Here is one of the most frustrating things that can happen to you as a journalist: You write or edit what you think is a gem. You gather incredible reporting, spit-polish the prose, showcase stunning videography. And when you publish … crickets.

The reasons vary. Sometimes urgent news crowds out a beautifully crafted feature. The search and social-media algorithms change. Maybe an editor like me writes a dud of a headline.

Each one of my colleagues forged a few labors of love this year that could have gone viral — but didn’t. It’s a normal aspect of newsroom life, an easy trade-off for a career most of us treasure. But, dude? It stinks.

Every year, The Morning dedicates a newsletter to the stories from across the newsroom that deserved more eyes or ears. I hope you take a moment to enjoy some of the terrific journalism below.

Politics and government

• Under a Red Cross program, Guantánamo Bay prisoners have been sending photos of themselves to their families, smiling or looking serene. They’re now available to the public.

• Last month, a Syrian official was indicted and charged with torture, ending a yearslong investigation that Western intelligence agencies helped him evade.

• States have more information about you than the federal government does. Trump is pushing to give the feds more data from those sensitive troves.

Sports

• “You’ll never find anybody running for health”: In Kenya, where professional running can make the difference between survival and starvation, doping is mainstream.

• The Astrodome, which has characterized Houston’s landscape for decades, now sits empty. No one’s sure what to do with it.

• Some former N.F.L. players are leaving the football field to start careers in nursing.

Climate

• Follow a group of divers hunting for fossils in the coldest inhabited place on earth.

• A British writer has reinvented ways to navigate by star. (They’ll point you south.)

• Ocean currents are changing, shifting rain belts and strengthening hurricanes. Here’s how scientists who sailed the North Atlantic are better understanding the threat.

Business

• A construction technology company in Texas has 3-D printed hundreds of houses in a bid to solve America’s housing crisis.

• Silicon Valley is obsessed with “TBPN,” a streaming show that treats tech and business like fantasy football.

• Would you pay nearly $9,000 for a wooden puzzle? Some of these devoted hobbyists would.

Culture

• Kai Cenat, the boisterous Twitch streamer, has a record 20 million followers who watch him eat, sleep and play video games.

• A nonprofit art space obtained fallen Confederate monuments and statues and transformed them into new works of art.

• Opening a restaurant in New York City is no picnic. The Times followed a rookie owner for a full year to see what it takes.

Animals

• Some pet owners are trying to treat their animals’ medical ailments with apple cider vinegar and essential oils — while declining standard medications and vaccines.

• There is a growing literary canon of memoirs about writers’ relationships with exotic and wild animals.

• For years, food entrepreneurs have been trying to convince people to feed their pets ground-up bugs and lab-grown meats. Could it be more ethical and sustainable?

Other stories

• New York City still has 15 miles of cobblestone streets. Meet the specialty bricklayers helping to preserve those quaint remnants.

• Joe Nickell was, in his own words, “the world’s only full-time professional paranormal investigator.” He dug into hundreds of mysteries, offering rational explanations for the Loch Ness monster and countless hauntings. He died this year at 80.

• These new early-evening parties wrap up before many nightclubs open. They cater to women who have things to do in the morning — and want to dance.

• More women are asking doctors to shrink their waists. Plastic surgeons have been working on a rib-fracturing procedure to make those changes permanent.

Opinion

• People concerned with tackle football’s gladiatorial style should consider flag football, which is relatively safe and friendly to female athletes, Mary Pilon writes.

• To succeed in life, everyone should have a nemesis, Rachel Feintzeig writes.

A port strike

The C.I.A. conducted a drone strike on a port facility in Venezuela last week, people briefed on the operation said. The strike was on a dock where U.S. officials believe a Venezuelan gang was storing narcotics, and it did not kill anyone, they said. The strike is the first known American operation inside Venezuela.

This Times story offers new details on the strike, which President Trump has already discussed openly, despite the secrecy that typically surrounds C.I.A. operations. (He recently told reporters at Mar-a-Lago: “There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”)

The Venezuelan government did not directly comment on the strike, but a minister denounced months of “imperial madness” from the United States.

The Trump administration has focused on three goals — to limit Nicolás Maduro’s power, to use military force against drug cartels and to secure access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves for U.S. companies. Read more about the U.S. pressure campaign here.

For more

• The grim evidence of Trump’s airstrikes in the Caribbean has started washing ashore in Colombia — including a scorched boat, mangled bodies and packets with traces of marijuana.

• A U.S. military strike killed two more people accused by the Trump administration of trafficking narcotics in the eastern Pacific, Pentagon officials said. The death toll from U.S. strikes on boats is now at least 107.

THE LATEST NEWS

Politics

• Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia congresswoman, has gone from Trump’s loudest cheerleader to his loudest Republican critic. She didn’t hold back when The Times asked her why. Read more here.

• Trump met with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at Mar-a-Lago. Trump said that the United States would back Israeli strikes on Iran if Iran continued with its ballistic missile and nuclear weapon program.

• New Year’s Eve concerts at the Kennedy Center were canceled. Some performing groups pulled out after the center was renamed to include President Trump.

More International News

• Russia accused Ukraine of targeting a rural residence of Vladimir Putin’s in a drone attack. It threatened to harden its stance on peace talks in response. Ukraine said there was no such attack.

• The U.S. said it would provide $2 billion next year in U.N. humanitarian aid. Doing so would likely keep the U.S. as the biggest international aid donor next year, even as the Trump administration slashes funding for foreign assistance programs.

• Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, whose decades-long rivalry with another woman at the helm of a political dynasty shaped the fate of the country, died. She was believed to be 80.

Other Big Stories

• Uber has let many drivers with sexual misconduct complaints continue to drive for the company, a Times investigation found.

• For the next eight weeks, Raymond Zhong, a climate reporter, will be traveling to Antarctica alongside researchers studying some of the fastest-melting glaciers on the frozen continent. Watch the first video of his journey below, and track his progress here.

OPINIONS

Palestinian artists reflected on years of war, loss and survival through their art. See it here.

M. Gessen asks: Can a corporation be complicit in war crimes?

MORNING READS

Dress code: Take a look at each outfit featured in The Times’s Look of the Week column.

Your pick: The most-clicked article in The Morning yesterday was about your zodiac sign being out of date.

TODAY’S NUMBER

707 million

— That’s how many paper books people bought this year. They account for three-quarters of all book sales, blowing up the prediction that readers would fully adopt e-books.

SPORTS

N.F.L.: The Atlanta Falcons staved off a Los Angeles Rams comeback to win 27-24.

College football: Notre Dame and its head coach, Marcus Freeman, have agreed on a new contract that puts him among the highest-paid coaches in the sport.

RECIPE OF THE DAY

It’s like a cross between a cake and a bread. It’s called vasilopita, and it’s a citrusy Greek dessert served around New Year’s. With a delicate, dry crumb, it goes perfectly with coffee, tea or, perhaps more fittingly, Champagne. It’s traditionally baked with a gold coin inside for good luck. (An old New York subway token could work just as well, if you give it a thorough scrubbing.)

THE MORNING RECOMMENDS

Have a spirited winter vacation, even if you’re doing a Dry January.

Listen to these podcasts to rekindle a love for reading.

GAMES

Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were balding, blading and dabbling.

And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.

Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com.