Aurelia Butler

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    ‘Believing’ and Belonging

    We look at how people are searching for belonging.Last week, Dwight from “The Office” called me to talk about God.Almost. It was the actor who played Dwight, Rainn Wilson. He’d read my essay that launched “Believing,” a project on how people find meaning in their lives — in religion, spirituality or anywhere. He’d written a best-selling book on the topic, one that was so self-aware and funny I actually laughed out loud. He just wanted to connect.That seems to be a theme.Since I published “Believing,” I’ve heard from thousands of Morning readers. Everyone has a story to share about belief, no matter how they come at the topic. My inbox is now a microcosm of the internet: MAGA bros, professors, wellness influencers, theologians, climate activists, pop psychologists, grandmothers and a source who sent me an unpublished letter from Pope Francis. I heard from people across America and around the world, including Brazil, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. In the messages, a clear trend emerged that unites this very disparate group: People crave meaningful connection.In “Believing,” I explained that religion offers people three B’s: beliefs about the world, behaviors to follow and belonging in a community or culture. Readers seized on the last one. They said they wanted to belong — in rich, profound and sustained ways.It makes sense. A major, global study recently released by Harvard and Baylor universities affirmed what so much other data has shown: People flourish — they live happier, healthier and better lives — if they have strong social connections. It also found that religions, for all their reputational baggage, can provide people with robust communities.The power of belongingIn “Believing,” I shared that I once belonged to a strong community — that I was raised Mormon in Arkansas but that I have since left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was vulnerable and weird and hard for me to talk about. Still, it seemed to be a catalyst for connection.Soon, my inbox was filled with personal stories.“She began with a personal testament of her own loss of faith, so forgive me if I too bare my soul,” Richard Dawkins, the famous advocate for atheism, replied in a letter to my article.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

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    British Police Arrest Iranian Nationals in Counterterrorism Investigations

    Seven Iranians were among eight men arrested in two investigations. Some of the detained were accused of preparing a terrorist attack on an unnamed site.British counterterrorism officers have arrested eight men, including seven Iranian nationals, in connection with two separate investigations London’s Metropolitan Police said on Sunday.In one of the cases, four Iranians and another man whose nationality has yet to be determined were detained on Saturday on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act against a single site.“The investigation relates to a suspected plot to target a specific premises,” the police said in a statement issued early Sunday. The police added that the site was not being named “for operational reasons.”Dominic Murphy, the head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, said the investigation was “fast-moving” and that police were “working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated.”He added: “The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of inquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.”The police said that two of the Iranian nationals were aged 29, one was 46 and the other 40. They were arrested in London and Swindon, about 80 miles west of the capital, and in Stockport and Rochdale in the northwest. The other man was arrested in the Manchester area.In a later statement, the police said that three Iranians, aged 39, 44 and 55, were detained at separate locations in London on Saturday but that those arrests were not connected to the other investigation.“All three men have been taken into custody and searches continue at the three addresses,” the police said. They added that the men were detained under the National Security Act 2023, which was introduced to tighten protections against hostile acts against Britain.Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, described the arrests as “serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats.”She added: “The government continues to work with police and intelligence agencies to support all the action and security assessments that are needed to keep the country safe.”Further details of the type of plots being investigated were not given.In a speech last year, Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, Britain’s domestic security service, identified Iran was as a country of growing concern to counterterrorism police. He said that, since January 2022, the security services had responded to 20 Iranian-backed plots that posed potentially lethal threats to British citizens and residents.Mr. McCallum cited as an example the jailing of a man last December for reconnaissance of what was then the headquarters of Iran International, a Persian-language opposition TV channel that operates from Britain.Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that the government “will obviously keep the public updated as we can,” but added: “given these are live investigations it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment further.” More

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    The Sunday Read: ‘This Is the Holocaust Story I Said I Wouldn’t Write’

    Listen and follow ‘The Daily’Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadioWhen Taffy Brodesser-Akner became a writer, Mr. Lindenblatt, the father of one of her oldest friends, began asking to tell his story of survival during the Holocaust in one of the magazines or newspapers she wrote for. He took pride in telling his story, in making sure he fulfilled what he felt was the obligation of all Holocaust survivors, which was to remind the world what had happened to the Jews.His daughter Ilana knew it was a long shot but felt obligated to pass on the request — it was her father, after all. Taffy declined because after a life hearing about the Holocaust, she said, she was “all Holocausted out.”But, years later, when she learned of Mr. Lindenblatt’s imminent passing, Taffy asked herself what would become of stories like his if the generation of hers that was supposed to inherit them had taken the privilege that came with another generation’s survival and decided not to listen?So here it is, an old Jewish story about the Holocaust and a man who somehow survived the pernicious, organized and intentional genocide of the Jews. But right behind it, just two generations later, is another story, one about the children and grandchildren who have been so malformed by the stories that are their lineage that some of them made just as eager work of running from it, only to find themselves, same as anything you run from, having to deal with it anyway.There are a lot of ways to listen to ‘The Daily.’ Here’s how.We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at thedaily@nytimes.com. Follow Michael Barbaro on X: @mikiebarb. And if you’re interested in advertising with The Daily, write to us at thedaily-ads@nytimes.com.Additional production for The Sunday Read was contributed by Isabella Anderson, Anna Diamond, Frannie Carr Toth, Elena Hecht, Emma Kehlbeck, Tanya Pérez, and Krish Seenivasan. More

