Stories by New York Times

Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration as attorney general

WASHINGTON — Matt Gaetz, who faced a torrent of scrutiny over allegations of sex trafficking and drug use, abruptly withdrew his bid to become attorney general Thursday in the first major political setback for President-elect Donald Trump since his election this month.

Climate talks teeter, with rich and poor countries in a tug of war

BAKU, Azerbaijan — A two-week marathon of climate talks has entered its grueling final dash. Developed and developing nations were still deadlocked over how many hundreds of billions of dollars wealthy countries should invest to help speed the global transition to cleaner energy and protect the most vulnerable countries against the drumbeat of catastrophes that accompany global warming.

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.