The Daily

In it escalating campaign against Venezuela, the Trump administration has gone from shooting drug boats to trying to seize oil tankers in the Caribbean.Anatoly Kurmanaev, a foreign correspondent for The New York Times who has spent years covering Venezuela, explains why President Trump is shifting his strategy, and what that might tell us about his true endgame.Guest: Anatoly Kurmanaev, a reporter for The New York Times covering Russia and its transformation following the invasion of Ukraine.Background reading: Venezuela's oil exports have plummeted after the United States took action against three tankers carrying crude.Photo: Satellite image ©2025 Vantor, via Associated PressFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

The latest release of files related to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein left key questions unanswered about his rise to power and his connections to the president.David Enrich, an investigations editor at The New York Times, explains how he worked with a team of reporters to fill in those mysteries and reveal the truth about Mr. Epstein's origins.Guest: David Enrich, a deputy investigations editor for The New York Times.Background reading: The release of the Epstein files revealed new photos, but many files were withheld.This is the untold story of how Mr. Epstein got rich.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

The construction of a giant factory complex in Arizona was supposed to embody the Trump administration's ability to bring manufacturing back to the United States.But undertaking big projects is not as simple as it seems. Peter S. Goodman, who writes about the intersection of economics and geopolitics for The New York Times, explains why.Guest: Peter S. Goodman, who covers the global economy for The New York Times.Background reading: Read about the 18,000 or so reasons that make it so hard to build a chip factory in the United States.Photo: Loren Elliott for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

In these final weeks of 2025, The Sunday Special is looking back at the year in culture.Today, we're talking about the TV we watched this year — the best shows, the most popular ones and the ones that allowed us to just enjoyably veg out. Gilbert Cruz talks with the TV critic James Poniewozik and the culture reporter Alexis Soloski about the year in television.TV shows discussed in this episode:“Severance”“Common Side Effects”“Too Much”“Nobody Wants This”“Dying for Sex”“The Hunting Wives”“The White Lotus”“Dr. Odyssey”“Long Story Short”“Heated Rivalry”“Andor”“The Lowdown”“Platonic”“Pluribus”“The Pitt”“Adolescence”On Today's Episode:James Poniewozik is the chief TV critic for The New York Times.Alexis Soloski is a culture reporter for The Times.Background Reading:Best TV Shows of 2025The Best TV Episodes of 2025Photo Credit: Apple TV+; Netflix; Lucasfilm/Disney+; HBO 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.

The writer and lawyer has been documenting the occupation for decades. Somehow, he maintains hope.Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview 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.

With anxieties building over affordability, President Trump made a push to reassure Americans just as the government released long-awaited data that raised new questions about the economic health of the nation.Tony Romm, who covers economic policy for The New York Times, discusses how Mr. Trump is trying to take control of the issue, and Ben Cassleman, The Times's chief economics correspondent, explains what the latest numbers tell us about why people are still so frustrated.Guest:Tony Romm, a reporter in Washington covering economic policy and the Trump administration for The New York Times.Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Here are six takeaways from Mr. Trump's address to the nation.With tariffs unpopular and prices still high, the White House has teased the promise of tariff rebates and large tax refunds next year.Photo: Doug Mills/The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.   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.

This week, despite a last-ditch effort by some House Republicans to strike a deal on health care, Congress remains deadlocked on whether to extend support for millions of Americans who get their health care through the Affordable Care Act.Margot Sanger-Katz, who covers health care policy, explains who will be most affected by the decision.Then, we hear directly from some of the Americans who will now face a decision: whether to keep paying for rising insurance costs or to risk going without it.Guest: Margot Sanger-Katz, a reporter for The New York Times who covers health care policy and government spending.Background reading: Four Republicans joined Democrats' bid to force a vote on health subsidies.Obamacare users will be asked to pay more for plans that cover less.Photo: Eric Lee for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Rob Reiner, the classic film director, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed on Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the couple's son, Nick, with first-degree murder.Julia Jacobs, an arts and culture reporter for The New York Times, explains what we have learned about the deaths, and Wesley Morris, a critic at The Times, discusses why many of Rob Reiner's films are so beloved.Guest:Julia Jacobs, who reports on culture and the arts for The New York Times.Wesley Morris, a critic at The New York Times who writes about art and popular culture.Background reading: Rob Reiner, the actor who went on to direct classic films, died at 78.Nick Reiner was formally charged on Tuesday with murdering his parents.Photo: Universal/Getty ImagesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Warning: This episode contains strong language.Palantir, a data analysis and technology company, has secured federal contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars during President Trump's second presidency, including to develop software to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement deport people.Michael Steinberger, who spent six years interviewing Palantir's chief executive, Alex Karp, for the book “The Philosopher in the Valley,” explains how Mr. Karp went from a self-described lifelong Democrat to a champion of Mr. Trump, and the impact this transformation could have on American democracy.Guest: Michael Steinberger, a contributing writer to The New York Times.Background reading: Listen to an interview with Mr. Karp from the DealBook Summit this month.In May, the Trump administration tapped Palantir to compile data on Americans.Here is Mr. Steinberger's book, which this episode is based on.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

