The Morning: Overlooked stories of 2023

Plus, Donald Trump, Gaza and wedding traditions.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 29, 2023 By the staff of The Morning Good morning. We're covering overlooked stories from the past year — as well as Donald Trump, Gaza and wedding traditions. Tiksa Negeri for The New York Times, Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times, Dave Sanders for The New York Times, Kate Greene for The New York Times A second look Before the internet, there was no way for New York Times editors to know how many people had read an article. Stories that ran on the front page of the newspaper presumably were better read than ones on Page 36, but nobody could be sure. Now, digital tools allow us to know how many people read every story. This knowledge inevitably leads editors to track their favorites and say, "I sure wish more people read that one." Every year, The Morning dedicates a newsletter to the stories that Times editors thought deserved more readers. We look broadly across our newsroom, selecting at least one story from each department. We hope you will discover some great reads here. Scientists are trying to create a crocodile dictionary. In Spain, vermouth is more than a drink. It's a national pastime. "I am at liberty and dinner": Times reporters taught an A.I. bot to write by reading only Jane Austen. Jair Candor searches the Amazon rainforest for Indigenous people who want no contact with outsiders. His goal is to give them legal protection. In developing countries, women work to fight disease outbreaks. Many aren't paid. "The Justins" modeled themselves after civil rights leaders of the past. It got them expelled from the Tennessee legislature. In a decaying fortress in Queens, one man battled 47 kinds of mosquito. It's trendy to track your glucose. But unless you have diabetes, it's probably not worth the cost. Christopher Nolan knew who should play the lead in "Oppenheimer": "Cillian's eyes were the only eyes I know that can project that intensity." His day job is a lobsterman. You might know him as a TikToker. Who looted an ancient shrine in a distant part of the Roman Empire? Remorseful locals told their story. Public videos of police violence may increase accountability. But they are also harming Black Americans' mental health. In a Canadian lake, scientists found evidence of nuclear weapons tests and fossil fuels. It's a geological symbol of the human age. Leonardo DiCaprio helped save an Albanian river. It has become a popular tourist destination. Utah is a wellspring of young-adult fiction. Give credit to Mormon writers. Homecoming at many Texas high schools is about more than football. It's about mums. A trove of rare metals lies beneath Nebraska farmland. Locals say mining it is their patriotic duty. What's the best Wheel of Fortune strategy? Play a few rounds and see for yourself. With the right clothing, shoes and jewelry, could he make teenage girls into pop stars? An American family fought for their survival as they escaped Gaza after Oct. 7. Immigrants found community in California's ballroom dancing halls. A mass shooting could not keep them from dancing. Teddy Roosevelt grew up in Manhattan, but he fell in love with the wide-open West. That's why his new presidential library is in North Dakota. Why does the mayor of New York spend so much time on ceremonial flag-raisings? Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS 2024 Election Maine barred Donald Trump from the state's primary ballot, joining Colorado in declaring the former president ineligible because of his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Lawsuits seeking to remove Trump from the ballot are pending in more than a dozen states. Nikki Haley, when asked about the causes of the Civil War at a town-hall event, did not mention slavery. She later walked back her response. Gen Z Republicans are open to backing candidates other than Trump, but most candidates have focused on older voters. More on Politics In East Palestine, Ohio.  Andrew Spear for The New York Times President Biden said in March that he would visit East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a toxic train derailment. The community is still waiting for him. A federal judge approved Georgia's voting maps after lawmakers added a majority-Black congressional district. The Justice Department threatened to sue Texas if it enforced a law allowing police officers to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. from Mexico without authorization. Israel-Hamas War The Israeli military expressed regret for striking a densely packed neighborhood in Gaza this week that local health authorities said killed dozens of people. A 70-year-old Israeli-American who was believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas was actually killed in the Oct. 7 attacks, her family said. A leaked Israeli Supreme Court draft indicated that the court might strike down part of Benjamin Netanyahu's divisive judicial overhaul. A Times investigation found that Hamas used a pattern of gender-based violence in its attack on Israel on Oct. 7. International A request to a D.J. for a Ukrainian song and a photo with a blue and yellow scarf have been grounds for prosecution under Russia's crackdown on antiwar speech. Investigators in Nepal said a plane crash that killed 72 people was caused by a pilot who pulled the incorrect levers while trying to land. The "Parasite" actor Lee Sun-kyun was found dead this week. He was one of many celebrities entangled in South Korea's crackdown on drugs. Burkina Faso's military junta is forcibly conscripting its critics, human rights organizations said. Other Big Stories Strawberry plants in Pajaro Valley.  Nathan Weyland for The New York Times Farmers in the Pajaro Valley in California are charged to use water on their lands. Experts say it's a case study in how to save the nation's dwindling groundwater supplies. Many mentally ill detainees on Rikers Island are moved between the jails and psychiatric facilities for months or years before standing trial. Major American news publishers have been in confidential talks for months with OpenAI about terms for licensing their content. An agreement has been elusive. Murders fell sharply across the U.S. in 2023, according to the F.B.I. Detroit is on track to record its fewest homicides since the 1960s. Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was found guilty of helping to kill her mother in a murder that inspired a Hulu miniseries, has been released from prison. Opinions Trump's disqualification from the Colorado ballot relies on ambiguous interpretations of the 14th Amendment, not on the framers' intent, Kurt Lash writes. Social media users came up with a new term — "food noise" — to describe their desire to eat. It's treating hunger as a bug instead of a feature, Kate Manne writes. Here is a column by Thomas Friedman on how bad choices led the world to a painful era. All of The Times. All in one subscription. Enjoy unlimited access to everything we offer — with this introductory offer. You'll benefit from more of the insights that you find in The Morning, every morning. MORNING READS Wine in a store in London. Neil Hall/EPA, via Shutterstock Drink up: Free from the E.U.'s rules on measurements, the U.K. will once again allow pubs to sell pints of wine. Big City: Six New Yorkers who made the city a better, cooler, fairer place in 2023. Crab Museum: In a British seaside town, a tiny museum is gaining attention for its irreverent exhibits. Lives Lived: Pope.L, best known for crawling the length of Broadway in a Superman costume, was an uncompromising conceptual and performance artist who explored themes of race, class and what he called "have-not-ness." He died at 68. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Cleveland Browns clinched a playoff spot, defeating the New York Jets, 37-20. Browns quarterback Joe Flacco continued his streak of unexpected brilliance. College football: Alabama tightened its film restrictions as it prepares to play Michigan, which is embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Cake displays are being reinvented. Eli Turner Studios Something old, something new: Couples are putting new twists on classic wedding traditions, Alix Strauss writes. Some are replacing guest books with voice messages recorded on faux phones. Others are swapping the traditional bouquet toss for an "anniversary dance" for the married couples in the room, which ends with gifting the bouquet to the couple who has been married the longest. More on culture A.I.'s ability to approximate art and music should inspire artists to outperform the soulless machines, the Times critic Jason Farago writes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Julia Gartland for The New York Times Complete any festive brunch with this shareable giant almond croissant. Ditch the string, floss with water. Deal with frequent small messes with a cordless vacuum. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was vaguely. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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