New York Times - Top Stories

Gold Bars and Luxury Watches: How the U.S. Says Qatar Wooed Menendez

The nation has cultivated relationships with the powerful, including Senator Robert Menendez, to raise its global profile and to protect interests.

6 min read

Robert Menendez, wearing a dark suit and red tie, walks with reporters. — Kent Nishimura for The New York Times

Here’s what we know about the Robert Menendez bribery case.

4 min read

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Bombing in Iran Kills Over 100, Sowing Confusion and Speculation

No one claimed responsibility for the bombing at a memorial for Qassim Suleimani, the top commander killed by a U.S. drone strike four years ago.

6 min read

Who was Qassim Suleimani? A hero to some in Iran, he was regarded in the U.S. as a force behind terrorism.

3 min read

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Keep Him on Colorado Ballot

The petition came in response to a ruling that former President Trump had engaged in insurrection and was ineligible to hold office under the 14th Amendment.

4 min read

Donald Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, stands at a podium while speaking to a crowd during a campaign rally. — Jordan Gale for The New York Times

Read the document.

The Word That Undid Claudine Gay

The fate of Harvard’s president is the latest evidence of a deep crisis in American academia, our critic writes.

5 min read

This color photo shows a close-up of the former Harvard president Dr. Claudine Gay. She is wearing a dark coat and has a pale blue scarf wrapped around her neck. She is surrounded by people too blurry to make out in any detail and is speaking to a woman whose back is to the viewer. — Adam Glanzman for The New York Times

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Leader’s Killing Is a Blow, but Not a Knockout, for Hamas

The killing of Saleh al-Arouri, a key Hamas strategist, sets the organization back. But the group has rebuilt after the assassination of other leaders.

5 min read

LIVE

The assassination of Saleh al-Arouri appeared likely to hinder talks on freeing the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Cleaning the street near the site of an explosion that a day earlier killed Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas leader, in Beirut on Wednesday.
Anwar Amro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Protesters marching in the West Bank city of Ramallah after Mr. al-Arouri's killing.
Mahmoud Illean/Associated Press
An Israeli military helicopter seen from southern Israel firing a missile towards Gaza.
Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
A destroyed building in Rafah, Gaza.
Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Wounded Palestinians at a hospital in Rafah in southern Gaza.
Hatem Ali/Associated Press
Israeli soldiers firing from an armored vehicle along the border with Gaza in southern Israel.
Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Displaced Palestinians sheltering at a tent camp in Rafah, Gaza.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Closed shops in the bazaar in the West Bank city of Nablus, during a general strike.
Zain Jaafar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Israeli soldiers visiting the site of the Nova music festival in Re'im, Israel, where hundreds were killed on Oct. 7.
Maja Hitij/Getty Images

As Flames Surged, Order Prevailed Inside a Japan Airlines Jet

The safe evacuation of 367 passengers came down to a well-trained crew, an advanced plane and a relative absence of panic.

5 min read

A Swedish teenager who was on Japan Airlines Flight 516 described what happened when it collided with a Coast Guard plane.

3 min read

Former Guard Official Says Army Retaliated for His Account of Jan. 6 Delay

Col. Earl Matthews, a former lawyer for the D.C. National Guard, said in a complaint that he was punished for contradicting the testimony of two generals.

5 min read

A wide view of a mob holding various flags as it stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. — Jason Andrew for The New York Times

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Donald Trump’s January Features Court Dates and Election Nights

While Iowa’s caucuses and New Hampshire’s primary could start to propel former President Trump to the nomination, he is facing two trials this month.

5 min read

Ron DeSantis in Sioux City, Iowa
Scott Morgan/Reuters
A Ron DeSantis event in Waukee, Iowa,
Cheney Orr/Reuters
Vivek Ramaswamy in Des Moines, Iowa.
Rachel Mummey/Reuters
Nikki Haley in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Cheney Orr/Cheney Orr, via Reuters
Donald Trump at a campaign event in Coralville, Iowa.
Jordan Gale for The New York Times

What We’re Seeing

Ron DeSantis has been repeatedly asked: Why won’t you directly criticize Donald Trump?

