The Daily

In the midst of a cascade of violent acts against political figures in the United States, a few questions keep coming up — how did we get here, and how much worse could it really get?

Robert Pape, a professor at the University of Chicago and one of the country’s leading voices on political violence, discusses why violence is on the rise and what it would take to stop it.

Guest: Robert Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago.

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Roughly a year ago, a team at The New York Times Magazine set about tackling a nearly impossible task: creating a list of the greatest living American songwriters. But how to take the tens of thousands of songwriters working in this country and narrow them down to a digestible list? The answer involved thousands of voting ballots, hundreds of music industry insiders and a series of closed-door meetings among a small group of music experts. The result, The Times’s list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters, was published this week.

Today, Michael Barbaro talks with Sasha We...

The conservative media commentator split with the administration over the war in Iran. Will the breakup last?

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Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, went before Congress to answer for a war in Iran that has reached a stalemate and a management style that has caused controversy at the Pentagon.

Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent, takes us inside Mr. Hegseth’s testimony.

Guest: Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times in Washington.

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Photo: Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episo...

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court dealt what may be a final blow to the landmark Voting Rights Act when it struck down Louisiana’s voting map as unconstitutional.

Adam Liptak explains the legal logic of the ruling, and Nick Corasaniti talks about how the decision will reshape American democracy.

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A landmark proposal for a one-time tax on billionaires in California recently reached a milestone. The labor union backing it said it had collected enough signatures to put the measure on the state’s ballot.

Laurel Rosenhall, who covers California politics for The New York Times, explains how the state arrived at this moment and what it might mean nationwide.

Guest: There are enough signatures to place the California billionaire tax proposal on the state ballot in November, its backers say.

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What we know about the man in custody after the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, and how the incident unfolded. 

The man accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with multiple weapons was charged on Monday with trying to assassinate President Trump.

Devlin Barrett, who covers the Justice Department, explains what we know about the suspect, his plan to target the president and whether the incident should be seen as a security failure or success.

Guest: Devlin Barrett, a New York Times reporter covering the Justice Department and the F.B.I...

Over the weekend, President Trump called off a trip to Pakistan by two of his negotiators for a potential additional round of talks with Tehran, leaving the fate of the cease-fire in limbo.

Farnaz Fassihi, who covers Iran for The New York Times, looks at who is in charge of the country after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and what those leaders really want.

Guest: Farnaz Fassihi, the United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times. She also covers Iran and how countries around the world deal with conflicts in the Middle East.<...

With war, political wrangling and price hikes jockeying for headlines, it’s a rare thing to sit for an hour with a large group of strangers and focus on the small pleasures in life. But that’s what the show “Every Brilliant Thing” is all about.

Since 2013, Duncan Macmillan’s audience-participation-heavy play has been performed in dozens of languages in hundreds of locations across the globe. It revolves around a central character who writes a list of all the good things in life for a depressed parent. And while it tackles dark subject matter — including frequent mentions of a loved o...

The actor and comedian is keenly aware of humanity’s limitations, but he’s not giving up.

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On Tuesday, President Trump extended the cease-fire with Iran that had been about to expire, even as a second round of negotiations with Iran was paused.

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, New York Times reporters who cover the White House, discuss how the president is thinking about the war, and the political fallout for his party.

Guest:

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For years, music fans have said they felt ripped off by Ticketmaster and Live Nation, its parent company. Last week, a jury ruled that they were right, and that the company is a monopoly.

Ben Sisario, who covers the music industry for The New York Times, breaks down the trial that unfolded and what it means for concertgoers.

Guest: Ben Sisario, a reporter for The New York Times covering music and the music industry.

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Photo: Allison Dinner/EPA, via Shutterstock

F...

From the moment Kash Patel was appointed as the director of the F.B.I., he has invited controversy and concern about what his leadership would look like and how it might affect the agency.

The New York Times journalists Emily Bazelon and Rachel Poser spoke to dozens of current and former F.B.I. employees about how the agency has been transformed.

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Since the war with Iran began, President Trump has gone from urging Iranians to take cover to threatening to annihilate them.

With the cease-fire scheduled to expire this week, Clare Toeniskoetter, a producer on “The Daily,” speaks to Iranians about how they view the war.

