Stories by New York Times

How to pick a personal trainer

A few years ago, one of the trainers at my local gym approached me during my workout with an enticing offer: Would I like a free personal training session? Why not, I thought. As a marathoner, I’m always looking for advice on how to improve my strength routine.

Republicans block release of ethics report on Gaetz

WASHINGTON — House Republicans voted Wednesday to block the release of an Ethics Committee report about sexual misconduct and illicit drug use allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for attorney general, setting up a possible constitutional clash between the House and the Senate.

Medicaid may face big cuts and work requirements

WASHINGTON — With Republicans set to control Washington, conservative lawmakers and policy experts who could advise the next Trump administration are discussing long-sought cuts to Medicaid, the government health program that covers roughly a fifth of all Americans and makes up about 10% of the federal budget.

Asheville gets drinkable tap water back after Hurricane Helene

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Jeff Watts, 57, barely followed the incremental updates on his city’s water distribution system after Hurricane Helene knocked it offline in September. All he knew was that life in Asheville, North Carolina, had become more difficult and dirty.

SpaceX Starship launch ends with a dramatic water landing

SpaceX’s latest test flight of its Starship vehicle Tuesday got off to a sobering start, as the company was unable to recover the enormous booster stage of the rocket, the most powerful ever built. But about an hour later, the vehicle’s upper stage was more successful with the completion of a daring maneuver to splash down in the Indian Ocean.

Barnard’s Star finally has a planet, and possibly more

Barnard’s Star is a dim, reddish ball of gas just six light-years away from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus. It is the nearest stand-alone star to our sun, but with only one-fifth the mass, it is so dim that no one knew it was there until 1916, when astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard recorded its image on a photographic plate.

Biden asks Congress for nearly $100 billion in disaster aid

President Joe Biden urged Congress on Monday to provide nearly $100 billion in “urgently needed” aid for communities ravaged by hurricanes and other disasters in recent months, saying funding for some critical programs has either run out or is nearly exhausted.

Three-quarters of US adults are now overweight or obese

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to a sweeping new study. The findings have wide-reaching implications for the nation’s health and medical costs as it faces a growing burden of weight-related diseases.

Freed from restraints, Ukraine is poised to strike into Russia

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine signaled a new sense of urgency Monday following a decision by the Biden administration to allow long-range strikes inside Russia using U.S.-provided missiles, with Ukrainian politicians suggesting that the first launches would come soon and without warning.