A New York Times review of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s actions on immigration showed that decisions he and his closest advisers made created an opening for a more aggressive Trump administration agenda.Christopher Flavelle, who interviewed more than 30 former Biden administration officials who worked on immigration and border policy, explains how Mr. Biden fumbled the immigration issue, and what the Democratic Party can learn from his missteps.Guest: Christopher Flavelle, a reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: How Mr. Biden ignored warnings and lost Americans' faith in immigration.Read four takeaways from The Times's reporting on Mr. Biden's immigration record.Photo: Paul Ratje for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

As 2025 comes to an end, The Sunday Special is looking back on the year in culture.This week, we're listening to the songs and albums that defined the year, for better or worse. Gilbert Cruz is joined by Caryn Ganz and Lindsay Zoladz from The Times's pop music desk to discuss some of the biggest and best releases of 2025.Albums and songs mentioned in this episode:Bad Bunny, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos”Lady Gaga, “Mayhem”Justin Bieber, “Daisies”Chappell Roan, “The Giver” and “The Subway”Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”Doechii, “Alligator Bites Never Heal”Taylor Swift, “The Life of a Showgirl”Morgan Wallen, “I'm the Problem”Ghost, “Skeletá”Dijon, “Baby”Geese, “Getting Killed”Water From Your Eyes, “It's a Beautiful Place”PinkPantheress, “Fancy That”Lily Allen, “Tennis”Ella Langley, “Choosin' Texas”Sleigh Bells, “Bunky Becky Birthday Boy”Hayley Williams, “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party”Turnstile, “Never Enough”On Today's EpisodeCaryn Ganz is the pop music editor at The Times.Lindsay Zoladz is a pop music critic at The Times and the writer of The Amplifier newsletter.Additional ReadingBest Albums of 2025Best Songs of 2025 Photo Illustration by The New York Times; From left, Angela Weiss/AFP — Getty Images (Lady Gaga); OK McCausland for The New York Times (Geese); Erika Santelices/Reuters (Bad Bunny); Helle Arensbak/AFP -- Getty Images, via Ritzau Scanpix (PinkPantheress) 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.

Warning: This episode contains strong language.In this special episode for subscribers of “The Daily,” the host Michael Barbaro moderates a panel from The New York Times's DealBook Summit, speaking with journalists and personalities from across the industry about the state of media in 2025.Guest:Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of “The Breakfast Club” and “The Brilliant Idiots” and co-founder of The Black Effect Podcast NetworkJon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media and host of “Pod Save America”Amna Nawaz, co-anchor and co-managing editor of “PBS NewsHour”David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and host of “The New Yorker Radio Hour”Stephanie Ruhle, host of “The 11th Hour With Stephanie Ruhle” on MS NOWAndrew Schulz, host of “The Brilliant Idiots” and “Flagrant”Ben Shapiro, co-founder of The Daily Wire and host of “The Ben Shapiro Show”For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

The current and former lawmakers get candid about bipartisan politics, party leadership and the state of the Senate.Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview 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.

President Trump has overseen an aggressive foreign policy, including harsh words about Europe and a lethal military campaign in the Caribbean.Last week, the White House unveiled its new national security strategy, which made Mr. Trump's true goals clear and alarmed countries around the world.David E. Sanger, who covers the White House and national security for The New York Times, explains what the strategy is and how it may change America's global relationships for good.Guest: David E. Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Trump's security strategy focuses on profit, not on spreading democracy.The policy document formalizes Mr. Trump's long-held contempt for Europe's leaders.Photo: Ricardo Arduengo/ReutersFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

