Study A.I. Consciousness? The Bots Would Like a Word With You. - The New York Times
Given access to email, A.I. agents have started reaching out to the philosophers and researchers exploring deep questions about them.
Monday, August 31, 2026
A Half-Price Luxury E.V. Comes With a Big Asterisk; Chinese Cars Could Be Huge in U.S., and That’s the Problem, Officials Say
A Half-Price Luxury E.V. Comes With a Big Asterisk - The New York Times
Chinese Cars Could Be Huge in U.S., and That’s the Problem, Officials Say - The New York Times
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| The Geely M9: A Mercedes at Honda Civic prices. |
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| The Polestar 4 and 5. The 5 will not make it to the U.S. |
Summit With Russia, India and Iran Shows Leverage Wars Have Given Xi of China; Europe Protests as U.S. Invites Russian Minister to G20 Finance Meeting
Summit With Russia, India and Iran Shows Leverage Wars Have Given Xi of China - The New York Times
A two-day conference of the 10-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Kyrgyzstan shows the limits of U.S. economic warfare.
Europe Protests as U.S. Invites Russian Minister to G20 Finance Meeting - The New York Times
The meeting, which China and Russia are attending, is focused on the ongoing economic shock from the war in Iran, which has driven up oil prices globally.
U.S. Strikes May Have Targeted a New Type of Iranian Naval Mine
U.S. Strikes May Have Targeted a New Type of Iranian Naval Mine - The New York Times
The U.S. military said its attacks against Iran were in response to a threat to the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S.-Venezuela oil deal won’t lower your gas prices. ⛽😔
The U.S.-Venezuela oil deal won’t lower your gas prices. Here’s what you need to know : NPR
The $65 Billion deal comes with a host of challenges and change of priorities when it comes to Venezuela.
Inside Moderna and Merck's cancer vaccine breakthrough
Success after a century of failures: Inside Moderna and Merck's cancer vaccine breakthrough
Cancer vaccine from Moderna, Merck shows promise in late-stage trial; both stocks soar
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| FILE PHOTO: Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel speaks at the Boston College Chief Executives Club luncheon in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., April 4, 2022. REUTERS/Katherine Taylor/File Photo |
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Unpacking the Famous Words in the Declaration of Independence
Unpacking the Famous Words in the Declaration of Independence - The New York Times
“The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem,” Walt Whitman wrote, but the nation was conceived in prose. Other countries have national holidays that commemorate feats of revolutionary or military glory. This one celebrates a document. The Declaration of Independence was a charter and a manifesto, yes, but in essence it was a memo, a hastily drafted, feverishly edited, hand-copied piece of committee work. A masterpiece, too.
The Ex-Mayor of Arcadia, Her Boyfriend and the Chinese Government
The Ex-Mayor of Arcadia, Her Boyfriend and the Chinese Government - The New York Times
Eileen Wang pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent. But what could Beijing want from the mayor of a small California city known as the “Chinese Beverly Hills”?
Apple Makes Another Attempt at AI...this time with Google and Nvidia
Apple Reveals New A.I.-Powered Version of Its Siri Digital Assistant - The New York Times
The iPhone maker revealed its new artificial intelligence products at its developer conference, the last with Tim Cook as chief executive.
Anthropic Tops OpenAI to Become the World’s Most Valuable A.I. Start-Up; What AI Agents are doing; Who will thrive in the Hybrid-A.I. Workforce
What Are A.I. Agents Actually Doing? - The New York Times
In the Hybrid A.I.-Human Work Force, Who Will Actually Thrive? - The New York Times
Anthropic Tops OpenAI to Become the World’s Most Valuable A.I. Start-Up - The New York Times
Opinion | The A.I. Classroom Is Quiet. Way Too Quiet. - The New York Times
OpenAI Files Confidentially for IPO as AI Companies Rush to Wall St. - The New York Times
Sunday, June 7, 2026
As Ebola Spreads in East Africa, Will China Step Up?
As Ebola Spreads in East Africa, Will China Step Up?
China is well positioned to help stop the deadly virus, and could move into a gap left by U.S. retreat.
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| In a state media handout photo, members of a Chinese medical team arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Tuesday. Xinhua, via Getty Images |
Friday, June 5, 2026
My Life Was a Trainwreck. Then I Read This Poem
My Life Was a Trainwreck. Then I Read This Poem
A.O. Scott seeks practical wisdom in a villanelle by Wendy Cope.
