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State Senators Wendy Davis, left, and
Sylvia Garcia voted in June against abortion restrictions in Texas,
which adopted among the nation’s most stringent controls.



 

Access to Abortion Falling as States Pass Restrictions By ERIK ECKHOLM A surge in anti-abortion measures in more than half the states has made it far more difficult in many regions to obtain the procedure. Graphic: Abortion Restrictions Passed by States

Mystery in Hezbollah Operative's Life and Death By ANNE BARNARD The assassination of Hassane Laqees, Hezbollah's master technician and logistics expert, has exposed a convulsing region's tangled and shifting alliances and enmities.   ---  Israel’s Mossad spy agency put Mr. Laqees on a hit list years ago, identifying him as one of the five men it most wanted dead. From 2008 to 2011, four perished in cloak-and-dagger style. A car bomb in Damascus, Syria’s capital, killed Hezbollah’s military leader, Imad Mughniyeh. A sniper shot a Syrian general on a beach in Tartus. A Hamas official was strangled in a hotel room in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by assassins who, in an embarrassment for Mossad, were photographed by elevator cameras. And an Iranian general was killed in an explosion at a Tehran missile depot.   Mr. Laqees was the last on that list to die---

U.S. Is Facing Hard Choices in South Sudan By MARK LANDLER With no plans for American military intervention, the United States is frantically brokering peace talks between the warring factions while trying to fortify a United Nations peacekeeping force. ---  With at least 1,000 people killed in fighting between government and rebel forces, and with disturbing reports of ethnically motivated atrocities by both sides, President Obama faces the real prospect that South Sudan could become Africa’s next failed state. --- Editors' Picks WORLD Video: A Desperate River Crossing Residents of Bor, a city in the Republic of South Sudan, fled deadly violence there by taking ferries across the White Nile to Awerial, where an estimated 76,000 displaced people are stranded. Related Article OPINION |Op-Ed Contributor Fighting to Kick the Habit By MIKE TYSON I replaced drugs and liquor with a craving to be a better man. QUOTATION OF THE DAY "For 63 years, I lived with the stigma of being a traitor. The truth is I helped save South Korea during one of its most critical times." HONG YOON-HEE, who was cleared of treason for his actions during the Korean War and is fighting to be declared a hero.  Today's Video Video: Let It Snow The first snowstorm of 2014 left nearly a foot of slush in some neighborhoods Friday, with freezing wind. As snowplows cleared roads, there were subway delays, but many New Yorkers made it to work. Video: App Smart: Resolutions A selection of great apps to help you keep your new year's resolutions. Video: Spinach Salad With Prosciutto The addition of prosciutto, persimmon and croutons to a regular spinach salad makes light fare substantial enough for a full meal. For more video, go to NYTimes.com/Video » World The Saturday Profile Once Labeled a Traitor, Korean Aims to Be a Hero By CHOE SANG-HUN Hong Yoon-hee, whose 1950 treason conviction in South Korea was recently nullified, says, "The truth is I helped save South Korea during one of its most critical times." Workers Face Police Gunfire Amid Unrest in Cambodia By GERRY MULLANY Military police officers killed at least three people, officials said, as protests against the decades-old rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen entered a volatile new phase. Qaeda-Linked Insurgents Clash With Other Rebels in Syria, as Schism Grows By HWAIDA SAAD and RICK GLADSTONE The fighting punctuated a growing rift between seven homegrown rebel groups and a powerful Qaeda affiliate. For more world news, go to NYTimes.com/World »   Politics Tangled Role in G.O.P. War Over Tea Party By ERIC LIPTON The activities of Steven C. LaTourette, an ex-congressman who defends centrist Republicans from Tea Party challengers, have raised questions about whether he is profiting from his role and violating lobbying rules. White House Memo Visits With School Pals Are a Touchstone on President's Trips to Hawaii By JACKIE CALMES President Obama's annual holiday trips to Hawaii include bonding time with the high school friends who have come to be known collectively as the Choom Gang. Obama Announces Gun Control Actions By ASHLEY PARKER Two new executive actions will make it easier for states to provide information about mentally ill individuals to the federal background check system. For more political news, go to NYTimes.com/Politics »  Business In Dublin, about half of information  technology jobs were being filled  with foreign workers for a lack of skilled applicants   Unemployed in Europe Stymied by Lack of Technology Skills By LIZ ALDERMAN Thousands of jobs are languishing unfilled as many in the work force find that their skills are ill suited for posts in information technology.    Luis Zavala, left, and Jose Gazo install  SolarCity photovoltaic panels on the roof of a house in San Leandro, Calif. Solar Power Craze on Wall St. Propels Start-Up By DIANE CARDWELL and JULIE CRESWELL SolarCity, a start-up that bet on solar energy, is priced high on the stock market with barely any profits. But it has some headaches that others don't. A Lexicon of Instant Argot By JENNA WORTHAM Urban Dictionary has become a real-time archive for new and slang terms, particularly those that have risen because of social media and the web. For more business news, go to NYTimes.com/Business » Technology Bits Blog Is 2014 the Year of the Connected Home? By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER More people are adopting Internet-connected home devices, according to holiday gift trends and the news expected at the consumer electronics show next week, but analysts say they are still far from mainstream. Bits Blog AT&T Aims $450 Credit at T-Mobile Customers By BRIAN X. CHEN AT&T announced on Friday