Author: NY TIMES

On a sunny Sunday afternoon at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, just days before Juneteenth, large crowds of people were lounging on brightly colored picnic blankets and under tents atop the hill, making them hard to miss.With R&B and hip-hop filling the breezy air, this was just the early vibes of the Lay Out, a series of summer park gatherings that its creator says exists “to center Black joy.” By 5 p.m., the park would be swelling with mostly Black attendees dancing and drinking together, playing games and enjoying one another’s company for a day of rest.“It’s my favorite event…

The backyard goodbye party for Sally Buzbee, the recently departed executive editor of The Washington Post, was beginning to break up on Sunday evening when the newspaper published a critical investigation into her permanent successor.The headline: “Incoming Post editor tied to self-described ‘thief’ who claimed role in his reporting.”The article focused on Robert Winnett, the British journalist poised to take over The Post’s newsroom in November, and revealed his links to a private eye who used unethical media practices to land big exclusives. It noted that Mr. Winnett had declined to comment to The Post’s reporters — the same ones…

The first segment of this week’s episode of Popcast (Deluxe), the weekly culture roundup show on YouTube hosted by Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli, includes discussion of:Eminem’s new single, “Houdini”Eminem as a dedicated fan of rap musicJ. Cole’s collaboration with Cash Cobain, “Grippy,” and being in on the J. Cole-rapping-about-sex jokeDrake’s appearance on the SoundCloud novelty song “Wah Gwan Delilah”How rappers like Common and Method Man are grappling with hip-hop’s generation gapThe new Will Smith movie, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” and the actor’s extensive, post-Slap press tour, including “Hot Ones”Whether Will Smith need his “Bad Boys” character as a…

A White House adviser met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday as the Israeli military warned that the Lebanese militia Hezbollah was risking a wider confrontation with its cross-border strikes against Israel.The adviser, Amos Hochstein, who has overseen previous talks between Israel and Lebanon, was meeting with Israeli leaders amid swelling concerns that the confrontation with Hezbollah, a powerful militia and Lebanese political faction backed by Iran, could grow into all-out war. Several Israeli news outlets reported that Mr. Hochstein was holding talks aimed at preventing a further escalation.In a post on social media late Sunday night,…

Railing against the right-wing government that until recently counted him as a trusted insider, Hungary’s most popular and improbable opposition leader stood on the back of a flatbed truck surrounded by cheering followers.“Step by step, brick by brick, we will take back our country,” shouted the opposition leader, Peter Magyar, reciting what, during a tour of towns and villages across Hungary, has been the crowd-pleasing mantra of the 43-year-old’s upstart political movement.Making the moment all the more provocative was the location that Mr. Magyar chose for the rally: just down the road from a house that Prime Minister Viktor Orban…

PINEHURST, N.C. — Less than seven minutes after Bryson DeChambeau’s ball fell into the cup, Rory McIlroy’s Lexus SUV was taken from his The sound of tires tearing on the pavement echoed throughout the Pinehurst Resort as the 2011 U.S. Open champion pulled out of the parking lot on the day of his departure. He stared into the distance as his agent and caddies talked around him. No interviews. The 35-year-old Northern Irishman simply threw his clubs and gym bag into the trunk, climbed into the driver’s seat and put the car into reverse gear. The U.S. Open ends at…

The actress Kara Young stood surrounded by admirers inside David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center around 1 a.m. on Monday morning, fielding a swarm of well-wishers after winning her first Tony Award, for featured actress in the comedy “Purlie Victorious.” Her older brother hovered close by and periodically fanned out the train of her lime chiffon dress.Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the 39-year-old playwright who penned the night’s best play revival, the searing family drama “Appropriate” — and a fellow first-time Tony winner — was next in line to compliment Ms. Young and her gown from the designer Bibhu Mohapatra.“This is a forever…

William H. Donaldson, who made an early fortune as a co-founder of the innovative securities firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and later pushed for tighter financial regulation as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission in the wake of the Enron and WorldCom accounting scandals, died on Wednesday at his home in Westchester County, N.Y. He was 93.The cause was leukemia, his son Adam said.Mr. Donaldson also served briefly as an under secretary of state under Henry A. Kissinger, headed the New York Stock Exchange and was chief executive of the insurer Aetna Inc.In 1975, he was named the founding…

U.S. regulators sued Adobe on Monday over claims that the company made it difficult to cancel subscriptions to Photoshop and other software, an escalation by regulators in a crackdown against such practices.The Justice Department said in its lawsuit that Adobe hid details of an expensive cancellation fee from consumers “in fine print and behind optional text boxes and hyperlinks.” Adobe’s website and customer service representatives made canceling additionally challenging, according to allegations in the suit.“Adobe knows about the barriers consumers face when attempting to cancel their subscriptions,” the government said in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District…

Cast albums are both keepsakes and fantasies, preserving a show for those who have seen it and implying it for those who have not. At their best, they are also stand-alone works of musical-theater art. Listening to the recordings of the eight shows nominated for Tony Awards in the best musical and best score categories — all of which are now available — I was impressed by how often and how variously they reached that standard. Below, in chronological order by opening date on Broadway, a guide to the latest batch of future treasures.‘Here Lies Love’The first of the season’s…