Aurelia Butler

Teen Shauna tightens her grip on power. Poor Melissa feels the squeeze.Season 3, Episode 9: ‘How the Story Ends’The penultimate episode of Season 3 opens with a reference to “The Goonies,” the 1985 Richard Donner kids’ adventure movie beloved by Gen X.Adult Van is in her hospital bed. Her teen self is caring for her, dressed as a nurse. The younger Van explains she has a very important question for her fellow redhead, now dying of cancer: “Do you remember ‘The Goonies?’” Of course Van remembers “The Goonies.” (Don’t we all?) And with that she sends the grown-up Van on a quest to find “the treasure.” By the end of the episode we realize the treasure is also her death.On the road to her demise, Van accomplishes a heroic act: She saves Tai from Tai’s evil persona. Just how? It’s a little unclear. Tai is on the verge of death, suffocating in Melissa’s pristine suburban house when Melissa closes the flue to her fireplace as a trap. Van drags her outside and gives her oxygen before returning to confront Melissa. Van goes in there with a plan: She’ll murder Melissa in exchange for her own life. If she sacrifices her former teammate, her cancer will be gone, she thinks.But instead Van dies at the hand of Melissa, who, as predicted, is not as innocent or “normal” as we might otherwise think. Now, to be fair to Melissa, Van was planning to kill her, but when push came to shoving the kitchen knife into Melissa’s chest, Van couldn’t act. Instead, Melissa stabs Van. Clearly, Melissa, despite saying she has moved on, still believes in the Wilderness’s magic.The conclusion to Van’s story line is messy, but so is “The Goonies” — one of those titles that might not be as good as you remember it. In many ways, that makes it the perfect reference for Teen Van, who is stuck in adolescence. It also fits with the general tone of this episode, which is all over the place, offering shocking twists that also seem strangely disappointing. (Just like “The Goonies.”)All season long, the Adult Van and Tai plot has chugged along without much momentum. Now, in the 11th hour, Adult Van is gone and, frankly, it feels as if we hardly got to know her. Despite Lauren Ambrose’s talents, Van was never as compelling as a grown up as she was as a kid. Instead, she was just a tragic figure coloring Adult Tai’s journey. And now she’s dead, her main purpose being to release Tai from a demon.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

Amtrak said one of its trains hit three people on the tracks near Bristol Station. Service between New York’s Penn Station and Philadelphia’s main station was temporarily suspended.Amtrak suspended service between Penn Station in New York and the main rail station in Philadelphia after one of its trains struck and killed a person in Bristol, Pa., on Thursday. At least two others were also hit by the train.The train hit three people on the tracks at around 6:10 p.m. near Bristol Station, according to an Amtrak spokeswoman. The train was traveling from Boston to Richmond, Va. There were no reported injuries among the 236 passengers and crew members on the train, the spokeswoman added.The Amtrak Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident in cooperation with the Bristol Township Police Department. Bristol is a small community, around 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia.Trains between Penn Station and Washington Union Station were also experiencing delays, and normal operations would resume once the affected area had been cleared, Amtrak said on its website. The suspension effectively halts traffic along the Northeast Corridor, the busiest train corridor in the country.Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, whose district includes Bristol, called the train strike a “devastating tragedy.”A coroner had arrived on the scene as of late Thursday evening, according to Levittown Now, a local news outlet.This is a developing story. More

The Trump administration sent Harvard a list of demands on Thursday that would have to be met to end a government review of $9 billion the school receives in federal funding.The government announced the review earlier this week, which threatened to cancel all or some of the money as part of its campaign against what it views as unchecked antisemitism on campuses.The conditions largely follow the playbook the Trump administration used to force Columbia University to comply with its demands last month, after canceling $400 million of that school’s federal grants and contracts. In both instances, the government asked Harvard and Columbia to impose bans, with few exemptions, on masking.Pro-Palestinian students often used masks during protests against the war in Gaza to obscure their identities after many said they were harassed online when their personal information was revealed.The Trump administration also pressured the universities to intensify efforts to hold student groups “accountable,” cease admissions practices based on race, color or national origin and revamp policies on campus protests.Harvard would also be required to “commit to full cooperation” with the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that enforces immigration policies, including deportations.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

