The Daily: Is America in Decline?

Did the Capitol insurrection make American decay a mainstream idea?

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 7, 2022 Welcome to the weekend. In today's newsletter, we look more closely at the state of American democracy, the subject of today's episode; examine the podcasting industry's role in spreading misinformation; and offer a behind-the-scenes look at how our three-part series on the Capitol riot came together. The big idea: American decay The Daily strives to reveal a new idea in every episode. Below, we go deeper on one of those from our show this week. Al Drago for The New York Times By Lauren Jackson Associate Audience Editor, Audio The idea that America is in decline isn't new. For decades, academics have warned that partisan gridlock, politicized courts and unfettered lobbying were like dangerous substances — if taken in excess, America's democratic systems were at risk of collapse. But what happens when that idea goes mainstream? When words like "died," "decline" and "dagger" sit near "America" on front pages across the country? When a majority of the American public rewrites the story they tell themselves about their country's standing in the world? That's what some experts say is happening now — that the Capitol riot and its aftermath have normalized a sense among Americans that the country, its economic system and its standing in the world are in decline. New data supports this claim: 70 percent of Americans believe the U.S. is "in crisis and at risk of failing," according to a recent poll. As you heard in today's episode, fortifying America's democracy is not just about ensuring the trustworthiness of elections, but also about safeguarding Americans' belief in the possibility of change. So we wanted to dive deeper on the latter and ask: What happens when that self-conception falters — when Americans begin to believe their country isn't winning, but instead is losing a long battle? Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT A fractured collective narrative at home "Jan. 6 and then the Republican reaction is a really important turning point in the perception of American decline," said Francis Fukuyama, a political scientist and author. Mr. Fukuyama noted said that while he had been writing about American political decay for years, the concept had assumed more systemic import after the Capitol riots — and wider acceptance. Just a few years ago, a majority of Americans believed the U.S. was one of the greatest nations in the world. In a Pew Research survey from 2017, 85 percent of respondents said either that the U.S. "stands above all other countries in the world" or that it is "one of the greatest countries, along with some others." Additionally, 58 percent of those surveyed said the American democracy was working "somewhat" or "very well." "Prior to the rise of all this populism," Mr. Fukuyama said, "there was a basic progressive narrative to American history. And that was based on a Declaration of Independence and a Constitution that were flexible enough to be modified over time to be made more inclusive." "This American narrative that has held us together, it doesn't hold anymore," he said, adding that the riot, "more than anything that happened during the Trump presidency, I think does underline that." Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Now, nearly two-thirds of respondents in the NPR/Ipsos poll agreed that U.S. democracy is "more at risk" now than it was a year ago. Among Republicans, that number climbs to four in five. This narrative persists on both sides of the political spectrum — with each side pointing the finger at the other as a threat to the nation's well-being. It's also a narrative that has direct effects on American democracy — polarizing partisanship on national and local levels, affecting critical legislative functions like passing budgets and limiting social consensus-building in response to crises like Covid. In light of these varied crises, "what is most striking is not what has changed but what has not," Peter Baker, The Times's chief White House correspondent, wrote on the anniversary of the Capitol Riots. "America has not come together to defend its democracy; it has only split further apart." It is this growing chasm that some political theorists say will be most difficult to reconcile in the interest of shoring up America's democratic institutions. "We have two Americas," James Morone, a professor of political science at Brown University, said, with Americans in urban centers experiencing the benefits of globalization while many in rural areas feel left behind as the American middle class shrinks. These two Americas also often inhabit opposing factual realities, allowing misinformation to persist and even fuel violence. "And here's the thing: Each is represented by a different party. That's one reason the two-party system is breaking down." Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Rippling effects abroad This national self-doubt also has implications for the perception of American strength and supremacy globally, a challenge for President Biden's foreign policy as his administration struggles to win back the global repute thrown into question by four years of "America First." In his address at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Mr. Biden said, "Both at home and abroad, we're engaged anew in a struggle between democracy and autocracy." Donald J. Trump and his allies continue to push a false retelling of the 2020 election, in which Democrats stole the vote and the Jan. 6 riot to disrupt President Biden's certification was largely peaceful or was staged by Mr. Trump's opponents. This approach is part of a broader transformation of authoritarian tactics globally, as Max Fisher, the Interpreter columnist at The Times, points out. "Dictators have shifted emphasis from blunt-force repression (although this still happens, too) to subtler methods like manipulating information or sowing division, aimed at preventing dissent over suppressing it," he wrote. Now, history is being rewritten in Russia, Hungary and China, where governments are repressing and sanitizing elements of national history in favor of contemporary politics — as is also happening in the United States. This tactical similarity with foreign autocrats, some experts argue, throws American ideals into question internationally. "If crucial facts can be denied by a major American party and millions of American citizens, aren't all American claims to truth and rationality suspect?" said Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China. "For as long as I can remember, U.S. democracy, even with its flaws, was held up as the gold standard of democracy worldwide," said Cynthia Aronson, director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center. Now, according to a Pew Research survey, a median of just 17 percent of respondents said democracy in the U.S. is a good example for others to follow. America still benefits from some positive reputational assessments around the world, with a majority of respondents to the Pew survey expressing favorable opinions on America's technology, its military and its entertainment output. But some experts argue those sources of soft power are also under threat in conjunction with democratic backsliding. "One of the side effects of losing the democracy is losing control over the markets," Rebecca Henderson, a professor at Harvard Business School, said, adding, "I think it's an incredibly dangerous moment. I think we absolutely could lose the democracy." Contextualizing Jan. 6: American democratic backsliding is a concept that can seem totalizing. So to break it down, here's a playlist to help you understand how we got here. Did podcasts help incite the mob? In a new analysis, the podcast run by Stephen K. Bannon, President Donald J. Trump's former adviser, was flagged 115 times for misinformation in a designated time period.Justin T. Gellerson for The New York Times By Stuart A. Thompson Political podcasts played a major role in promoting lies and misinformation about the 2020 U.S. presidential election, which later fueled the deadly protests on Jan. 6, according to a study by the Brookings Institution that analyzed nearly 1,500 episodes from the 20 most popular political shows on Apple's podcast app. None of the predictions of widespread voter fraud came true. But some podcasters frequently advanced the false belief that the election was illegitimate, first as a trickle before the election and then as a tsunami in the weeks leading up to the violent attack at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to new research. The report is the first data-driven look at how political podcasts played a role in shaping theories of electoral fraud. You can read more here: Election Falsehoods Surged on Podcasts Before Capitol Riots, Researchers Find A new study analyzed nearly 1,500 episodes, showing the extent to which podcasts pushed misinformation about voter fraud. By Stuart A. Thompson From the Daily team: Bringing voice acting to our journalism This week, we did something new: We cast voice actors to bring to life an F.B.I. interview with Robert Reeder, a single father and FedEx driver from suburban Maryland who was facing misdemeanor charges for his involvement in the Capitol mob. "We were immediately interested in Reeder's story and his version of events, and we knew we wanted our listeners to hear it," Asthaa Chaturvedi, a producer, said after reading a condensed version of the interview. But there was one problem: We had no audio. The F.B.I. had not released the tape of the original interview, so Austin Mitchell, a Daily producer who has previously worked as an actor, called a casting director he knew. Our team also tapped Michael Paulson, The Times's theater reporter, for help finding the right voice actors to bring the interview to life. "We still weren't entirely sure the re-enactment would hold up on its own," Austin said. But once our team heard it, we knew we had a show. "This was an experiment in many ways," Austin said. "But the actors were so good. We wanted to do something that broke form." On The Daily this week Monday: The Omicron variant of the coronavirus appears to be milder than previous variants, but it's still dangerous. Tuesday: How prenatal screenings for chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses promised "peace of mind" but instead caused anguish and confusion. Wednesday: Our F.B.I. interview with one Capitol rioter. Thursday: A conversation with Rep. Liz Cheney about the riot and the state, and future, of the Republican Party. Friday: Could America's electoral system sustain another attack? We explore the state of the nation's democracy. That's it for the Daily newsletter. See you next week. Have thoughts about the show? Tell us what you think at thedaily@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox. Love podcasts? Join The New York Times Podcast Club on Facebook. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Daily from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

