Warning: This episode contains descriptions of death. When fires swept West Maui, Hawaii, many residents fled for their lives — but soon discovered they had nowhere to go. Thousands of structures, mostly homes, have been reduced to rubble. Husks of incinerated cars line the historic Front Street in Lahaina, while search crews nearby make their way painstakingly from house to house, looking for human remains. Ydriss Nouara, a resident of Lahaina, recounts his experience fleeing the inferno and Mi...
Aug 18, 2023•42 min
A plea deal struck between the Department of Justice and Hunter Biden was supposed to bring his years of legal troubles to an end. Instead, that deal has unraveled and a special counsel has been named to take over the case. Michael Schmidt, a Washington correspondent for The Times, explains why that turn of events is increasingly pitting the interests of Hunter Biden against those of President Biden. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt , a Washington correspondent for The New York Times. Background readin...
Aug 17, 2023•27 min
In a region of Africa where authoritarianism has been rising, Niger seemed to be on a different path of democracy and partnership with the United States. Declan Walsh, chief Africa correspondent for The Times, explains how a military coup has now put all of that in jeopardy and why Niger’s allies still think it’s possible to reverse that coup. Guest: Declan Walsh , the chief Africa correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: The military junta that seized power in Niger said it wou...
Aug 16, 2023•26 min
On Monday, former President Donald J. Trump and 18 others were indicted by an Atlanta grand jury, with Mr. Trump and some of his former top aides accused of orchestrating a “criminal enterprise” to reverse the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. Richard Fausset, who covers politics and culture in the American South for The Times, explains why, of all the charges piling up against Trump, this one may be the hardest to escape. Guest: Richard Fausset , a New York Times correspondent based in A...
Aug 15, 2023•22 min
Last week, wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui that became the deadliest in the United States in over a century. The town of Lahaina, once the royal capital of the kingdom of Hawaii, was one of the places hit hardest — its historic center was decimated, including Waiola Church, the oldest on the island and a cherished meeting place. Today, the minister of Waiola Church, Anela Rosa, explains what it means to lose Lahaina and what it will take to rebuild it. Guest: Anela Rosa, minis...
Aug 14, 2023•28 min
Last October, the United States Bureau of Industry and Security issued a document that, underneath its 139 pages of dense bureaucratic jargon and minute technical detail, amounted to a declaration of economic war on China. The magnitude of the act was made all the more remarkable by the relative obscurity of its source. In recent years, semiconductor chips have become central to the bureau’s work. Despite the immense intricacy of their design, semiconductors are, in a sense, quite simple: tiny p...
Aug 13, 2023•34 min
A few days ago, when the U.S. team was eliminated from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, it marked the end of a history-making run. Rory Smith, chief soccer correspondent for The Times, argues that it also marked the end of something even bigger: an entire era that redefined women’s sports. Guest: Rory Smith , the chief soccer correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: After 48 games in the Women’s World Cup, half the teams had been sent home. And yet the field of potential winners feel...
Aug 11, 2023•33 min
This summer, unrelenting heat waves have taken a devastating toll in many parts of the world, putting this year on track to be the hottest ever recorded. Coral Davenport, who covers energy and environmental policy for The Times, and Dana Smith, a reporter for the Well section, discuss what it means to live in this new normal, an era in which extreme heat threatens our way of life. Guest: Coral Davenport , an energy and environmental policy correspondent for The New York Times. Dana G. Smith , a ...
Aug 10, 2023•35 min
Satellites owned by Elon Musk’s Starlink orbit the earth and beam an internet connection to almost anywhere. In 2019, the company sent its first 60 or so satellites into orbit — today, it has some 4,500 circling the planet, with around 1.5 million customers across about 50 countries and territories. Adam Satariano, a technology correspondent for The Times, details the company’s rise and power, and discusses the implications of one man’s controlling it all. Guest: Adam Satariano , a technology co...
Aug 09, 2023•27 min
To win a conviction against former President Donald J. Trump for trying to subvert the results of the 2020 election, Jack Smith, the special counsel, is applying laws in ways that have never been used before. Charlie Savage, a Washington correspondent for The Times, explains Mr. Smith’s approach and previews Mr. Trump’s likely response. Guest: Charlie Savage , a Washington correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: By layering varied charges atop the same facts, while sidestepping...
