Author: NY TIMES

This week’s episode of Popcast (Deluxe), the weekly culture roundup show on YouTube hosted by Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli, includes segments on:What made TikTok so addictive and effective in the pastThe introduction of TikTok Shop and the commercialization of the For You PageTikTok’s golden era: Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, the Hype HouseRecent TikTok bright spots: Pookie & JettInnovations in TikTok narrative formatsDurational content on TikTokTikTok’s decreasing reliance on the music industry and its cold war with Universal Music GroupThrowback TikTok songs of the week from ppcocaine feat. NextYoungin and Gucci ManeSnack of the weekConnect With Popcast. Become a part…

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is helping to broker the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, expressed hope for a breakthrough, saying that, “God willing, in the next few days, we will reach a cease-fire agreement” to bring “real relief” to the people of Gaza.His comments echoed President Biden’s prediction earlier in the week that a deal to pause the war and free the remaining hostages in Gaza could come as soon as Monday.In a briefing for the news media on Wednesday, Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said he was reluctant to comment on Mr. Biden’s forecast.“I really…

Nikolai I. Ryzhkov, a premier of the Soviet Union who in 1990 took the brunt of the blame for economic chaos that engulfed the last years of Communist rule, leading to the nation’s political collapse and the end of the Cold War, has died. He was 94.His death was confirmed on Wednesday by Valentina Matvienko, the head of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper chamber of Parliament, in a statement on Telegram. The statement did not say where or when he died.Starting as a welder in a factory in the Urals, Mr. Ryzhkov rose as a party loyalist with economic expertise…

My mom tells the story the same way every year.I was two weeks late and my heartbeat had slowed briefly, as it turns out, because I was squeezing my umbilical cord, and the obstetrician said it was time for my grand arrival. So when I was born on the evening of Feb. 29, my grandfather took partial credit.“I knew she would do it,” he said.He, too, was a leap day baby, more than 60 years my senior.The reporter’s fourth birthday, and first leap day birthday, with her grandfather, Werner Klugman.The calendar accounts for Earth’s imperfect rotation by adding an extra…

Netflix said on Wednesday that the producer Dan Lin would replace Scott Stuber as the streaming company’s top film executive.Mr. Stuber was the head of Netflix Film for seven years before announcing last month that he would be leaving. During his tenure, he brought a bevy of Oscar-winning filmmakers to Netflix and helped the company push the rest of the entertainment industry into the streaming era.Mr. Lin, 50, who was once the senior vice president of production at Warner Bros., is the founder of Rideback Productions, which was behind Netflix’s recent live-action remake of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” He was…

WilmerHale, a prominent U.S. law firm, is close to wrapping up a detailed review of OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, and his ouster from the artificial intelligence start-up late last year, two people with knowledge of the proceedings said.The investigation, when complete, could give insight into what went on behind the scenes with Mr. Altman and OpenAI’s former board of directors, which fired him on Nov. 17 before reinstating him five days later. OpenAI, which is valued at more than $80 billion, has led a frenzy over A.I. and could help determine the direction of the transformative technology.Mr. Altman, 38,…

Americans ages 65 and older should receive an additional dose of the latest Covid vaccine this spring, scientific advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.The spring shot would be a second dose of the most recent iteration of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Novavax vaccines introduced in the fall. The recommendation now goes to the C.D.C. director, Dr. Mandy Cohen, who is likely to accept it.At a meeting of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, federal researchers presented preliminary data showing that the latest vaccines have an effectiveness of about 40 to 50 percent against…

When Ye and Ty Dolla Sign asked last month for permission to sample Donna Summer’s 1977 song “I Feel Love,” the disco singer’s estate firmly told them no. Yet when their joint LP, “Vultures 1,” was released weeks ago, a song with strong similarities to Summer’s famous tune was there on the track list.A copyright infringement lawsuit detailing that timeline was filed against Ye, the rapper once known as Kanye West, and Ty Dolla Sign on Tuesday by Summer’s husband and executor, Bruce Sudano. Summer, known as the “Queen of Disco,” had three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 in…

Parties haggling over a possible cease-fire in Gaza offered mixed signals on Wednesday, with Hamas’s political leader saying that the group was ready to keep fighting Israel while the president of Egypt said that a truce could be reached “in the next few days.”The Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a televised speech that the group was open to the mediated talks with Israel, but that “any flexibility we show in the negotiation process is a commitment to protecting the blood of our people, matched by a readiness to defend them.”President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is brokering the…

People at Milan Fashion Week usually go big with their outfits, often by incorporating bold prints or visible logos or some combination of the two. This season, both off and on runways, many achieved an outsize presence by wearing red, shades of which were abundant in the streets and incorporated into the collections of brands like MM6 Maison Margiela and Jil Sander. The color’s prevalence harked back to 1980s action films and their copious red sports cars.While seeing red characterized much of fashion week in Milan, there were other notable moments. Among them was the Sunnei show, which ended with…