Oil Price Hits Wartime High Above $120 a Barrel as Iran War Standoff Continues

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:22:01 +0000)

The longer the disruption to Middle East fuel supplies lasts, the risk grows that higher energy costs will feed into broader inflation that could dent economic growth.

U.S. Economy Grew 2 Percent in Early 2026 Even as War in Iran Began to Hit Energy Prices

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:47:25 +0000)

Gross domestic product expanded at a 2 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, a period including first weeks of conflict in the Middle East.

Why the U.A.E. Is Quitting OPEC

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:29:39 +0000)

The United Arab Emirates is walking away from OPEC this May. The New York Times’ energy reporter, Rebecca Elliott, breaks down how the war with Iran provided the perfect opening for the Emirates to go solo.

Behind Powell’s High-Stakes Decision to Stay at the Fed

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:13:11 +0000)

Jerome H. Powell will remain a governor at the Federal Reserve after his term as chair ends, in a bid to guard against a further incursion by the Trump administration on the central bank’s independence.

Rising Fuel Prices Force Policymakers to Weigh Excruciating Choices

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:08:49 +0000)

The Bank of England and European Central Bank held interest rates steady on Thursday, as officials search for signs of possible longer-term damage and warn of the impact of a prolonged energy shock.

What the Voting Rights Act Decision Means, and Hegseth’s Heated Testimony

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:00:08 +0000)

Plus, chatbots told scientists how to make bioweapons.

Iranians Live With Pain and Powerlessness, Beneath a Smooth Veneer

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:04:27 +0000)

After months of upheaval, many are attempting to get on with their lives while quietly grappling with grief, economic stress and a loss of hope.

How the War in Iran is Affecting Africa’s Economy and Fuel Supply

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:04:21 +0000)

Despite the fragile cease-fire in the Middle East, many Africans say they are bracing for tougher times ahead and making difficult decisions about the future.

In Blow to Voting Rights Act, Supreme Court Embraces Claim of Racial Progress

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:24:37 +0000)

The majority said the law was a victim of its own success and no longer needed. Dissenters responded that Congress should make the call.

Some Black Southerners Say Voting Rights Ruling ‘Missed the Mark’

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:04:45 +0000)

Veterans of the civil rights movement and others said the Supreme Court decision felt like a bleak end to decades of gains in Black representation in the region.

Democrats Regret Creating Independent Redistricting Commissions After Supreme Court Ruling

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:04:47 +0000)

A decade ago, the party sought independent redistricting commissions. Now, in an era of extreme gerrymandering, such efforts could slow Democrats as they try to keep up with Republicans.

Attacks on Jewish Targets in Europe Hint at Ripple Effects of War

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:24:05 +0000)

Officials are investigating similar attacks across Europe, all claimed by a shadowy Islamist group that may be using low-cost, unsophisticated methods to sow fear in Jewish communities.

What to Know About the Stabbing Attack Against 2 Jewish Men in London

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:23:28 +0000)

The British police said the attack on Wednesday was being treated as terrorism, and they warned of rising antisemitic hate crimes.

Police in Australia Were Warned of Terror Risk Before Bondi Attack, Report Says

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:26:15 +0000)

A Jewish security group told police an attack on the community was “likely” because of heightened antisemitism, days before December’s mass shooting in Sydney.

‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Review: A Rhapsody in Cerulean

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:02:05 +0000)

In this sequel, Andy (Anne Hathaway) and Miranda (Meryl Streep) encounter a series of crises that set the stage for a larger, existential catastrophe.

Top 10 Reasons We Love the Original ‘Devil Wears Prada’ Movie

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:04:34 +0000)

The 2006 comedy is filled with moments big and small that have stood the test of time, thanks in no small part to Meryl Streep’s turn as Miranda Priestly.

High-Profile Squatting Incidents Are on the Rise Across the Country

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:01:29 +0000)

States are responding to a rise in high-profile squatting cases, in luxury homes and public housing alike.

In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:01:07 +0000)

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which the president vows to top in Washington, offers a lesson in the complicated history of monuments.

Janet Mills Bows Out of Maine Senate Race as an Insurgent Democrat Rises

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:28:05 +0000)

Her withdrawal reflects the energy of the party’s left and voters’ unease with older candidates and paves the way for Graham Platner to challenge Senator Susan Collins in November.

Trump May Pull Troops From Germany. That Isn’t as Scary as It Once Was.

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:49:45 +0000)

Germany has hugely increased its military spending, aiming to be less dependent on Washington. Its support for U.S. attacks on Iran may also give it leverage.

Ukraine Reacts With Shrug to Phone Call Between Trump and Putin

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:58:25 +0000)

More than a year of similar conversations have failed to bring the country any closer to peace, so Ukrainians have stopped hoping they will.

Minimal Comfort Feeding Is a New, Controversial Approach in Late Dementia

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:00:11 +0000)

Some consider the regular feeding of late-stage dementia patients to be nonnegotiable. Others see it as extending life unnecessarily.

British Royals Crisscross Manhattan in Brief Visit Packed With Photo Ops

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:17:13 +0000)

King Charles III and Queen Camilla laid flowers at the Sept. 11 memorial before stopping by an urban farm, the New York Public Library, a business event and a gala.

What the Royal State Dinner Guest List Says About Trump’s America

(Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:12:35 +0000)

There were at least 10 American billionaires, six Fox News hosts, assorted presidential pals, no Democratic politicians and not so many British.

Mamdani Suggested UK Should Return the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. Here’s the Back Story.

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:31:17 +0000)

Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York suggested that Britain should return the gem, a symbol of colonial plunder. Here’s the back story of the famed jewel.

Mariah Explains Her Hit-Producing Songwriting Process

(Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:09:57 +0000)

The artist talks about writing her era-defining hits, the pleasures of collaboration and some of the ways she has been undercredited as a writer.

How Taylor Swift Writes a Song, In Her Own Words

(Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:14:43 +0000)

The artist shares stories behind some of her biggest hits, her love of a “rant bridge” and how life in the public eye informs the stories she tells in her songs.

The U.S. Military Was Losing Its Edge. After Iran, Everyone Knows It.

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:05:08 +0000)

Somehow, the weaker nation is in the stronger negotiating position.

Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:00:33 +0000)

The people building A.I. fear that we have only a short time before advanced A.I. disrupts the labor force.

Who’s a Threat?

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:43:02 +0000)

We look at when political criticism can be considered a threat of violence.

Josh Johnson Gives King Charles Props for His Comedy Chops

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 06:09:43 +0000)

“You know, I’ve always wondered what white Def Jam would be like,” Johnson said after King Charles cracked a few jokes at the White House.

J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:52:13 +0000)

A risk-taking outsider, he brought speed, competition and controversy to one of science’s biggest races.

Forest Service Research Labs Are Closing

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:01:06 +0000)

A research lab in Washington State tracks ecological changes in a warming climate and provides scientific guidance for forest managers. It is one of 57 such facilities being shuttered.

A Way to Slow Down ‘Super-Speeders’ Who Keep Breaking the Law

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:43:27 +0000)

City and state officials want speed-limiting devices installed in the cars of drivers who get more than 16 speeding tickets in a year, in hopes of preventing injuries and deaths.

David Allan Coe, Singer Who Personified Outlaw Country, Dies at 86

(Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:52:23 +0000)

Mr. Coe, who wrote “Take This Job and Shove It” and other hits, was a transgressive exponent of the outlaw country movement of the 1970s and ’80s.