The Daily

After three months of war, Iran and the United States have agreed to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The news, which was first met with joy and relief, drew a wave of criticism when the actual terms of the agreement became public this week.

David Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, explains how the Trump administration has defended the deal, which seems to favor Iran.

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

Background...

Warning: This episode discusses suicide.

Hours after Jeffrey Epstein arrived at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, an employee expressed concern over his distraught state, saying in an email to the jail staff, “just to be on the safe side and prevent any suicidal thoughts can someone from Psychology come and talk with him.”

The reporter Charles Homans details The New York Times’s major new investigation, which tries to answer the question: Did the world’s most powerful and well-connected sex offender die by his own hand or by somebody else’s?

If you are...

With the school year ending, all over the country educators and parents are taking stock of the drastic shift caused by artificial intelligence in the classroom.

Today, Natasha Singer, a technology reporter, discusses the year that reshaped American classrooms and how one dedicated teacher helped his students chart their own path into an uncertain future.

Guest: Natasha Singer, a technology reporter for The New York Times.

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For years, Hollywood has been trying to figure out how to get young people into movie theaters. This spring, it has happened at an unthinkable scale thanks to two low-budget horror films made by 20-something directors.

Today my colleague Kyle Buchanan explains what younger audiences see in these films and how they’ve energized an entire industry.

Guest: Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter and awards season columnist for The New York Times.

Background reading: The viral creator Kane Parsons, who directed “Backrooms,” has gone from YouTube sensation to A24’s youngest director.

Ph...

After days of promising that a cease-fire was near, President Trump announced late Sunday that he had reached a deal with Iran.

Today, David Sanger, who spoke to the president, explains what is and is not included in the framework agreement, and how much closer it gets both sides to ending the war for good.

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

Background reading: 

Almost 50 years ago, Steven Spielberg directed “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” the story of an average man who discovers that humanity may not be alone in the universe. Over the decades, Spielberg has directed several movies about what would happen if humanity made contact with aliens. Would the aliens be kind like the title character in “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial”? Would they be cruel like the murderous aliens of “War of the Worlds”? And regardless of what the aliens were like, would we humans be ready to receive them?

Spielberg returns to the question of whether we’r...

The actor-writer-director-producer on successful relationships (platonic and romantic), Hollywood’s volatility and his role in normalizing weed.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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At the heart of the current U.S. war against Iran is an inconvenient truth: that the United States is, in many ways, responsible for creating the very regime it now seeks to topple.

Today, Scott Anderson, a New York Times Magazine contributor, tells the story of America’s outsize role in the Islamic Revolution, and why all these years later we’re still no closer to understanding Iran.

Guest: Scott Anderson, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine.

Background reading: It has been a trying time for the Islamic republic of I...

College graduates used to lean right politically, but over the past few decades, they have increasingly moved to the left.

Today, Noam Scheiber, the author of “Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class,” explains the economic forces that have left many college grads deeply indebted, underpaid and angry, and also how their unmet expectations are reshaping class politics in America.

Guest: Noam Scheiber, a reporter for The New York Times based in the Chicago area who focuses on white-collar workers.

Background reading: College graduates feel betrayed, and their anger goes far...

The war in Iran has had some visible consequences, like skyrocketing energy costs and higher gas prices, but the effects of this war are often far less obvious and much more serious for the world’s most vulnerable people.

Today, Peter S. Goodman tells us what he learned on a recent trip to Somalia, and why the system of global aid is no longer in a position to help.

Guest: Peter S. Goodman covers the global economy for The New York Times.

Background reading: Catastrophe is emerging in the world’s most vulnerable plac...

On Tuesday, Maine will vote in a high-stakes primary contest for a Senate seat that Democrats think they can win back from Republicans for the first time in decades. Democrats are pinning their hopes on Graham Platner, a progressive who has faced a string of scandals.

Today, Lisa Lerer and Katie Glueck discuss what this race means for Maine and for the prospects of the Democratic Party.

Guest: 

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From the war in Iran to his plan to use taxpayer money to pay his allies, the Republican-controlled Congress has begun rebelling against President Trump.

Today, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, a congressional editor at The New York Times, discusses whether this rebellion is a preview of a new dynamic in Washington, or a temporary show of independence that will vanish just as quickly as it arrived.

Guest: Julie Hirschfield Davis, congressional editor at The New York Times.

Background reading: Mr. Trump says he never promised no new wars and defends the compensation fund.

