U.S. Tried to Restart Nuclear Talks With North Korea

U.S. Tried to Restart Nuclear Talks With North Korea

The Biden administration has tried to restart discussions with North Korea over the fate of its nuclear program, but its overtures have not been returned, the White House press secretary confirmed on Monday. Jen Psaki, the press secretary, told reporters in an afternoon briefing that “we have reached out” to North Korean officials but have not heard back from them, confirming a Reuters report…

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City leaders, Houstonians react to news of Chief Acevedo leaving for Miami

City leaders, Houstonians react to news of Chief Acevedo leaving for Miami

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo has accepted a position to become the next police chief in Miami, leaving Houston after just over four years in the role. [RELATED: Miami officials announce Art Acevedo to become their new police chief] Acevedo said his decision to accept the job offer coincided with the approaching end of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s final term. Acevedo said he “was not looking for…

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The Most Valuable Democrat - The New York Times

The Most Valuable Democrat – The New York Times

The structure of the Senate has not always favored Republicans. But in recent decades, heavily white and rural communities have moved to the political right. Because these communities dominate many small states, and because small states enjoy a lot of power in the Senate, it now has a large pro-Republican bias. So how have Democrats nonetheless won control of the Senate, allowing them to pass an…

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Interactive video shopping, popularized by TV networks like QVC, has moved online.

Interactive video shopping, popularized by TV networks like QVC, has moved online.

Matt Granite, who goes by The Deal Guy, streams daily on Amazon Live, covering everything from kitchen gadgets to snowblowers. Under each video is a carousel display of the products he’s discussing. When a viewer clicks that item and buys it, Mr. Granite gets a cut, with commissions varying from 10 percent for luxury and beauty products to 1 percent for Amazon Fresh items. Mr. Granite’s YouTube…

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Beyoncé and the Grammys’ Breakout Fashion Star

Beyoncé and the Grammys’ Breakout Fashion Star

The evening she received her 28th Grammy and made history, Beyoncé didn’t even bother making an entrance at the annual music industry awards event, held outdoors this year in downtown Los Angeles. Rather, she simply materialized at one of the little round tables in front of the stage, sitting next to her husband, Jay-Z, and wearing off-the-shoulder black leather, a black mask and shades, and gold…

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The Surprising Reason Why I No Longer Get Angry About My Daughter’s Messy Room

The Surprising Reason Why I No Longer Get Angry About My Daughter’s Messy Room

I am a neat freak who feels anxiety at the sight of clutter. When the culprit of the clutter is my 16-year-old daughter, my anxiety turns into anger. Merely catching a glimpse inside her room is enough to cause my inner Hulk to emerge. As you can imagine, this has led to some family conflicts. I’m not just talking about her room. I know the exact path she traveled from the front door to the…

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Steven Yeun Is The First Asian American Nominated For Best Actor Oscar

Steven Yeun Is The First Asian American Nominated For Best Actor Oscar

Steven Yeun made history Monday by becoming the first Asian American actor to be nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. Just a handful of actors of Asian descent have ever been nominated at the Oscars. Until this year, the last time an actor of Asian descent was nominated was four years ago, when Dev Patel earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for “Lion.” And only one actor of Asian descent has…

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Who Is Making Sure the A.I. Machines Aren’t Racist?

Who Is Making Sure the A.I. Machines Aren’t Racist?

Hundreds of people gathered for the first lecture at what had become the world’s most important conference on artificial intelligence — row after row of faces. Some were East Asian, a few were Indian, and a few were women. But the vast majority were white men. More than 5,500 people attended the meeting, five years ago in Barcelona, Spain. Timnit Gebru, then a graduate student at Stanford…

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How to Get Vaccinated If You're Afraid of Needles

How to Get Vaccinated If You’re Afraid of Needles

Most people aren’t particularly fond of needles. But to a significant number of people, the fear of needles goes beyond merely inducing anxiety into a more dangerous area, in which the fear prevents them from seeking out needed medical care. And as the world’s hopes of returning to a post-pandemic normal rest largely on people’s willingness to take a Covid-19 vaccine, experts and health care…