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    Another Reason People Fear the Government

    Why do Americans have such deep distrust of their government?It’s a simple question with a complex answer, but here’s part of the reason: All too often, the government wrongfully inflicts profound harm on American citizens and then leaves them with no recourse. It violates the law and leaves its victims with no way to be made whole.Let me give you two recent examples, both taken from Supreme Court cases that were argued this term and have not yet been decided.In the predawn hours of Oct. 18, 2017, an F.B.I. SWAT team detonated a flash-bang grenade at a home at 3756 Denville Trace in Atlanta. A team of federal agents rushed in.The family inside was terrified. Hilliard Toi Cliatt lived there with his partner, Curtrina Martin, and her 7-year-old son, Gabe. They had no idea who had entered their house. Cliatt tried to protect Martin by grabbing her and hiding in a closet.Martin screamed, “I need to get my son.” The agents pulled Cliatt and Martin out of the closet, holding them at gunpoint as Martin fell to the floor, half-naked. When they asked Cliatt his address, “All the noise just ended.”He told them: 3756 Denville Trace. But it turned out they were supposed to be at 3741 Landau Lane, an entirely different house down the block. The agents left, raided the correct house and then returned to apologize. The lead agent gave the family his business card and left the family, according to their Supreme Court petition, in “stunned disbelief.”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

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    Voters Approve Incorporation of SpaceX Hub as Starbase, Texas

    A South Texas community, mostly made up of SpaceX employees, voted 212 to 6 in favor of establishing a new city called Starbase.Members of a South Texas community that has served as the hub of Elon Musk’s rocket launch company, SpaceX, voted on Saturday to formally establish a new city called Starbase, fulfilling one of Mr. Musk’s long-held dreams.All but six of the 218 people who voted supported incorporating the city of Starbase, according to Cameron County, which administered the vote.There were 283 eligible voters, said Remi Garza, the elections administrator for the county.The community, known to locals as Boca Chica, covers about 1.5 square miles on a spit of land that brushes up against the Mexican border.SpaceX broke ground in the area in 2014, and it has since become the company’s central hub and launch site, as well as home to hundreds of its employees.On his social media platform, X, Mr. Musk has referred to the area as Starbase more than a dozen times in the past four years.“My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX,” Mr. Musk wrote in June 2021. “It’s kinda awesome though.”In December, people living around the company offices and launch site filed a petition to officially establish the city of Starbase, Texas. More

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    Pierre Audi, Eminent Force in the Performing Arts, Dies at 67

    After turning a derelict lecture hall into the daring Almeida Theater, he had a long career as a director and impresario in Europe and New York.Pierre Audi, the stage director and impresario whose transformation of a derelict London lecture hall into the cutting-edge Almeida Theater was the opening act in a long career as one of the world’s most eminent performing arts leaders, died on Friday night in Beijing. He was 67.His death, while he was in China for meetings related to future productions, was announced on social media by Rachida Dati, the minister of culture in France, where Mr. Audi had been the director of the Aix-en-Provence Festival since 2018. The announcement did not specify a cause.Mr. Audi was in his early 20s when he founded the Almeida, which opened in 1980 and swiftly became a center of experimental theater and music. He spent 30 years as the leader of the Dutch National Opera, and for part of that time was also in charge of the Holland Festival. For the past decade, he had been the artistic director of the Park Avenue Armory in New York.The Almeida Theater in London. Mr. Audi was in his early 20s when he founded it in 1980, and it soon became a center of experimental theater and music.View PicturesAll along, he continued working as a director at theaters around the world. Last year, when the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels cut ties with Romeo Castellucci halfway through his new production of Wagner’s four-opera “Ring,” the company turned to Mr. Audi as one of the few artists with the knowledge, experience and cool head to take over such an epic undertaking at short notice.“He profoundly renewed the language of opera,” Ms. Dati wrote in her announcement, “through his rigor, his freedom and his singular vision.”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

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    The Best Hats at the 2025 Kentucky Derby

