nytimes

Bright lights in the night sky above New Jersey have captivated residents for nearly a month. Now the sightings, which many observers believe to be drones, have spread throughout the region, with sightings reported in New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.At the link in our bio, read more about the sightings, including how federal authorities have provided few answers, leaving residents unsettled and local leaders frustrated.

Syrians celebrated the sudden end of a dynastic regime that had kept them in fear and poverty for five decades, as joyful crowds gathered for the first Friday prayers since since the government fell and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow.In the capital Damascus and Aleppo they pulled down statues, tore up portraits of the Assad family and ransacked the presidential palace, denouncing his opulent lifestyle in a country where most people live below the poverty line. Families have been flooding back into Syria from Lebanon, where they sought refuge during the worst of the war, eager to start rebuilding.Tap the link in our bio for the latest from Syria. Photos by @dguttenfelder, @danielberehulak, @nicoletung and @ivorprickett

As soon as Donald Trump won the presidential race, influencers on Rumble, the right-wing alternative to YouTube, flooded the platform with a simple catchphrase: “We are the media now.”The idea seemed to capture a growing sense that traditional journalists have lost their position at the center of the media ecosystem. In its place, they argue, are right-wing digital creators who have found hordes of fans online. Compared to Youtube, Rumble is tiny., But it is a primary source of news for millions of Americans, according to Pew Research Center.To understand more about it, the New York Times reporter Stuart A. Thompson spent a week getting his news from Rumble — and only from Rumble. Tap the link in our bio to read what he learned.

Linda Qiu, a New York Times reporter, fact-checks some claims by three of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks: Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Tap the link in our bio to read what else four of Trump’s agency picks think of the departments they would lead. Video by Linda Qiu, Claire Hogan, Laura Salaberry and Whitney Shefte/The New York Times

The action on Thursday by President Joe Biden to commute the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardon 39 others was one of the biggest grants of clemency in modern American history.A pardon — which Biden gave to people convicted of nonviolent crimes, including drug offenses — wipes out a conviction, while a commutation leaves the guilty verdict intact but reduces some or all of the punishment.President Jimmy Carter, on his first full day in office in 1977, issued a pardon that affected more people, for men who evaded the Vietnam War draft. But that was what is known as a categorical pardon; Biden’s commutations are for individual cases.Tap the link in our bio to read more about the record day, as well as how people who were granted clemency reacted.

Taylor Swift is many things: a pop superstar, a business mogul, a cat mom. But before all of these, Swift is a writer, transforming the delights and heartbreaks of her life into music. In the new anthology “Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift,” edited by Kristie Frederick Daugherty, various writers — including Pulitzer winners, best sellers and poet laureates — pick up Swift’s baton, each taking one of her songs and alchemizing it into an original poem.Can you match the poem to the song? Swipe to see one of the poems, get a few hints and see which song inspired it. Then, tap the link in our bio to take the full quiz, featuring 13 poems, inspired by 13 songs, at least one from every @taylorswift era. : Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Ethiopia is a vast and diverse country, with dozens of distinct ethnic groups, many of which want some degree of autonomy. From 2020 to 2022, a civil war was waged between the ruling party of the Tigray region and the federal government, leading to accusations of war crimes against both sides.During most of the war, the federal government didn’t allow foreign journalists to enter Tigray. Afterward, the world seems mostly to have forgotten about what happened there. But earlier this year, a reporter and a photographer for @nytmag visited Tigray to witness a crisis that never really ended. In the neighboring state of Amhara, they saw a new and related war breaking out. Fano militants there, like those in other nearby states, had joined the conflict to support the federal government, but now they were unsatisfied with the peace deal.Take a rare look inside the region and read the full article from @aokeowo at the link in bio. Photos by @malinfezehai

Aaron Siri, the lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration, has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death.Siri, who specializes in vaccine lawsuits, has also filed a petition seeking to pause the distribution of 13 other vaccines; successfully challenged Covid vaccine mandates in some parts of the country; sued federal agencies for the disclosure of records related to vaccine approvals; and subjected prominent vaccine scientists to grueling videotaped depositions.Kennedy, President-elect Trump’s choice for health secretary, has said that he does not want to take away access to any vaccines. But as he prepares for his confirmation hearing and plans a fresh health agenda, his continuing close partnership with Siri suggests that vaccine policy will be under sharp scrutiny. It is a chilling prospect to many public health leaders, especially those who recall the deadly toll of some vaccine-mediated diseases.Tap the link in our bio to read more.

A new study ranked the best and worst U.S. cities based on their “dating friendliness.”Researchers for WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities — comprising the 150 most populated cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — based on metrics across three categories: “economics,” “fun and recreation” and “dating opportunities.”Atlanta came out on top. Even better, over 69% of the city’s population is single, according to the study, which relied on demographic data.Where did other cities land on the list? Tap the link in our bio to read more.

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempt to suspend the country’s democracy has given rise to a new group of politically active South Koreans. They belong to a generation often criticized for its political apathy — one that hasn’t been exposed to the dark days of military rule before the late 1980s that the country’s older generation remembers all too well.In the past week, the protest crowds have been younger than in recent memory. Young adults joined with people their parents’ and grandparents’ ages, all spooked and angered by the president’s brazen action. The crowds infused the street protests with energy, erupting in cheers when organizers blasted the latest pop songs, waving K-pop light sticks and making protest anthems go viral online.“Each generation teaches the next,” said Choi Suk-hwan, 44, a volunteer leader at the protests.Read more about the young Koreans taking to the streets at the link in our bio. Photos by @nytchangster

A ban on cruise ships. Restrictions on large tour groups. Entrance fees for day-trippers during certain high-season periods. With millions of travelers annually vying to photograph Piazza San Marco, cross Rialto Bridge and experience the canal-filled city’s other famous draws, Venice is struggling to stem the tide.To minimize your impact (and discomfort), two tips: forays to more remote neighborhoods and islands offer additional calm and turn up unexpected discoveries; and winter — with its early darkness, famous fogs and reduced crowds — provides breathing room and deepens the mysteriousness of Venice’s narrow passageways and centuries-old buildings.Tap the link in our bio for @sethsherwoodparisandeverywhere’s full list of recommendations for 36 hours in Venice. Photos by @demayda

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s skepticism about fluoride has become a focal point in the debate about whether he’s suitable to run the nation’s health department.His pledge that the Trump administration would “advise all U.S. systems to remove fluoride from public water” has sparked outcry among dentists and some public health experts who say that fluoridated water is safe, and essential for protecting oral health in children.But other medical experts have raised concerns about the potential negative health effects of high levels of fluoride for fetuses and young children.What does the research show about fluoride? Experts explain the nuanced picture of the benefits and risks, at the link in bio. Photo by Getty Images