Times editors have handpicked 11 stories for you to enjoy. Welcome to The Weekender.
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Trucker Hats and Ice Cream: The Most Surprising Ways Candidates Spent Cash
Political candidates in 2023 shelled out donors’ money for a variety of unusual expenses, including gift cards, hairstyling and frozen treats, new filings revealed.
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Navigating Israel’s War When One Spouse Is Jewish, and One Is Not.
For some couples, figuring out how to talk about the war in Gaza is a hurdle in the relationship, but ultimately one that has brought them closer.
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At 116, She Has Outlived Generations of Loved Ones. But Her Entire Town Has Become Family.
When the nation’s oldest person has a birthday, a California community makes sure to celebrate.
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Where Has Tracy Chapman Been?
Her triumphant performance at the Grammy Awards left fans wondering what she has been doing since she left the music world, and whether she might return.
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For a Ukrainian Gardener, Flowers Offer a Way Forward
When war came to her country, Alla Olkhovska had been planning to open a rare-plants nursery. Now her Clematis seeds have an international following.
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Playing Soccer in $1.50 Sandals That Even Gucci Wants to Copy
In Ivory Coast, lêkê are the preferred footwear for amateur games and almost everything else.
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Some Fall Out of Vogue. She Jumped.
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson on surviving Ye, quitting Condé Nast and speaking her mind.
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Her Son Vanished After a 1980 Run-In With Police. She Wants Answers.
Investigators in Kentucky have pursued many leads in the search for Randy Sellers, except for what some critics say is the most obvious one.
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Toby Keith Was More Than Mere Bluster
His choice to become a post-9/11 culture-war champion overshadowed the work of a musician who was funnier, subtler and more politically slippery than his most famous work let on.
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Who Created Butter Chicken? India’s Great Curry Clash.
A court has been asked to solve a bitter dispute between two families who have very different accounts of the origins of a dish beloved around the world.
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No, Michael Cera Is Not the Mastermind Behind CeraVe
So what’s with the elaborate online marketing campaign implying otherwise?
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Thanks for reading.
This edition of The Weekender was edited by Justin Porter.