Guest: Clare Toeniskoetter, a senior producer on “The Daily.”

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Photo: Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

For more information on today’...

For the past decade, the Supreme Court has relied on a rushed and secretive system to make major rulings on issues from immigration to the presidential power.

Now, a New York Times investigation brings to light the precise moment when that system began.

Jodi Kantor and Adam Liptak, who reported the story, take us inside the five days that remade the Supreme Court.

Guest:

The reality show “Love on the Spectrum” — which just released its fourth season — has become a big hit; it’s currently one of the most watched shows on Netflix in the United States. The show follows autistic adults as they search for love.

“Love on the Spectrum” is unlike much of reality television — a genre known to subject its cast members to drama and humiliation for entertainment’s sake. Instead, the show captures a dating world that has more heartwarming moments than histrionics, and is sensitive and nuanced in its portrayal of neurodivergent people.

On today’s episode of...

The Oscar-winning actress reflects on pain, healing and becoming an action hero. 

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This week, Congress was on the cusp of doing something that has never happened in U.S. history: forcibly removing four House members. Two of those members resigned.

Michael Gold, who covers Congress, explains what unfolded on Capitol Hill, and what the events tell us about how willing Congress is to hold itself accountable.

Guest: Michael Gold, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.

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This week, an unusual disagreement broke out between the president of the United States and Pope Leo XIV.

The New York Times Rome bureau chief, Motoko Rich, explains why President Trump cares so much about what the pope thinks, and why it matters that they are so deeply at odds.

Guest: Motoko Rich, the Rome bureau chief leading coverage of Italy, the Vatican and Greece for The New York Times.

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Over a month into a war with Iran that has no clear end, President Trump has enforced a blockade, which went into effect on Monday at the Strait of Hormuz.

The New York Times reporters David E. Sanger, Rebecca F. Elliott and Eric Schmitt discuss the strategy behind the blockade, the dangers that it poses and whether or not it’s actually working.

Guest: 

Since the release of generative A.I., questions have been raised about how it would change our lives and jobs. Now, many software developers who were early adopters of the technology have outsourced so many tasks that they barely program at all.

Clive Thompson, who writes about technology and science, interviewed about 75 software developers at major tech companies, small businesses and start-ups. He explains what it looks like when programmers invite A.I. to help them do their jobs.

Guest: Clive Thompson, who writes about technology and science for The New York Times Magazine, Wired...

After negotiations over the weekend between the United States and Iran ended without a breakthrough, the temporary cease-fire appears to be increasingly precarious.

The New York Times journalists Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti explain why Israel is one of the biggest questions looming over the truce.

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The first time Robert Draper heard about the psychedelic drug ibogaine, it was from an unlikely source: the retired U.S. senator Kyrsten Sinema. As a political reporter for The New York Times, Draper often talks to figures like Ms. Sinema. But on this occasion, he said, she wanted to tell him about how she had tried ibogaine, which is illegal in the United States. She’d become such a believer in the drug that she was pushing her home state of Arizona to fund clinical trials for veterans with combat-related trauma.

Draper found that Ms. Sinema wa...

The writer, actor and lightning rod is not done sharing yet.

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Mississippi has seen a stunning turnaround in national test scores in the past decade, even as they have fallen almost everywhere else.

Sarah Mervosh, an education reporter, explains what the state can teach the rest of the country about how to educate students.

Guest: Sarah Mervosh, an education reporter at The New York Times, focusing on K-12 schools.

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Photo: Rory Doyle for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of e...

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? Bitcoin’s pseudonymous founder has hidden his identity for 17 years despite many attempts to unmask him, even as his cryptocurrency has revolutionized finance and made him a billionaire.

John Carreyrou, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, walks us through the evidence he found pointing to the person behind the pseudonym. Then, we hear from the man John believes is Mr. Nakamoto.

Guest: John Carreyrou, an investigative reporter for The New York Times’s business section.

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Warning: This episode contains strong language.

The United States and Iran announced a two-week cease-fire last night, shortly before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz or to potentially see its “whole civilization” destroyed.

David E. Sanger, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, explains what led to this last-minute deal and what it will take to make it stick.

Guest: David E. Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times.

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Over the weekend, the U.S. military pulled off a risky mission to save an injured airman whose fighter jet had been shot down in Iran.

