Author: NY TIMES

A group of investors led by Elon Musk has made a $97.4 billion bid to buy the assets of the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, according to two people familiar with the bid, escalating a yearslong, deeply personal tussle for the future of artificial intelligence between Mr. Musk and OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman.The consortium includes Vy Capital and Xai, Mr. Musk’s artificial intelligence company, as well as the Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel and other investors, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are ongoing.The Wall Street Journal earlier reported news of the offer.The…

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the National Institutes of Health from cutting research funding in 22 states that filed suit earlier in the day arguing that the plan would eviscerate studies into treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and a host of other ailments.The funding cuts, announced late Friday, were to take effect on Monday. But the attorneys general of Massachusetts and 21 other states sued. They argued that the Trump administration’s plan to slash $4 billion in overhead costs — known as “indirect costs” — violated a 79-year-old law that governs how administrative agencies establish and administer…

For decades, the Educational Bookshop has been a cultural cornerstone of East Jerusalem, its two outlets hosting foreign diplomats, feting prominent authors and providing readers with both sides of the story in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians.This weekend, the Israeli police raided the stores and arrested their two owners after concluding that books being sold there — including a children’s coloring book — could incite violence. The police said they seized a number of books in the raids on Sunday.The shops were initially closed on Monday, but later opened despite a judge ordering the brothers who own the stores,…

Despite missing another championship ring, Travis Kelce added another honor to Sunday’s resume when he surpassed Jerry Rice in Kansas City The Chiefs were at most Pro Super Bowl receptions where the Philadelphia Eagles lost 40-22.Kelce, 35, recorded four catches at 39 yards, giving him a total of 35 catches in five Super Bowls and passed the Hall of Fame Rice in four Super Bowls (Hall of Fain Guns) 33 receptions from Hall of Famer Rice.The Super Bowl record comes a year after Kelce surpassed Rice’s professional playoff record.Kelce failed to get a pickup in the first half of Sunday’s…

Ecuador’s young president, Daniel Noboa, who is known for aggressive law-and-order policies and a mastery of social media, failed to win a majority of votes in his bid for re-election on Sunday, forcing a runoff election against Luisa González, the leftist he defeated in the last presidential race.With about 96 percent of the ballots counted early on Monday morning, Mr. Noboa had received 44.37 percent of the votes cast. Ms. González, the closest of his 15 opponents, had 43.86 percent.Polls before the election had suggested that Mr. Noboa, 37, could win a majority, making a second round of voting unnecessary.…

President Trump on Sunday said that he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all foreign steel and aluminum imports into the United States as of Monday and would soon announce reciprocal tariffs on America’s trading partners.Speaking from Air Force One en route to the Super Bowl, the president said his metal tariffs would apply to “everybody,” including Canada and Mexico, America’s allies and its largest trading partners.“Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25 percent tariff,” Mr. Trump said. “Aluminum, too.”Mr. Trump’s decision to tax foreign metals and impose reciprocal tariffs comes in the…

To many Chinese, DeepSeek’s success is a victory for China’s education system, proof that it equals that of the United States or has even surpassed it.The core team of developers and scientists behind DeepSeek, the Chinese start-up that has jolted the A.I. world, all attended university in China, according to the company’s founder. That’s a contrast with many Chinese tech companies, which have often sought talent educated abroad.As Chinese commenters online basked in Americans’ shocked reactions, some pointed to the high number of science Ph.D.s that China produces annually. “DeepSeek’s success proves that our education is awesome,” read one blog…

About two million baked goods, including some doughnuts and coffee rolls sold at Dunkin’, were recalled over concerns of potential contamination with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, federal safety regulators said.The manufacturer FGF Brands, which distributes baked goods in the United States and Canada, issued the voluntary recall because of the “potential for contamination with Listeria monocytogenes,” according to a report released on Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration.The recalled products include a mix of chocolate, raspberry and Bavarian doughnuts; French crullers; éclairs; and coffee rolls. Some of the goods were sold at Dunkin’, and were produced before Dec. 13,…

To lifelong rap fans, even considering these questions borders on the baffling — akin to imagining past vitriolic, subterranean classics like Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline,” Tupac’s “Hit ’Em Up” or Nas’s “Ether” as inescapable, mainstream hits.“It’s by far the biggest diss record of all time,” said Charlamagne Tha God, the radio and television host best known for his syndicated morning show, “The Breakfast Club.” “There’s not even a debate about that. It’s bigger than ‘Hit ’Em Up’ ever was, more culturally relevant than ‘Ether’ ever was — it led to an unprecedented lawsuit from the person that it was targeted…

The State Department has given Congress formal notification that it plans to move forward with sales of more than $8 billion in weapons to Israel, bypassing an informal review process that was underway in a House committee.The move took place just days after President Trump met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and said the United States would “take over” the devastated Gaza Strip and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”The State Department formally notified Congress of its intention on Friday. That same day, the Pentagon put out two news releases, one saying it was selling…