Imam Is Fatally Shot Outside New Jersey Mosque

The shooting took place around the time of predawn prayers in Newark. The gunman remained at large.

3 min read

Police cars are parked outside a yellow and green building. — Dakota Santiago for The New York Times

Covid Has Resurged in the U.S., but Scientists See a Diminished Threat

Still, Americans should wear masks more often, they note, and vaccination rates are very low.

5 min read

People wheel luggage through a train station, wearing winter coats. Two are wearing face masks, but others appear not to. — Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

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As Literacy Lags, Hochul Proposes Changing How Schools Teach Reading

New York State ranks 32nd in reading proficiency. Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing changes to literacy education to address that.

4 min read

Gov. Kathy Hochul stands at a lectern speaking, wearing a navy blazer over a maroon shirt. — Steve Sanchez, via Associated Press

An effort to overhaul how children learn to read is sweeping the country. Here’s where it stands.

3 min read

The Great Read

A Hapless Robber, Exposed by a Cloud of Dye, Gets His Day in Court

Nobody disputed that the defendant had handed over a note demanding money from a bank. The only remaining question: How dangerous had he been, really?

5 min read

A man in a white T-shirt crossing a four-lane street with a cloud of pink dye rising behind him. — Newark Police Department

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Opinion

Claudine Gay: What Just Happened at Harvard Is Bigger Than Me

4 min read

Charles M. Blow

The Persecution of President Gay

4 min read

An illustration that includes a photo of Claudine Gay. — Illustration by The New York Times

Ross Douthat

Harvard Couldn’t Save Both Claudine Gay and Itself

5 min read

Letters From Our Readers

The Fallout From a Resignation at Harvard

5 min read

Temim Fruchter

I Left My Faith. God Didn’t Flinch.

5 min read

Kathy Gannon

It’s Time for America to Go Back to Afghanistan

6 min read

Concrete walls are decorated with Arabic writing and the outline of a map of Afghanistan. A watchtower stands behind the walls. — Jorge Silva/Reuters

Patrick Healy and Katherine Miller

Could Nikki Haley Actually Do It?

9 min read

Benjamin Moser

Waiting for Snow in the Netherlands

4 min read

Peter Coy

Why I Welcome New York City’s Congestion Pricing Plan

7 min read

David Wallace-Wells

Millions Die of Malaria With Miracle Drugs at Hand

4 min read

Jessica Grose

Under 30 and Dating? What’s Politics Got to Do With It?

4 min read

Bret Stephens

Claudine Gay and the Limits of Social Engineering at Harvard

4 min read

Frank Bruni

Trump’s Final Battle Has Begun

9 min read

Paul Krugman

What the Civil War Was About

6 min read

Ruti Munder

My Second Trip to Gaza Was as a Hostage. I Will Never Return.

4 min read

Farah Stockman and Cydni Elledge

Will Detroit’s Comeback Benefit Detroiters?

8 min read

In Case You Missed ItTop picks from The Times, recommended for you

The Evening

A pair of bombs killed dozens of people in Iran, Republicans visiting the U.S.-Mexico border had a warning for President Biden and more.

5 min read

An orange circle against a maroon background with the words "The Evening" written in white on the top left.

More News

Unsealed Documents Shed Light on Jeffrey Epstein’s Misdeeds

The court documents include unredacted names of the disgraced financier and sex-offender’s associates, most of which had been widely publicized already.

5 min read

SpaceX Illegally Fired Workers Critical of Musk, Federal Agency Says

The National Labor Relations Board said the company had wrongly dismissed eight people for a letter raising concerns about Elon Musk, the chief executive.

4 min read

Watch the First Meteor Shower of 2024 Reach Its Peak

The Quadrantids are forecast to be one of the year’s strongest showers, but they can be difficult to actually spot.

3 min read

Streaks of light fly through a dark sky over a shadowed structure. — Pedro Puente Hoyos/EPA, via Shutterstock

Pat McAfee Apologizes Over Role in Aaron Rodgers-Jimmy Kimmel Feud

Rodgers suggested during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Kimmel had a connection to Jeffrey Epstein, leading Kimmel to threaten legal action.

2 min read