Times editors have handpicked 10 stories for you to enjoy. Welcome to The Weekender.
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Why Culture Has Come to a Standstill
A Times critic argues that ours is the least innovative century for the arts in 500 years. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
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In Search of Kamala Harris
After nearly three years, the vice president is still struggling to make the case for herself — and feels she shouldn’t have to.
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The Nation’s Obsession With True Crime Meets a Mother’s Grief
Less than a year after losing her son in a murder that captivated the true crime community, Stacy Chapin spent three days navigating CrimeCon.
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Can Usher Turn America On Again (to R.&B.)?
Almost 20 years after his sexy, best-selling album “Confessions,” Usher is back with new music that could redefine the whole genre.
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Claudia Goldin’s Nobel-Winning Research Shows ‘Why Women Won’
The winner of the Nobel in economics has demonstrated how gender gaps in work have shrunk, and why some remain.
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Breakers Grapple With Hip-Hop’s Big Olympic Moment
Breaking will get a stage at the Paris Olympics, but its pioneers wonder if their art will translate into sport.
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The Wager That Betting Can Change the World
A coterie of tech insiders believe that “prediction markets” can fix social ills. Are they right?
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Alabama Sculpture Park Aims to Look at Slavery Without Flinching
The new Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, opening in early 2024 in Montgomery, Ala., arrives at a time when Black history is being debated in many states.
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In Northern France, Riding the Rails Into the Past
On the Picardy Coast, there is nothing and everything to see, and a 19th-century steam railway lets you explore at the perfect pace.
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How Your Diet Affects Your Skin
Fruits, vegetables, dairy, soda: Here’s what the evidence suggests about foods and skin health.
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Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next weekend.
This edition of The Weekender was edited by Jonathan Wolfe.