An exclusive sit-down with the now-former CBS News correspondent.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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The 2026 World Cup is about to descend on North America — spread across three countries, with 48 teams, and 104 games, and with billions of fans across the globe tuning in to watch the biggest sporting event on the planet.

Today, Tariq Panja, global soccer correspondent for The New York Times, breaks down everything you need to know about this year’s tournament — the arrival of historic first-timers, like Curaçao, the aging legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are making their final appearances, and the eye-watering ticket prices that are driving fans to financial extremes just to book a...

A real estate investor’s pursuit of cheap land has prompted a lawsuit against a compound in Arkansas that will test whether civil rights laws can stop a whites-only town from existing in America.

Today, Debra Kamin, a New York Times investigative reporter, discusses the community and why its members are convinced that in this political climate, no one is going to stop them.

Guest: Debra Kamin, an investigative reporter focusing on wealth, power and corruption for The The New York Times.

Background reading: A whites-only community in Arkansas has been sued for di...

President Trump has begrudgingly accepted that artificial intelligence requires oversight and on Tuesday signed an executive order asking companies to voluntarily give the government access to new models before they’re released to the public.

Tripp Mickle, who covers Silicon Valley, discusses the battle in the White House over the issue and how it played out over the last few weeks. 

Guest: Tripp Mickle, who reports about Silicon Valley for The New York Times from San Francisco.

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At the front lines of the Ebola crisis in Central Africa, badly equipped health workers with little outside support are losing the fight against one of the worst outbreaks in history.

Declan Walsh, a New York Times correspondent covering the outbreak, takes us to the epicenter of the virus and explains why, so far, its spread has been so difficult to stop.

Guest: Declan Walsh, the chief Africa correspondent for The New York Times.

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SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite maker, is set to go public and begin selling shares as soon as next week.

Ryan Mac, who reports on business, explains the plan for the company’s expected record-shattering debut on the stock market, and how it is changing the rules for investing.

Guest: Ryan Mac, a New York Times reporter based in Los Angeles who covers corporate accountability across the global technology industry.

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In the lead-up to America’s 250th anniversary, President Trump is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a major renovation of the nation’s capitol.

David A. Fahrenthold, who has been investigating how the projects have come together, takes listeners on a walking tour of the sites being remade.

Guest: David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, writing primarily about nonprofit organizations.

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Photo: Allison Robbert for The New...

Olivia Rodrigo sat down with Joe and Jon for her first in-depth conversation about her new album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” out June 12. She discussed the many ways her creative process intersects with the extracurricular noise of pop superstardom, whether its managing relationship drama; being targeted for the way she dresses, accusations of pilfering songwriting gestures from Taylor Swift, her onetime idol, or her willingness to speak up about political and social causes in a way many of her peers won’t.

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Laurie Santos on what will really bring meaning and fulfillment to your life, and what won’t.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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While the United States and Iran have each signaled that they may be making progress toward a peace deal, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.

Thousands of crew members have been stranded in the shipping channel since the war broke out three months ago.

Two seafarers who got stuck in the strait explain what it is like to be trapped in a war zone, and what it would mean to get everyone out.

Guest: Capt. Virendra Vishwakarma, who managed to leave the Strait of Hormuz, and Aung Thu Khant, a seafarer who is...

For years, caretakers and health officials have been raising alarms about loneliness and social isolation among older Americans.

Eli Saslow, a reporter at The New York Times, tells the story of one woman who is using artificial intelligence to keep her independence, and to keep her company. 

Guest: Eli Saslow, a reporter for The New York Times who writes in-depth stories about the impact of major national issues on people’s lives.

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President Trump claimed over the long weekend that he was on the brink of a peace deal with Iran but offered few details. The United States then carried out new strikes against the country on Monday.

David E. Sanger and Tyler Pager, who cover the Trump administration for The New York Times, discuss what happened and the state of the peace negotiations.

Guest:

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As America is beginning to wrap its arms around the fentanyl crisis, a new kind of drug epidemic is emerging. It is faster, more addictive, more lethal and powered by synthetic drugs — substances that can be made almost anywhere.

Azam Ahmed, an international investigative correspondent, explains how these drugs are beginning to take hold and brings us inside the effort to do something about it. 

Guest: Azam Ahmed, an international investigative correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

Fo...

Andy Isaacson is a writer and photographer. His work for The Times has taken him to every corner of the world, and he has transmitted what he’s experienced through his images.

But recently, Isaacson took a trip unlike any he’d taken before. Not because of where he traveled, but because of how he traveled.

Paired with a set of unlikely travel companions, he put down his camera and experienced the word through touch, smell and sound.