In the year since President Trump roared back to power, one of the most surprising story lines of his second term has been a series of public ruptures between him and the movement he created.Robert Draper, who covers domestic politics for The New York Times, discusses the growing tensions inside the MAGA movement and what they tell us about what the American right might look like in a post-Trump world.Guest: Robert Draper, who covers domestic politics.Background reading: After an interview with a white nationalist, Tucker Carlson has continued to fracture the right.Marjorie Taylor Greene strove both to be the ultimate Trump warrior and to be taken seriously. She wound up in political exile.Nick Fuentes is a white nationalist problem for the right.Photo: Doug Mills/The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

The Supreme Court's liberal minority has voted, over and over again, to oppose the court's conservative majority in what might look like a united front of resistance. But behind the scenes, there are growing tensions between those liberal justices over the best way to mitigate the rightward lurch of the court.Jodi Kantor, who uncovered the story, explains what she found.Guest: Jodi Kantor, a New York Times reporter whose job is to carefully uncover secrets and illuminate how power operates.Background reading: Read about the debate dividing the Supreme Court's liberal justices.Photo: Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States, via Associated PressFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 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.

Netflix announced plans on Friday to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's studio and streaming business, in a deal that would send shock waves through Hollywood.On Monday, Paramount made a hostile bid for the studio, arguing that the Netflix deal would be “anti-competitive.”The Times journalists Nicole Sperling, Kyle Buchanan and Lauren Hirsch discuss what it all means for the future of TV and film.Guest:Nicole Sperling, a New York Times reporter in Los Angeles who covers Hollywood and the streaming revolution.Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter and the awards-season columnist for The New York Times.Lauren Hirsch, a New York Times reporter who covers the biggest stories on Wall Street, including mergers and acquisitions.Background reading: Netflix planned to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in $83 billion deal to create a streaming giant.Paramount made a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.Photo: Aleksey Kondratyev for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Warning: This episode mentions suicide.In March, the U.S. government sent more than 200 Venezuelan men to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Over four months, the men said they endured physical, mental and sexual abuse.Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief at The New York Times, interviewed 40 of these prisoners. She explains what she found out about this part of President Trump's program of mass deportation.Guest: Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief for The New York Times, based in Bogotá, Colombia.Background reading: “You are all terrorists”: four months in a Salvadoran prison.Photo: Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

The first week of December at The New York Times is known as “Cookie Week.” Every day, for seven days, our cooking team highlights a new holiday cookie recipe. This year's batch features flavors that aren't necessarily traditional holiday ones — or even, for that matter, flavors. Instead, they draw inspiration from family night at the movies, drinks like Vietnamese Coffee, and perhaps most surprisingly, an Italian deli meat.In this edition of the Sunday Special, Gilbert Cruz talks with Melissa Clark and Vaughn Vreeland from New York Times Cooking about this year's cookies, and they answer questions from readers about how to navigate cooking and baking during the holidays.Background Reading:These 7 Cookies Will Be the Life of Every PartyMelissa Clark is a food reporter and columnist for The Times.Vaughn Vreeland is a supervising video producer for NYT Cooking and writes the “Bake Time” newsletter.Audio produced by Tina Antolini and Alex Barron with Kate LoPresti. Edited by Wendy Dorr. Engineered by Rowan Niemisto. Original music by Daniel Powell and Diane Wong. Photo credit: Rachel Vanni for The New York Times.  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.

The actress and director says the world of filmmaking needs a “full system break.”Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview 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.

Warning: This episode contains strong language and mentions of suicide.Over the past year, the federal government has taken a series of actions widely seen as attacks on the First Amendment.Greg Lukianoff, the head of a legal defense group called the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, speaks to Natalie Kitroeff about what free speech really means and why both the left and the right end up betraying it.Guest: Greg Lukianoff, the president and chief executive of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.Background reading: Read Mr. Lukianoff's guest essay for New York Times Opinion from September.Photo: Moriah Ratner for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

