The 1.15.23 Issue

Highlights

The Fed May Finally Be Winning the War on Inflation. But at What Cost?
There’s a good chance that the Fed could push the economy into recession. The pain will not be shared equally.
By Michael Steinberger
CreditPhoto illustration by Andrew B. Myers
How Montana Took a Hard Right Turn Toward Christian Nationalism
What happened to a state known for its political independence?
By Abe Streep
CreditAshley Gilbertson/VII, for The New York Times
How Danhausen Became Professional Wrestling’s Strangest Star
What’s the best way for a not-particularly-athletic barista-slash-wrestling geek to go pro? Act really weird.
By Dan Brooks
CreditEvan Jenkins for The New York Times
Talk
Draymond Green Sets Us Straight on the Real N.B.A.
The full story of the N.B.A. over the last decade could not be told without the Golden State Warriors star.
By David Marchese
CreditMamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times

My Ex-Husband Sexually Abused His Sister. Should I Have Been Warned?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on who has the right to know about someone’s dark past.
By Kwame Anthony Appiah
CreditIllustration by Tomi Um
The Ethicist
My Favorite Way to Watch College Football: D.I.Y. Hype Videos
There is no banal color commentary, no players milling around between plays — just athletes carrying a billion-dollar industry on their backs with amazing plays.
By Ali Breland
CreditIllustration by Dakarai Akil
Letter of Recommendation
The Secret to a Banana Bread With a Little More Bite
A familiar favorite gets a shot of flavor from miso and pecans.
By Bryan Washington
CreditChris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas.
Eat
Excruciating Leg Pain Hobbled Her for Weeks. What Was Wrong?
An M.R.I. ruled out the most common cause of sciatica. Then her rheumatologist asked about her asthma.
By Lisa Sanders, M.D.
CreditPhoto illustration by Ina Jang
Diagnosis
AI’s Best Trick Yet Is Showering Us With Attention
Face filters and selfie apps are so compelling because they simulate limitless interest in what we look like.
By Sophie Haigney
CreditPhoto illustration by Alicia Tatone
Screenland

Poem: Aise de Mayon
Sharon Olds’s elegy to young love — with a side of mayonnaise.
By Sharon Olds and Victoria Chang
CreditIllustration by R. O. Blechman
Poem
Judge John Hodgman on the Neighbors’ Forbidden Fruit
A Christmas gift of pears left on the doorstep creates a dilemma.
By John Hodgman
CreditIllustration by Louise Zergaeng Pomeroy
Judge John Hodgman