Author: NY TIMES

Ross Gelbspan, an investigative journalist whose reporting on climate change exposed a campaign of disinformation by oil and gas lobbyists to sow doubt about global warming — a denialism that was embraced by Republican officials and, in some cases, by a credulous news media — died on Jan. 27 at his home in Boston. He was 84.The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife, Anne Gelbspan, said.Mr. Gelbspan’s career included reporting on dissidents in the Soviet Union and on F.B.I. harassment of domestic critics, and his interest in the climate crisis, like those other subjects, came from a sense…

2. No Doubt: “Artificial Sweetener”“The return of Saturn,” Gwen Stefani sings on this angsty new-wave-y rocker, which perfectly encapsulates a cosmic identity crisis. “Assessing my life, second-guessing.”▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube3. R.E.M.: “Saturn Return”A year after No Doubt’s “Return of Saturn,” R.E.M. released its 12th studio album, “Reveal,” which features this bleary-eyed piano ballad that name-checks the same astrological phenomenon. Rather than a personal exploration, though, this song is a character study of a late-shift convenience store employee, who climbs to the building’s roof and has an awakening while staring at the night sky.▶ Listen on Spotify,…

The State Department on Friday designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization, following through on a mid-January warning to crack down on the Yemen-based militant group.The action officially labels the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group, a step that gives the United States new powers to crack down on the Iran-backed Houthis’ access to the global financial system.It restores a designation given to the group late in the Trump administration, which Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken reversed soon after taking office in 2021, partly to facilitate peace talks for Yemen’s civil war.Last month, Mr. Blinken announced the…

Gen. Frank Kitson arrived in Northern Ireland in September 1970, charged with leading a brigade of British paratroopers in Belfast. The 30-year struggle known as the Troubles, pitting loyalists, who wanted to stay part of Britain, against Republicans, who wanted to separate, was just beginning — and over the next two years, General Kitson would do much to shape the course of the conflict.By then, General Kitson was considered one of Britain’s leading warrior-intellectuals. He had just come off a yearlong fellowship at Oxford, and he had used his time there to write a book, “Low Intensity Operations: Subversion, Insurgency…

Klay Thompson last came off the bench in March 2012. He was 22 years old at the time and an unproven rookie. Monta Ellis started ahead of him. Nate Robinson came off the bench next to him. Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers. Chauncey Billups, 47, is the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a member of the Clippers.Thompson was initially elevated to the starting lineup due to Stephen Curry’s ankle issues and the trade of Monta Ellis. That game against the Clippers was the final of Curry’s third season. He left after nine minutes and would…

There was also the matter of meeting his friends and family. Tylan would say things like, “They’ll love you because I love you.” But I knew loving me would be more palatable if we were closer in age. Even 10 years older is much more acceptable than 19. You just don’t hear about couples being that far apart in years, especially when the older partner is a woman.For the first year, we were successful at keeping our relationship quiet. There was a midnight skinny dip at the river, making out on a giant velour bean bag, and indoor camping with…

Over the last 20 years, stock pickers have had a dismal record. Most haven’t come close to beating the overall stock market.But occasionally, there are exceptions. In some periods, stock pickers rule, and the start of this year was one of those times.In fact, it was the best January for actively managed stock mutual funds since Bank of America began compiling data in 1991. It wasn’t just that they turned in handsome returns for investors. The entire stock market did that. The S&P 500 and other stock indexes set records during the month.It was that active stock funds did even…

The family of Brian Wilson, the musical architect whose genius helped power the Beach Boys, is seeking to place him under a conservatorship following the death of his wife, Melinda, last month.According to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this week by lawyers representing the potential conservators, Mr. Wilson, 81, has “a major neurocognitive disorder,” and “is unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health.” Melinda Wilson had previously provided care for her husband, but following her death on Jan. 30, the appointment of a conservator has become necessary, according to the petition filed…

When the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most influential pro-Israel group in the United States, wants to use its muscle, it can call on its considerable resources to run negative ads against lawmakers who oppose its agenda and pour money into funding a challenger.When the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker group that is pushing for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, wants to push its message, its Middle East lobbyist turns to tactics like playing guitar with schoolchildren in the occupied West Bank and sharing video messages about their fears with members of Congress on Capitol Hill.Going…

On Wednesday, two days before Russian authorities reported his death, Aleksei A. Navalny was sentenced to another term in a special punishment cell in an Arctic prison, a notoriously harsh form of incarceration generally used to force inmates into subjugation.The sentencing marked the 27th time that prison authorities had sent Mr. Navalny into a punishment cell, according to Kira Yarmysh, his spokeswoman. If he were to have served this last term in full, he would have spent a total of 308 days in similar cells, Ms. Yarmysh said.According to Eva Merkacheva, a Russian journalist who has covered the country’s prisons…