Eric Schmitt, who covers national security for The New York Times, explains how Washington pulled it off.

Guest: Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times based in Washington.

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For...

As the war in Iran drags on, President Trump keeps signaling that it is about to end. But the fighting shows no signs of letting up. All the while, America’s closest allies in Europe continue to refuse Mr. Trump’s demands for help.

Mark Landler, who covers trans-Atlantic relations for The New York Times, explains why European countries want no part in this war.

Guest: Mark Landler, the Paris bureau chief of The New York Times, who covers France, as well as trans-Atlantic relations and the future of Europe.

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Lise Davidsen is one of the greatest opera singers of our time — a soprano with a voice so rare, critics reach back a century for comparison. This spring, she has been starring in a sold-out new production of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” at the Metropolitan Opera. But she’s also at a crossroads: Her first performance as “Isolde” on the Met stage came just nine months after giving birth to twins.

Today on The Sunday Daily, Natalie Kitroeff talks with the Times writer Zachary Woolfe about his recent conversation with Davidsen, and the unexpected emotional weight she felt while...

Did President Trump fall for the myth of surgical warfare? Gen. Stanley McChrystal joins the columnist David French, both veterans of the Iraq War, to discuss what may have been overlooked in the planning of Operation Epic Fury. McChrystal, who retired from the Army in 2010, argues that the United States often overestimates the decisive power of aerial bombing while underestimating the weight of historical grievance. And the general weighs in on the current culture of bravado coming from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

This conversation was recorded on Friday, March 20. 

Thoughts? Questions? Email us at t...

President Trump announced that he would be replacing Pam Bondi as attorney general on Thursday.

Tyler Pager, who broke the story of her removal, discusses how she fell out of favor with the president.

Guest: Tyler Pager, a White House correspondent for The New York Times covering President Trump and his administration.

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For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each epis...

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday morning over President Trump’s efforts to limit birthright citizenship. In a historic first, the president himself showed up to the hearing.

Ann E. Marimow, who covers the Supreme Court, took us inside the room. 

Guest: Ann E. Marimow covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times from Washington.

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Photo: Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times

Fo...

Today, NASA is set to send four astronauts on a trip around the moon and back. If the mission succeeds, a return of astronauts to the moon’s surface could follow.

Kenneth Chang, who covers science, explains why the United States wants to go back to the moon. 

Guest: Kenneth Chang, a science reporter at The New York Times who writes about NASA and the solar system.

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The civil rights icon had a history of sexually abusing women and girls, which the Times reporters Manny Fernandez and Sarah Hurtes spent five years investigating. They spoke to “The Daily” about how they uncovered the story. 

Guest:

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Photo: Barton Silverman/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily...

Despite his threats of escalation, President Trump seems increasingly determined to end the war in Iran through negotiations. The Iranian government doesn’t appear to be on the same page.

David E. Sanger, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the standoff over turning from war to diplomacy. 

Guest: David E. Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times.

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“Love Story,” the FX limited series about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s relationship, has taken audiences by storm. Its unstoppable wave of ’90s nostalgia has swept through the world of fashion, revitalized iconic New York landmarks and set off a yearning for simpler days before smartphones and dating apps. The series has also drawn significant backlash, with criticism ranging from bad reviews to accusations of inaccuracy and even harm.

Today, Rachel Abrams talks to Alexandra Jacobs, a critic for The New York Times Book Review, about why America can’t seem to look away from “Love...

Neal Mohan on A.I. slop, parental controls and his platform’s impact on our lives.

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For the past four weeks, soaring gas prices across the United States have become a symbol of the domestic impact of the war in Iran.

Cameron Joudi, who owns and manages a gas station in Jacksonville, Fla., discusses how the war is reaching him at home. 

Guest: Cameron Joudi, the owner of a gas station.

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Photo: Cameron Joudi manages an independent gas station in suburban Ja...

For the past week, travelers flying across the United States have waited in security lines that snaked through airports and parking lots as Transportation Security Administration officers called out of work because of a partial government shutdown.

Karoun Demirjian, a breaking news reporter for the The New York Times, explains what has led to the extraordinary delays, and Michael Gold, a congressional correspondent for The Times, discusses the negotiations in Congress to bring an end to the crisis.

Guest: