Celine Dion’s Triumphant Return to the Stage
A dramatic pop music comeback story is underway: Celine Dion is performing again. In 2022, Dion, the renowned Canadian singer, announced that she had stiff person syndrome, a rare and incurable neurological disorder that causes painful muscle spasms and affects roughly one in a million people. The announcement came as a shock to her fans, and in a raw and revealing documentary released in 2024, “I Am: Celine Dion," she shared her struggle to overcome her condition, and sing again. But Dion worked her way back to performing, and is now appearing in a run of sold out shows in Paris. The culture reporter Elisabeth Vincentelli was there on opening night, and in this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” she talks with our host Natalie Kitroeff about the remarkable comeback of Celine Dion. On Today’s Episode: Elisabeth Vincentelli, an arts, culture, and theater journalist.Background Reading: Celine Dion Is Back Onstage. Naturally, She Chose Paris.Paris Really, Really Loves Celine DionPhoto credit: Clementine Schneidermann for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
She’s Been to Gaza. She Met With the Iranians. Now She Has a Warning.
As the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric goes to both sides of conflicts. She’s worried that our warring world is spiraling out of control. Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Why France Is in Crisis
For weeks, thousands of high school students in France have been out in the streets protesting the conditions of public schools. They want better funding, something that won’t be easy with the current state of French finances. Mark Landler, the Paris bureau chief, explains why after years of overspending, France is in crisis, and is driving toward a fiscal cliff. Guest: Mark Landler, the Paris bureau chief of The New York Times. Background reading: France’s debt problem is a warning to the world.Understand the country’s polycrisis.For the resurgent far left, the protests are an opening and a threat.Photo: Miguel Medina/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A Failed Execution and the Future of the Death Penalty
Christa Pike survived two doses of a lethal injection drug last week during a botched execution in Tennessee. Pamela Colloff, who writes for The New York Times Magazine, discusses the waning public support for the death penalty and why despite it some states are doubling down. Guest: Pamela Colloff, a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. Background reading: Pamela Colloff, a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine.Photo: George Walker IV/Associated Press For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Three Vans, a Startled Farmer and an Iranian Plot Against the U.S.
What exactly happened near an air base in Britain used by the United States? Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses what he’s learned about the mysterious events around the base, including the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. Air Force bombers. Guest: Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: A mysterious call near a military base used by the United States set in motion a huge counterterrorism response and days of uncertainty in Britain.The United States withdrew 12 bombers from the base after information emerged about a potential Iranian drone attack, U.S. and British officials said.Photo: Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Restaurant Industry Is Broken. Can It Be Fixed?
If you dine out regularly, you might have noticed some changes in restaurants over the past few years. Perhaps you’ve found yourself ordering at a counter, scanning a QR code to see the menu, or eating … a lot more soft serve. These changes aren’t just trends. Brett Anderson, a New York Times food reporter, says they are restaurant owners’ desperate attempts to stay afloat in an industry in crisis. According to a report from the National Restaurant Association, 42 percent of restaurant owners said they weren’t profitable in 2025. Many of them were at serious risk of closing. In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Brett talks with our host Michael Barbaro about the economic realities that are forcing businesses to rethink the entire concept of a restaurant, including a radical experiment at one Minneapolis diner that stopped charging for food entirely. On Today’s Episode: Brett Anderson, a reporter for the Food section of The New York Times.Background Reading: This Restaurant Stopped Charging for Food. And Profits Are Up.The Restaurant List 2026 Photo credit: Caroline Yang for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Chris Rock Has Been Thinking About Forgiveness
The comedian and filmmaker on what real friendship looks like, what keeps him up at night and his new movie, "Misty Green." Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Best TV Shows of the 21st Century
The turn of the century was the beginning of a new era in television: prestige TV for the masses. Today, television is where big stars and innovative creators go to marshal sizable budgets and tell meaningful stories. Over recent months, our colleagues at The New York Times ran a survey, asking industry insiders — on-screen talent, writers, directors, producers, executives and others — to pick their top 10 television series of the last 26 years. We compiled their responses into a list, published this week, of the best TV of the 21st century. In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” The Times’s canon editor, Gilbert Cruz, and our chief TV critic, James Poniewozik, talk with our host Natalie Kitroeff about what made the list, and what didn’t. On Today’s Episode James Poniewozik is The New York Times’s chief TV critic. Gilbert Cruz is the canon editor at The New York Times. Background Reading The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st CenturyThe 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century: Cast Your VoteThe 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century: How Stars, Creators and Other TV Lovers Voted Photo: The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
