Author: NY TIMES

For the past year, two philosophy professors have been calling around to prominent authors and public intellectuals with an unusual, perhaps heretical, proposal. They have been asking these thinkers if, for a handsome fee, they wouldn’t mind turning themselves into A.I. chatbots.John Kaag, one of the academics, is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is known for writing books, such as “Hiking With Nietzsche” and “American Philosophy: A Love Story,” that blend philosophy and memoir.Clancy Martin, Mr. Kaag’s partner in the endeavor, is a professor at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and the author of…

Three months into the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci was at home in northwest Washington when he answered his cellphone to President Donald J. Trump screaming at him in an expletive-laden rant. He had incurred the president’s wrath by remarking that the vaccines under development might not provide long-lasting immunity.That was the day, June 3, 2020, “that I first experienced the brunt of the president’s rage,” Dr. Fauci writes in his forthcoming autobiography.Dr. Fauci has long been circumspect in describing his feelings toward Mr. Trump. But in the book, “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service,” he writes…

The French pop star Françoise Hardy, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80, was celebrated for her beauty and style, always striking the perfect pose whether she was doing a fashion shoot or had gotten caught in a candid picture. Hardy’s self-possession could be intimidating, but her songs created a sense of intimacy, pulling listeners close by exploring emotional depths, and she earned the love and loyalty of pop aficionados, devoted aesthetes and lonely souls.In these images we gathered, notice how she sometimes seems to be looking at us, even though we are looking at her. Notice also…

The U.S. military launched airstrikes that destroyed three anti-ship cruise missile launchers in Houthi-controlled Yemen late on Thursday, as the armed rebel group stepped up its attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the U.S. Central Command said.The latest strikes from U.S. forces came as the Houthis, an Iranian-backed group that controls much of Yemen, intensified their campaign in the Red Sea, firing missiles toward two ships on Thursday after crippling a vessel the previous day, maritime security monitors said.One merchant vessel was hit by projectiles about 98 nautical miles east of the Yemeni city of Aden and caught fire,…

President Vladimir V. Putin said on Friday that Russia would be ready to order a cease-fire in Ukraine and enter negotiations with its government if Kyiv withdrew troops from the four regions that Moscow has claimed as its own and dropped its aspirations to join NATO.Ukraine’s foreign ministry quickly denounced Mr. Putin’s statement, saying that his goal was “to mislead the international community, undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just peace and split the unity of the world over the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter.”Mr. Putin’s new announcement stipulates that Ukraine effectively surrender huge swaths of…

The U.S. women’s basketball roster was officially announced on Tuesday, six weeks after the 12 players will compete for a record eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. With 7 players on Team USA (and 2 on the last 3×3 team), this is an experienced team that competed in the Olympics as Team USA .Experience and maturity will only increase given the roster is skewed towards players in their 20s; the youngest player is 26 and the oldest is 42-year-old Diana Taurasi. Unlike previous Olympic rosters, this one does not include recent college graduates. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark’s omission from the…

Tyler Charles Eyre believes he never would have met Yasmin Khorram, whom he considers his soul mate, had her family not fled Iran four decades ago. But it was a tragic turn of events that precipitated that move.As the Iranian Revolution was taking place in 1979, Ms. Khorram’s maternal grandfather, a top military commander during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was executed. Her grandmother, along with her parents, abandoned their family home and moved to Denver to begin rebuilding their lives.Ms. Khorram, 36, who grew up in Seattle after her parents relocated there, has never been to Iran.…

“Starting a new book” Elon Musk got his way.Shareholders in Tesla voted in favor of his two big asks, reaffirming a multibillion-dollar compensation package that a Delaware judge had nullified and approving the company’s reincorporation in Texas. “I think we’re not just opening a new chapter for Tesla, we’re starting a new book,” a jubilant Musk told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting.The vote doesn’t end Tesla and Musk’s legal fights in Delaware, including over the compensation plan. But investors clearly believe that the electric-carmaker’s fortunes, and theirs, are inextricably linked to its C.E.O.“We have the most awesome shareholder base,”…

Tesla shareholders reaffirmed a pay award worth more than $45 billion for Elon Musk on Thursday, but before the announcement was made official at the company’s annual meeting in Austin, Texas, Mr. Musk posted the news on X, his social media platform.“Both Tesla shareholder resolutions are currently passing by wide margins!” he wrote in a post late Wednesday night. “Thanks for your support!!”For months, Mr. Musk’s supporters have used the social media site, which he purchased for $44 billion in 2022, to drum up support for his massive payday, and Tesla board members warned he could leave the company if…

Usher, an eight-time Grammy winner, has won many awards in his 30-year career. But the one he received on Tuesday night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem was special, he said.“It’s the prestige,” said the R&B singer, who arrived in a black S.U.V. surrounded by phone-wielding fans to the red carpet outside the theater, which was celebrating its 90th birthday at its annual spring benefit.Along with Babyface, Usher was at the Apollo, which opened in 1934 and has played host to numerous venerated musicians including Billie Holiday, James Brown and Aretha Franklin, for a celebratory concert and an awards ceremony.…