A quarter century after the former Portuguese colony was made a Chinese territory, Macau’s economic boundaries with the mainland are being blurred.

Macau Is the Casino Capital of the World. For China, That’s Not Enough.

The walkouts in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle come after talks between the company and the workers’ union failed to produce an agreement on raises.

Starbucks Workers Begin a Strike in 3 Cities on Friday

Hold your hats and hallelujah, our leading musical tragedienne offers an ultra-dramatic Rose in George C. Wolfe’s Broadway revival.

Review: In a Stripped-Down ‘Gypsy,’ Audra’s Gonna Show It to Ya

Viktoria Roshchyna died in September in Russian custody. The reporter had been well-known for her stories about life in parts of occupied Ukraine.

Ukrainians Mourn the Loss of a Young Journalist and Her Stories

The incoming president promised “tariffs all the way” unless Europe bought more U.S. oil and gas. European officials have no clear strategy for avoiding a trade war.

Trump Is Threatening Europe With Tariffs. Is It Ready?

Researchers say data from long-haul trucks and General Motors cars is critical for addressing traffic congestion and road safety. Data privacy experts have their concerns.

How Your Car Might Be Making Roads Safer

Jessica Harper made risky moves (“Suspiria” over “Annie Hall”), then took time off for family. Her “Nightbitch” role is a nod to her career choices.

One of the Most Unpredictable Actresses of the ’70s Is Back From Exile

Baltimore addiction programs draw patients with free housing while collecting millions. Some say one company offered little help.

They Entered Treatment. Drugs, Overdoses and Deaths Followed.

Shelley Duvall, Quincy Jones, Faith Ringgold and Paul Auster are some of the greats who died this year.

Artists We Lost in 2024, in Their Words

Many Christmas standards were not written by Christians. David Lang explains the appeal for him, a Jewish composer of a modern holiday classic.

Why Composers of Any (or No) Faith Are Drawn to Sacred Music

A recent visit to the company’s overhauled drone delivery program in Arizona left me impressed by the drones, but skeptical that the public will welcome them.

Are Amazon’s Drones Finally Ready for Prime Time?

President-elect Donald J. Trump is known for his tight grip on members of his party, but the rare rejection of his demand to suspend the debt limit reflected a disconnect that could plague his policy agenda.

G.O.P. Spending Hawks Defy Trump on the Debt Limit, Previewing More Clashes

Quotation of the Day for Friday, December 20, 2024.

Quote of the Day: 51 MEN CONVICTED OF RAPE AT TRIAL

A Culture writer takes stock of recent stage productions that depict newsrooms and reporters.

What Broadway Gets Right and Wrong About Journalism

For his next trick, your cosmic correspondent for the past quarter-century will (try to) retire.

A Solstice of the Soul

Chow chow, a bright and bracing pickled relish, is essential to the holiday table in Trinidad and Tobago — and the perfect accompaniment to ham.

The Trinidadian Christmas Staple Worth the Yearlong Wait

A regulatory filing showed that the president-elect transferred some 115 million shares of Trump Media to a trust controlled by his son Donald Trump Jr.

Trump Puts $4 Billion in Shares of His Media Company in a Trust

No matter how many official voices declare there is no drone emergency, conspiracy theories continue to flourish. We’ve been here before.

Is New Jersey the New Area 51?

Whether you brave Times Square, pop into a drag show or snuggle up in a heated igloo, we have you covered for this year’s countdown.

New Year’s Eve in New York: What to Do, See and Eat

The encyclopedia maker could have become a casualty of the Wikipedia era. But it has remade itself into a digital learning giant that is weighing going public.

Britannica Didn’t Just Survive. It’s an A.I. Company Now.

The Personal Consumption Expenditures index climbed 2.4 percent from a year earlier, though the report’s details were more subdued than expected.

The Fed’s Preferred Inflation Measure Sped Up in November

Optimistic guesses about the future are not forecasts, our columnist says.

Wall St. Is at It Again, Making Irrelevant Market Predictions

The artificial intelligence start-up said the new system, OpenAI o3, outperformed leading A.I. technologies on tests that rate skills in math, science, coding and logic.

OpenAI Unveils New A.I. That Can ‘Reason’ Through Math and Science Problems

A feminist collective, the Amazons of Avignon, has been plastering the walls of the city with testimony from the trial of the 51 men who were convicted in the Gisèle Pelicot rape case.

On Avignon’s Ancient Ramparts, Modern Messages Denounce ‘Rape Culture’

The star is in positive, future-looking mode in this Disney+ documentary, directed by his husband, David Furnish, and R.J. Cutler.

December 20, 2024

Headlines from December 20, 2024

Macau Is the Casino Capital of the World. For China, That’s Not Enough.

Starbucks Workers Begin a Strike in 3 Cities on Friday

Review: In a Stripped-Down ‘Gypsy,’ Audra’s Gonna Show It to Ya

Ukrainians Mourn the Loss of a Young Journalist and Her Stories

Trump Is Threatening Europe With Tariffs. Is It Ready?

Billboard 200

The Tortured Poets Department

GNX

Rosie

Strategy: 14th Mini Album (EP)

Short n' Sweet

Historical Context for December 20, 2024