, “Just scrolling through and hearing these beats & lyrics unfurl in my mind gives me chills. Iconic Tracks! This is the rapstyle that schooled me, sustains me, and lets me time travel.”