that T-Mobile customers can receive up to $450 in credit to spend on devices or services, if they switch their service to AT&T. Your Money          Make a Resolution to Budget? Here Are Some Apps to Help By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD Several applications are available to help consumers set up a budget and track their income and expenditures. For more technology news, go to NYTimes.com/Technology »  Sports Rockets 102, Knicks 100 Mental Lapse at Finish Wastes 47 Good Minutes From the Knicks By SCOTT CACCIOLA One night after a stirring victory in San Antonio, the Knicks lost in the final seconds, in part because of an ill-advised shot by J. R. Smith. Box Score Auburn's Offense Runs to a Hip-Hop Beat By GREG BISHOP Tre Mason, the son of De La Soul's DJ Maseo, pounds the Tigers' opponents into submission with a punishing style. Fearless Fullback Makes Sure Auburn Has Room to Run Arctic Temperatures for Players and Fans, but No Blackouts on TV By KEN BELSON Frigid weather is making the N.F.L.'s first round of playoffs hard on fans traveling to games, but team sponsors bought big blocks of seats to avoid any TV blackouts. Vikings to Investigate Punter Chris Kluwe's Claim of Homophobia For more sports news, go to NYTimes.com/Sports »  Arts Sending Artworks Home, but to Whom? By TOM MASHBERG The Denver Museum of Nature and Science will return 30 totems to the National Museums of Kenya, which will decide whether to search for their owners. Wooing Filmgoers Through Their Ears By MICHAEL CIEPLY and BEN SISARIO The promoters of the film "Inside Llewyn Davis" have gone to extraordinary lengths in using the folk music at the movie's center to attract audiences, woo Oscar voters and sell its soundtrack album. Critic's Notebook Visual Portents of a Silent Bolt of Thunder By CORINNA da FONSECA-WOLLHEIM "There Will Never Be Silence," an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, examines the intersection of John Cage's "4'33" " with the work of contemporaneous visual artists. For more arts news, go to NYTimes.com/Arts »   N.Y./Region Councilwoman Bruised Feelings in Zoning Fight By DAVID W. CHEN After a nonprofit won a zoning change with help from Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, it donated to her campaign. Fleeing the Bombs in Aleppo, Syria, and Ending Up in New Jersey By KIRK SEMPLE A Syrian family is in the vanguard of what is expected to be a small but gradually growing stream of refugees from the country's war resettling in the United States this year. Storm Slams East Coast, Leaving a Trail of Havoc By JAMES BARRON As plows cleared the way and buses with chains clanked down glazed streets, it seemed that the New York region had been spared the worst. Video: Let It Snow Carjacker Steals Truck From Owner Shoveling Snow in West Village For more New York news, go to NYTimes.com/NewYork »  Travel Chasing the Northern Lights in Alaska By ETHAN TODRAS-WHITEHILL A frosty family trip in pursuit of the aurora borealis slides between watching and waiting, panic and prayer.   Personal Journeys Traveling While Black By FARAI CHIDEYA Exploring the many dimensions of what it's like to see the world as a black traveler, from discovering liberation to experiencing healing. 36 Hours in Chicago By FREDA MOON The hardest thing about spending a weekend here may be choosing an itinerary from an abundance of options. Here's a quick guide to help you make the tough choices. For more travel news, go to NYTimes.com/Travel » Obituaries Phil Everly, Half of Pioneer Rock Duo, Dies at 74 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS As part of the Everly Brothers, whose hits included "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Bye Bye Love," Mr. Everly helped draw the blueprint of rock 'n' roll in the '50s and '60s. George Goodman, Who Demystified the World of Money, Dies at 83 By DOUGLAS MARTIN Mr. Goodman was probably best known as the amiable but intellectually rigorous host of "Adam Smith's Money World," seen on PBS from 1984 to 1997. Dr. W.V. Cordice Jr., 95, a Surgeon Who Helped Save Dr. King, Dies By DOUGLAS MARTIN Dr. Cordice was part of a team of surgeons who operated on the civil rights leader after he was stabbed in Harlem in 1958.   Editorials Editorial The Ticking Mideast Clock By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Secretary of State John Kerry presses Israelis and Palestinians to stick to the peace negotiations timetable he set forth in July.     Editorial Not Getting Their Money's Worth By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Taxpayers pay too much for federal contractors, and they get too little in return --- At first glance, two recent crises to hit the White House — the revelations about unlawful surveillance and the botched health care rollout — have nothing in common. But each is a reminder of the increasing extent to which government work has been contracted out to private-sector companies. Currently, Washington spends about $500 billion a year on private-sector contracts, more than twice the amount in 2000 --- Editorial Stopping Mentally Ill Gun Buyers By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Two Obama proposals offer a promise of at least some relief. For more opinion, go to NYTimes.com/Opinion »  Op-Ed Op-Ed Columnist Indoctrinating Religious Warriors By CHARLES M. BLOW Republican party leaders employ a tactic to divert the attention of the rank-and-file from areas of common sense. Columnist Page Op-Ed Columnist Brazil Is Abuzz About Snowden By JOE NOCERA On a visit to Rio de Janeiro, asylum was the question of the hour. Could South America be his next stop after Russia? Columnist Page | Blog Op-Ed Contributor An Error Message for the Poor By DAVID A. SUPER The most vulnerable suffer when technology contracts are bungled. For more opinion, go to NYTimes.com/Opinion » ON THIS DAY On Jan. 4, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson outlined the goals of his ''Great Society'' in his State of the Union address. See this Front Page|Buy this Front Page