Author: NY TIMES

For the past year and a half since ChatGPT was released, a scary question has hovered over the heads of major online publishers: What if Google decides to overhaul its core search engine to feature generative artificial intelligence more prominently — and breaks our business in the process?The question speaks to one of the most fragile dependencies in today’s online media ecosystem.Most big publishers, including The New York Times, receive a significant chunk of traffic from people going to Google, searching for something and clicking on articles about it. That traffic, in turn, allows publishers to sell ads and subscriptions,…

Few looks are as distinctive as Amy Winehouse’s was. The singer’s sweeping eyeliner, tottering heels and disheveled beehive are still instantly recognizable, 13 years after her death.In the new biopic “Back to Black,” Marisa Abela plays the star from the beginning of her music career until her final days. She wears mini skirts with girlish ruffles and small kitten heels to begin with, before adopting her distinctive pinup aesthetic as she dives deeper into the music industry and her self-destructive habits.The film takes its title from Winehouse’s second album, and “when we get to ‘Back to Black’ Amy, it’s more…

Israeli tank fire killed five of Israel’s own soldiers in Gaza, a military spokesman said on Thursday, in the latest incident of so-called friendly fire since Israel invaded the enclave in October.Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said at a news briefing that the men had been killed by tank fire on Wednesday as they were fighting in a densely populated area of the territory.“There was an incident of friendly fire — five soldiers were killed,” he said, adding, “The incident is under review.”The Jerusalem Post reported that the men had been killed in Gaza City…

Michael Cohen faced Trump’s lawyersThe testimony from Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer, is a linchpin in the Manhattan case against the former president. Here’s the latest.Yesterday, Cohen returned to the stand. Lawyers for the Manhattan district attorney’s office have told the judge that he will be their last witness. On the stand, Cohen described to jurors a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels as an effort to influence the 2016 election “on behalf of Mr. Trump.”After that, he faced Trump’s legal team. In a barrage of questions, they sought to portray Cohen as an opportunist. Trump’s lead lawyer, Todd Blanche,…

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker mentioned Pride Month in his commencement speech at Benedictine College, with events in June demonstrating inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ+ community. As an example of “mortal sin,” he advocated a more conservative brand of Catholicism.”Not the kind of deadly sinful pride that takes a whole month to commemorate, but a true God-centered pride that works with the Holy Spirit to glorify Him,” Butke said.Butker spoke for more than 20 minutes to students at Atchison Catholic School in Kansas, saying he hoped the graduating class would prevent political leaders from interfering in social issues…

“The Five Minute Journal” rode a wave of new emphasis on self-improvement and mindfulness, but it has helped create it, too. Now there are journals and workbooks for almost every conceivable mental health need or psychological philosophy: There’s “The Anti-Anxiety Notebook,” for adherents of cognitive behavioral therapy, or “The Shadow Work Journal,” for exploring emotional wounds. In December, Apple rolled out a dedicated journal app for the iPhone.The hype has turned Alex and Mimi Ikonn, the London-based couple behind “The Five Minute Journal,” into unlikely publishing juggernauts. Under their brand Intelligent Change, they also sell a $30 deck of “mindful…

The NewsWalmart, the largest retailer in the United States, on Thursday reported higher sales and profit in the first quarter, giving insight into how consumer spending is weathering the high-interest-rate environment.The Numbers: Sales grew in stores and especially online.Walmart said its comparable-store sales in its U.S. business rose 3.8 percent from the quarter a year earlier. Its global e-commerce business jumped 21 percent. Walmart has performed better than retailers dependent on apparel sales, in part because it also sells essential goods like groceries. Consumers are continuing to find places to cut back on their purchasing.Transactions were up 3.8 percent, while…

A bipartisan group of senators released a long-awaited legislative plan for artificial intelligence on Wednesday, calling for billions in funding to propel American leadership in the technology while offering few details on regulations to address its risks.In a 20-page document titled “Driving U.S. Innovation in Artificial Intelligence,” the Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, and three colleagues called for spending $32 billion annually by 2026 for government and private-sector research and development of the technology.The lawmakers recommended creating a federal data privacy law and said they supported legislation, planned for introduction on Wednesday, that would prevent the use of realistic misleading technology…

Barbara Hannigan, a daring singer and maestro who has built a reputation for innovative programming, will become the chief conductor and artistic director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2026, the ensemble announced on Wednesday.It will be the first full-time conducting post for Hannigan, 53, a rare artist who began her career as a soprano but in recent years has made a name as a conductor.Hannigan said in an interview that she was drawn to the inventiveness of the Iceland Symphony, which she first conducted in 2022 in a program of Ives, Schoenberg, Berg and Gershwin.“These people are working in…

The United Nations’ top court is scheduled to hear arguments from South Africa on Thursday afternoon after the country recently requested that the court issue further constraints on Israel, saying “the very survival” of Palestinians in Gaza was under threat.In filings disclosed by the International Court of Justice in The Hague last week, South Africa cited the “irreparable harm” posed by Israel’s incursion into Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza where half of the population has sought refuge. The filings said the rights of Palestinians in Gaza were under threat, adding that Israel’s control over two major border crossings in…