The Daily

Across the world, developed nations have locked themselves into unsustainable, energy-intensive lifestyles. As environmental collapse threatens, the journalist Noah Gallagher Shannon explores the lessons in sustainability that can be learned from looking “at smaller, perhaps even less prosperous nations” such as Uruguay. “The task of shrinking our societal footprint is the most urgent problem of o...

The midterm elections have left both parties in a moment of reflection. For Republicans, it’s time to make a choice about Trumpism, but one that may no longer be theirs to make. For Democrats, it’s about how much of their future is inherently tied to the G.O.P.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https...

Earlier this year, much of the crypto industry imploded, taking with it billions of dollars. From that crash, one company and its charismatic founder emerged as the industry’s savior. Last week, that company collapsed. Who is Sam Bankman-Fried, how did he become the face of crypto, and why did so many believe in him? Guest: David Yaffe-Bellany , a reporter covering cryptocurrencies and fintech for...

This week, Israel swore in a new Parliament, paving the way back to power for former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as he is on trial for corruption. Now, the country is on the cusp of its most right-wing government in history. Who and what forces are behind these events in Israeli politics? Guest: Patrick Kingsley , the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times. Background reading: ...

Divided government appears poised to return to Washington. In the midterm elections, the Republicans seem likely to manage to eke out a majority in the House, but they will have a historically small margin of control. The Republican majority will be very conservative, made up of longtime members — some of whom have drifted more to the right — and a small but influential group of hard-right Republi...

Days after voters rejected his vision for the country in the midterms, former President Donald J. Trump is expected to announce a third run for president. Despite the poor results for candidates he backed, why are Republican leaders powerless to stop him? Guest: Maggie Haberman , a White House correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  Republicans may still win the House. But an un...

On the first nationwide test of American students since the pandemic, scores plummeted to levels not seen in 20 years. The results show how challenging it was to keep students on track during the pandemic. What do the scores tell us about remote learning, who lost the most ground academically, and what can schools do to help students recover? Guest: Sarah Mervosh , a national reporter for The New...

Sandra Plantz, an administrator at Gallia County Local Schools for more than 20 years, oversees areas as diverse as Title I reading remediation and federal grants for all seven of the district’s schools. In recent years, though, she has leaned in hard on a role that is overlooked in many districts: homeless liaison. Ms. Plantz’s district, in rural Ohio, serves an area that doesn’t offer much in th...

This week’s elections have been startlingly close. Control of both chambers of Congress remain up in the air. Historically, the president’s party is blown away in midterms. And the Democrats were further hampered this time round by President Biden’s unpopularity. Considering the headwinds, how did they do so well? Guest: Nate Cohn , chief political analyst for The New York Times. Background readin...

In the early hours of Wednesday, control of both the House and Senate remained uncertain. Going into the midterms, some analysts expected a repudiation of the Democrats and a surge of Republican victories. But this “red wave” did not materialize.  Today, we try to make sense of the surprising results.  Guest: Astead W. Herndon , a national political reporter for The New York Times. Background read...

Over the last decade, Wisconsin has become an extreme experiment in single-party rule. Republican officials have redrawn the state’s election districts and rewritten laws to ensure their domination of the state’s legislature. In Tuesday’s elections, those officials are asking voters for the final lever of power: control over the entire system of voting.  Guest: Reid J. Epstein , a reporter coverin...

For the Democrats to hold on to power in Washington, they have to do what President Biden did in Pennsylvania two years ago: Break the Republican Party’s grip on the white working-class vote, once the core of the Democratic base.  In tomorrow’s midterm election, no race better encapsulates that challenge than the Pennsylvania Senate candidacy of John Fetterman. Is the plan working or is this cruci...

The phenomenon of babies stolen from hospitals in Spain, once shrouded in secrecy, is now being spoken about. The thefts happened during the end of the regime of Francisco Franco, the right-wing dictator who ruled the country until 1975, and even today the disappearances remain a subject of mystery and debate among scholars. According to the birth mothers, nuns who worked in maternity wards took t...

