On one of my first days at The New York Times‚ I went to an orientation with more than a dozen other new hires. We had to do an icebreaker: Pick a Starburst out of a jar and then answer a question. My Starburst was pink‚ I believe‚ and so I had to answer the pink prompt‚ which had me respond with my favorite sandwich. Russ &; Daughters’ Super Heebster came to mind‚ but I figured mentioning a $19 sandwich wasn’t a great way to win new friends. So I blurted out‚ “The spicy chicken...

Earlier this week Adam Rubenstein‚ a former New York Times editor scapegoated in the Tom Cotton op-ed affair at the Gray Lady back in 2020‚ published a tell-all about his experiences at the paper. In his lede‚ Rubenstein recalled being chided for identifying Chick-fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich as his favorite after being asked a seemingly innocent icebreaker at his orientation. According to Rubenstein‚ an HR rep replied‚ “We don’t do that here. They hate gay...

A federal judge ruled that Texas cannot enforce a recent law that makes illegal border crossings a state crime. U.S. District Judge David Ezra paused the law before it was set to take effect on March 5‚ with Texas expected to appeal. Ezra argued that the law conflicted with the federal government’s supremacy in immigration matters. Allowing Texas to “permanently supersede federal directives” would “amount to nullification of federal law and authority — a...

A federal judge in Texas on Thursday blocked the Republican-led state's new law giving officials broad powers to arrest‚ prosecute and order the removal of people who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. District Judge David Ezra in Austin agreed with Democratic President Joe Biden's administration that the law known as SB4 interferes with the federal government's powers under the U.S. Constitution to enforce U.S. immigration laws and the ability of migrants to apply for asylum and...

A federal judge in Austin on Thursday blocked Texas state officials from implementing a sweeping immigration law that would have allowed them to arrest‚ jail and prosecute migrants who cross into the U.S. illegally. The Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the law known as SB4‚ which was set to take effect on Tuesday‚ March 5.  In a 114-page order‚ Judge David Ezra of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas granted the...

The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Democratic lawsuit that sought to throw out the battleground state’s congressional maps‚ marking a victory for Republicans who argued against the court taking up the case.  The decision leaves the state’s current congressional district boundaries in place for the November election. The decision not to hear the congressional challenge comes after the court in December ordered new legislative maps‚ saying the...

The Georgia judge overseeing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ election subversion case against former President Donald Trump has said he expects to decide within the next two weeks whether Willis and her office may continue to prosecute it.  Attorneys for Trump and other co-defendants accused Willis of corruption‚ saying she improperly hired attorney Nathan Wade as one of three special prosecutors in the sprawling racketeering suit. Willis and Wade admitted to...

A businessman pleaded guilty to bribing Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wifeon Friday and has agreed to cooperate with the investigation against the couple. On Friday‚ Jose Uribe’s counsel submitted a request to withdraw his original “not guilty” plea and enter a new “guilty” one. In his formal plea deal‚ Uribe agreed to “cooperate fully” with prosecutors. The New Jersey businessman admitted to supplying Menendez and his wife Nadine with a new Mercedes-...

Nvidia's (NVDA.O)‚ opens new tab stock market value closed above $2 trillion for the first time on Friday after an upbeat report from Dell Technologies (DELL.N)‚ opens new tab reignited Wall Street's AI-fueled rally. Nvidia's stock added 4% after Dell‚ which sells high-end servers made with Nvidia's processors‚ gave an upbeat forecast late on Thursday‚ pointing to a surge in orders for its AI-optimized servers. Dell's shares soared as much as 38% to a record...

At least 112 Palestinians were killed as crowds rushed around lorries delivering desperately needed food aid in the small hours of Thursday morning‚ according to the Hamas-run health ministry.  Hundreds of people descended on the line of vehicles as it travelled in darkness northwards along the coastal road just outside Gaza City‚ accompanied by the Israeli military.  In addition to the dead‚ 760 people were injured‚ the ministry said. The tragic incident has given rise to...