Reporter Reads

Drug addiction fueled David Andino’s need to steal. Every day, he hit the same Target in Manhattan. His mother, a retired police officer, hadn’t seen him in years.

By Michael Wilson

When we met them a dozen years ago, they were teenagers in trouble, playing for a basketball team that always lost. Did they find a way to win at life?

By John Branch and Ruth Fremson

With a controversial plan to allow doping in a major athletic competition, Aron D’Souza hopes to usher in an era of “superhumans.” There are several hurdles left to clear.

By Calum Marsh

The New York rock stalwart suffered a rare spinal stroke at a dinner party last year. His journey back to music has been filled with painful challenges and hope.

By John Leland

The late-night host looms over the culture to this day, in part because he knew how to mix comedy and sex. But there was a darkness at the heart of his appeal.

By Jason Zinoman

The incoming Trump administration promises an immigration crackdown. But for years, the on-demand economy has been fueled by unscrupulous staffing agencies exploiting migrant workers.

By Steve Eder, Danielle Ivory and Marcela Valdes

With the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, a formerly fringe opinion suddenly gets wide attention.

By Joseph Goldstein

The pounding that sailors’ brains take from years of high-speed wave-slamming in the Special Boat Teams can cause symptoms that wreck their careers — and their lives.

By Dave Philipps

A growing number of Americans are choosing not to have children. Their parents are grappling with what that means for them.

By Catherine Pearson

India promised to burn its trash mountains and safely turn them into electricity. But a New York Times investigation found hazardous levels of toxic substances around homes, playgrounds and schools.

By Maria Abi-Habib and Bryan Denton