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The S.E.C. Is Increasingly Making E.S.G. a Priority

The S.E.C. Is Increasingly Making E.S.G. a Priority

Exclusive: The S.E.C.’s evolution on E.S.G. Allison Herren Lee was named acting chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission in January, and since then she has been active, especially when it comes to environmental, social and governance, or E.S.G., issues. The agency has issued a flurry of notices that such disclosures will be priorities this year. Today, Ms. Lee, who was appointed as a…

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Trump's 'Crown Jewel' Hotel Conjures Spooky Comparisons Amid Reports Of Struggle

Trump’s ‘Crown Jewel’ Hotel Conjures Spooky Comparisons Amid Reports Of Struggle

Former President Donald Trump’s hotel in Washington is reportedly struggling to attract guests now that he’s out of office and out of town.   The Trump International Hotel ― just blocks from the White House ― was once a central gathering place for Trump supporters, from hangers-on to insiders such as Rudy Giuliani as well as Trump himself, even during the coronavirus pandemic. But The Guardian…

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How to Win Your N.C.A.A. Tournament Pool

How to Win Your N.C.A.A. Tournament Pool

March is one time of the year that many people who don’t know a parlay from a point spread suddenly become sports bettors by risking a few bucks in an N.C.A.A. men’s tournament pool. If you’re one of them, and feel as if your annual entry is starting to seem like a donation, here’s good news: If you follow a few simple guidelines, you can significantly increase your chances of winning. And you…

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A Sandstorm in China Revives Memories of ‘Airpocalypses’ Past

A Sandstorm in China Revives Memories of ‘Airpocalypses’ Past

When China’s leader, Xi Jinping, met with Communist Party delegates from Inner Mongolia last week, he urged them not to relent in the fight to improve the environment. “We must adhere to the concept that clear waters and green mountains are as good as mountains of gold and silver,” he said. On Monday, large parts of China experienced just how bad the environment can still be. The largest and…

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Uncounted in the Unemployment Rate, but They Want to Work

Uncounted in the Unemployment Rate, but They Want to Work

Robert Hesse was expecting an imminent promotion to manager of Sub Zero Ice Cream, a nitrogen ice cream shop in Ventura, Calif., when it shut down in March because of the pandemic. “I like to work,” said Mr. Hesse, a college graduate who turns 26 on Tuesday. “Otherwise I feel like I’m useless.” But he has been reluctant to seek a new job because he lives with his parents, who are not yet…

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Stimulus Bill as a Political Weapon? Democrats Are Counting on It.

Stimulus Bill as a Political Weapon? Democrats Are Counting on It.

WASHINGTON — Triumphant over the signing of their far-reaching $1.9 trillion stimulus package, Democrats are now starting to angle for a major political payoff that would defy history: Picking up House and Senate seats in the 2022 midterm elections, even though the party in power usually loses in the midterms. Democratic leaders are making one of the biggest electoral bets in years — that the…

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‘Allen v. Farrow’ Episode 4 Recap: An Adult Dylan Farrow Speaks Out

‘Allen v. Farrow’ Episode 4 Recap: An Adult Dylan Farrow Speaks Out

The final installment of “Allen v. Farrow,” an HBO documentary series examining Dylan Farrow’s sexual abuse allegations against her adopted father, Woody Allen, covers the years from 1993, when a state’s attorney declined to prosecute the filmmaker, to the present. The previous three episodes explored what Ms. Farrow says happened on Aug. 4, 1992, when she was 7 years old — that her father…

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Payments Start-Up Stripe Surges to $95 Billion Valuation

Payments Start-Up Stripe Surges to $95 Billion Valuation

The payments company Stripe is worth $95 billion after a new round of funding, making it the most valuable start-up in the United States. The San Francisco and Dublin-based company said on Sunday that it had raised $600 million in new funding from investors including Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management and Ireland’s National Treasury Management Agency. The investment nearly triples Stripe’s last…

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