President Trump on Tuesday delivered blatantly xenophobic public remarks, which included attacking Somali immigrants in Minnesota and calling them “garbage.”Ernesto Londoño, a reporter based in Minnesota, explains how Somalis became the president's latest target in his effort to reshape America's relationship to its immigrant communities.Guest: Ernesto Londoño, a reporter for The New York Times based in Minnesota.Background reading: Mr. Trump called Somalis “garbage” that he doesn't want in the country.A new ICE operation is said to target Somali migrants in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.Here's how fraud swamped Minnesota's social services system on Gov. Tim Walz's watch.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Over the past three months, the U.S. military has been firing on boats from South America, killing more than 80 people and prompting Democrats to raise urgent questions about their legality.Now, one of these operations, which killed survivors with a second missile, has prompted congressional Republicans to join those calls for accountability.Charlie Savage, who covers national security for The New York Times, explains the renewed debate and how the administration is justifying its actions.Guest: Charlie Savage, who covers national security and legal policy for The New York Times.Background reading: Lawmakers suggested that a follow-up boat strike could have been a war crime.Amid talk of a war crime, the details and precise sequence of a Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean are facing more scrutiny.Photo: Tierney L. Cross/The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Lead is an essential but toxic element of car batteries. The U.S. auto industry promotes the recycling of it as an environmental success story. An investigation by The New York Times and The Examination reveals that the initiative comes at a major human cost, especially abroad.Peter S. Goodman, who covers the global economy, explains the dirty business of a supposedly clean technology.Guest: Peter S. Goodman, who covers the global economy for The New York Times.Background reading: The U.S. auto industry was warned for years that battery recycling was poisoning people, an investigation by The Times and The Examination showed.Read more about the investigation.Photo: Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

What began as a horrific shooting of two National Guard members in downtown Washington last week has now led to a set of far-reaching changes to the U.S. immigration system.The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was among the Afghans who came to the United States after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. Earlier, he served in a paramilitary unit that worked with U.S. forces.Hamed Aleaziz discusses Mr. Lakanwal's journey to the United States, as well as the Trump administration's wide-ranging response.Guest: Hamed Aleaziz, a Times correspondent covering the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy.Background reading: The suspect in the shooting had traveled a long path of conflict from Afghanistan to America.Afghans who assisted the United States during the war underwent rigorous vetting.Photo: The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

The holiday season is here, which means it's the time to think of great gifts for everyone on your list. While it can feel like a daunting task to choose thoughtful, personalized presents, we've got a fix for you: books.On this edition of The Sunday Special, Gilbert is joined by Joumana Khatib and Sadie Stein, editors at the Book Review, for a conversation about the best books to give your family and friends. Joumana and Sadie will share what excited them most this year and also provide recommendations for giftees in very specific categories.Books mentioned in this episode:“The Colony,” Annika Norlin“Perfection,” Vincenzo Latronico“Things: A Story of the 60s,” Georges Perec“The Bee Sting,” Paul Murray“The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,” Kiran Desai“The Director,” Daniel Kehlmann“Playworld: A Novel,” Adam Ross“A Marriage at Sea,” Sophie Elmhirst“Entertaining is Fun!,” Dorothy Draper“The Thursday Murder Club,” Richard Osman“The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels,” Janice Hallett“Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes,” Roald Dahl“Mrs. Manders' Cook Book,” Sarah Manders, edited by Rumer Godden“Halleluja! The Welcome Table,” Maya Angelou“The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life,” Pat Conroy“Les diners de Gala,” Salvador Dalí“Diaghilev's Empire: How the Ballets Russes Enthralled the World,” Rupert Christiansen“Finishing the Hat and Look I Made a Hat,” Stephen Sondheim“Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run,” Peter Ames Carlin“The Uncool: A Memoir,” Cameron Crowe“The Gales of November,” John U. Bacon“The Journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson,” Ralph Waldo Emerson“Cats in Color,” Stevie Smith“Archie and the Strict Baptists,” John Betjeman“Stories 1,2,3,4,” Eugène Ionesco“Trip: A Novel,” Amy BarrodaleOn Today's Episode:Joumana Khatib is an editor at The New York Times Book Review.Sadie Stein is an editor at The New York Times Book Review. 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.

In this subscriber-only episode, the host Rachel Abrams ventures deep into the basement of The New York Times in Manhattan to visit a place affectionately known by staff members as “the morgue.”There, she meets Jeff Roth, the sole guardian of the vast and eclectic archive that houses the paper's historical news clippings and photographic prints, along with its large book and periodicals library dating back to the 19th century.Guest:Jeff Roth, archivist at The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

The competition-TV judge changed the music industry. Now he says he's changed too.Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview 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.

Here at “The Daily,” we take our annual Thanksgiving episode very seriously.A few years ago, we rang up an expert from the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, who told us that yes, in a pinch, you can cook a turkey in the microwave. Last year, we invited ourselves over to Ina Garten's house to learn the timeless art of holiday entertaining (Ina's tip: flowers that match your napkins complete a table.).This year, determined to outdo ourselves, we traveled to Montana to hunt our very own food. Our guest, Steven Rinella — perhaps the country's most famous hunter — is an avid conservationist and a lifelong believer in eating what you kill.What first drew us to Rinella was the provocative argument he put forth in his best-selling book, “Meat Eater.”“To abhor hunting,” he wrote, “is to hate the place from which you came, which is akin to hating yourself in some distant, abstract way.”So, a few weeks ago, we spoke with Rinella at his podcast studio in Bozeman, Mont, about the forces that turned him into what he describes as an “environmentalist with a gun”. The next morning, we hunted ducks with him, and then, inspired by Rinella, we ate what we had killed.Photo: Will Warasila for The New York TimesAudio Produced by Tina Antolini. Edited by Wendy Dorr. Engineered by Efim Shapiro and Alyssa Moxley. Fact-checking by Susan Lee. Original music by Daniel Powell and Marion Lozano.  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.