Some Rules by Wendy Cope
Stop, if the car is going “clunk”
Or if the sun has made you blind.
Don’t answer e-mails when you’re drunk.
Or if the sun has made you blind.
Don’t answer e-mails when you’re drunk.
You fire off something fierce. You’re sunk.
It’s irretrievable. It’s signed.
You feel your spirits going “clunk.”
It’s irretrievable. It’s signed.
You feel your spirits going “clunk.”
Don’t hide your face with too much gunk,
Especially if it’s old and lined.
Don’t answer e-mails when you’re drunk.
Especially if it’s old and lined.
Don’t answer e-mails when you’re drunk.
Don’t live with thirty years of junk—
Those precious things you’ll never find.
Stop, if the car is going “clunk.”
Those precious things you’ll never find.
Stop, if the car is going “clunk.”
Don’t fall for an amusing hunk,
However rich, unless he’s kind.
Don’t answer e-mails when you’re drunk.
However rich, unless he’s kind.
Don’t answer e-mails when you’re drunk.
In this respect, I’m like a monk:
I need some rules to bear in mind.
Stop, if the car is going “clunk.”
Don’t answer e-mails when you’re drunk.
I need some rules to bear in mind.
Stop, if the car is going “clunk.”
Don’t answer e-mails when you’re drunk.
U.S. Is Said to Be Investigating George Santos Over Kalshi Betting
U.S. Is Said to Be Investigating George Santos Over Kalshi Betting - The New York Times
The former congressman was referred to federal authorities after he bet on his own attendance at the State of the Union address, a person familiar with the matter said.
A.I....why are you always doing the stuff we don't need?
Tilly Norwood, A.I. Actress, Wants to Know Why Everyone’s Mad at Her - The New York Times
AI Commissioner | Comedy Sketch | Particle6 - YouTube
Tilly Norwood | Take The Lead (Official Music Video)
Opinion | Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass - The New York Times
Supreme Court Clears the Way for Republican-Friendly Map in Alabama + background
Supreme Court Clears the Way for Republican-Friendly Map in Alabama - The New York Times
In the first major case since the justices narrowed the Voting Rights Act, the court cleared the way for Alabama to use a map preferred by Republicans that leaves the state with only one majority-Black district.
Tracking the Battle to Reshape Congress for the Midterms - The New York Times
See Where the Gerrymandering Wars Have Redrawn U.S. Congressional Maps - The New York Times
Read Supreme Court’s Ruling and Dissent on Louisiana Voting Map - The New York Times
What to Know About the Voting Rights Act - The New York Times
The 1965 law was mean to address fundamental inequities in American life, and was one of the signal accomplishments of the civil rights movement.
Opinion | The Voting Rights Act Changed America. Now, It Can Change. - The New York Times
Opinion | The Betrayal of Black Voters Threatens Our Democracy - The New York Times
China Builds an Economic Fortress as Global Tensions Rise; Xi goes to see Kim
China Builds an Economic Fortress as Global Tensions Rise - The New York Times
Beijing says the changes are needed for national security, but they could complicate efforts by Chinese companies to find growth overseas.
China is erecting walls to prevent money, technology and companies from leaving the country.
This week, the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced new rules requiring national security screening for Chinese companies seeking to invest overseas. The move follows regulations introduced in April that allowed the authorities to intervene when foreign companies tried to relocate supply chains out of China.
Taken together, the measures amount to a new blueprint for the economic fortress China is building around its technology and supply chains amid rising tensions with Europe and the United States.
What To Know as China’s Xi Jinping Heads to North Korea - The New York Times
As Xi Jinping visits Pyongyang, he faces an emboldened North Korean dictator, whose alliance with Russia has reduced his dependence on China.
The last time China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, traveled to North Korea, that country’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, was reeling from sanctions and failed nuclear talks with the United States.
Now, nearly seven years later, as Mr. Xi returns to North Korea on Monday, he will meet with a leader who is newly emboldened by an alliance with Russia that has helped his economy break out of isolation.
China Sees a ‘Giant With a Limp’ as U.S. Drains Weapons on Iran War - The New York Times
To some Chinese military and geopolitical analysts, the Iran war has done more than deplete U.S. munitions stockpiles, it has also shattered America’s aura of dominance. They argue that it has exposed a major flaw in U.S. war strategy: its inability to make weapons quickly enough to replenish its arsenal in a sustained, intense conflict.
