Over the past 48 hours, wildfires have consumed acre after acre and building after building across greater Los Angeles. More than 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, and at least five people have died. The Times’s L.A. bureau chief, Corina Knoll, and our staff meteorologist, Judson Jones, explain the paths of the fires and the conditions that have made them so hard to contain. Guests: Corina Knoll , the Los Angeles bureau chief for The New York Times, covering Southern California; and ...
Jan 09, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Justin Trudeau said he would step down as prime minister of Canada — a stunning downfall for a man who was once seen as a global icon of progressive politics. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, the Canada bureau chief for The New York Times, explains the forces that led to Trudeau’s collapse, and discusses the populist leader who could replace him. Guest: Matina Stevis-Gridneff , the Canada bureau chief for The New York Times. Background reading: A timeline of Justin Trudeau’s rise and fall. Her...
Jan 08, 2025•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast During their first few days in power, the Republican-controlled House and Senate vowed to put aside their furious intraparty battles to make Donald J. Trump’s sweeping agenda the law of the land. Catie Edmonson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times, discusses how likely that actually is. Guest: Catie Edmondson , a congressional correspondent for The New York Times Background reading: Vice President Kamala D. Harris presided over the certification of her own loss without disputing...
Jan 07, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since the riot on Capitol Hill four years ago, President-elect Donald Trump and his allies have set out to sanitize the events of that day, changing it from a day of violence into, in Mr. Trump’s words, a day of love. As he prepares to take office for his second term, Mr. Trump said he plans to issue pardons to some of those responsible, throwing hundreds of criminal cases into doubt. Alan Feuer, a reporter covering extremism and political violence for The New York Times, talks to one of those r...
Jan 06, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast At the end of a tenure marked by war and division, the outgoing secretary of state defends his legacy on Gaza and Ukraine and says he’s made America stronger.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Jan 04, 2025•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence and death. A mere three hours into 2025, terrorism struck in downtown New Orleans. The Times journalists Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Mike Baker, and Christina Morales discuss what we know about the attack, the man who carried it out and the victims. Guests: Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs , a reporter at The New York Times covering criminal justice. Mike Baker , a national reporter for The New York Times. Christina Morales , a reporter for The New Y...
Jan 03, 2025•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: this episode contains strong language. Over the past five years, one sports league has gained popularity faster than any other: Ultimate Fighting Championship, or U.F.C. Matt Flegenheimer, a correspondent for The Times, discusses the man behind the league and how his longtime friendship with President-elect Donald J. Trump has transformed what once was a fringe sport into a culture and political powerhouse. Guest: Matt Flegenheimer , a correspondent at The New York Times who focuses on ...
Jan 02, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast To end the year, Melissa Kirsch, The New York Times’s deputy editor of Culture and Lifestyle, talks with Times reporters, editors and columnists whose jobs involve thinking about how we live, and how we might live better. First, she speaks with Philip Galanes, who writes the Social Q’s column, on what makes good advice. Then, Jancee Dunn, a reporter on the Well desk, shares some of the most useful tips she has gleaned this year. Finally, Daniel Jones, who has edited the Modern Love column for mo...
Dec 31, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast As 2024 comes to a close, critics, reporters and editors at The New York Times are reflecting on the year in arts and culture, including books. The deputy editor of Culture and Lifestyle, Melissa Kirsch, speaks with the editor of The New York Times Book Review, Gilbert Cruz, about the best books of 2024 — and of the century. Also, The Times’s book critics detail their favorite reads of the year. Guest: Melissa Kirsch , the deputy editor of Culture and Lifestyle for The New York Times. Gilbert Cr...
Dec 31, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 1976, after the Watergate scandal and the country’s withdrawal from the Vietnam War, American voters elected Jimmy Carter, a Washington outsider who had served one term as governor of Georgia, to the presidency. Mr. Carter brought a new humility to the Oval Office but, by 1980, many Americans had tired of his modest sensibility and chose not to re-elect him. As it would turn out, the qualities that hurt Mr. Carter in the White House formed the foundation of a post-presidential period that hel...
