The Daily

The war has already done untold damage. By some estimates, tens of thousands have died, and the country has sustained tens of billions of dollars’ worth of damage that has left cities flattened. But Ukraine has also largely stopped the offensives of its much larger and better-armed neighbor and has regained some captured land. On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion, these Ukrainians reflect...

Since 1996, the modern internet has been defined by a sweeping law that prevents tech companies such as Facebook and Google from being held responsible for the content posted on their sites. This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could take that legal immunity away. Guest: Adam Liptak , who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times. Background reading:  The decision on w...

In a major shift that would modify laws set half a decade ago, states and cities around the United States are moving to legalize psychedelics for use as a medical treatment. The sudden change of heart has a lot to do with who is asking for the substances. Guest: Andrew Jacobs , a health and science reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  Lawmakers find it hard to “just say no” to com...

The great supply chain disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic scrambled the shipping system across the Pacific. Although mostly over, the turmoil has led to alterations in the way the global economy functions. One such change can be seen in Mexico, where companies from China are increasingly setting up shop. Guest: Peter S. Goodman , a global economics correspondent for The New York Times....

Times tech columnist Kevin Roose stopped by The Daily twice this week to chronicle the debut of Bing’s new chatbot — and the creepy things that transpired. Today, we’re bringing you the latest episode of Kevin’s podcast, Hard Fork. Kevin, along with his co-host Casey Newton, expand the discussion about why Microsoft’s A.I. search tool appears more powerful — and more unsettling — than they initial...

Microsoft recently released a new version of its search engine Bing that is powered by artificial intelligence software from OpenAI, the maker of the popular chatbot ChatGPT. On Valentine’s Day, after a meal with his wife, Kevin Roose, a New York Times technology columnist, had a two-hour conversation with the chatbot. The chatbot, which revealed that it identified as Sydney, told Kevin that it wa...

When a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey last week, it killed thousands and created a crisis within a crisis. International aid began pouring into Turkey, but northwestern Syria, which was also hard-hit, received only a trickle. It was a bitter blow for Syrians, whose lives had already been uprooted by years of civil war, mass displacement and death. Today, we hear from some Syrians an...

Microsoft recently released a new version of Bing, its search engine that has long been kind of a punchline in the tech world. The company billed this Bing — which is powered by artificial intelligence software from OpenAI, the maker of the popular chatbot ChatGPT — as a reinvention of how billions of people search the internet. How does that claim hold up? Guest: Kevin Roose , a technology column...

Last week, after the Air Force shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon, examination of its wreckage revealed that it could not only take images, but also scoop up radio and cellphone communications.  The balloon, the U.S. military said, was part of a bigger global program by China to collect information about military operations. Since then the U.S. has shot down three other objects from the skie...

Amid growing threats from rivals like China, the United States military is determined to invest in new forms of defense and abandon those that no longer meet its needs. On that list: a combat ship rife with flaws. But getting rid of the ship has proved unexpectedly difficult. Guest: Eric Lipton , an investigative reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  After years of crippling proble...

Menopausal hormone therapy was once the most commonly prescribed treatment in the United States. In the late 1990s, some 15 million women a year were receiving a prescription for it. But in 2002, a single study, its design imperfect, found links between hormone therapy and elevated health risks for women of all ages. Panic set in; in one year, the number of prescriptions plummeted. Hormone therapy...

This weekend, one of the most watched sporting events of the year, the Super Bowl, will draw an estimated $16 billion in bets from Americans, more than double last year’s total. The booming trade is a sign of how gambling has gone from illegal to legal very quickly in many states — and hints at the enormous risks posed by the change. Guest: Kenneth P. Vogel , an investigative correspondent for The...

For the past decade, San Francisco has worked hard to turn its downtown into a vibrant hub, providing a model that other cities in the United States looked to emulate. In the wake of the pandemic, however, many buildings and offices in the center of the city have remained empty. What went wrong? Guest: Conor Dougherty , an economics reporter at The New York Times and author of “Golden Gates: The H...

This episode contains descriptions of violence.  The death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, at the hands of officers in Memphis last month has intensified calls for fundamental reform in policing. Those calls were echoed yesterday by President Biden, who hosted Mr. Nichols’s parents at the State of the Union address. Today, we hear about a Times investigation into the special team of offi...

On Monday, a giant 7.8-magnitude earthquake and an aftershock almost as big shook the earth in southern Turkey. The quakes sent ripples through neighboring countries, but the area along the Syrian-Turkish border was hit particularly hard. Thousands of people have been killed, and dozens of cities have been gutted. We hear from witnesses on the ground about what happened when the devastating tremor...

On Wednesday, residents in Montana saw a mysterious object — a balloon — hovering and bobbing around in the skies. The enigma brought Americans out to squint at the heavens, caused a diplomatic visit to be canceled and opened a political debate. How did a balloon end up kindling such tension between Washington and Beijing? Guest: Edward Wong , a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times. Bac...

Going out to dinner with Juan Tamariz in Madrid is a little like accompanying a cartoon character on a journey to the real world. As Shuja Haider, the author of today’s Sunday Read, walked with him on side streets off the city center’s main drag, the Calle Gran Vía, heads turned left and right. Mr. Tamariz, 80, has been a professional magician for 52 years, and in that time, he has managed the sin...

The Biden administration said this week that it would end the public health emergency for Covid, a sign that federal officials believe that the pandemic has moved into a new, less dire phase. The move carries both symbolic weight and real-world consequences for millions of Americans. Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli , a science and global health reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  The e...

For the past 50 years, the race to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee has been shaped by the where the contest begins: Iowa. But that process could soon be overhauled. In a coming meeting of the Democratic National Committee, South Carolina — a state that is more representative of the party and, possibly, of the country — could take over the key role of going first. Guest: Adam Nag...

The typical sales price of an existing family home in the United States in December: 372,700. The number of layoffs in the tech sector since the beginning of the year: 76,000. The number by which consumer spending fell in December: 0.2 percent. The increase in the cost of the same kind of carton of eggs bought by an editor on “The Daily” a year apart: 251 percent. What do these numbers tell us abo...

In the United States, 40 million people in seven states depend on water provided by the Colorado River. After 20 years of drought, the situation is dire and the river is at risk of becoming a “deadpool,” a condition in which there is not enough water to pass through the dams. The states were supposed to come up with a deal to cut their usage by Tuesday. Now, the federal government may have to step...

This episode contains descriptions of violence and strong language. Tyre Nichols was a 29-year-old Black man who lived in Memphis. His mother described him as living a simple and pleasant life. He worked for FedEx, loved to skateboard, was an amateur photographer and had a 4-year-old son. On the evening of Jan. 7, after a traffic stop, Mr. Nichols was violently beaten by the police, sustaining sev...

In the past half-century, 17 percent of the Amazon — an area larger than Texas — has been converted to croplands or cattle pasture. Less forest means less recycled rain, less vapor to cool the air, less of a canopy to shield against sunlight. Under drier, hotter conditions, even the lushest of Amazonian trees will shed leaves to save water, inhibiting photosynthesis — a feedback loop that is only...

This episode contains descriptions of violence and injury.  In September, protests began in Iran over the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, at the hands of the government. The demonstrations have since intensified, as has the government’s response, with thousands arrested and a terrifying campaign of public executions underway. Today, Iranians who have taken part in the demonstrations tell us —...

Recent advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended a bold approach to treating the millions of children in the United States who are affected by obesity. Counseling, drug treatment and even surgery should be considered, the group says. The guidelines are a response to a deeper understanding of what obesity is — and what to do about it. Guest: Gina Kolata , a medical reporter for...