This depletion “has significantly diminished the U.S. military’s ability to project its combat power, laying bare the shortcomings of its global military hegemony,” said Yue Gang, a retired colonel of the People’s Liberation Army, in an interview.
Senate Passes $70 Billion G.O.P. Immigration Bill; $1.8B Payout Fund not Restricted; House Passes Ukraine Aid; Russia like America has a limp
Senate Passes $70 Billion G.O.P. Immigration Bill - The New York Times
It was a victory for President Trump and his party, though the debate exposed fissures between Republican senators and Mr. Trump on a variety of issues.
Senate Republicans on Friday rammed through their $70 billion bill to fund President Trump’s immigration crackdown through the remainder of his term, after beating back bipartisan efforts to add language to bar or sharply restrict a federal payout fund for his political allies.
‘I Love It’: Trump Is Still in Favor of $1.8 Billion Payout Fund - The New York Times
Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said on Tuesday that the administration was “not moving forward with the fund, period,” after the plan drew bipartisan backlash.
House Passes Ukraine Aid in Defiance of Republican Leaders - The New York Times
Eighteen G.O.P. lawmakers broke with their party and joined Democrats to deliver yet another blow to the president’s foreign policy agenda.
The House voted on Thursday to approve new aid for Ukraine and impose a fresh round of sanctions targeting the industries fueling Russia’s war economy, after 18 Republicans defied their leaders to join Democrats in support of a bill that runs counter to President Trump’s agenda.
The legislation, which passed 226 to 195, would provide $8 billion in loans to Ukraine and $1.8 billion in aid for military and security assistance. In addition to putting new sanctions on Russian-affiliated businesses and officials, it would also punish foreign companies, organizations and individuals that attempt to evade sanctions in an effort to support Moscow.
It now heads to the Senate, where Mr. Trump’s opposition has stopped similar attempts at new penalties on Russia and its allies. And even if it were to clear both chambers, it would likely be vetoed by the president.
Bombs Raining Down on Ukraine Can’t Hide Signs of Russia’s Faltering War
Zelensky Mixes Taunts and Peace Talks Offer in Letter to Putin - The New York Times
“After 26 years in power, age is beginning to take its toll,” President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine wrote of his Russian counterpart, bragging of a recent strike on St. Petersburg.
Backed by Trump, Opposed by Putin, and Fighting for His Political Life - The New York Times
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia is seeking re-election as his country weighs questions of war and peace, of autocracy and democracy, and of subjugation and independence.
Russia Floods Armenia With Disinformation Ahead of Election - The New York Times
Fearing a loss of influence, groups linked to the Kremlin and intelligence agencies have sought to discredit the country’s prime minister.
Russia Rails Against the West but Welcomes Candace Owens and Andrew Tate - The New York Times
While some powerful Russians shun the West, others want to restore ties and embrace friendly Westerners. President Vladimir V. Putin’s annual economic conference illustrates the conflicting impulses.
Thursday, June 4, 2026
In a First, Scientists Precisely Edit Human Embryo Genes
In a First, Scientists Precisely Edit Human Embryo Genes - The New York Times
Researchers relied on a newer gene-editing technique that may make it possible to engineer embryos, a prospect that has long alarmed bioethicists.
With a newer technology called base editing, Dr. Egli and his colleagues were able to meticulously replace individual genetic letters in sequences of DNA without causing the damage often observed with an earlier form of gene editing, CRISPR.
One-and-Done Heart Disease Prevention? Scientists Show It May Be Possible.
One-and-Done Heart Disease Prevention? Scientists Show It May Be Possible. - The New York Times
A single infusion of an experimental gene-editing drug seemed to reduce LDL long-term in a small trial. The results may point to something “curative,” one expert said.
If confirmed in larger studies, researchers hope the findings may lead to a one-and-done way to prevent heart disease in large numbers of people. Most gene therapies target rare diseases, but cardiovascular disease kills nearly 800,000 Americans a year.
The editing machine then crawls along the liver cell’s DNA until it finds its target, a gene called PCSK9. It stops there and erases one DNA letter in the gene, replacing it with another.
That simple change disables the PCSK9 gene and prevents cells from making the PCSK9 protein. Without it, the liver pulls more LDL cholesterol out of the bloodstream, keeping the levels lower.
California Businessman Accused of Selling Restricted Technology to Iran
California Businessman Accused of Selling Restricted Technology to Iran - The New York Times
Jamshid Ghomi, of Newport Coast, Calif., and a dual citizen of the U.S. and Iran, was charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Mr. Ghomi’s company supplied American-made equipment to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the government agency responsible for the country’s nuclear program, from 2017 through 2023, the complaint states. Investigators said the company also sold networking, security and encryption equipment to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and affiliated military organizations from 2014 to 2022.
