Max Azzarello’s Path to Setting Himself on Fire Outside Trump Trial Began in Florida
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Max Azzarello’s Path to Setting Himself on Fire Outside Trump Trial Began in Florida

The journey that ended with a man setting himself on fire on Friday outside the Manhattan courthouse where Donald J. Trump was being tried seemed to have begun in Florida, with a series of increasingly bizarre outbursts. Standing in the afternoon chill, the man, Max Azzarello, 37, of St. Augustine,…

Taylor Swift’s New Album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ Could Use an Editor: Review
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Taylor Swift’s New Album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ Could Use an Editor: Review

Swift doesn’t name names, but she drops plenty of boldfaced clues about exiting a long-term cross-cultural relationship that has grown cold (the wrenching “So Long, London”), briefly taking up with a tattooed bad boy who raises the hackles of the more judgmental people in her life (the wild-eyed “But Daddy…

Live Updates: Muted Reactions to Israeli Strikes on Iran Hint at De-Escalation
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Live Updates: Muted Reactions to Israeli Strikes on Iran Hint at De-Escalation

A group of left-leaning House Democrats is urging its colleagues to oppose the $26 billion aid package for Israel, hoping to maximize the number of “no” votes from the party and send a warning to President Biden about the depth of his political coalition’s discontent over his support for Israel’s…

USC Cancels Jon M. Chu and Billie Jean King as Featured Guests for Graduation
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USC Cancels Jon M. Chu and Billie Jean King as Featured Guests for Graduation

The University of Southern California, reeling after a controversy over its valedictorian selection, announced Friday that its main commencement program would eliminate outside speakers and honorees, including the director of “Crazy Rich Asians,” Jon M. Chu, and the tennis star Billie Jean King. The private university in Los Angeles broke…

Israel’s Strike on Iran: A Limited Attack but a Potentially Big Signal
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Israel’s Strike on Iran: A Limited Attack but a Potentially Big Signal

For more than a decade, Israel has rehearsed, time and again, bombing and missile campaigns that would take out Iran’s nuclear production capability, much of it based around the city of Isfahan and the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex 75 miles to the north. That is not what Prime Minister Benjamin…

Columbia University Protests Over Gaza War Continue and Spread to Other Campuses
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Columbia University Protests Over Gaza War Continue and Spread to Other Campuses

Scores of student protesters at Columbia University gathered outside on Friday, just across from where their tent encampment had been demolished by university officials the day before. Some students had been there through the night. Others, including a few who had been arrested Thursday, had only recently arrived. A day…

Taylor Swift Lyrics: Who’s Mentioned on ‘Tortured Poets Department?
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Taylor Swift Lyrics: Who’s Mentioned on ‘Tortured Poets Department?

When Taylor Swift released “The Tortured Poets Department,” on Friday at midnight, her fan base quickly got to work decoding the album, looking for layers of meaning and insight into Ms. Swift’s life. Of course, that includes the pop singer’s romantic history. Like many of her past works, the songs…

Arrests of Europeans for Aiding Russia Raise Fears of Kremlin’s Reach
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Arrests of Europeans for Aiding Russia Raise Fears of Kremlin’s Reach

The authorities in Poland and Germany have arrested at least five of their citizens in recent days and accused them of spying for Russia or of offering to help Moscow commit violence on European soil, including a “possible attack” on the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The arrests underscored fears…