Listen Now

Five years ago, after decades of resistance, the Boy Scouts of America made a momentous change, allowing girls to participate. Since then, tens of thousands have joined. Today we revisit a story, first aired in 2017, about 10-year-old twins deciding which group to join, and find out what’s happened to them since. Background reading:  In 2017, the decision to open up the Boy Scouts was celebrated by many women but criticized by the Girl Scouts, which said that girls flourish in all-female groups. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

This episode contains strong language and descriptions of an abortion. With the end of Roe v. Wade, Louisiana has become one of the most difficult places in the United States to get an abortion. The barriers are expected to disproportionately affect Black women, the largest group to get abortions in the state. Today, we speak to Tara Wicker and Lakeesha Harris, two women in Louisiana whose lives led them to very different positions in the fight over abortion access. Background reading:  The Supreme Court decision to reverse Roe, far from settling the matter, has kindled court and political battles that are likely to go on for years. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

On Monday, federal agents descended on Mar-a-Lago, the private club and Florida home of former President Donald J. Trump, reportedly looking for classified documents and presidential papers. Trump supporters expressed outrage about the agency’s actions, while many Democrats reacted with glee. But what do we know about the search, and what comes next? Guest: Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  The search at Mar-a-Lago was the culmination of a lengthy conflict between a president proud of his disdain for rules and officials charged with protecting the nation’s records and secrets. Experts say that the Justice Department would have carefully weighed the decision to carry out the search, suggesting that the investigation is serious and fairly advanced. Here is the timeline leading up to the search. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

This weekend, Democrats passed legislation that would make historic investments to fight climate change and lower the cost of prescription drugs — paid for by raising taxes on businesses. How did the party finally make progress on the bill, and what effects will it have? Guest: Emily Cochrane, a Washington-based correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  Here’s what is in the climate, tax and health care package. How Senator Joe Manchin turned from a holdout into a deal maker. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

This episode contains descriptions of distressing scenes.  In a landmark ruling, a jury in Texas ordered Alex Jones, America’s most prominent conspiracy theorist, to pay millions of dollars to the parents of a boy killed at Sandy Hook for the damage caused by his lies about the mass shooting. What is the significance of the trial, and will it do anything to change the world of lies and misinformation? Guest: Elizabeth Williamson, a feature writer based in the Washington bureau of The New York Times. Background reading:  What to know about the defamation case against Alex Jones, the far-right conspiracy theorist who used his Infowars media company to spread lies about the Sandy Hook school shooting. The parents of a child killed in the Sandy Hook shooting were awarded $45.2 million in punitive damages at the conclusion of the trial.  For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

The more he insisted that his name was Joshua, the more delusional he came to be seen. Journalist Robert Kolker tells us the remarkable story of Joshua Spriestersbach, a homeless man who wound up serving more than two years in a Honolulu jail for crimes committed by someone else. It was a case of mistaken identity that developed into “a slow-motion game of hot potato between the police, the courts, the jails and the hospitals,” Mr. Kolker writes. He delves into how homelessness and mental illness shaped Mr. Spriestersbach’s adult life, two factors that led him into a situation in which he had little control — a bureaucratic wormhole that commandeered and consumed two and a half years of his life. This story was written by Robert Kolker and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Charles Falls Jr., known as Chillie, loves to take cruises. But Covid, as it has done for so many, left him marooned at home in Virginia. As he told Cristal Duhaime, a producer at the Times podcast First Person, as soon as restrictions eased, he eagerly planned a return to the waves. But for Chillie, who suffers from prostate cancer, resuming his beloved travels — particularly aboard the cramped quarters of a cruise ship, most people’s idea of a pandemic nightmare — was especially perilous. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

This episode contains mention of sexual assault.  Kansas this week became the first U.S. state since the fall of Roe v. Wade to put the question of abortion directly to the electorate. The result was resounding. Voters chose overwhelmingly to preserve abortion rights, an outcome that could have important political reverberations for the rest of the country. Guest: Mitch Smith, a correspondent covering the Midwest and the Great Plains for The New York Times. Background reading:  The defeat of the ballot measure in Kansas was the most tangible demonstration yet of a political backlash against the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe. The result relied on a broad coalition of voters who turned out in huge numbers and crashed through party and geographic lines. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Democrats are meddling in Republican primaries this year to an unusual degree, attempting to elevate extremist candidates who they think will be easy to defeat in midterms in the fall. Nowhere has that strategy been more divisive than in the election for a House seat in Michigan. Guest: Jonathan Weisman, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  The meddling in Republican primaries has prompted angry finger-pointing and a debate among Democrats over the perils and wisdom of the strategy. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

On Monday, President Biden announced that the United States had killed Ayman al-Zawahri in a drone strike in Afghanistan.  Al-Zawahri was the leader of Al Qaeda. A long time number two to Osama bin Laden and the intellectual spine of the terrorist group, he assumed power after bin Laden was killed by U.S. in 2011.  Who was al-Zawahri, and what does his death mean for Afghanistan’s relationship with the United States and for the threat of global terrorism?  Guest: Eric Schmitt, a senior correspondent covering national security for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  The drone strike that killed al-Zawahri, a key plotter of the 9/11 attacks, capped a 21-year manhunt.  Killed at 71, al-Zawahri led a life of secrecy and violence.  For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

In mid-June, cases of monkeypox were in the double digits in the United States. There were drug treatments and vaccines against it. There didn’t seem to be any reason for alarm. But in the weeks since, the virus has spread rapidly across the country, with some local and state officials declaring public health emergencies. Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  Longstanding weaknesses in the American public health system are giving monkeypox a chance to become entrenched. Here are answers to three pressing questions about how the virus spreads and how it can be treated. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