Dec 30, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast For decades, Big Food has been marketing products to people who can’t seem to stop eating, and now, suddenly, they can. The active ingredient in new drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound mimics a natural hormone that slows digestion and signals fullness to the brain. Around seven million Americans take these drugs, but estimates from Morgan Stanley suggest that number could increase to 24 million within the next decade. More than 100 million American adults are obese, and the drugs may eventua...
Dec 29, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast By the time Sam Apple pulled up with his goldendoodle, Steve, to their resting place, he was tired from the long drive and already second-guessing his plan. He felt a little better when they stepped inside the Dogwood Acres Pet Retreat. The lobby, with its elegant tiled entrance, might have passed for the lobby of any small countryside hotel, at least one that strongly favored dog-themed decor. But this illusion was broken when the receptionist reviewed their reservation — which, in addition to ...
Dec 28, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast As 2024 comes to a close, critics, reporters and editors at The New York Times are reflecting on the year in arts and culture, including music. Today, The Times’s pop music critics Jon Pareles, Lindsay Zoladz and Jon Caramanica talk with Melissa Kirsch, the deputy editor of Culture and Lifestyle, about a new generation of women in pop, how the rapper Kendrick Lamar beat Drake in their feud, and why so many pop stars went country. Guest: Melissa Kirsch , the deputy editor of Culture and Lifestyle...
Dec 27, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we approach the end of 2024, critics, reporters and editors at The New York Times are reflecting on the year in arts and culture, including television and film. The Times’s chief television critic James Poniewozik and chief film critic Manohla Dargis talk with Melissa Kirsch, the deputy editor of Culture and Lifestyle, about why recent entertainment offerings may feel a little “blah,” and also recommend shows and movies that stand out. Guest: Melissa Kirsch , the deputy editor of Culture and ...
Dec 26, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2022, seven years after surviving a brain aneurysm that left her unable to sing or even speak, Joni Mitchell appeared onstage at the Newport Folk Festival. Singing alongside her were her supportive — and emotional — musician friends, including Brandi Carlile, Marcus Mumford and Wynonna Judd. Our critic Wesley Morris had his doubts. What was really happening here? Did Joni Mitchell even want this? Or were her younger adoring musician fans propping her up for their own reasons? When he learned ...
Dec 25, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hallmark Christmas movies are corny, predictable and just what our critic needed to embrace the holiday spirit. The story of how a big-city culture critic, Amanda Hess, found love where she least expected it — in the monotony of Hallmark’s Christmas movies. Guest: Amanda Hess , a critic at large for the Culture section of The New York Times Background reading: One December morning, a millennial critic awoke to discover that she had been begrudgingly charmed by an onslaught of Hallmark and Netfli...
Dec 24, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast How President Biden could transform women’s rights and rescue his legacy with just a ring. Dozens of congressional Democrats have a simple pitch to President Biden: with a single phone call he can revolutionize women’s rights and salvage his damaged legacy. Annie Karni, a congressional correspondent at The New York Times, discusses whether that plan is possible and, if so, whether Mr. Biden would try. Guest: Annie Karni , a congressional correspondent at The New York Times. Background reading: S...
Dec 23, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast His wife was spiraling into insomnia, and his children were afraid to go to school, so Jaime Cachua sought out the person he trusted most in a crisis. He sat at his kitchen table in rural Georgia across from his father-in-law, Sky Atkins, the family patriarch. Jaime, 33, hadn’t seen his own father since he was 10 months old, when he left Mexico in a car seat bound for the United States. “We have to prepare for the worst-case scenario,” Jaime told him. “There’s a chance we could lose everything.”...
Dec 22, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast The star of “The Chosen” discusses his early struggles in Hollywood, fans who conflate him with his character and how his own faith informs his work.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Dec 21, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Weeks before his inauguration, President-elect Donald J. Trump is pushing the federal government toward a shutdown, corporate titans are flocking to Mar-a-Lago to gain his favor and a major media company has capitulated to Trump’s legal strategy of suing those who cross him. The Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Maggie Haberman, Catie Edmondson and Andrew Ross Sorkin try to make sense of it all. Guest: Maggie Haberman , a senior political correspondent for The New York Times. Catie Edmondson , ...