    When discussing the history of women’s hats in the United States, the designer and author Steven Stolman was reminded of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” in which Joanne wryly asks, “Does anyone still wear a hat?”Hats come and go in women’s fashion, but there is one place you can always find them. Mr. Stolman is well aware of that. He was in Kentucky to help Britainy Beshear, the first lady of the state, get ready for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby, which she was attending in a dress he designed and a hat he helped select.No American sporting event can match the sartorial splendor of the Derby, and Mr. Stolman, who is no stranger to such affairs, having donned a top hat to attend Britain’s Royal Ascot races, had many opinions on what made a good hat (and many more on fascinators and elaborate headdresses being entirely separate things).“I think that the whole goal should be that you see a beautiful lady wearing a hat,” he said, “rather than a beautiful hat being worn by a lady.”Britainy Beshear, the first lady of Kentucky, worked with the designer Steven Stolman on her outfit for the Derby.David Kasnic for The New York TimesIn Mrs. Beshear’s case, that meant having Mr. Stolman pair a pink-and-white silk check shirt and skirt from his Steven Stolman for J. McLaughlin collection with a hand-blocked white sinamay hat by Gigi Burris that was trimmed with twisted goose feathers.When looking ahead to the array of hats that would be seen in the crowd on Saturday at Churchill Downs, Mr. Stolman expressed some dismay that more than a few women were likely to choose poorly as they no longer had the help of trained milliners and sales people when shopping.“Buying a hat online is really risky business because there’s no opportunity to see if it even fits,” he said, adding that “genuine millinery is made to fit the wearer, and that makes all the difference in the world.”Heavy rain throughout the day complicated things, but the crowd of 147,406, as always, ran the gamut from extreme to understated. And nearly every woman (and plenty of men) still managed to wear a hat, because some traditions are worth keeping, regardless of the weather.In Lori Walker’s case, the rain on Saturday created a fun effect on her hat. David Kasnic for The New York TimesIndra Mumba’s sunglasses went so well with her outfit that she kept them on despite the dreary day.David Kasnic for The New York TimesCathy Shannon was among the attendees who took a break from the weather by finding a dry place inside.David Kasnic for The New York TimesJim Oehmcke’s white shirt and hat made his accessories pop.David Kasnic for The New York TimesCarrie and Jeff Ketterman did not let the weather get in the way of their spectacular ensembles. David Kasnic for The New York TimesAs the day went on, the party atmosphere managed to come through.David Kasnic for The New York TimesRonnie McCraven went with a loud outfit and an understated hat.David Kasnic for The New York TimesA rainbow of feathers would stand out in any crowd, but a dreary day made it pop even more.David Kasnic for The New York TimesSome hats blurred the line between hats and dioramas. David Kasnic for The New York TimesButter yellow is a color of the moment, and this group was ready for that moment.David Kasnic for The New York TimesA large splash of red in a black and white outfit made for a striking look.David Kasnic for The New York TimesCheryl Hamilton-Hill leaned in on the rain and added a yellow rain coat to her outfit.David Kasnic for The New York TimesA hat this large made you want to see the dress that went with it. David Kasnic for The New York TimesBruce Asmussen’s Pabst Blue Ribbon hat was as creative as they come.David Kasnic for The New York TimesThe people who went out to their seats did so in ponchos, with some covering their hats as well.David Kasnic for The New York TimesAlbert Smith and Julie Nickel coordinated their outfits nicely. David Kasnic for The New York TimesSome rain coats blended more seamlessly than others.David Kasnic for The New York TimesSvetlana Mumba stood out in pink.David Kasnic for The New York TimesFascinators, fedoras and baseball hats could all be found at Churchill Downs.David Kasnic for The New York TimesA clear raincoat was as unobtrusive as possible, though some people chose to just get rained on.David Kasnic for The New York TimesJoe Rogers and his daughter, Talea, made some adjustments outside Churchill Downs.David Kasnic for The New York TimesAmelia Hauschild stayed dry under an overhang with her husband, Martin Garcia.David Kasnic for The New York TimesThe weather may have been lousy, but Katherine Darius managed to let a smile sneak through while standing under a tree. David Kasnic for The New York TimesThe weather left a well-dressed crowd a bit water-logged, with dreams of nicer weather next year.David Kasnic for The New York Times More

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    Small Plane Crashes Into Simi Valley, Calif., Homes, Killing Pilot

    Residents were in the two homes that were struck, but they were evacuated without injuries, the Ventura County Fire Department said.A small plane crashed into two homes in Simi Valley, Calif., on Saturday, killing the pilot, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Ventura County Fire Department.Residents were inside the two-story, single-family homes, and were evacuated without any injuries, the fire department said. The homes suffered structural damage and fire damage.The identity of the pilot was not released.Video posted on social media by the fire department showed firefighters on a roof tending to a smoking area of one of the houses.The plane, a single engine fixed-wing Van’s Aircraft RV-10, had departed from General William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster and was heading to Camarillo Airport near the city of Thousand Oaks before it crashed around 2:10 p.m., the F.A.A. said.Simi Valley is a city of 125,000 people about 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.Photos from the scene showed smoke billowing shortly after the crash and, later, a gaping hole in the roof of a structure.“The plane was flying very low and attempted to gain altitude a couple of times but looked like it could not,” an X user, who posted a photo after the crash, said on social media. More