The Daily

The midterms are shaping up to be the most expensive election cycle in history as campaigns pour huge sums into the ads voters see virtually everywhere. Today, Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The New York Times, breaks down how Democrats are tying Republicans to President Trump, inflation and corruption, while Republicans are trying to paint Democrats as too liberal. He al...

Americans are expected to spend a record $13.5 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation. That includes costumes, decorations and lots of candy. In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” our host Rachel Abrams talks about these three tent poles of the Halloween season with reporters from across the Times newsroom. Kim Severson, who covers food, tells us about the sou...

The Democratic nominee for governor on her appeal to MAGA voters and her refusal to engage in the "culture wars.” Thoughts? Email us at  theinterview@nytimes.com Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily . Transcripts of each episode will be made avai...

The approach to this year’s midterms has brought two hugely consequential changes to voting for Black Americans: the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, and redistricting. In the wake of those actions, efforts are underway to mobilize Black voters in the South. In Mississippi, the Senate battle is being seen as a sleeper race, and the Black Democrat running has a chance of flipping the seat, but sta...

Israelis head to the polls next week. On the ballot is the future of a country that has become isolated on the world stage, because of both its war in Gaza and a growing outcry over settler violence in the West Bank. David M. Halbfinger, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times, explains how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu differs from his biggest challenger. Guest: David M. Halbfinger...

The economy is one of the most important issues for voters in the midterm elections. President Trump has been trying to persuade Americans that they are wrong to be frustrated about the cost of living. Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times, explains what the latest economic data actually says. Guest: Ben Casselman , the chief economics correspondent for The New Yo...

James Talarico is asking Texas to do something it hasn’t done in nearly 40 years: Elect a Democrat to the U.S. Senate. It won’t be easy. It will take a vast coalition of Democrats, independents and Republicans in a bright red state that President Trump won by about 14 percentage points in 2024 — and where Republicans have plowed hundreds of millions of dollars into beating Mr. Talarico. And yet, p...

President Trump said he was making an energy deal with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and waiving new sanctions on Moscow. Now, he’s feuding with Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia is taking advantage of the moment by relentlessly striking Kyiv, killing civilians and cutting off power for more than a million people. Constant Méheut, who is covering the war for The New York Times,...

The comedian Nathan Fielder came to fame as the creator and host of the Comedy Central series “Nathan for You.” The show followed Fielder as he devised outrageous schemes, ostensibly with the aim of helping various small businesses. What became clear, though, was that Fielder was less interested in helping business owners generate profits than he was in understanding the people ensnared in his plo...

The longtime friends and creative partners on what U2 still means — and what would make them call it quits. Thoughts? Email us at  theinterview@nytimes.com Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily . Transcripts of each episode will be made available...

Perhaps no American feels the domestic effects of the war, tariffs and inflation more than the Iowa farmer. The political environment stirred up by those farmers’ strife could allow the Democrats to seize the moment and elect one of theirs to the Senate or the governor’s mansion for the first time in 20 years — making Iowa potentially one of the most important states on the map this midterm cycle....

With Republicans trailing in the polls, the party is making hard choices about where to spend its money — abandoning some races while pouring resources into others. Shane Goldmacher, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Lisa Lerer, political correspondents for The New York Times, explain why President Trump is campaigning almost daily in deep-red territory, how his influence is shaping the strategy and whether...

President Trump announced a deal to purchase Russian diesel fuel and temporarily suspended sanctions in an effort to lower domestic fuel prices amid rising costs from the war in Iran and in anticipation of the upcoming midterms. This abrupt foreign policy shift stunned European allies and drew sharp criticism from Ukraine, which viewed the move as a weakening of Western leverage against Russia. To...

Artificial intelligence has gone from struggling with basic arithmetic to helping solve some of mathematics’ most famous open problems — and the field is reckoning with what that means. Steven Strogatz, a professor of mathematics at Cornell University, describes the excitement and grief of watching A.I. take on work that gives people a sense of purpose — and asks what could be lost if machines del...

The documentary film “NAZA,” which investigates the methods the Israeli military has used in the war in Gaza since the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, received a record-breaking standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival last month. Just a few days later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would propose legislation that could revoke the directors’ Israeli citizenship, arguing that they...

A dramatic pop music comeback story is underway: Celine Dion is performing again. In 2022, Dion, the renowned Canadian singer, announced that she had stiff person syndrome, a rare and incurable neurological disorder that causes painful muscle spasms and affects roughly one in a million people. The announcement came as a shock to her fans, and in a raw and revealing documentary released in 2024, “I...

As the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric goes to both sides of conflicts. She’s worried that our warring world is spiraling out of control. Thoughts? Email us at  theinterview@nytimes.com Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview For more information on today’s episode, visit nyti...

For weeks, thousands of high school students in France have been out in the streets protesting the conditions of public schools. They want better funding, something that won’t be easy with the current state of French finances. Mark Landler, the Paris bureau chief, explains why after years of overspending, France is in crisis, and is driving toward a fiscal cliff. Guest: Mark Landler , the Paris bu...

Christa Pike survived two doses of a lethal injection drug last week during a botched execution in Tennessee. Pamela Colloff, who writes for The New York Times Magazine, discusses the waning public support for the death penalty and why despite it some states are doubling down. Guest: Pamela Colloff , a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. Background reading:&nb...

What exactly happened near an air base in Britain used by the United States? Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses what he’s learned about the mysterious events around the base, including the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. Air Force bombers. Guest: Eric Schmitt , a national security correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  A mysterious...

Over the past few weeks, millions of people have rushed to download a new type of artificial intelligence app — agents. They are useful, kind of cute and need your most sensitive personal information to work. Eli Tan, a reporter who covers technology for The New York Times, opened up his life to Muse, Meta’s A.I. agent. He explained what happened next. Guest: Eli Tan , a reporter covering the tech...

A new set of polls from The New York Times finds that Democratic candidates are doing remarkably well in the Republican-leaning states that they need to win to gain control of the U.S. Senate in next month’s midterm elections. They are doing less well in the blue states that, in theory, should be easier to win. Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The Times, offers his idea of what is behind...

If you dine out regularly, you might have noticed some changes in restaurants over the past few years. Perhaps you’ve found yourself ordering at a counter, scanning a QR code to see the menu, or eating … a lot more soft serve. These changes aren’t just trends. Brett Anderson, a New York Times food reporter, says they are restaurant owners’ desperate attempts to stay afloat in an industry in crisis...

The comedian and filmmaker on what real friendship looks like, what keeps him up at night and his new movie, "Misty Green." Thoughts? Email us at  theinterview@nytimes.com Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily . Transcripts of each episode will be...

An alleged campus sexual assault at Cornell University has gripped the country and ignited a national debate over consent. Debra Kamin, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains what we know about what happened. Guest: Debra Kamin , an investigative reporter for the The New York Times. Background reading:  Documents reviewed by The Times reveal how a Cornell student went from...