When President Trump's peace plan to end the war in Ukraine was leaked last week, many felt as though Russia had written the proposal, and to a large degree, it reflected the Kremlin's demands. The plan set off a global outcry that has forced American officials to revise their approach in the days since.Kim Barker and David E. Sanger explain the process that led to the contentious plan and why it comes at a vulnerable moment for Ukrainian leadership.Guest: Kim Barker, a reporter for The New York Times covering the war in Ukraine.David E. Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Analysis: Mr. Trump offers a Ukraine peace plan the Kremlin can love.To many Ukrainians, the U.S. proposal looks like “capitulation.”Photo: Tyler Hicks/The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

A federal judge on Monday tossed out separate criminal charges against the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey and New York's attorney general, Letitia James.The manner in which the judge dismissed the Comey indictment could now lead to a legal fight over whether the government can try to refile the charges with another grand jury.Devlin Barrett, who covers the Justice Department and the F.B.I. for The New York Times, discusses President Trump's campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies and walks us through the judge's rulingsGuest: Devlin Barrett, a New York Times reporter covering the Justice Department and the F.B.I..Background reading: The cases against Mr. Comey and Ms. James are dismissed.Photo: Drew Angerer for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Once primarily limited to severely disabled people, autism began to be viewed as a spectrum that included children and adults far less impaired. Along the way, the disorder also became an identity, embraced by college graduates and even by some of the world's most successful people, like Elon Musk and Bill Gates.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called the steep rise in autism cases “an epidemic.” He blames theories of causality that mainstream scientists reject — like vaccines and, more recently, Tylenol — and has instructed the C.D.C. to abandon its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism.Today, Azeen Ghorayshi explains what's really driving the increase in diagnoses.Guest: Azeen Ghorayshi, a science reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: Should the autism spectrum be split apart?There are no easy answers for parents of children with autism.Photo: Eric Gay/Associated PressFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

“Wicked” was one of the biggest movies of 2024. It was culturally ubiquitous, a box office smash and an Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Now, a year later, “Wicked: For Good” arrives in theaters to finish the tale of the complicated friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Can “Wicked: For Good” be the sensation that its predecessor was? Will it inject new life into a movie business that has suffered a historically bad business year? Will it satisfy the legions of “Wicked” fans who have been waiting to see their favorite musical brought to the big screen?Gilbert Cruz is joined by Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter for The New York Times who profiled the stars of “Wicked,” and Madison Malone Kircher, a reporter for the Styles desk and affirmed “Wicked” fanatic, to discuss what “Wicked: For Good” means for the movies. On Today's EpisodeMadison Malone Kircher is a reporter covering internet culture for The Times.Kyle Buchanan is a pop culture reporter and serves as The Projectionist, the awards season columnist for The New York Times.Photo: Universal Pictures Additional ReadingAriana Grande Still Has Surprises in StoreThere Have Been Dozens of “Wicked” Interviews. Why Did This One Go Viral? 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.

The writer and YouTube star on trying to get back to the experiences that make us feel alive.Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview 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.

Since starting his second term, President Trump has thrown the full weight of the federal government behind the denying the idea of transgender identity, and pushing to prevent trans minors from getting gender-affirming medical care.Two parents of a trans child discuss facing the scramble of supporting their child, and their fears of becoming targets of the government.Guest: The parents of Allie, who is trans.Background reading: Hospitals are limiting gender treatment for trans minors, even in blue states.States have sued over Mr. Trump's efforts to end pediatric transgender medical care.Trans youth are rattled by efforts to ban gender care. So are hospitals.Photo: Christopher Capozziello for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