This moment in politics will be defined by shifts at the grass-roots level. It wasn’t long ago that Democrats used to brag about the coalition they had built — full of young people, minority voters and college-educated women. Today, we talk to members of the Democratic base, many of whom no longer see a clear path forward for the party. “The Run-Up” is a new politics podcast from The New York Time...

With an unpopular president and soaring inflation, Democrats knew they had an uphill battle in the midterms. But the fall of Roe v. Wade seemed to offer the party a way of energizing voters and holding ground. And one place where that hope could live or die is Michigan. Guest: Lisa Lerer , a national political correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  Some top Democrats say that t...

For decades, many universities have used race as a factor when deciding which students to admit. In the past, the Supreme Court has backed that practice, called affirmative action, in the interest of creating a diverse student body. This week, however, the majority-conservative court is considering a case that may change affirmative action forever. Guest: Adam Liptak , a correspondent covering the...

Early on Friday, an intruder broke into the San Francisco home of Nancy Pelosi and bludgeoned Ms. Pelosi’s husband, Paul, with a hammer. The shocking attack underlined fears about the growing number of threats against members of Congress and the woeful lack of security around those lawmakers. Guest: Catie Edmondson , a congressional correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  A trai...

It was long awaited, and some doubted that it would ever come to pass, but last week, the tech billionaire Elon Musk officially took over Twitter. The platform was once the place of underdogs, a public square that allowed users to challenge the moneyed and powerful. Is that about to change? Guest: Kevin Roose , a technology columnist for The New York Times, and co-host of the Times podcast “ Hard...

Four years ago, Xi Jinping set himself up to become China’s leader indefinitely. At last week’s Communist Party congress in Beijing, he stepped into that role, making a notable sweep of the country’s other top leaders and placing even greater focus on national security. Guest: Chris Buckley , chief China correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  At the congress, Mr. Xi didn’t ment...

For Sam Anderson, a staff writer, traveling with animals can lead to enlightening experience. In this essay for The New York Times Magazine, Mr. Anderson explores what he has learned from a lifetime of voyaging with animals, and what it means to connect with another creature: bridging spiritual, physical and even temporal distances, and reaching into “something like evolutionary time.” “An animal...

This moment in politics will be defined by shifts at the grass-roots level. Today, we talk to conservative voters about the forces animating the midterm elections for them — and what Washington can learn from the people.  What do you think of “The Run-Up” so far? Please take our listener survey at nytimes.com/therunupsurvey.  “ The Run-Up ” is a new politics podcast from The New York Times. Leadin...

Voters in Brazil on Sunday will choose between two larger-than-life, populist candidates in a presidential race that is widely seen as the nation’s — and Latin America’s — most important election in decades. Who are the candidates, and why is the future of Brazilian democracy also on the ballot? Guest: Jack Nicas , the Brazil bureau chief for The New York Times. Background reading:  The contest —...

As Democratic Party leaders assessed their vulnerabilities in this year’s midterm elections, the one state they did not worry about was New York. That — it turns out — was a mistake. Despite being a blue state through and through, and a place President Donald J. Trump lost by 23 points two years ago, the red tide of this moment is lapping at New York’s shores. Why is New York up for grabs? Guest:...

A few days ago, when the House committee investigating Jan. 6 issued a subpoena to former President Donald J. Trump, it raised a legal question: Can Congress compel a former president to testify? The committee’s move, while dramatic, is not without precedent. What do presidential subpoenas of the past teach us about the moment we’re in, and about what the former president might do next? Guest: Luk...

In the early days of its war on Ukraine, Russia cut off gas supplied to most of Europe, plunging the continent into the most severe energy crisis in decades. Soaring prices have put some European leaders on the defensive over their support of Ukraine in the war as they navigate economic crises and bubbling unrest at home. Guest: Matina Stevis-Gridneff , the Brussels bureau chief for The New York T...