歡迎蒞臨：https://ofa588.com/

娛樂推薦：https://www.ofa86.com/

The T List: Five things we recommend this week

A Kiki Smith exhibition catalog, wacky hand-tufted rugs — and more.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 5, 2022 Welcome to the T List, a newsletter from the editors of T Magazine. Each week, we share things we're eating, wearing, listening to or coveting now. Sign up here to find us in your inbox every Wednesday. And you can always reach us at tlist@nytimes.com. STEP BY STEP Saweetie's Beauty Regimen Left: Saweetie. Right, clockwise from top left: Farmacy Clearly Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm, $34, farmacybeauty.com; Dior Prestige Le Baume Démaquillant, $110, dior.com; Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner, $28, olaplex.com; Dark and Lovely Damage Slayer The Hydrator Steam Conditioning Mask, $5.99, amazon.com; Ole Henriksen C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème, $48, sephora.com; MAC Lipglass Clear, $19, maccosmetics.com; Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Caster Oil Strengthen and Restore Oil Serum, 12.99, sheamoisture.com.Left: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP. Products: courtesy of the brands. Interview by Angela Koh Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT If you don't wash your face before makeup, you're committing a crime. I start with Tatcha's Rice Wash Soft Cream Cleanser, Ole Henriksen's Glow2OH Dark Spot Toner and then, to really make my face look juicy, his C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème. I love Olaplex's Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner; they smell so good. I shaved all my hair off this week to start a healthy journey and rebuild its strength. My hair stylist, Kendall Dorsey, introduced me to scalp stimulation. We use Shea Moisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil and a lot of masks — Dark and Lovely has one I absolutely love. With makeup, I'm a MAC girl. I put Lipglass in clear on first and then the Dazzleglass in Sugarrimmed. I wish I'd known about Laura Mercier's powder sooner; I remember how, when I used to do my makeup, I would blot my face because I didn't know people set themselves with baking powder. As far as drugstore products, Cetaphil's Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Daily Cream keeps my skin moisturized. I like to rub it on my feet and then put my socks on. With scents I love warm notes like musk and vanilla; I eventually want to come out with my own perfume. At night I use Farmacy's Clearly Clean cleansing balm or Dior's Prestige Le Baume Démaquillant. I melt my makeup off with a hot rag, then use wipes to get the rest. The one life-changing treatment I've discovered is athletic massage. Once I knew the difference between an athletic masseuse and a regular masseuse, I realized I needed an athletic one because I work and travel so much. I have so many kinks I need to get out. VISIT THIS La Vida Paulista A Deluxe Room at Rosewood São Paulo.Ruy Teixeira By Michael Snyder T Contributor On Jan. 10, the global luxury hotel group Rosewood will open its first South American property, in São Paulo, just steps from the city's iconic Avenida Paulista. Set on the campus of a former maternity hospital — a notable exemplar of early 20th-century Paulista architecture in its own right — the hotel also features a brand-new garden tower courtesy of Atelier Jean Nouvel. The building's interior, designed by fellow starchitect Philippe Starck, features more than 450 artworks by dozens of contemporary Brazilian artists, as well as six restaurants. Though conceived as an anchor for a large-scale lifestyle development called Cidade Matarazzo, the Rosewood is very much a part of the vibrant city that surrounds it, being just a stone's throw from some of São Paulo's most fascinating neighborhoods, such as Liberdade, the heart of the city's Japanese diaspora (the largest in the world), and República, centered on a lush urban plaza and ringed by modernist masterworks like Oscar Niemeyer's Edificio Copan and Franz Heep's Edificio Italia. From $530, rosewoodhotels.com. