Posts by Kim Browne
‘Doomers’ Review: Hunkered Down, Debating the Peril and Promise of A.I.
Conventional wisdom says the theater is slow to react to current events, but dramatists like Ayad Akhtar (“McNeal”) have clamored lately to tell stories about artificial intelligence, sometimes using it to help with the writing. Matthew Gasda’s new play “Doomers” is an addition to that pack. Inspired by the 2023 ouster of Sam Altman, the…
Read MorePete Hegseth Torched for “F**king Racist” Move on Recruitment
The Baltimore-based Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) has historically been a key event for the Pentagon to recruit high-caliber STEM talent. One Army recruiter told the servicemember news outlet that BEYA is one of the “most talent-dense events we do,” and that the branch “need[s] the talent.” BEYA, in turn, recognizes on its…
Read MoreA First-Timer’s Guide to Skiing in Japan
Unlike the high jinks and vibrant après-ski scene that permeate the Alps and Rockies, Japan offers a meditative experience on its slopes. Skiing here is an almost reverent affair. “It’s not about lounging in the sun or partying between runs,” said Sari Levy, 46, who lives in Telluride, Colo., and just returned from her second…
Read MoreTrump Makes Shocking Statement Ahead of Vance-Zelenskiy Meeting
Last month, the Office of Management and Budget issued a two-page memo ordering a pause on all “disbursement of all federal financial assistance.” The budget freeze, which would affect more than 2,600 accounts across the government, sent the public sector into a frenzy. The memo was rescinded the next day, but the Trump administration maintained…
Read MoreEurope Vows to Respond to Trump’s Tariffs, but Holds Back on Details
European leaders vowed on Tuesday to retaliate after President Trump raised tariffs on aluminum and steel to 25 percent, even as they held out hope that they would be able to negotiate a deal with the United States. European Union officials have argued that Europe and the United States are deeply intertwined and that igniting…
Read MoreHow Trump’s Canadian Oil Tariff Would Hit U.S. Refineries
The largest refinery in the Midwest will have an unpalatable choice if President Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian oil: Pay more for the crude that it transforms into gasoline and diesel, or slash production. Both options threaten to increase prices at the pump, albeit modestly if Mr. Trump sticks with the 10 percent rate he…
Read MoreSteel and Aluminum Tariffs May Raise US Manufacturing Costs
America has seen this movie before: President Trump, who imposed stiff tariffs on Monday on imported steel and aluminum, did so once before, in 2018. So domestic industries have a pretty good idea of how the story ends. Manufacturers of trucks, appliances and construction equipment scramble to find U.S. sources of metal inputs, keeping steel…
Read MoreFed Chair Faces Lawmakers at a Critical Juncture
When Jerome H. Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, last testified in front of Congress in July, he hailed the “considerable progress” the central bank had made in taming rapid inflation and set the stage for a pivot toward lower interest rates. Mr. Powell confronts a far different economic and political landscape as he prepares…
Read MoreWho Needs Hollywood? Chinese Animated Film Shatters Box Office Records.
The new king of the Chinese box office is an adorably ugly, demonic child fighting off monsters. In less than two weeks since its release, “Ne Zha 2,” an animated film based loosely on Chinese mythology and a famous 16th century novel, has become the highest-grossing movie ever in China, with more than $1 billion…
Read MoreCFPB Employees Left Stranded and Confused After Stop-Work Orders
Barely two days after Russell Vought, the new acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ordered the agency to close its office and halt all its work, employees spent Monday in a state of deep confusion about what they should — or should not — be doing. Mr. Vought, the recently confirmed director of…
Read MoreTrump’s Federal Worker “Buyout” Hits Yet Another Legal Hurdle
Last month, the Office of Management and Budget issued a two-page memo ordering a pause on all “disbursement of all federal financial assistance.” The budget freeze, which would affect more than 2,600 accounts across the government, sent the public sector into a frenzy. The memo was rescinded the next day, but the Trump administration maintained…
Read MoreTrump Just Utterly Humiliated JD Vance
Last month, the Office of Management and Budget issued a two-page memo ordering a pause on all “disbursement of all federal financial assistance.” The budget freeze, which would affect more than 2,600 accounts across the government, sent the public sector into a frenzy. The memo was rescinded the next day, but the Trump administration maintained…
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