For generations, America’s major publishers focused almost entirely on white readers. Now a new cadre of executives is trying to open up the industry. The journalist Marcela Valdes spent a year reporting on what she described as “the problematic history of diversity in book publishing and the ways it has affected editors, authors and what you see (or don’t see) in bookstores.” Interviewing more than 50 current and former book professionals, as well as authors, Ms. Valdes learned about the previous unsuccessful attempts to cultivate Black audiences, and considered the intricacies of an industry culture that still struggles to “overcome the clubby, white elitism it was born in.” As one publishing executive puts it, the future of book publishing will be determined not only by its recent hires but also by how it answers this question: Instead of fighting over slices of a shrinking pie, can publishers work to make the readership bigger for everyone? This story was written by Marcela Valdes and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.  

For decades, Republicans have sought to make gains with a critical voting block: Latinos. Last month, when Mayra Flores was elected to Congress from Texas, she finally showed them a way to gain that support. Today, we explore what her campaign tells us about the future of the Latino vote. Guest: Jennifer Medina, a national reporter for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  Ms. Flores has leaned into her personal story to persuade voters with conservative values that it’s time to give the Republicans a try. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

To fight historic levels of inflation, the Federal Reserve this week, once again, raised interest rates, its most powerful weapon against rising prices. The move was intended to slow demand, but there was also a psychological factor: If consumers become convinced that inflation is a permanent feature of the economy, that might become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Guest: Jeanna Smialek, a correspondent covering the Federal Reserve and the economy for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  The Federal Reserve has pushed up borrowing costs at the fastest pace in decades. The New York Times invited readers to share their thoughts about the price rises and asked how much more inflation they expected. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

This episode contains details of alleged sexual assault.  In the past year, more than 20 women have accused the star N.F.L. quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct. Despite the allegations, Watson has signed one of the most lucrative contracts in the history of football, with the Cleveland Browns, and will take the field today for training camp. Guest: Jenny Vrentas, a sports reporter for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  The accusations have been frequent and startling: More than two dozen women have said that Watson harassed or assaulted them. Watson and his lawyers say the encounters were innocuous. N.F.L. players pay a small price when accused of violence against women, a peer-reviewed study has found. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Democrats introduced a bill to prevent the right to gay marriage from meeting the same fate as the right to abortion. The bill was expected to go nowhere, but it has won more and more Republican support and now seems to have a narrow path to enactment. Guest: Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  Larger-than-expected Republican support in the House for legislation to codify marriage equality caught both parties off guard. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Born in response to the 2008 financial crisis, cryptocurrency was supposed be a form of money that eliminated the traditional gatekeepers who had overseen the tanking of the economy. But a crash in value recently has raised questions about cryptocurrency’s central promise. Guest: David Yaffe-Bellany, a reporter covering cryptocurrencies and fintech for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  No one wanted to miss out on the cryptocurrency mania. A global industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars rose up practically overnight. Now it is crashing down. Celsius Network was managing more than $20 billion in assets. Last month, it became the latest crypto venture to spiral into a crisis. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

How do you teach your child about sex? It’s a perennial question that has spawned hundreds of illustrated books meant to demystify sexual intercourse. But for the Canadian author Cory Silverberg, there was something lacking. Silverberg, who uses they/them pronouns, felt that books on sex aimed at children often omitted mention of intimacy in the context of disability or gender nonconformity. And so they set about making a book of their own. They wanted to tell a story of how babies are made that would apply to all kinds of children, whether they were conceived the traditional way or through reproductive technologies, whether they live with adoptive or biological parents, and no matter their family configuration. The book critic Elaine Blair, who had also felt that children’s literature on sex was a little thin on inclusivity, recalls being drawn in by the fact that Silverberg’s “Sex is a Funny Word” is one of few children’s books that contend with the fact that children encounter representations of sexuality in the media. Ms. Blair met up with Silverberg in Houston to understand the germ of the idea and the editorial process of delivering the book, from conception to print. This story was written by Elaine Blair and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.  

The Great Salt Lake is drying up. Soaring demand for water, exacerbated by drought and higher temperatures in the region, are shrinking the waters, which play such a crucial role in the landscape, ecology and weather of Salt Lake City and Utah. Can the lake be saved? Guest: Christopher Flavelle, a climate reporter for The New York Times. Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  Utah’s dilemma raises a core question as the United States heats up: How quickly are Americans willing to adapt to the effects of climate change, even as those effects become urgent, obvious, and potentially catastrophic? For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

A series of blockbuster hearings from the Jan. 6 committee has put growing pressure on Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to bring criminal charges against former President Donald J. Trump over the efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Before today’s committee hearing, we speak with Andrew D. Goldstein, one of the prosecutors who led the last major investigation into Mr. Trump, about why winning a case against the former president is such a challenge. Guest: Andrew Goldstein, a federal prosecutor who was part of the Mueller inquiry into Mr. Trump.  Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter.  Background reading:  Mr. Trump has issued a rambling 12-page statement containing his usual mix of outlandish claims, hyperbole and outright falsehoods, but also, apparently, with something different: the beginnings of a legal defense. Robert S. Mueller III was often portrayed as the omnipotent fact-gatherer for his inquiry, but it was Mr. Goldstein who had a much more involved, day-to-day role. (Here’s our profile of Mr. Goldstein from 2019.) For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.