After years of soaring optimism and colossal investment, Wall Street has begun to seriously question whether the frenzy for A.I. is justified.Cade Metz, who covers technology for The New York Times, explains why Silicon Valley companies believe so fervently in A.I. and why they're willing to take enormous risks to deliver on its promise.Guest: Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: Why debt funding is ratcheting up the risks of the A.I. boom.Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI plan to spend at least $325 billion by the end of the year in pursuit of A.I.Photo: Scott Ball for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill to release all of the files related to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a bill that President Trump spent months trying to kill.The Times correspondents Anni Karni and Carl Hulse explain how a rebellion started by a handful of Republican lawmakers became a partywide mutiny, and Representative Thomas Massie talks about his role in bringing about the vote.Guest:Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent at The New York Times.Carl Hulse, the chief Washington correspondent for The Times.Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky.Background reading: The vote to approve was a stunning turn for an effort that Republican leaders had worked for months to block.For Mr. Trump, the Epstein scandal is the story that won't go away.Photo: Tierney L. Cross/The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

For the first time in 30 years, the annual U.N. conference on climate change is taking place without top government representation from the United States. China has emerged as the top dog at the summit and is poised to become the world's supplier of green energy technology.David Gelles and Brad Plumer explain the growing showdown between global superpowers over the future of energy.Guest:David Gelles, a reporter on the New York Times climate team who leads The Times's Climate Forward newsletter.Brad Plumer, a New York Times reporter based in Washington, covering technology and policy efforts to address global warming.Background reading: There's a race to power the future. China is pulling away.At a climate summit without the U.S., allies and rivals call for action.Photo: Gilles Sabrie for The New York TimesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

When President Trump proposed the introduction of a 50-year mortgage, he challenged a bedrock of the American housing market and financial system. He also revealed how desperate the administration is to lower prices for consumers.Conor Dougherty, who covers housing and development, explains what's attractive about the idea and its potential drawbacks — and why housing affordability is such an intractable problem.Guest: Conor Dougherty, a reporter for The New York Times covering housing and development for more than a decade.Background reading: The Trump administration is facing backlash from U.S. consumers as higher costs from tariffs blunt wage gains.Many Americans bought their first houses during the pandemic, when mortgage rates dipped to record lows. Now, some feel trapped.Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.

There was once a time when documentaries could be found only on public television or in art-house cinemas. But today, documentaries are more popular and accessible than ever, with streaming services serving up true crime, celebrity documentaries, music documentaries and so much more.On today's Sunday Special, Gilbert is joined by The New York Times's chief television critic, James Poniewozik, and Alissa Wilkinson, a Times film critic, to talk about the documentaries that are worth your viewing time. On Today's Episode:James Poniewozik is the chief TV critic for The Times.Alissa Wilkinson is a movie critic at The Times, and writes the Documentary Lens column. Background Reading:What ‘The American Revolution' Says About Our Cultural Battles‘Come See Me in the Good Light': The Sweetness After a Terminal Diagnosis  Discussed on this episode:“The American Revolution,” 2025, directed by Ken Burns“The Alabama Solution,” 2025, directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” 2015, directed by Andrew Jarecki“Making a Murderer,” 2015, directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos“The Yogurt Shop Murders,” 2025, directed by Margaret Brown“The Perfect Neighbor,” 2025, directed by Beet Gandbhir“The Last Dance,” 2020, directed by Jason Hehir“Copa 71,” 2023, directed by Rachel Ramsay and James Erkine“Cheer,” 2020, created by Greg Whiteley“Last Chance U,” 2016, directed by Greg Whiteley, Adam Ridley and Luke Lorentzen“Pee-wee as Himself,” 2025, directed by Matt Wolf“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” 2024, directed by Benjamin Ree“Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music,” 2025, directed by Questlove“Cameraperson,” 2016, directed by Kirsten Johnson“An American Family,” 1973, created by Craig Gilbert“Look Into My Eyes,” 2024, directed by Lana Wilson“When We Were Kings,” 1996, directed by Leon Gast Photo: Mike Doyle/American Revolution Film Project and Florentine Films 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.

The longtime editor and chronicler of the elite says she's liberated and is letting it rip. 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.

Drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound have revolutionized weight loss. And starting next year, the drugs are going to become more affordable for Americans because of a deal struck with pharmaceutical companies by the Trump administration.Eshe Nelson, who covers economics and business news, explains how the change has its origins in a huge business blunder from the creator of Ozempic, Novo Nordisk.Guest: Eshe Nelson, a reporter for The New York Times based in London, where she covers economics and business news.Background reading: How Ozempic's maker lost its shine after creating a wonder drug.What Trump's new drug pricing deal means for people with obesity.Photo: Sergei Gapon/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesFor more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  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.