Dec 20, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since Donald J. Trump won the 2024 election, cryptocurrency has surged to its highest level ever. David Yaffe-Bellany, a technology reporter for The Times, explains how a small, renegade industry that began as a challenge to the financial system ended up on top of it. Guest: David Yaffe-Bellany , a technology reporter for The New York Times. Background reading: Earlier this month, Bitcoin hit a milestone: $100,000 . Eric Trump has promised the “most pro-crypto president” in history . For more in...
Dec 19, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence. After months of testimony, verdicts are expected as soon as this week in a rape trial that has both horrified and captivated the people of France. Catherine Porter, who has covered the trial, discusses the woman at the center of the case and how, with a single decision, she has turned the power dynamics of the #MeToo era on their head. Guest: Catherine Porter , an international correspondent for The New York Times based in P...
Dec 18, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: This episode contains descriptions of torture and death. It also contains audio of death and grief. Under Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian government set up a vast network of prisons and torture chambers that swallowed up tens of thousands of people. For years, those perceived as enemies of the regime would disappear into the system, and their families would have no idea what happened to them. Christina Goldbaum, who has covered the events in Syria, takes us inside one of those prisons and t...
Dec 17, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: this episode contains strong language. Over the past few weeks, the resistance of a single Republican senator, Joni Ernst of Iowa, had threatened to derail Donald J. Trump’s choice of Pete Hegseth to run the Department of Defense. Karoun Demirjian, who covers Congress for The Times, and Jonathan Swan, who covers politics, discuss how Mr. Trump and his allies ensured that Ms. Ernst’s resistance went away. Guest: Karoun Demirjian , who covers Congress for The New York Times, with a focus ...
Dec 16, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast “You couldn’t have made this movie three years ago,” said Robert Zemeckis, the director of “Here.” The film stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, and is based on a 2014 graphic novel that takes place in a single spot in the world over several centuries. The story mostly takes place in a suburban New Jersey living room. It skips back and forth through time, but focuses on a baby-boomer couple — played by Hanks and Wright — at various stages of their lives, from age 18 into their 80s. Before A.I. soft...
Dec 15, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast The guidebook writer and television personality reflects on his cancer diagnosis, social media’s corrosive effect on tourism and the transformative power of travel.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Dec 14, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast A new study has found that nearly three-quarters of American adults are now obese or overweight, and there’s growing concern — among politicians, scientists and consumers — about one potential culprit: ultraprocessed foods. Guest: Alice Callahan , a nutrition and health reporter for The New York Times, discusses how these foods came to be such a big part of what we eat, and why that’s so hard to change. Background reading: There’s not enough evidence to recommend avoiding ultraprocessed foods, a...
Dec 13, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast An alarming new hack by China has penetrated the nerve center of the United States: its telephone network. David E. Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses what the scope of the attack tells us about China’s growing power. Guest: David E. Sanger , the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said hackers listened to phone calls and read texts ...
Dec 12, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast On Sunday, after a fire that many feared would destroy it, and a swift renovation that defied all predictions, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame reopened to the public. Michael Kimmelman, the chief architecture critic at The Times, tells the story of the miracle on the Seine. Guest: Michael Kimmelman , the architecture critic of The New York Times and the founder and editor-at-large of Headway . Background reading: Critic’s Notebook: Notre-Dame’s astonishing rebirth from the ashes . The rebuilding too...
Dec 11, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Last week, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed in Manhattan. A five-day search for the gunman ensued. On Monday, a 26-year-old suspect, Luigi Mangione, was arrested in Pennsylvania after an employee at a McDonald’s recognized him and called the police. Dionne Searcey, who covers wealth and corporations, and Maria Cramer, a crime reporter in New York City, break down what we know about the suspect, and what the case has revealed about many Americans’ contempt for insurance...
Dec 10, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
