Boston Globe Today | January 2, 2024

WATCH: Tuesday's episode. Stories include: Where to find zero proof drinks for Dry January, Ease your way into 2024 without spending a dime. Watch →

Harvard’s President Claudine Gay resigns

WATCH: She's been criticized for the University's response to the Israel-Hamas war and plagiarism allegations. What's next? Correspondent Daniel Kool explains. Watch →

How the state’s new laws in 2024 will affect you (and your wallet)

WATCH: Many will pay fewer taxes. But thousands aren’t guaranteed to make more either. Reporter Matt Stout has why. Watch →

Nation

LaPierre, longtime NRA leader, faces a trial that could end his reign

The organization, long a lobbying juggernaut, is a kind of ghost ship, closing its media arm, NRATV, and facing falling membership numbers. Continue reading →

Nation

More women who are not pregnant are ordering abortion pills just in case

The practice, known as advance provision, is relatively new and has increased significantly since the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to overturn the national right to abortion. Continue reading →

Political notebook

Menendez faces a new charge: aiding the Qatari government

The New Jersey senator is already accused of using his political influence to benefit Egypt. Continue reading →

World

Russia hammers Kyiv with missiles in large-scale attack

The barrage — which the Ukrainian air force said involved about 100 missiles, including hypersonic weapons — was the latest in an escalating cycle of air assaults between the two countries. Continue reading →

World

Flight 516: a crash, an explosion, an evacuation, a ‘miracle’

Through skill and luck — one expert called it “a miraculous job” — the flight crew of the Japan Airlines plane evacuated all 367 passengers and 12 crew members safely at Haneda airport near Tokyo. Continue reading →

World

The twin fronts in the battle over Israel’s identity

The court ruling and the war are both crucial to Israel’s future and future identity. Israel regards the war as existential — the best way to restore its reputation in the region as ineradicable and as a beacon of security for Jews worldwide. The court decision goes to the heart of the debate over whether Israel will remain a thriving democracy. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Claudine Gay’s resignation is also about the Harvard Corporation

The university’s governing body needs to take a hard look at itself and its handling of Gay’s case before it hires its next president. Continue reading →

OPINION

The Endangered Species Act hasn’t restored endangered species

In the half-century since the law was enacted, only 3 percent of the animals and plants listed as endangered have recovered. Continue reading →

OPINION

Chris Christie sees — and tries to seize — his moment

The Republican Party needs a candidate who tells rather than sidesteps tough truths, he told voters in New Hampshire. Continue reading →

Health

‘We can’t stand helpless’: Boston-area doctors struggle to provide humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza

Local physicians have expressed a deepening sense of despair and hopelessness. Continue reading →

Politics

Local Haitian Americans rejoice at Louijeune becoming council president: ‘The best news’

The success of Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune was hailed Tuesday by the area’s large Haitian community as a crowning political achievement. Continue reading →

Crime & Courts

Dover man fatally shot his wife and daughter before taking his own life, district attorney says

Teena Kamal and her daughter Arianna Kamal were shot to death by their husband and father, who then ended his own life inside their Dover home last Thursday, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey’s office said. Continue reading →

THUNDER 127, CELTICS 123

Winning streak ends in Oklahoma City, as contending Thunder prove just enough to stop Celtics

Boston scratched from 18 points down midway through the fourth quarter to within two in the final minute, but the second-in-the-West Thunder held off the visitors and ended its six-game winning streak. Continue reading →

patriots

Patriots assistant coach Jerod Mayo addresses report that he ‘rubbed people the wrong way’ in the organization

Mayo said he found the report, published by the Boston Sports Journal Dec. 14, to be hurtful and the timing "weird." Continue reading →

pwhl

For Courtney Kessel, being PWHL Boston’s first head coach is ‘something super special’

Kessel brings a wealth of experience to the job, from her playing days at UNH and her coaching career with the Canadian national program. Continue reading →

Business

States and Congress wrestle with cybersecurity after Iran attacks small town water utilities

The danger, officials say, is hackers gaining control of automated equipment to shut down pumps that supply drinking water or contaminate drinking water by reprogramming automated chemical treatments. Continue reading →

AI/Robotics

And now, AI will bring you the nightly news

A California startup called Channel 1 plans to launch the first TV news network driven by artificial intelligence, with stories read by lifelike, animated digital avatars rather than real people. Continue reading →

Healthcare

Water main break at Brigham & Women’s affects up to 300 IVF patients

Patients undergoing a frozen embryo transfer will have to wait weeks to reschedule and redo the extensive process of preparing their bodies for a pregnancy. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Sidney Wolfe, relentless consumer activist and FDA foe, dies at 86

A doctor turned consumer activist, Sidney Wolfe battled drug companies, lobbyists, and regulators during a nearly five-decade crusade against ineffective, risky, and overpriced medications. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Sidney Wolfe, relentless consumer activist and FDA foe, dies at 86

A doctor turned consumer activist, Sidney Wolfe battled drug companies, lobbyists, and regulators during a nearly five-decade crusade against ineffective, risky, and overpriced medications. Continue reading →

Continue reading →

Books

Annual search for the white whale commences this weekend during the Moby-Dick Marathon

“We want it to just feel so authentic and real and rich, and dripping with Melville” Continue reading →

Lifestyle

New research suggests that keeping a positive secret to yourself may heighten joy

If your partner gets down on one knee to propose, or you get a call with the job offer you’ve been coveting, your inclination might be to shout it from the rooftops. But new research suggests that keeping positive secrets to yourself can have an “energizing” effect. Continue reading →

GETTING SALTY

She worked with Eric Ripert, Tony Maws, and Ken Oringer. Now, Kate Smith has a restaurant of her own.

She runs Thistle & Leek in Newton with her husband, Trevor. And she still makes time for gardening, podcasts, and a good snack. Continue reading →