How a 1,000-Year-Old Tapestry Took London by Storm
For the first time in centuries, the Bayeux Tapestry — a nearly 1,000-year-old piece of embroidery that depicts the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 — is on display in Britain. It was long said by art experts to be too fragile to move. But in a development that required geopolitical persuasion, this summer the tapestry made its way from Bayeux, France, to the British Museum in London. When the first block of tickets went on sale, the British Museum said, over 80,000 people at a time waited online to buy them. In this episode of the “Sunday Daily,” Alex Marshall, a culture reporter for The New York Times, talks with host Michael Barbaro about why this ancient piece of embroidery matters so much to the British public. On Today’s Episode: Alex Marshall is a European culture reporter for The New York Times, based in London. Background Reading: How to See a Bayeux Tapestry — Without Going to the British MuseumA Nation Gripped by ‘Bayeux Fever’ Finally Gets to See the TapestryPhoto credit: Kin Cheung for Associated Press. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Good, the Bad and the Good-Bad (Movie)
When it comes to movies we love, there are the artistic masterpieces and there are the foot-stomping crowd pleasers. But there’s another particular kind of beloved movie, the one that makes our friends groan, but that we rewatch incessantly; the one that we can quote line for line, even as we giggle at the actors’ performances; the one that we’d say is great, but that we might not say is good. These are the kinds of movies that Maya Salam, a pop culture writer at The New York Times, covers in her monthly column, The Good-Bad. This episode is a celebration of good-bad movies, timed to the release of “Practical Magic 2,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1998 cult film that Salam called “a bubbling cauldron of plot holes and tones.” Our host Rachel Abrams talks to Salam about the joys of loving a movie despite (or because of) its flaws. Then, they’re joined by The Times’s canon editor, Gilbert Cruz, and Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a Times Magazine writer, to discuss the best of good-bad cinema. On Today’s Episode: Maya Salam covers pop culture for The New York Times. Gilbert Cruz is the canon editor for The New York Times. Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a features reporter for The New York Times Magazine. Background Reading: The Good-BadWhy Loving Good-Bad Movies Feels All Good For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Classical Music Is in Crisis. Gustavo Dudamel Is Here to Save It.
This week marks the start of the Gustavo Dudamel era in New York. The superstar conductor was just 28 when he became the musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009. A native of Venezuela and a product of its El Sistema musical training program, Dudamel quickly established himself not just as a great conductor, but also as a cultural force of nature. In his time in Los Angeles, he expanded the Philharmonic’s repertoire, created a successful youth outreach program, won prestigious awards and ingratiated himself with Hollywood elite. Now, after 17 years in Los Angeles, Dudamel is taking the helm at one of the world’s most famous and storied orchestras: the New York Philharmonic. It’s a job once held by Leonard Bernstein, and Dudamel is hoping to follow in Bernstein’s footsteps to make the Philharmonic and the music that it plays a bigger part of the pop culture landscape. On today’s episode, Joshua Barone, who covers classical music for The Times, discusses Dudamel, what he’s accomplished and the high hopes for his tenure with the New York Philharmonic. Music Featured (in order of appearance, all conducted by Gustavo Dudamel): Johann Strauss, Tik-Tak Polka, Polka Schnell, Op. 365, Weiner Philharmoniker (Sony Music Entertainment)Dmitri Shostakovich, Festive Overture, Op. 96, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor IV. Adagietto, Berlin Philharmonic (Berlin Philharmonic Recordings)Antonin Dvorak, Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88, B. 163, III. Allegretto grazioso- Molto vivace, Los Angeles Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon)John Williams, “The Imperial March” (From “Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back”), Los Angeles Philharmonic (UMG Recordings, Inc)John Adams, “En un Día de Amor Yo Bajé Hasta la Tierra,” The Gospel According to the Other Mary, Los Angeles Master Chorale and Los Angeles Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon)Gabriela Ortiz, “Kauyumari,” Los Angeles Philharmonic (Platoon)Ludwig Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92, IV. Allegro con brio, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)Thomas Adès, “XII. The Thieves — devoured by reptiles,” Dante, Los Angeles Master Chorale and Los Angeles Philharmonic (Nonesuch Records)Ludwig Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)Ludwig Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra (self-released)Leonard Bernstein, “End Credits” and “The Dance at the Gym: Mambo,” from “West Side Story” (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic (Hollywood Records)On Today’s Episode: Joshua Barone is an editor for the Culture section of The New York Times who works on classical music and dance coverage. He also writes criticism about classical music and opera. Background Reading: Gustavo Dudamel’s Long Goodbye to L.A., and Long Hello to New YorkWhat Makes Superstar Conductor Gustavo Dudamel So Good? Photo Credit: James Estrin/ The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Who Will Rule the 2026 U.S. Open?