Karen Steinberg opens our solving weekend with her first solo themeless puzzle.Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — This weekend hundreds of solvers will descend on the Marriott Hotel in Stamford, Conn., to attend the 47th annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, the competition that was immortalized in the 2006 documentary “Wordplay.” The tournament is hosted by Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times Crossword. Many of the constructors whose bylines you see on Times puzzles attend either to compete or help with the judging. I’ve always thought of the A.C.P.T. as a kind of Coachella for puzzle lovers, a place to get your cruciverbal groove on with people who have a similar mind-set.If you are intimidated by the thought of solving against hundreds of other minds, please don’t worry: The weekend includes entertainment, a market displaying all sorts of puzzle paraphernalia and a chance to make new friends. There’s something for everyone.Registration is now closed, but you can still sign up to be part of the virtual tournament. And if you would like to attend next year, the registration page on the A.C.P.T. website will be published in January 2026.Karen Steinberg has had six crosswords published in The Times, three of them collaborations with her son, David Steinberg, and her husband, Paul, who died in 2023. Ms. Steinberg returns today with her first solo themeless puzzle in The Times, and I love her grid design. Constructors call it a “basket weave” because the six grid-spanning entries cross each other at multiple points in the puzzle. That’s not easy to pull off: The constructor has to make sure those long entries cross well and are the liveliest answers in the puzzle, and then to fill around them with interesting entries that are not “junky.”Ms. Steinberg has definitely pulled it off. The 15-letter entries that weave themselves into the basket really floated my boat. No spoilers here, but I think you’ll enjoy them too.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

Grocery shoppers are likely to feel the impact of the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs before April is over. And the first place they’ll feel it is in parts of the store where the inventory has to move fast.In the produce aisle, food analysts said Thursday, expect small price increases on everyday purchases like bananas from Guatemala and grapes from Peru, countries whose exports to the United States will incur 10 percent tariffs when the new fees go into effect on Saturday. A separate round of reciprocal tariffs on 57 countries will follow on Wednesday.The seafood counter may hold even worse surprises. Grocery stores sell a lot of shrimp from Vietnam, which President Trump hit with a 46 percent reciprocal tariff, and India, with a 26 percent reciprocal tariff.Soon, analysts say, price hikes will arrive for staples like sugar and coffee, which is already priced at a historic high. Specialty coffee beans might eventually cost consumers 10 percent to 35 percent more than before the tariffs, bean buyers predicted.Since the pandemic, grocery stores have been expanding their lines of lower-priced private-label products. Customers loved them as a way to navigate inflation, but tariffs will drive up costs.Coffee prices, which are already at historic highs, are likely to increase.Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

A massive storm system has pummeled the Midwest and South this week, killing at least seven people and leaving a trail of destruction from Arkansas to Ohio. The risk may only increase in the days ahead as sustained rainfall is expected to cause widespread and potentially catastrophic floods.The storm began to menace the region on Wednesday, when tornadoes and strong winds toppled barns, houses and power poles. Several people died in Tennessee, including a teenage girl whose modular home was destroyed by a tornado. Officials also linked a fire chief’s death in Missouri and a motorist’s death in Indiana to the storm.In many communities, the focus shifted immediately to the threat of flooding. Water already covered roads in Nashville, and schools in some drenched Kentucky and Tennessee communities called off Friday classes. With many waterways expected to crest at major flood stage over the weekend, residents of river towns in Arkansas, Missouri and beyond were racing to fill up sandbags.Here is a look at some of the damage:ArkansasBrad J. Vest for The New York TimesCody Ferguson took pictures of damage to his home in Lake City.Brad J. Vest for The New York TimesJessica Rust showed off a photo of a tornado that she took on Wednesday as she and her family cleared debris from her father’s destroyed mobile home in Lake City.Associated PressPeople surveyed destroyed homes in Lake City.Brad J. Vest for The New York TimesDylon Davies embraced Skylar, his friend’s dog that survived the tornado in Lake City.TennesseeWilliam DeShazer for The New York TimesRescue operations were underway as floodwaters grew in Nashville.@racheljanemarie via XFloodwaters overflowed into streets in Nashville.William DeShazer for The New York TimesUtility workers began restoring power in Selmer.William DeShazer for The New York TimesBuildings were shredded in Selmer.Tennessee Highway Patrol via StoryfulCrews searched through wreckage after a tornado hit Selmer.William DeShazer for The New York TimesFlooding in Nashville.William DeShazer for The New York TimesResidents in Selmer patched a roof as rain continued to pour.Anthony Kyle Borden via FacebookLightening as tornado warnings were issued in Statonville.KentuckyMichael Swensen/Getty ImagesParishioners and community members assessed damage after a tornado struck the Christ Community Church in West Paducah.Leandro Lozada/Agence France-Presse, via Afp /Afp Via Getty ImagesA tornado ripped through buildings in Louisville.Indiana@DKahunaB via StoryfulTornados toppled trees and damaged homes in Carmel.MissouriDavid Robert Elliott for The New York TimesResidents explored the wreckage in Nevada.David Robert Elliott for The New York TimesBusinesses in Nevada were destroyed by the storm.OklahomaMike Simons/Tulsa World, via Associated PressRyland Mosley, 18, who was on the second story of his home when the storm passed, stood outside and observed the aftermath in Owasso.Mike Simons/Tulsa World, via Associated PressDamage in Owasso. More

