Microsoft cited the metaverse as a reason for buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. But what is the metaverse, anyway? Let’s break down what it really means. https://t.co/giThOw3auP

Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a record-setting $216.3 billion budget plan on Tuesday. Here's what to know about her proposal, which includes $2 billion in pandemic recovery initiatives and $1.4 billion to help subsidize child care for about 400,000 families. https://t.co/4eKsA91TuZ

RT @nytopinion: Starting tomorrow, the novelist Sheila Heti will be writing a new newsletter for our subscribers. She will share an intimate self-portrait that started as a diary and evolved into an experimental work of autofiction. Sign up here: https://t.co/QDi6kxc9Ld

Weird Al is "absolutely thrilled" that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying him in an upcoming biopic, saying "I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for." https://t.co/RsGJurHba0

A former high-level editor at The New York Post has filed a discrimination lawsuit, saying she endured "several years of sex-based harassment" at the tabloid and that its longtime editor-in-chief retaliated against her after she reported him to the company.https://t.co/7m4Y8O1L4E

The Golden State Warriors distanced themselves from a partial owner, the billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya, after he said on his podcast that "nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs" and that it was "below the line" of issues he cared about. https://t.co/ArsgMHeZFk

In July, 100 new mothers in parts of New York City began receiving up to $1,000 a month through a privately funded program — a test in the fast-growing field of anti-poverty policy known as guaranteed income. https://t.co/XdwIk5QqYj

Sudanese security forces killed seven people and injured at least 100 others on Monday, a doctors’ group said, ahead of a visit by senior U.S. diplomats seeking to support the revival of the country’s faltering transition to democracy. https://t.co/6GtGfyuIxK

A.I.-based approaches have changed the poker landscape. Good poker players have always known that they need to maintain a balance between bluffing and playing it straight. Now they can do so perfectly. https://t.co/tR9o2i1JEw

Ingrid Betancourt, a former congresswoman, will run for president in Colombia, a person close to her campaign said. She was kidnapped in 2002 and held by the country's largest guerrilla force for more than six years. https://t.co/cb8qgi5CC8

The British man who took four people hostage at a Texas synagogue over the weekend was known to British intelligence services but deemed no longer a risk, according to a U.S. official and British news media reports. https://t.co/a2Z5QPvz0g

Is Pluto a planet?

It's not a question with simple answers. Let us know what you think — then read why the debate over the status of the icy world is as much about linguistics as it is science. https://t.co/FuTO6aq3qM

Two of Pope Francis' top aides have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Vatican said on Tuesday. The men meet with Francis, who is 85, on a regular basis, but it was not clear when they last saw the pope. https://t.co/Nn2oHBFo2x

RT @ckrausss: Exxon says it will try to reach net zero emissions from its operations by 2050. Will that be enough to satisfy ESG investors?  https://t.co/I8rds7B9Td

We found 51 words that can be spelled with these seven letters. How many can you make?

Don’t forget, your words must include the center letter. https://t.co/KZhE3cj7Vx https://t.co/098PgqHOXz

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s campaign raised nearly $21.6 million, a record sum that cements her as the prohibitive favorite in the New York governor's race. https://t.co/t5n5k3etcw

Is Pluto a planet?

The debate over the status of the icy world is as much linguistics as science, and it is not a question with simple answers. Take our quiz to see where you stand on the issue.
https://t.co/uOp0dxdHQu

When contentious new Covid protocols for French schools were announced this month, the local news media reported, France’s education minister was vacationing in Ibiza. “I regret the symbolism,” he told lawmakers. https://t.co/8HAqaz9mDp

New Yorkers are coming back to the subway in a pattern that highlights the economic divide at the heart of the city’s recovery.

Our reporters spoke to riders and business owners at three stations to see where people have returned, and where they haven’t. https://t.co/dMuwVieSLH

Tonga’s government told of an “unprecedented disaster” and confirmed that three people had died in its first statement since a volcanic eruption set off a tsunami. Aerial photos showed the normally green isles blanketed with gray dust and ash.
https://t.co/rfACKxKMpx