Who is excited about the SpaceX IPO?
Who’s Excited for SpaceX’s I.P.O.? Space Nerds. - The New York Times
Few are as delighted by the pending market debut as the vibrant community of space enthusiasts who want to push discovery of the final frontier.
Gwynne Shotwell, Elon Musk’s No. 2 at SpaceX, Is the Company’s Steady Hand - The New York Times
Gwynne Shotwell, the president and chief operating officer, is the adult-in-the-room foil to Mr. Musk as SpaceX prepares for a blockbuster initial public offering.
For Wall Street, the Only Thing Worse Than SpaceX Flopping Is Missing Out - The New York Times
Elon Musk and his bankers are working to create a self-fulfilling prophecy for the massive public offering: Make investors feel that the risks of passing it up outweigh those of buying into it.
Sky-High I.P.O. Pricing Isn’t Great for Real People - The New York Times
When newly public companies have been valued as richly as SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic seem likely to be, the outlook for ordinary investors has been poor.
SpaceX is worth less than half its IPO target price, Morningstar says
The analysts say xAI poses a “material threat of value destruction” to the company, with its “economic moat indeterminate.” Morningstar values SpaceX at $780 billion, which is roughly 48% below its private market valuation of $1.5 trillion.
Elon Musk's net worth poised to sail past $1 trillion in SpaceX IPO
Marjane Satrapi, the Author of ‘Persepolis,’ Dies at 56
Marjane Satrapi, the Author of ‘Persepolis,’ Dies at 56 - The New York Times
Her popular graphic novel series, published in the early 2000s, followed an Iranian girl through the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War.
Review: ‘Persepolis,’ by Marjane Satrapi - The New York Times
‘Teachers Are Going to Hate It’: How Social Media Apps Hooked Teens at School
‘Teachers Are Going to Hate It’: How Social Media Apps Hooked Teens at School - The New York Times
Internal documents show how tech giants grabbed children’s attention throughout the day, a strategy that schools say has undermined education.
The companies’ push to keep children glued to their screens has overshadowed concerns from parents, teachers and even their own trust and safety teams about interfering with school, according to the documents and interviews with dozens of parents, teachers and former tech company employees.
TikTok’s leaders decided not to disable notifications during school hours, rejecting a change that its safety teams had pushed for years. A Snapchat strategy document referred to classroom phone use as “under the desk” time. Google managers knew YouTube was recommending videos to students during the school day that had nothing to do with their lessons.
All four companies recently settled with Breathitt County Schools, a small district in rural Kentucky that served as a test case for the litigation nationwide. The district, which has about 1,500 students, had sought $3 million in damages and about $60 million that it had planned to put toward a long-term education and mental health plan. The companies agreed to pay Breathitt $27 million: $9 million from Meta, $8 million each from Snap and TikTok and $2 million from Google, according to documents released on Friday and first reported by Bloomberg.
Hezbollah’s Fiber-Optic Drones Expose Cracks in Israeli Defenses
Hezbollah’s Fiber-Optic Drones Expose Cracks in Israeli Defenses - The New York Times
The Lebanese militant group’s attacks have caught Israelis off guard, forcing its political and military leaders to scramble for solutions.
John Bolton, Ex-Trump Adviser, Reaches Deal to Plead Guilty Over Classified Information
The former Trump national security adviser plans to plead guilty to a count of illegal retention of classified information, which could result in a fine and possibly prison time of up to five years.
House Passes Iran War Powers Resolution in Bipartisan Rebuke to Trump
House Passes Iran War Powers Resolution in Bipartisan Rebuke to Trump - The New York Times
A measure to direct an end to U.S. engagement in Iran was adopted with a handful of Republicans in support, sending a signal of opposition to the president’s handling of the war.
Iran vote caps Trump’s congressional losing streak - POLITICO
Massie, 3 Other House Republicans Broke From Trump on Iran War Powers Vote - The New York Times
Four Republicans from different ideological factions crossed party lines to vote with Democrats in favor of reining in the president’s power to wage war unilaterally.
US House votes to end Trump’s Iran war: Does it matter? | US-Israel war on Iran News | Al Jazeera
Four Republicans join Democrats in a rare public rebuke of the president. But Congress is still far from being able to stop him from attacking Iran again.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
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