On today’s episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Isaacson talks with Host Michael Barbaro about a trip tha...

The iconic actor on his thrillingly risky choices, on screen and off, and becoming a meme.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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A new major poll from The Times/Siena suggests that despite his seemingly unchecked power over the federal government and his own party, President Trump’s national support is crumbling to record lows and Democrats are poised to win back many of the key voters who got him into office in 2024.

Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times, walks us through the poll’s results and what they mean for the midterms this fall.

Guest: Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times. I cover American politics, with a fo...

The U.S. charged Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former leader and Communist general, with murder on Wednesday. It was the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign to force political change on the island.

The New York Times reporters Frances Robles and Julian Barnes break down what is behind the charges against Mr. Castro and what the American government really wants from Cuba.

Guest:

The Trump administration announced the creation of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate those who claim they were targeted by the Biden Justice Department and Democrats.

Andrew Duehren, who covers tax policy, explains how the fund came about and who might get the money. 

Guest: Andrew Duehren, who writes about tax policy for The New York Times from Washington.

Background reading: 

Photo: Eric Lee for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, v...

In Kentucky today, amid record-low approval ratings, President Trump is asking Republican primary voters to reject Representative Thomas Massie, who has broken with Mr. Trump on a handful of votes.

Instead, he wants them to elect his handpicked challenger.

Robert Draper, who covers domestic politics for The Times, and “The Daily” producer Caitlin O’Keefe, travel to Kentucky to cover what has become the most expensive House primary in American history.

Guest:

For the last three weeks, a messy, dramatic battle has played out between two of the most powerful titans of tech in the world: Elon Musk and Sam Altman.

As jury deliberations begin today, the technology reporter Mike Isaac takes us inside the courtroom drama and explains how a corporate dispute got extremely personal.

Guest: Mike Isaac, a New York Times reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area, covering tech companies and Silicon Valley.

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The quest for a “cure” for aging — a way to remain youthful, even as we get older — is a project as old as humanity. It’s also a big business; products, therapies and treatments intended to moderate or reverse aging are part of a $2 trillion global wellness market that’s only getting bigger.

But there have been some recent breakthroughs in the science of longevity that could be pivotal for the field. These discoveries have to do with cellular rejuvenation, which is the idea that scientists could take a cell that has aged, and make it function like a young...

The presumptive Democratic Senate nominee from Maine on his controversies, contradictions and pitch for radical change.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Inside a hospital in Nebraska, 16 Americans who may have been exposed to the hantavirus have begun an unusually long quarantine. In some cases, it will last up to 42 days.

Apoorva Mandavilli, who covers global health for The New York Times, explains what is known about the deadly outbreak and how the public heath system responded.

Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter at The New York Times.

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After a year of harassing and threatening Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, President Trump replaced him on Wednesday.

Colby Smith, who covers the Fed, explains how the president ended one standoff only to create a new one.

Guest: Colby Smith, a New York Times reporter covering the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy.

Background reading: 

Photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times, Caroline Gutman for The N...

Here’s what to expect from the summit between President Trump and China’s top leader, Xi Jinping. 

For the first time in nearly a decade, President Trump will meet with President Xi Jinping of China in Beijing, where they are expected to discuss trade, technology and other points of contention.

David E. Sanger, who covers the Trump administration for The New York Times, explains what is likely to come from the meeting.

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

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After decades of declining church attendance and a profound rise in secularism, religion is having a moment in America.

Lauren Jackson, the host of the Believing newsletter, talks to Asthaa Chaturvedi, a producer at “The Daily,” about why more people in the United States are now choosing to believe.

Guest:

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Photo: Corn...

President Trump is preparing to make a crucial trip to China this week to meet with its leader, Xi Jinping. A key issue hanging over the meeting is artificial intelligence, and whether the global A.I. race is spinning out of control.

Vivian Wang, who covers Chinese politics and society, explains how the country is approaching the technology differently from the United States.

Guest: Vivian Wang, a correspondent for The New York Times in Beijing, covering Chinese politics and society.

Background reading: 

For Mother’s Day, we asked you about your “Mom mantras”: the oft-repeated mottos or go-to expressions that your moms have said over the years. In partnership with the Well desk, we received thousands of submissions, full of sayings that ranged from wise to funny to profound.

In today’s episode of “The Sunday Daily,” we feature your “Mom mantras,” and the host Rachel Abrams calls her mother to ask about hers.

On Today’s Episode:

Background Reading:

The Wisdom of Our Mothers

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