For You: How a Lucrative Surgery Took Off Online and Disfigured Patients

Plus, How Posters of Kidnapped Israelis Ignited a Firestorm on American Sidewalks

October 31, 2023 NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED How Posters of Kidnapped Israelis Ignited a Firestorm on American Sidewalks The Apple-Picking Apocalypse of Upstate New York Biden Administration Approves Biggest Offshore Wind Farm Yet, in Virginia A Leaning Tower in Italy (Not Pisa) Becomes a Worry After 8-Hour Standoff Near Tokyo, Hostages Are Free and Suspect Is Held Go to homepage GUEST ESSAYS FROM OPINION Daniela J. Lamas A Brutal Disease May Soon Be Transformed A new treatment for sickle cell disease will change lives — but how many? Dennis B. Ross I Might Have Once Favored a Cease-Fire With Hamas, but Not Now Today it is clear to me that Hamas's power and ability to threaten Israel — and subject Gazan civilians to ever more rounds of violence — must end. Norman Eisen and Amy Lee Copeland Jenna Ellis Could Become a Star Witness Against Trump She has given prosecutors a powerful tool. C. Eugene Steuerle and Glenn Kramon For the Good of the Country, Older Americans Should Work More and Take Less Congress's refusal to adjust Social Security and Medicare means older Americans consume more of the country's resources at the expense of the young. Peter Suderman On This Issue, Matt Gaetz Actually Has a Good Point Why Speaker Johnson should bring back regular order. Tomorrow: From Personal Profiles Every day we'll feature stories from a different section. Check back daily. MORE TO DISCOVER How a Lucrative Surgery Took Off Online and Disfigured Patients More surgeons are opting for a complicated hernia repair that they learned from videos on social media showing shoddy techniques. $23,500 in Coins to Pay a Settlement? Judge Says Keep the Change and Try Again. A Colorado judge ordered a welding company to use a check or other conventional method to pay a settlement after it tried to deliver 6,500 pounds in coins. The One Without Matthew Perry Even as he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, the "Friends" star Matthew Perry, who died at the age of 54, made it all look easy. An Extremely Detailed Guide to an Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods A visual guide to the past, present and future of more than 350 New York neighborhoods, as told by more than 37,000 comments from New Yorkers. The Real End of David Chang's Momofuku Ko Happened Years Ago The revolutionary tasting-menu restaurant eventually came to resemble the fine-dining titans it tried to dethrone. In Chicago, a Neighborhood of Immigrants Is Conflicted About More Arrivals Brighton Park has taken in immigrants for generations, but residents are split over plans to house migrants in winterized tents on an empty lot. Why Has This 258-Year-Old Mansion Been Left to Fall Apart? The historic Morris-Jumel Mansion is the "crown jewel of Sugar Hill" in Manhattan — and a victim of bureaucratic and financial neglect. The Scientists Watching Their Life's Work Disappear Some are stubborn optimists. Others struggle with despair. Their faces show the weight they carry as they witness the impact of climate change. TAKE A BREAK, PLAY A GAME The Mini Crossword Solve this bite-sized puzzle in just a few minutes. Spelling Bee How many words can you make with 7 letters? Wordle Guess the 5-letter word with 6 chances. See all our games To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to the Times   |   Get the NYT app Change Your Email   |   Privacy Policy   |   Contact   |   Advertise   |   California Notices The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

Trump’s verbal slips could weaken his attacks on Biden’s age

Donald Trump has had his own series of gaffes.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story October 31, 2023 Donald Trump, 77, has relentlessly mocked President Biden, 80, as too old for office. But the former president has had his own series of gaffes that could undermine his attacks. Sophie Park for The New York Times His recent verbal slips go beyond his usual freewheeling style. → Sign up for the Tilt newsletter, for Times subscribers only. Nate Cohn, The Times's chief political analyst, makes sense of the latest political data. Get it in your inbox Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this message because you signed up for updates from The New York Times. To stop receiving From The Times, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

Opinion Today: Are New Yorkers addicted to online shopping?

