The Daily

What does the continuing fallout from the Signal text security breach tell us about President Trump’s cabinet’s approach to blame and accountability?

The Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Eric Schmitt, Julian E. Barnes and Maggie Haberman sit down to make sense of the latest week.

Guest: 

• Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times based in Washington.
• Julian E. Barnes, a reporter covering the U.S. intel...

For the past three decades, the U.S. government has released documents related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy with an overriding goal of dispelling conspiracy theories.

Julian E. Barnes, who covers the U.S. intelligence agencies, explains why President Trump’s motivations behind releasing the latest batch are far more complicated.

Guest: Julian E. Barnes, a reporter covering the U.S. intelligence agencies and international s...

This week, top Trump officials inadvertently shared secret U.S. military plans with a prominent journalist after mistakenly adding him to a group chat.

The journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, who is editor in chief at The Atlantic, discusses what he was thinking as he read the messages and what he makes of the fallout.

Guest: Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief at The Atlantic.

Background reading: 

• Read Mr. Goldberg’s piece in The Atlantic...

As President Trump set out to systematically eliminate or intimidate those who stood in his way — inspectors general, judges, law firms — the news media loomed as one of his most stubborn obstacles. Or so it seemed.

Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The New York Times, explains how Mr. Trump is circumventing and undermining the fourth estate in a way no president before him ever has.

Guest: Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The...

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has put the American university system on notice.

It has pressed for changes, opened investigations — and in some cases withheld critical funds.

Alan Blinder, who covers education in America, explains how schools are responding to the pressure and what it might mean for the future of higher education.

Guest: Alan Blinder, a national correspondent for The New York Times, writing about education...

Sometime in the 1850s or ’60s, at a terrible moment in U.S. history, a strange man seemed to sprout, out of nowhere, into the rocky landscape between New York City and Hartford, Conn. The word “strange” hardly captures his strangeness. He was rough and hairy, and he wandered around on back roads, sleeping in caves. Above all, he refused to explain himself. As one newspaper put it: “He is a mystery, and a very greasy and ill-odored ...

As President Trump has rolled out his economic agenda, the assumption has been that he would quickly scale back his most aggressive policies once they began to scare consumers and the financial markets. But that assumption turned out to be wrong.

Ben Casselman, who covers economics, and Maggie Haberman, who covers the White House, explain why Mr. Trump’s economic plan may be backfiring and why he doesn’t seem to mind.

Guest: 

• Ben ...

Five years ago, at the urging of federal officials, much of the United States locked down to stop the spread of Covid. Over time, the action polarized the country and changed the relationship between many Americans and their government.

Michael Barbaro speaks to Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee, two prominent political scientists who dispute the effectiveness of the lockdowns, to find out what they think will be required when the next...

President Trump’s showdown with the courts reached a new milestone on Tuesday, when he called for a federal judge to be impeached and the chief justice of the Supreme Court publicly scolded the president in response.

Luke Broadwater, who covers the White House for The Times, discusses the deportation case at the center of the confrontation — and whether the constitutional crisis that many have feared has now arrived.

Guest: Luke Broa...

After engaging in a campaign of retribution against his enemies within the federal government, President Trump is turning to those outside of it.

Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains what that retribution has looked like for a single law firm — and the impact it has had on the entire legal profession.

Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, covering Washin...

Warning: This episode contains strong language.

Over the past few days, a routine debate over government funding has exploded into an angry showdown over the Democrats’ identity in the Trump era, and whether their current leadership is right for the moment.

Catie Edmondson, who covers Congress, and Shane Goldmacher, who covers national politics, discuss a weekend that rocked the Democratic Party.

Guest: 

• Catie Edmondson, a congress...

In just a few weeks, the Trump administration has taken a hard line with allies such as Mexico and Canada. Now, a trade war is on the horizon with Europe.

Mark Landler, the London bureau chief of The New York Times, explains how a fracturing alliance with Europe could affect global political dynamics.

Guest: Mark Landler, the London bureau chief of The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The European Union responded to American st...

A gloves-off trade war with the United States is uniting Canadians against their southern neighbor.

Matina Stevis-Gridneff, the Canada bureau chief for The New York Times, explains how the dispute is shifting the country’s politics, culture and place on the global stage.

Guest: Matina Stevis-Gridneff, the Canada bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• President Trump intensified statehood threats as he increased t...

A measles outbreak continues to spread in Texas. More than 200 people have been infected. One child has died. And health experts are now concerned that low vaccination rates will make it harder to contain.

Teddy Rosenbluth, a health reporter at The New York Times, explains the rapid outbreak — and asks whether the government’s response will signal a turning point in how America views public heath.

Guest: Teddy Rosenbluth, a health re...

In his recent address before Congress, President Trump talked once again about his big ambitions for Greenland.

He told the icebound island’s “incredible people” that he supported their right to determine their future. But he ended his message with a threat, declaring, “One way or the other we are going to get it.”

Jeffrey Gettleman, an international correspondent for The New York Times who recently traveled to the island, explains w...

In the coming days, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would follow through on one of his major campaign promises: to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. The catch is that he still needs the department to impose his vision on American schools.

Dana Goldstein, who covers education for The Times, explains how Mr. Trump is balancing his desire both to dismantle and to weaponize the Education Department.

Gu...

One thing I’ve learned from being married to my wife, Jess, who is a couples therapist, is how vast the distance is between the masks people show to the world and the messy realities that live behind them. Every couple knows its own drama, but we still fall prey to the illusion that all other couples have seamlessly satisfying relationships. The truth about marriage — including my own — is that even the most functional couples are ...