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT READ THIS Year of the Sea Goat Kiki Smith's "Capricornus" (2019).Photo: George Skordaras; courtesy of the artist By Max Pearl T Contributor In the summer of 2019, visitors to the Greek island of Hydra were greeted by the surreal sight of a giant mythological creature: the sea goat Capricornus, striding atop an ancient stone building as its voluminous multicolored tail fluttered in the wind. It was the opening salvo to artist Kiki Smith's multipart installation "Memory" at the Deste Foundation Project Space, an old slaughterhouse perched on a hill overlooking the ocean. Inside were more sculpted creatures, both fantastical and real, associated with the island's specific mythology and the space's history as a site of sacrifice: mermen, owls, cats, bronzed goat entrails, all of them bathed in the unearthly pink light of the Rubino glass Smith installed throughout. The show's catalog, "Kiki Smith: Memory," out now, conveys a vivid sense of the cloistral space with myriad photos and features critical essays and behind-the-scenes images of the fabrication and installation process, as well as Smith's concept drawings. $30, artbook.com. BUY THIS The Amoeba Underfoot The Valley rug by Mush Studios.Callum Walker Hutchinson By Jameson Montgomery Continue reading the main story ADVERTISMENT At the height of the pandemic's first wave in 2020, Jacob Winter, a 23-year-old marketing student at Baruch College, took to tufting rugs in his family's garage in Patchogue, Long Island. The playful, vibrant, bizarrely compelling results caught the attention of friends, and before long he was fielding requests for commissions. By the end of the year, Winter, his boyfriend, Franki Peroff, and creative director Trevor Padoll were tufting full-time as Mush Studios, making rugs with signature amoeba-like shapes that pulse with waves of brash, offbeat color. Inspired by retrofuturism, science fiction and queer art, they feel organic but not necessarily earthly. According to Padoll, "We look to older interpretations of what the future will hold, and we play into that by taking something traditional and elevating it in a way that hasn't been seen before." From $350, mushstudios.co. SHOP THIS Taming the Tangles From left: Ouai Leave In Conditioner, $26, theouai.com; Rahua Hydration Detangler and UV Barrier, $34, rahua.com; Oribe Run-Through Detangling Primer, $27, oribe.com; Sachajuan Leave In Conditioner, $36, shop.sachajuan.com; Drunk Elephant Wild Marula Tangle Spray, $25, drunkelephant.com.Courtesy of the brands By Kerstin Czarra T Contributor A new crop of detanglers has arrived just in time for winter. "Hydrating is usually the key to any hair issue, especially tangles," says Mara Roszak, a Los Angeles hairstylist and salon owner. "Hair tends to tangle more when the weather is dry." Sachajuan's Leave In Conditioner contains cold-water algae, rich in magnesium, zinc and manganese, to add body and shine and promote a healthy scalp. Oribe's Run-Through Detangling Primer deploys pomegranate, apricot and coconut oils to tackle the unruliest of knots and seal the cuticle to prevent breakage. For frizzy hair, Ouai's Leave In Conditioner uses tamarind seed to relax kinks and panthenol and vitamin E for easy detangling. Co-developed by celebrity hairstylist Chris McMillan, Drunk Elephant's Wild Marula Tangle Spray harnesses its namesake oil, a superabsorbable variety high in antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9, to moisturize and smooth the hair shaft. Rahua's Hydration Detangler and UV Barrier is full of fatty acids that impart a healthy shine as well as Morete oil, which shields hair from damaging UVA rays — and the tropical scent, courtesy of organic mango sugars, makes a post-ablution comb-through feel like an exotic escape. FROM T'S INSTAGRAM A Flourishing Courtyard in Tangier The lush courtyard is furnished with wrought-iron klismos chairs and a round table.Simon Watson Dar Zero, the design collectors Jamie Creel and Marco Scarani's 300-year-old house in Tangier, Morocco, is a palimpsest of ideas and aesthetics that both subverts and respects the city's colorful legacy. The home's previous owners, Yves Vidal and Charles Sevigny, purchased the whitewashed riad-style townhouse as a place to accommodate their constant stream of guests. Built at the turn of the 18th century, the house's address is 0 Place de la Casbah, which underscores its central location in the modern incarnation of Tangier's medina. Sevigny and Vidal restored the structure, keeping its architecture intact, but on the second floor, Sevigny added a primary bedroom with a terrace that connects to the courtyard below by way of a staircase. In the courtyard, pictured here, the couple preserved a giant gnarled fig tree, installing around its base handmade terra-cotta bejmat tiles from Fez with glazed green zellige pieces to form star patterns. Read the full story at tmagazine.com, and follow us on Instagram. And if you read one thing on tmagazine.com this week, make it: Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco. Photo: Phillip Maisel The Artists A Daughter's Reclamation of Her Father's Past The artist Sadie Barnette shares a new work that reframes pages from the dossier the F.B.I. kept on her parent, the founder of the Compton chapter of the Black Panthers. By Anna Furman Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The T List from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

歡迎蒞臨：https://ofa588.com/

娛樂推薦：https://www.ofa86.com/