January 2, 2023 Happy New Year, Insiders! Last summer, I spent time with my family at a beach on Long Island — and we saw so many whales. We were stunned. Rutgers did a study and found a huge increase in whale sightings in New York, due in large part to a law passed three years ago prohibiting the fishing of menhaden, a type of fish whales love to eat. Learning that gave me optimism. We can change, and make things better.   If you’re also looking for some hope, our science reporter Paola Rosa-Aquino spoke with environmental experts about climate wins worth celebrating. From sweeping legislation to important protections for animals, check out the list of wins here. And I want to hear from you — what’s making you optimistic about this year? Let me know at insidertoday@insider.com.   As for today, well, our team is off. So we're sharing some recent popular reads — and some Insider stories that have made an impact. Let’s get started.   — Nicholas Carlson If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

Popular reads Getty; Marianne Ayala/Insider Inside the lavish, secretive, post-Google lives of Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Since stepping back from Google in 2019, Page and Brin have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into new businesses, personal interests, and mega-toys. Read our full report. Americans are still moving to Florida. They might regret it. Florida was the fastest-growing state in 2022. But some will end up regretting their decision — and move out. Here’s why. Secret memo reveals Bush rewriting the history of the 9/11 attacks. On April 29, 2004, President George W. Bush hosted an unusual meeting at the White House with members of the 9/11 Commission. Now, with a newly declassified memo, we can finally read what Bush said. Amazon is gutting its voice assistant, Alexa. Speaking with Insider, employees described a division in crisis and huge losses on “a wasted opportunity.” Read our full report here. A Scottish man turned an abandoned stone cottage into his first tiny home. He spent 11 months turning the disheveled property into his own 400-square-foot home. See before and after photos of the fixer-upper.

Stories with an impact iStock; Rebecca Zisser/Insider "What 'quiet quitting' is actually about." Our senior correspondent Aki Ito dove into coasting culture, or workers who decided to take it easy instead of quitting their jobs. From there, the term “quiet quitting” was born — and became a viral phenomenon. Read the full story. “Microsoft employees say 'golden boy' executives are still running wild.” Microsoft released results of what it said was an independent review of its sexual harassment policies, citing chief correspondent Ashley Stewart’s report on allegations of misconduct against "golden boy" executives. Read the full story. "My baby swallowed a water bead and needed 5 surgeries." After correspondent Jane Ridley’s report on one parent's harrowing experience with water beads, Target pulled the brand from its shelves. Read the full story. "Dolly Parton said she's a huge Taco Bell fan." Lifestyle correspondent Anneta Konstantinides' scoop on the icon’s love of Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza inspired a TikTok musical starring Doja Cat. Read the full story. "He was my high school journalism teacher. Then I investigated his relationship with teenage girls." Correspondent Matt Drange’s investigation into a teacher at his California high school led to a student walkout, an investigation by the LA Sheriff’s Department, and more. Read the full story.

Watch this From our series Risky Business: Millions of unexploded military remains are scattered across Afghanistan and many locals say that collecting them is their only shot at feeding their families. Watch here.