The U.S. Open, the final tournament of the tennis season, is getting underway. The world’s best players are heading to the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y., to battle it out for the chance to play a championship match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis arena in the world. The players come freighted with great expectations, previous victories and defeats, aches and pains, personal dramas and professional rivalries, all of which they will carry with them out on the court when they play. Tennis is a game that exposes a lot about its players, which is one of the things that makes it so beloved around the world. In this episode of the “Sunday Daily,” the host Natalie Kitroeff talks with Matthew Futterman, a senior tennis writer for The Athletic and the author of “The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis,” about this year’s crop of players. They’ll dig into the biggest rivalries and dramas brewing in the tournament ahead. On Today’s Episode: Matthew Futterman, a senior tennis writer for The Athletic, and the author of “The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis.” Background Reading: “U.S. Open Men’s Title Contenders: Jannik Sinner Cut, Carlos Alcaraz In and a U.S. Man’s Big Chance?” Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Think Baseball Is Boring? The Savannah Bananas Are Here to Fix That.
Jesse and Emily Cole created the Savannah Bananas with a simple mission in mind: to make baseball as entertaining as possible. They introduced some innovations to America’s pastime, including twerking umpires, stilt-walking pitchers and TikTok-ready choreographed dance numbers. They tinkered with the rules of baseball, making a game that was shorter and faster, with plenty of opportunities for fan engagement. The result? A sports sensation. In the 10 years since its founding, the team has become one of the most popular sports organizations in the world, reaching tens of millions of fans online, with a waiting list of millions of others hoping to see a game in person. For many, the Bananas are the ultimate sports success story, one that shows a path forward for teams and leagues concerned about fan retention in an era of shortened attention spans and endless entertainment options. But others take a less rosy view of the Bananas and their hyper-energetic brand of baseball, seeing them as an existential threat to a game that fans have loved for more than a hundred years. On today’s show, our host Natalie Kitroeff talks with Jonathan Abrams, a Times reporter who covers culture news, about the Bananas phenomenon, and then heads to a Banana Ball game to see things for herself. On Today's Episode Jonathan Abrams is a reporter for The New York Times covering national culture news. Background Reading A Broadway Star Is the Savannah Bananas’ Phantom of the Bullpen As Savannah Bananas pursue ‘a billion fans,’ are they real competition for MLB? Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What Makes a Killer Thriller?
The New York Times Book Review recently released its list of the 50 best thrillers of the 21st century. To put it together, the team asked almost 300 authors and other experts to vote for the best heart-thumping, page-turning, white knuckle reads published since 2000. In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Natalie Kitroeff talks with the Times thrillers columnist, Sarah Lyall, about how the list came together. Then, Natalie speaks with one of the greatest thriller writers of this century — with four books featured on the list — the author Tana French. On Today’s Episode: Sarah Lyall writes a monthly thrillers column for The New York Times. Tana French is the author of many best-selling books, including “In the Woods,” “The Searcher,” “The Likeness” and “The Witch Elm.” Background Reading: The 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century Photo credit: Naila Ruechel For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Is 'Gentle Parenting' Ruining French Children?
“Traditional” French parenting is built on a foundation of firm boundaries, strictness and punishment for misbehavior. Within these rules, children are also allowed freedom and autonomy, which some say results in both well-behaved children and stress-free parents. In recent years, though, American-style “gentle” or “positive” parenting has gained a toehold in the country, unsettling decades of orthodoxy about the best way to raise a French child. It has prompted a fierce debate, with both sides accusing the other of being harmful. In today’s episode, Madeleine Schwartz, a journalist who lives in Paris, talks with Michael Barbaro about the dispute over parenting styles in France and what it says about the eternal search for the “right” way to raise children. On Today’s Episode: Madeleine Schwartz is a journalist and editor in Paris. Background Reading: Did American-Style ‘Gentle Parenting’ Spoil French Children? Art Credit: Illustration by Kimberly Elliott For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