The New Civil Liberties Alliance — a nonprofit group that describes itself as battling “violations by the administrative state” — sued the federal government on Thursday over the means by which it imposed steep new levies on Chinese imports earlier this year.The new filing, which the group said was the first such lawsuit to challenge the Trump administration over its tariffs, set the stage for what may become a closely watched legal battle. It comes on the heels of President Trump’s separate announcement on Wednesday of broader, more extensive tariffs targeting many U.S. trading partners around the world.At issue are the tariffs that Mr. Trump announced on China in February and expanded in March. To impose them, Mr. Trump cited a 1970s law that generally grants the president sweeping powers during an economic emergency, known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.Mr. Trump charged that an influx of illegal drugs from China constituted a threat to the United States. But the alliance argued in the lawsuit, on behalf of Simplified, a Pensacola, Fla.-based company, that the administration had misapplied the law. Instead, the group said the law “does not allow a president to impose tariffs,” but rather is supposed to be reserved for putting in place trade embargoes and sanctions against “dangerous foreign actors.”Port Manatee in Palmetto, Fla., on TuesdayScott McIntyre for The New York TimesMr. Trump cited that same law as one of the legal justifications for the expansive global tariffs he announced with an executive order on Wednesday. That order raised the tariff rate on China to at least 54 percent, adding new levies on top of those that the president imposed earlier this year.Mr. Trump’s new order specifically described the U.S. trade deficit with other nations as “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States.”For now, the alliance asked the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Florida to block implementation and enforcement of the president’s earlier tariffs on China. “You can look through the statute all day long; you’re not going to see the president may put tariffs on the American people once he declares an emergency,” said John J. Vecchione, senior litigation counsel for the alliance.A spokesman for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More

The authorities in South Korea were expecting tens of thousands of protesters to descend on central Seoul on Friday as the nation’s Constitutional Court decides the fate of President Yoon Suk Yeol.At least 14,000 police had been deployed to the area around the court, closing subway stations and locking down an area near a former royal palace that is popular with tourists and home to major businesses. Drones have been banned from the area, and schools, vendors and businesses have been ordered to close.The first protests were set to start at 10 a.m. local time, ahead of a possible decision by the court that could come as early as 11 a.m. Mr. Yoon was not expected to attend the reading of the decision, which will determine whether he will be formally removed from office or returned to power.Millions of South Koreans have protested, mostly peacefully, since Mr. Yoon briefly declared martial law on Dec. 3, plunging the nation into political upheaval and prompting lawmakers to impeach him. Mr. Yoon was detained in January on insurrection charges but released unexpectedly last month after a Seoul court said his detention was procedurally flawed.Ahead of the Constitutional Court’s decision, which cannot be appealed, there have been growing worries that Mr. Yoon’s supporters will clash with those demanding he be removed from office. After his arrest in January, some of Mr. Yoon’s supporters overran a local court, breaking windows and threatening the judge hearing his case.The Constitutional Court with increased security on Thursday.Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesA supporter of President Yoon confronting police officers in Seoul, near the court on Thursday.Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesThe police have created a fortresslike environment outside the Constitutional Court, placing 15-foot-tall metal barriers on either side of the main avenue approaching the complex in an effort to keep the two camps from confronting each other. Between the added security gates, police have parked dozens of buses and put up smaller metal fences to deter people from occupying the area. The police response is not without precedent. In 2017, thousands of people tried to cross the police barricade near the court after it ruled that the president, Park Geun-hye, should be removed from office. At least four people died during the protests.On the eve of the Constitutional Court’s ruling this time, South Korea’s interim leader, Han Duck-soo, called on the nation to respect the decision “with calm.”“The government will not tolerate any illegal or violent acts,” he said on Wednesday, urging politicians not to incite violence. “This is a time to put the stability and fate of our community ahead of political interests.” More