Aug 08, 2023•28 min
The latest economic figures are some of the best of President Biden’s tenure so far. It appears increasingly likely that the United States has managed to tame high inflation without causing a recession. Jim Tankersley, who covers economic policy for The Times, discusses the encouraging outlook and speculates about why the positive data hasn’t translated into a bump in President Biden’s popularity. Guest: Jim Tankersley , a White House correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: For...
Aug 07, 2023•26 min
When Barb’s father all but left, her mother turned inward, sitting quietly in front of the television, always smoking, often with a cocktail. Something had overtaken her, though it wasn’t clear what. Six years later, Barb was 20 and in college when someone else in the family needed help. Her sister Christy was the second-born, 24 years older than Barb and the star of the family in many ways. But where once Christy was capable and professionally ambitious and socially conscious, now, at 44, she w...
Aug 06, 2023•47 min
The wildfires sweeping Canada have become the largest in its modern history. Across the country, 30 million acres of forest have burned — three times as much land as in the worst American fire in the past 50 years. The scale has forced an international response and a re-evaluation of how the world handles wildfires. Firefighters on the front lines discuss the challenges they face, and David Wallace-Wells, a climate columnist for The Times, explores how climate change has shifted thinking about w...
Aug 04, 2023•27 min
With Donald Trump facing charges in three different criminal cases, the biggest questions in American politics are whether that creates an opening for his Republican rivals in the presidential race — and whether it disqualifies him in the eyes of general election voters. A new set of Times polls has answers to those questions. It shows the president and the former president still tied among registered voters, each at 43 percent. Nate Cohn, The New York Times’s chief political analyst, talks us t...
Aug 03, 2023•31 min
On Tuesday afternoon, the special counsel Jack Smith filed criminal charges against former President Donald Trump over his wide-ranging attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. Luke Broadwater, a congressional reporter for The Times, talks us through the indictment and the evidence it lays out that Trump participated in an illegal conspiracy to remain in power. Guest: Luke Broadwater , a congressional reporter for The New York Times. Background reading: The New York Times’s live coverage of the i...
Aug 02, 2023•26 min
How did the National Rifle Association, America’s most influential gun-rights group, amass its power? A New York Times investigation has revealed the secret history of how a fusty club of sportsmen became a lobbying juggernaut that would compel elected officials’ allegiance, derail legislation behind the scenes, and redefine the legal landscape. Mike McIntire, an investigative reporter for The Times, sets out the story of the N.R.A.’s transformation — and the unseen role that members of Congress...
Aug 01, 2023•27 min
Last year, Giorgia Meloni, an Italian far-right politician, became prime minister on an agenda that many feared would mark a radical turn for the country. Now, her visit to the White House last week has bolstered her credentials on the international stage. Jason Horowitz, the Rome bureau chief for The New York Times, explains how she got here and the path she has carved out for Europe’s far-right parties. Guest: Jason Horowitz , the Rome bureau chief for The New York Times. Background reading: A...
Jul 31, 2023•32 min
On the weekends, when Roy Gamboa was a little boy, his grandfather would wake him before dawn. He would pour some coffee into a bowl of rice, and that would be the boy’s breakfast. Roy knew better than to question anything; he sat quietly in his grandfather’s truck as they rumbled down the big hill from their village, Hågat, to Big Navy, as the U.S. Naval Base in Guam is known. They passed through the military gates, along a dirt road and onto the shore of a little cove, next to one of America’s...
Jul 30, 2023•2 hr 44 min
Some of the worst symptoms of menopause — including hot flashes, sleeplessness and pain during sex — have an established treatment. Why aren’t more women offered it? Susan Dominus, a writer for The New York Times Magazine, explains how menopause has been misunderstood both by doctors and society for years, and tells us what happened when her article about it went viral. Guest: Susan Dominus is a writer for The New York Times Magazine. Background reading: From The New York Times Magazine: Women h...
Jul 28, 2023•32 min
A major new study has revealed just how much elite colleges admissions in the U.S. systematically favor the rich and the superrich. David Leonhardt, a senior writer for The Times and The Morning, walks through the data and explains why the study is fueling calls to abandon longstanding practices like legacy admissions. Guest: David Leonhardt , a senior writer for The New York Times and The Morning. Background reading: From the Upshot: A study of elite college admissions data suggests being very ...
