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The Daily

This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time, told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 a.m.

The Sunday Read: ‘The Man Who Couldn’t Stop Going to College’

The Daily

  • 180 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 25:24

Benjamin B. Bolger has been to Harvard and Stanford and Yale. He has been to Columbia and Dartmouth and Oxford, and Cambridge, Brandeis and Brown. Over all, Bolger has 14 advanced degrees, plus an associate’s and a bachelor’s.Against a backdrop of pervasive cynicism about the nature of higher education, it is tempting to dismiss a figure like Bolger as the wacky byproduct of an empty system. Then again, Bolger has run himself through that system, over and over and over again; it continues to take him in, and he continues to return to it for more.

'The Interview': Jelly Roll Cannot Believe How His Life Turned Out

The Daily

  • 190 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 37:30

From jail and addiction to music stardom — the singer tells David Marchese he’s living a “modern American fairy tale.”

How Air-Conditioning Conquered America

The Daily

  • 160 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 26:45

Air-conditioning has become both our answer to a warming planet and a major obstacle to actually confronting it.Emily Badger, who covers cities and urban policy for The Times, explains the increasingly dangerous paradox of trying to control the temperature.Guest: Emily Badger, who covers cities and urban policy for The New York Times.Background reading: From 2017: How air-conditioning conquered America.Air-conditioning use will surge in a warming world, the U.N. has warned.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

A Controversial Crackdown on Homeless Encampments

The Daily

  • 160 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 23:18

In the weeks since a landmark Supreme Court ruling opened the door for cities and states to crack down on homeless encampments, California — the state with the largest homeless population — has taken some of the nation’s most sweeping actions against them.Shawn Hubler, who covers California for The Times, discusses the race to clean up what has become one of the Democratic Party’s biggest vulnerabilities before Election Day.Guest: Shawn Hubler, a reporter covering California for The New York Times.Background reading: Gov. Gavin Newsom cleared homeless camps in L.A. county, where he wants more “urgency.”Mr. Newsom ordered California officials to remove homeless encampments.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

How One Tech Monopoly Paved the Way for Another

The Daily

  • 150 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 24:37

In a landmark antitrust ruling against Google last week, another case was at the heart of the story — one from the 1990s.Steve Lohr, who covers technology and the economy for The Times, explains the influence of United States v. Microsoft and what lessons that case might hold for the future of Big Tech today.Guest: Steve Lohr, who covers technology, the economy and work for The New York Times.Background reading: How the Google antitrust ruling may influence tech competition.The ruling on Google’s search dominance was the first antitrust decision of the modern internet era in a case against a technology giant.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Harris Takes the Lead in Key States

The Daily

  • 160 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 23:11

New polls by The New York Times and Siena College find that Vice President Kamala Harris has transformed the 2024 presidential race and is now leading former President Donald J. Trump in three crucial battleground states.Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The Times, explains why Ms. Harris is benefiting so much.Guest: Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times. Background reading: Ms. Harris leads Mr. Trump in three key states, according to new surveys by The Times and Siena CollegeThe polls show that the vice president has fundamentally changed the race.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Inside the Three Worst Weeks of Trump’s Campaign

The Daily

  • 290 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 31:51

For much of the past year, Donald J. Trump and those around him were convinced that victory in the presidential race was all but certain. Now, everything has changed, after the decision by President Biden not to seek a second term.Jonathan Swan, who covers the Trump campaign for The New York Times, discusses the former president’s struggle to adjust to his new opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.Guest: Jonathan Swan, who covers politics and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign for The New York Times.Background reading: People around the former and would-be president see a candidate disoriented by his new opponent.At a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump tried to wrestle back the public’s attention.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

The Sunday Read: ‘Online Dating After 50 Can Be Miserable. But It’s Also Liberating.’

The Daily

  • 480 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 29:47

When Maggie Jones’s marriage collapsed after 23 years, she was devastated and overwhelmed. She was in her 50s, with two jobs, two teenage daughters and one dog. She didn’t consider dating. She had no time, no emotional energy. But then a year passed. One daughter was off at college, the other increasingly independent. After several more months went by, she started to feel a sliver of curiosity about what kind of men were out there and how it would feel to date again. The last time she dated was 25 years ago, and even then, she fell into relationships mostly with guys from high school, college, parties, work. Now every man she knew was either married, too young, too old or otherwise not a good fit.That meant online dating — the default mode not just for the young but also for people Ms. Jones’s age. Her only exposure had been watching her oldest daughter, home from college one summer, as she sat on her bed rapidly swiping through guy after guy — spending no more than a second or two on each.Ms. Jones tells her story of online dating in later adulthood, and what she learned.

'The Interview': Vince Vaughn Turned This Interview Into Self-Help

The Daily

  • 650 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 42:49

I went in expecting a swaggering, overconfident guy. I found something much more interesting.

