The Morning: Overlooked stories

Plus, South Korea, Finland and astronauts.

View in browser|nytimes.com December 27, 2024 Good morning. We're covering overlooked stories from this year. We're also covering South Korea, Finland and astronauts. The New York Times Overlooked stories By Adam B. Kushner I edit The Morning newsletter. Journalists learned a tough lesson when they began posting articles online: Sometimes, the stories we work hardest on get overlooked. Some of the reasons for this are obvious. Maybe a beautifully crafted feature story is overtaken by a major news event. Maybe an investigation uncovers wrongdoing that affects a niche group, such as the customers of a local utility company. Maybe, hoping to see ahead of the curve, we profile a musician we expect to be famous in a year — but that person doesn't have legions of followers yet. Occasionally, this means readers have missed out on a gem. As an editor — someone whose work is often invisible to readers — I don't mind sharing that this is a source of anguish. Every year, The Morning dedicates a newsletter to the stories from across the newsroom that Times editors thought deserved more eyes or ears. We hope you will discover some great journalism below. Climate Blinky, a Koala in Brisbane, Australia.  Chang W. Lee/The New York Times The koala, long an Australian icon, faces extinction. India burned mountains of trash to generate electricity. Those pollutants can cause birth defects and cancer. People are rewilding America's cemeteries. Groundskeepers and conservationists are letting grasses grow and skipping pesticides. Culture In Orlando, Fla.  Zack Wittman for The New York Times Young Christians memorize nearly 1,000 verses from Scripture for the National Bible Bee. It makes the spelling bee look easy. The Tesla Cybertruck is a culture war on wheels. We ranked the 100 most iconic technological inventions. All Madeline wanted was to talk to her deceased husband, Eli, again. She recreated his voice with A.I. Movies and entertainment Americans have come to love the supervillain, like the Joker and Elphaba. Eddie Murphy opened up to our interviewer about a long career that changed the shape of American comedy. Apocalypse and horror movies use newspapers headlines to explain what's happening in the background. See what these fictional papers say. "The Wild Robot," the novel behind a blockbuster film, was inspired by the High Line, a railway-turned-park in New York City. Politics and government A model Chinese patriot was actually an F.B.I. informant. China arrested him. He returned to the United States in a prisoner swap last month. These Arizonans were loyal Republicans. Then came Donald Trump and abortion bans. Watch their stories. One right-wing proposal recommends that schools collect data on students' immigration status in hopes that fears will push families to "self-deport." The border is a top campaign issue. It's also their home. Justice Samuel Alito and the former Senator Bob Menendez, beset by scandals this year, took the same time-honored approach: They blamed their wives. Local news In Los Angeles.  Stella Kalinina for The New York Times Los Angeles is building tiny homes to ease its housing crisis. But some residents need to share and critics say the cramped conditions can be inhumane. In Michigan, someone stole props from a ballet company before its annual production of "The Nutcracker." With the community's help, the show went on. The Nashville district attorney's office used the faulty science of shaken baby syndrome to convict people of abuse. Now it's trying to undo those convictions. Developers tried to build affordable housing in a wealthy, mostly white South Carolina town. When the residents found out, they killed the project. Bob VanCoughnett is an ambulance squad volunteer in a rural town far from any hospital. As his generation retires and few younger volunteers step up, he wonders who will take his place. War in Gaza Hamas took her, and it still had her husband: Listen to the story of one family at the center of the Gaza war. Motaz Azaiza, a Palestinian photographer, attracted millions of followers as he documented the war in Gaza while also trying to survive it. Watch his story. More world news China still tries to assert power over Uyghur refugees— long after they've left the country. Read one man's story. In India, a reporter went on a journey with a long-haul trucker. It revealed how far the country's infrastructure has come — and how far it has to go. Geneviève de Galard was a military nurse who tended to the wounded in Vietnam. The American media later dubbed her the "angel of Dien Bien Phu." She died at 99. Yoshida, Japan, is famed for high-quality steel used to make Japanese swords. Now the village is attracting tourists with re-enactments of its iron-smelting traditions. Health and science Mucus is a medical marvel to scientists. People of color still struggle to receive care for cystic fibrosis because doctors were historically taught that the disease mostly affected white people. Health insurance companies have made millions by charging local governments when their employees seek out-of-network care. THE LATEST NEWS International The South Korean legislature voted to impeach the acting president, barely two weeks after impeaching the president over a martial law bid. Israel bombed Yemen, retaliating against missile attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia. Manmohan Singh, India's first Sikh prime minister, died at 92. Soft-spoken and cerebral, Singh helped transform India's economy and sought to mend ties with Pakistan. Aviation experts cast doubt on Russia's claim that a crashed Azerbaijan Airlines jet had hit a flock of birds, pointing to holes in the plane's fuselage. Finland seized an oil tanker that it suspected had helped cut an undersea electrical cable. The ship may have been part of a Russian "shadow fleet," Finland said. Politics Trump has escalated his threats to retake control of the Panama Canal, falsely accusing Panama of overcharging U.S. ships and letting Chinese soldiers operate it. Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York signed a law that requires top-polluting companies to pay to help repair damage from extreme weather. Biden signed a law officially making the bald eagle the U.S.'s national bird. Other Big Stories On the International Space Station. NASA The astronauts on the International Space Station celebrated Christmas in space. They had a zero-gravity cookie-decorating contest and built a reindeer from storage bags. Hawaii police are investigating a body that was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane after it flew from Chicago to Maui. Opinions Astronauts stranded on the International Space Station are a reminder that astronaut candidates need to be able to withstand prolonged isolation, Ido Mizrahy writes. Here's a column by David Brooks on the year's best long-form journalism. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS In Havana. Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA, via Shutterstock Merry and bright: Church services, chilly swims and doughnuts — see photos from Christmas celebrations around the world this week. Moo Deng, Flaco and others: Read about animals celebrities who surprised, soothed and screamed at us in 2024. Lives Lived: Richard Parsons, who cleaned up corporate emergencies at Time Warner, CBS and other companies and was often the only Black executive in the boardroom, died at 76. SPORTS At Sydney Harbour. David Gray/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Sailing: Two sailors taking part in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race died in separate accidents. N.B.A.: Pat Riley, the Miami Heat president, said the team would not trade star Jimmy Butler. Men's college basketball: Jim Larrañaga, the Miami coach, resigned less than two years after leading the Hurricanes to their first Final Four. ARTS AND IDEAS Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times This year, our street-style photographer went to three continents, six countries and seven cities to capture people in the streets and in the crowds at fashion shows. His images offer a snapshot of modern fashion. See them here. More on culture: The Bob Dylan biopic, "A Complete Unknown," works well because "it doesn't try to make Bob palatable," our reviewer writes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Linda Xiao for The New York Times Bake a holiday gingerbread cake. Consider a garment bag that's also a duffel. Replace your kitchen trash can. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were immaturity and maturity. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. 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. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, 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. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. 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