Jul 27, 2023•38 min
On Wednesday morning, Hunter Biden was scheduled to a guilty plea in a Delaware courtroom, marking the end of a yearslong federal investigation that many Republicans believed would put the president’s son in prison, and put an end to the Biden presidency. Michael Schmidt, who covers national security and federal investigations for The New York Times, explains why none of that has happened. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt , a Washington correspondent for The New York Times who covers national security ...
Jul 26, 2023•34 min
When Russia invaded Ukraine, it put the global food supply at risk — until the two countries struck an unusual deal to keep shipments flowing. Last week, that deal fell apart. Marc Santora, who has been reporting from Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict, explains what the collapse of the agreement means for the war and why its impact will be felt by tens of millions of people across the world. Guest: Marc Santora , a Ukraine correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: After...
Jul 25, 2023•22 min
For the past few months, a single senator — Tommy Tuberville — has blocked hundreds of promotions in the U.S. military. Karoun Demirjian, a congressional correspondent for The Times, explains what’s behind the senator’s blockade, and why military leaders say it’s becoming a threat to national security. Guest: Karoun Demirjian , a congressional correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: Tuberville’s bid to reverse a Pentagon policy ensuring abortion access for service members has d...
Jul 24, 2023•25 min
On the morning of Feb. 7, 2017, two electricians were working on a warning siren near the spillway of Oroville Dam, 60 miles north of Sacramento, when they heard an explosion. As they watched, a giant plume of water rose over their heads, and chunks of concrete began flying down the hillside toward the Feather River. The dam’s spillway, a concrete channel capable of moving millions of gallons of water out of the reservoir in seconds, was disintegrating in front of them. If it had to be taken out...
Jul 23, 2023•54 min
“Barbie” is premiering this weekend and is trying to pull off a seemingly impossible task: taking a doll best known for reinforcing conventional stereotypes of women and rebranding it as a symbol of feminism, all without coming off as a shameless ad for the doll’s maker, Mattel. Willa Paskin, a journalist and host of Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast, recounts her conversation with the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, about how she approached the challenge. Guest: Willa Paskin , Slate’s television crit...
Jul 21, 2023•31 min•Ep. 2
As a historic heat wave grips much of the world and the United States, no city has become more emblematic of the crisis than Phoenix, where temperatures have exceeded 110 degrees for the past three weeks. Today, the city’s chief heat officer, David Hondula, discusses how the city is adjusting to the new reality of chronic extreme heat — and whether we are adapting to it fast enough. Guest: David Hondula, the director of heat response and mitigation for the city of Phoenix. Background reading: Ar...
Jul 20, 2023•24 min
Last week, for the first time in U.S. history, federal regulators approved the sale of a birth control pill without a prescription. Pam Belluck, a health and science correspondent for The Times, explains why, after decades of brutal battles over contraception, this decision played out so differently. Guest: Pam Belluck , a health and science correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: The F.D.A. approved a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription for the first time in t...
Jul 19, 2023•29 min
To refine their popular technology, new artificial intelligence platforms like Chat-GPT are gobbling up the work of authors, poets, comedians and actors — without their consent. Sheera Frenkel, a technology correspondent for The Times, explains why a rebellion is brewing. Guest: Sheera Frenkel , a technology correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: Fed up with A.I. companies consuming online content without consent , fan fiction writers, actors, social media companies and news o...
Jul 18, 2023•29 min
When China suddenly dismantled its lockdowns and other Covid precautions last December, officials in Beijing and many investors expected the economy to spring back to life. It hasn’t worked out that way. Daisuke Wakabayashi, an Asia business correspondent for The Times, explains why China’s economic rebound hit a wall, and what it says about the country’s next chapter. Guest: Daisuke Wakabayashi , an Asia business correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: Policymakers and investo...
Jul 17, 2023•23 min
Some years ago, a psychiatrist named Wendy Dean read an article about a physician who died by suicide. Such deaths were distressingly common, she discovered. The suicide rate among doctors appeared to be even higher than the rate among active military members, a notion that startled Dean, who was then working as an administrator at a U.S. Army medical research center in Maryland. Dean started asking the physicians she knew how they felt about their jobs, and many of them confided that they were ...
Jul 16, 2023•31 min
