Painting by AI-powered robot sells for $1.1 million
A portrait of British mathematician Alan Turing sold at auction for nearly $1.1 million Thursday, a surprisingly large sum for a painting whose creator wasn’t an artist in the traditional sense, but rather a humanoid robot powered by artificial intelligence.
Beyoncé, young pop sensations lead 2025 Grammy nominees
Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will face off in all top categories at the 67th annual Grammy Awards, leading a pack of nominees that also features buzzy young female stars who have dominated the pop charts over the past year.
Wave of racist texts after election prompts FBI scrutiny
A wave of racist text messages summoning Black people to report for slavery showed up on phones across the United States, prompting the scrutiny of the FBI.
Antisemitic attacks prompt emergency flights for Israeli soccer fans
Authorities in Amsterdam on Friday were investigating what they called antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans that took place amid a charged atmosphere surrounding a soccer match involving a visiting Israeli team.
China reveals $1.4 trillion plan to bail out local governments
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Chinese government on Friday approved a $1.4 trillion plan to revive the economy, authorizing local governments to refinance crushing debts that have left some cities unable to pay their bills.
Playing out a dream, a long, long way from home
Izzy Morales first caught sight of the Stadium of Light from the back of an Uber. He had left his home in Canton, Ohio, a couple of days earlier. He was still coming to terms with the novelty, with the distance, of the new life he had chosen. When he touched down in Dublin, en route to North East England, it had suddenly struck him that he was traveling “halfway across the world.”
With Trump tariffs looming, businesses try to ‘run from a moving target’
WASHINGTON — Rick Muskat woke up the morning after the election with an urgent task. He got his agent in China on the phone at 4:30 a.m. Beijing time and pressed him to ask their factory how many more pairs of men’s dress shoes they could make before Chinese New Year, at the end of January.
Trump weighs key personnel choices, schooled by his first-term experience
President-elect Donald Trump is not known for adherence to a disciplined and rigorous personnel selection process, but behind the scenes, his advisers and allies have been preparing lists of candidates for the most important jobs in his administration.
My manifesto for despairing Democrats
So what do we do now?
The Fed cuts rates, but the path ahead is less clear
Federal Reserve officials cut interest rates Thursday, their second reduction of 2024 and the latest sign that policymakers believe that inflation is finally coming under control.
Devastated Democrats play the blame game, and stare at a dark future
MADISON, Wis. — A depressed and demoralized Democratic Party is beginning the painful slog into a largely powerless future, as its leaders grapple with how deeply they underestimated Donald Trump’s resurgent hold on the nation.
A party of prigs and pontificators suffers a humiliating defeat
A story in chess lore involves the great Danish-Jewish player Aron Nimzowitsch, who, at a tournament in the mid-1920s, found himself struggling against the German master Friedrich Sämisch. Infuriated at the thought of losing to an opponent he considered inferior, Nimzowitsch jumped on the table and shouted, “To this idiot I must lose?”
Four more years of unpredictability? The world prepares for Trump’s return
With Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory Tuesday, the world is now preparing for another four years of unpredictability and “America First” protectionism that could reset the ground rules of the global economy, empower autocrats and erase U.S. protection for democratic partners.
Stocks set records and dollar soars after Trump election win
Stocks surged to record highs, the dollar strengthened around the world, and government bond yields soared Wednesday, after a conclusive win by President-elect Donald Trump.
Rapidly moving brush fire in California burns homes and prompts evacuations
A rapidly burning brush fire in a Southern California community swept across more than 10,000 acres in a matter of hours Wednesday, burning homes and prompting residents to flee as firefighters battled fierce winds that could further fuel the blazes.
The ‘Super Bowl of Pickleball’ looks to grow the sport
Anna Leigh Waters, a 17-year-old from Delray Beach, Florida, is the world’s top-ranked pickleball player and is widely considered to be the face of America’s fastest-growing sport. But from where she stands, she is still relatively unknown, even among a majority of the racket sport’s fans.
Harris says she concedes the election, but not her fight
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris formally acknowledged her loss to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday in a defiant and emotional speech, defending her campaign as a fight for democracy that she would continue, even if not from the Oval Office.
Search for the missing in Spain grows desperate amid mud and confusion
MADRID — Some families in Spain were planning funerals Tuesday, days after their relatives’ bodies were found in the aftermath of floods that killed at least 217 people. Others were still waiting for news, caught between grief and the hope that a missing relative could still be alive somewhere in the muck.
Facing outrage, Nigeria drops capital charges against minors
Dozens of teenagers, some as young as 14, had been held for nearly three months in a squalid detention center that houses murder suspects. They faced treason charges and possible death sentences for alleged participation in protests against Nigeria’s government.
Israeli strikes target Syria for second day in a row
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military on Tuesday said its air force had struck targets in Syria for the second day in a row, attacks it said were aimed at cutting off the flow of weapons and intelligence between Hezbollah, the armed Lebanese group, and its sponsor, Iran.
