My list would share a lot of names with yours. I'm not familiar with the work of Ben Taub or Peter Hessler, but I like all the others. (Well, I don't really "like" David Remnick -- he seems like kind of a jerk and I'm not that interested in Russia, which he writes about a lot -- but I give him credit as editor.)
I would add David Sedaris, Zadie Smith, Jia Tolentino, Emily Nussbaum, Ariel Levy, Leslie Jamison. I'd probably read Ronan Farrow and David Grann. I'd include Anne Applebaum and Elizabeth Kolbert because I respect their expertise, but most global politics and the environment are duty articles for me. I used to include Anthony Lane but I got kind of sick of his sometimes forced humor. Simon Rich (son of longtime New York Times' columnist Frank Rich) and Jack Handey sometimes write Shouts & Murmurs that are actually funny.
Not all of those are must-reads, with the exception of Sedaris, Menand, Gopnik, Chast and Smith. But the others I'd at least check out.
I'm surprised you don't know Ben Taub. I thought we discussed him here ages ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Taub_(journalist)I think I've heard David Remnick described as a jerk elsewhere. I don't remember reading anything by him about Russia. He's on my list because whenever the editorial in The Talk of the Town appears above his name, I read it.
I forgot Sedaris, Smith, Tolentino, and Levy. I don't recognize Leslie Jamison or Anne Applebaum. Since I'm so far behind, I've been skipping the movie, theatre, and TV articles. (In the past I have found Anthony Lane funny. I've never felt anything was forced.) (I did read Emily Nussbaum on "The Lost Boys," but only because the movie had Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric when they were both young and hot.
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Like FRiend Lee, I'd add Elizabeth Kolbert and John McPhee. I'd also add Lauren Collins and another woman writer whose name was on the tip of my tongue an hour ago, and now I can't think of it.
I'll add her when I think of her name.
