Author: NY TIMES

In the library of James Madison High School in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon, Senator Chuck Schumer took stock of the splash he made a few days before. In a speech on the Senate floor, he had branded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel a major impediment to peace in the Middle East and called for elections to replace him when the war winds down.It was here, he recalled, inside this hulking red brick school deep in south Brooklyn, where at 16 he was glued to his transistor radio to hear breaking news of the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. It was…

Thomas P. Stafford, an astronaut who pioneered cooperation in space when he commanded the American capsule that linked up with a Soviet spaceship in July 1975, died on Monday in Satellite Beach, Fla. He was 93.His death, in a retirement home, was confirmed by his wife, Linda. She said he had recently been diagnosed with liver cancer.General Stafford flew four times in space and orbited within nine miles of the moon’s surface on the mission that preceded the moon walks of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in July 1969, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s quest to best the Soviet Union…

There is always a sign.I first noticed something special was happening last spring when I couldn’t walk half a block in Dallas without encountering a large group of Iowa or South Carolina fans. And my male friends in the family, who for the first time planned their weekend around the women’s NCAA tournament instead of the men’s game. All the sports talk radio channels are talking about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. My Spider-Man senses tingled.I felt in my bones that the sport was about to experience a breakthrough moment, even though I couldn’t have imagined that nearly 10 million…

Kemo Sabe is certainly not the only western-themed store in Aspen, Colo., but it may be the best known, thanks to the influencer Alix Earle.While vacationing in Aspen last month, Ms. Earle did some shopping for personalized hats at Kemo Sabe with a few friends. Soon after she stepped outside, she was accosted by a local who seemed skeptical of her new look.“So we all just made hats at Kemo Sabe, because we’re trying to get into the Aspen western spirit,” Ms. Earle said in a TikTok video recorded moments after her shopping excursion. “And this girl comes up to…

The government of Saudi Arabia plans to create a fund of about $40 billion to invest in artificial intelligence, according to three people briefed on the plans — the latest sign of the gold rush toward a technology that has already begun reshaping how people live and work.In recent weeks, representatives of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund have discussed a potential partnership with Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital firms, and other financiers, said the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. They cautioned that the plans could still change.The planned tech fund would make Saudi…

President Biden will issue a multibillion-dollar award to Intel on Wednesday to expand its chip production in the United States, people familiar with the decision said, as the president champions his economic policies during a tour of the Southwest.The announcement in Phoenix, Ariz., is a major award from Mr. Biden’s $39 billion CHIPS and Science Act, which is aimed at building up the U.S. semiconductor industry and reducing reliance on technology made in East Asia.Mr. Biden has made expanding the production of the chips, which are used in all types of technologies, a central focus of both efforts to compete…

It started with a western-style Grammys outfit, complete with a cream-colored cowboy hat, studded string tie and matching Louis Vuitton jacket and skirt.After a year and a half of Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” the lauded dance music spectacular that included a world tour and a concert film, the awards show outfit signaled to fans that a new era was beginning. From the start, Beyoncé had described “Renaissance” as the first part of a three-act project, and fans wondered if the second act was on its way.One week later, the pop star made herself abundantly clear, this time in a Verizon ad that…

The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Türk, blamed Israel on Tuesday for what he said was the entirely preventable catastrophe of starvation and famine unfolding in Gaza, urging international pressure on the country to allow for the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid.International alarm has been growing over the hunger crisis in Gaza, with food experts predicting an imminent famine in the north of the enclave and foreign leaders and diplomats becoming increasingly blunt in pointing the finger at Israel.“The situation of hunger, starvation and famine is a result of Israel’s extensive restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian…

For many civilians in Gaza, fleeing from Israeli attacks has become a grim cycle. Israeli evacuation orders have prompted more than a million people to move from one destination to another since October, each time packing belongings and seeking transport — by vehicle, cart or foot — to escape airstrikes and ground fighting between Israel and Hamas.The latest example is Rafah in southern Gaza, a city swollen to more than 1.4 million people by forced displacement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Tuesday that his military would invade the city to root out Hamas but that it would…

‘Another Attempt to Make Life Better’I lifted tiers of tulle off the dressing room carpet and sighed heavily. “Every layer must be hemmed,” I said. “Can you fix it by prom, Mom?” she pleaded softly. I winced. For 20 months, I’d watched our three children shoulder disappointments since toxic mold invaded our home and we were forced to move into trailers in our backyard. Another deep breath. Another attempt to make life better. We bought the dress. I grabbed shears, then trimmed an even strip. Finding forgiveness in her smile, I hoped this memory would eclipse the others. — Carol…