The case for cutting back.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story October 31, 2023 By Suein Hwang Business, Economics and Technology Editor, Opinion Deep in the recesses of my mind, I keep a brief list of items I would consider purchasing, if only I could try them on in person: perhaps another pair of soft pants, or a new pair of eyeglasses to help compensate for the soft-pant look. Maybe even a cream blush-lipstick combo befitting my soft-pant status. Occasionally, I think about my years living in New York City, when I could dash out the door and have all manner of soft pants and soft-pant-enabling accessories at my fingertips. So it took some convincing for me to believe that New Yorkers, who possibly have more convenient access to shopping than people living most anywhere else, are addicted to online shopping — so much so that it is cited as a reason the city's retail sector recovery lags that of the rest of the country. The writer Sonja Anderson has some feelings about the fact that over 2.4 million packages are delivered in New York City every single weekday. "If those packages were people, they'd be metropolitan Austin, Texas. If they were stone blocks, they'd top the Great Pyramid of Giza. Even if each of those packages were as thin as the Postal Service's smallest priority shipping box — an inch and three-quarters thick — when stacked like books, the daily pile would be as tall as 241 Empire State Buildings, one atop the other," she writes. With wit and searing clarity, Anderson skewers our collective obsession with buying it now and reminds us of the collective cost of this pastime on New York's air quality, its traffic and its pedestrians. The city has led the world in areas like fashion and media. Perhaps it can help us remember the joys of rediscovering our neighborhoods as well. Read the essay here. Andrew B. Myers GUEST ESSAY The City That Never Sleeps … or Shops in Person New York is clogged with packages ordered by residents who buy online far more than they need to. By Sonja Anderson Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks GUEST ESSAY On This Issue, the House G.O.P. 'Whack Jobs' Have a Point Why Speaker Johnson should bring back regular order. By Peter Suderman More From Opinion ZEYNEP TUFEKCI The Memories That Feed Distrust in the Middle East Many cannot forget the false or exaggerated claims that led to the Iraq war. By Zeynep Tufekci JAMELLE BOUIE America's Rifle Fetish Is Destroying Its Sense of Freedom Loving our guns to death. By Jamelle Bouie PAUL KRUGMAN Autoworkers Strike a Blow for Equality Is this a turning point for unions — and shared prosperity? By Paul Krugman SERGE SCHMEMANN Why Oslo Still Has Relevance The hopes briefly raised by a handshake 30 years ago can be more than a sad footnote to history. By Serge Schmemann GUEST ESSAY Matthew Perry and the Loneliness of Addiction He was a brilliant performer, but his honesty will be his greatest legacy. By Patti Davis GUEST ESSAY I've Been Under Bombardment. There Must Be a Cease-Fire in Gaza. What outcome does Israel's strategy avert that would be worse than the outcome it has already created? By Megan K. Stack GUEST ESSAY American Muslims Are in a Painful, Familiar Place There seems to be a sense of both resignation (we've been here before) and shock (but we've been here before). By Rozina Ali GUEST ESSAY The Supreme Court's Social Media Cases Can Strengthen Our Democracy The justices should remember that the First Amendment's highest purpose is to protect the speech that's necessary to democracy. By Jameel Jaffer Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT If Not This, Then What Should Israel Do? Zack Beauchamp explores the costs of Israel's ground invasion in Gaza, as well as alternative military and political responses to the Oct. 7 attacks. By 'The Ezra Klein Show' Why Modern Micromanagement of Kids Is Spooky For Halloween, try this parenting hack: Back off. By Jessica Grose and Phoebe Lett LETTERS Speaker Mike Johnson and the Role of Religion in Politics Readers discuss how his evangelical Christianity will influence his new role. Also: Jewish anguish; Penn donors; shoplifting; college athletes. Subscribe Today New York Times Opinion curates a wide range of views, inviting rich discussion and debate that help readers analyze the world. This work is made possible with the support of subscribers. Please consider subscribing to The Times with this special offer. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Games Here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times. To stop receiving Opinion Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018