Author: NY TIMES

Linda Hennis was checking her Medicare statement in January when she noticed something strange: It said a company she had never heard of had been paid about $12,000 for sending her 2,000 urinary catheters.But she had never needed, or received, any catheters.Ms. Hennis, a retired nurse who lives in a suburb of Chicago, noticed that the company selling the plastic tubes was called Pretty in Pink Boutique, and it was based in Texas. “There’s a mistake here,” Ms. Hennis recalled thinking.She is among more than 450,000 Medicare beneficiaries whose accounts were billed for urinary catheters in 2023, up from about…

Seiji Ozawa, the eminent Japanese conductor whose death, at 88, was announced on Friday, was a force at the podium. He toured the world’s leading concert halls and helped break barriers for Asian classical musicians.He also left behind an extensive and varied discography: recordings of warhorses like Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which he led for 29 years, as well as of more obscure pieces, such as Henri Dutilleux’s “The Shadows of Time.” While his live performances sometimes drew mixed reactions from critics, many of his recordings — from Boston, Berlin, Japan and elsewhere — are…

Pakistani voters on Friday were anxiously awaiting the final results of a national election that has stunned many in the country by denying Pakistan’s powerful military a widely expected landslide victory for its preferred party.That party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was lagging in the polls behind a rival party, headed by another former prime minister, Imran Khan, as totals trickled in a day after voting. The prolonged uncertainty and tight race made clear that the military, long the guiding hand in Pakistani politics, had failed in its heavy-handed effort to gut Mr. Khan’s party ahead of the…

Harrison Butker has earned a reputation as one of the NFL’s great kickers. The two-time Super Bowl champion caught all 14 snaps in the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff victory this season and has become as reliable as Stephen Curry in his art.But ironically, it was Butker’s missed field goal in last year’s Super Bowl that gave CBS Sports vice president of remote technology operations Jason Cohen an epiphany.Butker’s 42-yard field goal shot hit the top of the left upright with 2:24 left in the first quarter of Super Bowl 57 between the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium…

The Stanley Tumbler, this year’s smash hit, is, at first glance, a win for the planet.It’s durable. It’s reusable. Unlike the throwaway plastic bottles it’s meant to replace, it doesn’t generate mountains of plastic trash.But the craze has sparked some less-than-sustainable behavior. People boast about owning dozens of them. When Target released special editions, including a much-coveted Starbucks version, it caused a mini stampede.Some trend forecasters say the fad is already over. “Some millennials or Gen-Z are already embarrassed to carry a Stanley,” said Casey Lewis, who writes the trendspotting newsletter, After School. “And we know what’s going to happen,”…

Noah Shachtman, the top editor of Rolling Stone, is stepping down at the end of the month after a stint of more than two years at the helm of the pop culture bible.In a brief note to employees that was seen by The New York Times, Mr. Shachtman said his last day running the magazine would be March 1, but he did not elaborate on the reasons for his exit.His resignation was prompted by editorial differences with Gus Wenner, Rolling Stone’s chief executive, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.“It’s the right…

Usher’s “My Way” residency, which began in 2021 in Las Vegas (the town where Frank Sinatra himself once gallivanted), had the R&B singer courting celebrities and viral social media moments for 100 consecutive sold-out shows. The staging was energetic, replete with roller skates and stripper poles.But spectacle wasn’t the only draw. Usher, 45, used the retrospective to showcase the hallmarks of his 30-year music career: pristine vocals, polished but effortless dance moves and heart-melting charm in the tradition of his idols Sammy Davis Jr. and Ben Vereen, his godfather. It’s appropriate, then, that on Feb. 11 the eight-time Grammy winner…

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia kept returning to one message over and over in his meandering, two-hour interview with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson: Russia wants to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine, albeit on the Kremlin’s terms.That message seemed aimed at the American right and Republicans in Congress, with an eye to undermining support for aid to Ukraine. If so, the day after the long-anticipated interview, it seemed lost in the muddle.The Russian leader’s discursive historical diatribes, delving into everything from the Rurik dynasty to the Golden Horde, dominated commentary about the interview online and overshadowed…

U.S. women’s national team head coach Twila Kilgore has confirmed the 23-player roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup, with three additional training players set to participate in the pre-match training camp, including forward Ma Lori Swanson. This will be Swanson’s official return to the national team after recovering from a torn patella tendon last April.”Mal is going to come in and be Mal. We’re excited to have her back in a camp environment,” Kilgore said. “We know that whatever Mal does, she brings a high level of professionalism and execution. We believe she is fully ready to take…

Still, Ms. Juszczyk, whose website says she is self-taught and started her business after making Halloween costumes for herself and her husband, has more than just the endorsements of Ms. Swift and other celebrities going for her.The fact that Nike was first credited with making Ms. Swift’s jacket reflects the fact that Ms. Juszczyk has, consciously or not, positioned herself at the red hot center of a number of macro fashion trends. To wit: the buzz around upcycling; the desire for customization; the transformation of streetwear into luxury; and the increasing convergence of sports and fashion. As one of her…