The Secret Succession Fight That Will Determine the Future of Fox News

The Daily

  • 270 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 28:42

For years, Rupert Murdoch seemed content to let his children battle it out for control of his conservative media empire once he’s gone.Jim Rutenberg, who writes about media and politics for The Times, discusses how a secret change to that plan by Mr. Murdoch touched off an ugly family squabble that could influence how much of the world sees the news.Guest: Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine.Background reading: Mr. Murdoch has moved to preserve his media businesses as a conservative force. Several of his children are fighting back.The 93-year-old media tycoon spent the past 70 years building a global media empire that gave him influence in journalism, politics and pop culture. Here’s how.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The Long Shadow of Julian Assange’s Conviction

The Daily

  • 280 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 35:53

Warning: this episode contains strong language and audio of war.When the long legal saga of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, came to an end this summer, it marked the first time that the U.S. government had convicted anyone for publishing classified material.Charlie Savage, who covers national security and legal policy for The Times, discusses what the conviction means for journalism and government accountability in a world where publishing state secrets can now be treated as a crime.Guest: Charlie Savage, a national security and legal policy correspondent for The New York Times. Guest host: Natalie Kitroeff, Mexico City Bureau Chief for The New York Times. Background reading: Mr. Assange’s plea deal sets a chilling precedent on the ability of journalists to report on military, intelligence or diplomatic information that officials deem secret.To some, Mr. Assange was a heroic crusader for truth. To others, he was a reckless leaker endangering lives.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

An Escalating War in the Middle East

The Daily

  • 260 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 22:47

Warning: This episode contains audio of war.Over the past few days, the simmering feud between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, has reached a critical moment.Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times, explains why the latest tit-for-tat attacks are different and why getting them to stop could be so tough.Guest: Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Israel says it killed a Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, in an airstrike near Beirut.The Israeli military blamed Mr. Shukr for an assault on Saturday that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The V.P.’s Search for a V.P.

The Daily

  • 250 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 32:52

Warning: This episode contains strong language.Although Vice President Kamala Harris has officially been a presidential candidate for only about a week, the race to become her running mate is well underway.Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The New York Times, takes us inside the selection process.Guest: Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: What’s more exciting than a veepstakes? A surprise veepstakes.Take a look at the leading contenders to be Ms. Harris’s running mate.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

A Radical Reboot of Nuclear Energy

The Daily

  • 260 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 26:27

Nuclear power, once the great hope for a clean way to meet the world’s energy needs, fell out of favor decades ago.Brad Plumer, who covers technology and policy efforts to address global warming for The New York Times, explains how one company with a radical idea is now working to bring it back.Guest: Brad Plumer, who covers technology and policy efforts to address global warming for The New York Times.Background reading: Work is starting in Wyoming coal country on a new type of reactor. Its main backer, Bill Gates, says he’s in it for the emissions-free electricity.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The Sunday Read: ‘The Kidnapping I Can’t Escape’

The Daily

  • 310 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 56:24

On Nov. 12, 1974, Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s father’s childhood friend Jack Teich was kidnapped out of his driveway in the nicest part of the nicest part of Long Island. He was arriving home from work when two men forced him into their car at gunpoint and took him to a house where they chained and interrogated him.On the second day of his kidnapping, Jack’s wife, Janet, received a call from someone demanding a ransom of $750,000, and a few days later, Janet and Jack’s brother Buddy dropped the money off at Penn Station under F.B.I. surveillance. The F.B.I. did not catch the kidnapper, but afterward, he decided to let Jack go.Jack was home safe. He had survived his kidnapping. But the actual kidnapping is not what this story is about, if you can believe it. It’s about surviving what you survived, which is also known as the rest of your life.

'The Interview': Pete Buttigieg Thinks the Trump Fever Could Break

The Daily

  • 400 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 34:33

The Democrat talks about the election vibe shift and what a Kamala Harris win would mean for both parties.

Is One Third of Venezuela’s Population About to Flee?

The Daily

  • 250 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 23:53

For years, Venezuelans have been living through one of the most severe economic collapses in modern history — one that has caused millions to flee the country. But this weekend, an election is offering many a real hope for change.Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief for The Times, explains why, after years under a repressive government, Venezuelans think this time might be different.Guest: Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: The “Iron Lady” of Venezuela threatens to unseat its autocrat.As many as one-third of Venezuelans would consider migrating if the country’s authoritarian leader is given another six years in power, one poll showed.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The Harris Campaign Is Born

The Daily

  • 290 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 36:09

Over the past 48 hours, as the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris went from theoretical to inevitable, she has delivered the first glimpses of how her campaign will run.Reid J. Epstein, who covers politics for The Times, discusses what we’ve learned from her debut.Guest: Reid J. Epstein, who covers politics for The New York Times.Background reading: Ms. Harris gave her first speech as the de facto Democratic nominee to a deafening crowd.Her presidential bid is getting a pop music rollout online.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The Lingering Questions about the Attempt to Kill Trump

The Daily

  • 250 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 27:33

In the week since the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the security mistakes that led to the shooting have come into sharp focus, prompting Kimberly Cheatle, the head of the Secret Service, to resign.Glenn Thrush, who reports on the Justice Department for The Times, discusses what we now know about the service’s lapses that day.Guest: Glenn Thrush, a reporter on the Justice Department for The New York Times.Background reading: See a visual timeline of the shooting at the Trump rally.In resigning, Ms. Cheatle said that one of the Secret Service’s foremost duties was to protect the nation’s leaders, adding that it “fell short of that mission” on July 13.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The New Hope, and New Worry, of Kamala Harris

The Daily

  • 280 views
  • 4 months ago
  • 27:29

As Democrat after Democrat races to anoint Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s presidential candidate, it has become clear that she will face no real challenge for the nomination.Nate Cohn, chief political analyst for The Times, and Reid J. Epstein, a Times reporter covering politics, discuss what that smooth path for Ms. Harris could mean for her broader campaign.Guest: Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times.Reid J. Epstein, who covers politics for The New York Times.Background reading: On her first full day in the race, Ms. Harris drew endorsements from her final possible rivals, hauled in record sums of cash and attacked Donald J. Trump.Here are the latest polls on the Harris-Trump matchup.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.