Who Moves Up, and Who's Pushed Out, in Pete Hegseth's Military
For the past 18 months, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has remade the top ranks of the U.S. military — dismissing or sidelining many whose rise he believes was aided by D.E.I. and replacing them with officers who fit his definition of merit. In the process, many argue he’s prioritizing loyalty to him and his ideas over loyalty to the military itself. Today, Greg Jaffe, a New York Times reporter who covers the Pentagon and the U.S. military, takes us inside the hiring and firing for a single job that has become a case study for Hegseth’s approach. Guest: Greg Jaffe, a reporter covering the Pentagon and the U.S. military for The New York Times. Background reading: Before he was picked to lead the Navy, Adm. Daryl Caudle found ways to signal his support for Mr. Hegseth’s anti-diversity goals. Mr. Hegseth fired the Navy’s top officer, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who spent roughly half of her 40-year career at sea, commanding a destroyer, two carrier strike groups and the U.S. Sixth Fleet. Photo: Haiyun Jiang/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 and Spotify. 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.
El Niño Is Back. And Worse Than Ever.
The global chaos agent known as El Niño is back, and this year it’s already on track to be, by far, the strongest and most severe on record, wreaking havoc on weather across the world. Today, Chico Harlan, the global climate reporter for The New York Times, goes over El Niño’s history, its inner workings and its increasingly destructive fallout. Guest: Chico Harlan, the global climate correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: El Niño, the Pacific climate shift that comes around once or twice a decade, is back, warming tropical oceans and setting off consequences worldwide. It’s expected to peak later this year but is already causing dry spells and crop failures on three continents. Photo: Bay Ismoyo/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 and Spotify. 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 Went Wrong on the U.S.S. Lincoln?
For the past two weeks, family members of sailors have been raising alarms about the conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, which has a crew of about 5,000 and has been at sea for almost nine months straight. Today, John Ismay, a New York Times reporter who covers the Pentagon with a focus on armed conflict and the defense industry, discusses what went wrong on the ship and how it could affect the U.S. military’s ability to fight wars. Guest: John Ismay, a New York Times reporter who covers the Pentagon with a focus on armed conflict and the defense industry. Background reading: The U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln has been deployed for nearly nine months. Members of Congress are worried about the crew’s well-being. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, acknowledged the difficulty of the carrier’s lengthy deployment but said mental health issues were lower than on other vessels. Photo: Jason Waite/Agence France-Presse, via Navy Office of Information 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 and Spotify. 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 Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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 Charming, Amusing, Surprisingly Low-Confidence Matthew Rhys
The “Widow’s Bay” star on his two Emmy nominations, his penchant for going dark and his wobbly self-esteem. Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.com Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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 Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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.
After Losing Her Limbs, Our Cooking Columnist Returns to the Kitchen
For decades, the kitchen was the centerpiece of Yewande Komolafe’s life. She spent long hours there, first as a restaurant cook and later as a recipe developer. But though she loved the often-intense culinary world, she had to navigate it with certain limitations: She was born with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder, which required her to carefully manage her working life. She did so successfully, becoming a celebrated cookbook author and food writer for The Times. A medical crisis in December 2023 changed all of that. Komolafe ended up in a coma for six weeks, and after emerging learned that both her legs and her fingers would need to be amputated. In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Komolafe tells Rachel Abrams about what happened and how, after everything, she made her way back into the kitchen. On Today’s Episode: Yewande Komolafe is a cooking columnist for The New York Times. Background Reading: How Losing My Limbs Turned Me Into a Different Kind of Cook The Chef Imagining a More Accessible World, One Meal at a Time Photo credit: Lanna Apisukh. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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 Do Some Memories Survive Dementia?
When the Times reporter Ellen Barry’s father developed dementia after a fall, her family spent years trying to manage his erratic behavior and confusion. They struggled to convince him that he was home, he was safe, and he shouldn’t try to leave. The experience was exasperating and impossible to understand. Today, Ellen tells the story of those years, and of how she discovered scientific research that helped explain everything her family had lived through — research that could potentially help to save precious memories from being lost forever. On Today’s Episode Ellen Barry, a mental health reporter for The New York Times Background Reading When My Father’s Canary Flew Away Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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 World Cup Final Is Here
After a month of competition across North America and 103 matches, the 2026 World Cup is down to its final game. Spain and Argentina will meet this afternoon in a match expected to draw over one billion viewers around the world. Spain is hoping its well-oiled machine and young star can bring it its second World Cup win. Argentina is looking to Lionel Messi, its longtime star, to secure victory in what could be his last game at the World Cup. On today’s episode, Tariq Panja traces the road to this historic final and explains what to know before kickoff. Tariq Panja, a global sports correspondent for The New York Times.Background Reading Why Everyone Cares About This World Cup Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything.
This Friday, “The Odyssey,” directed by Christopher Nolan, hits theaters. Even before the movie’s release, though, it’s proving to be a cultural event. Spirited discussions of Nolan’s cinematic interpretation of the epic poem already abound online, and they are likely to intensify after the public sees the film. Why does a 12,000-line poem that is nearly 3,000 years old still feel resonant today? In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Natalie Kitroeff talks about the “Odyssey” with two writers who have produced some critically acclaimed and widely read modern interpretations of Greek classics: Emily Wilson, the first woman to translate the “Odyssey” from ancient Greek, and Madeline Miller, the author of the best-selling novels “Circe” and “Song of Achilles.” On Today’s Episode: Emily Wilson, a professor, classicist, author and translator of the “Odyssey” Madeline Miller, the author of “Circe,” “Song of Achilles” and other books Background Reading: We’ll Help You Find Your Next Great Book. (Spoiler: It’s the ‘Odyssey.’) The First Woman to Translate the ‘Odyssey’ Into English Book Review: Turning Circe Into a Good Witch Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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 Most American Episode of The Daily, Ever.
In celebration of the United States of America’s 250th birthday, we posed a simple question to some of our favorite critics, columnists and editors across the New York Times newsroom, people who write about books, movies, TV shows, science, sports, wellness and food. We asked: What’s the most American thing on your beat? On today’s episode, we present their answers. Happy Birthday, America! On Today’s Episode Joshua Barone, culture editor, on “Rodeo,” composed by Aaron Copland Vanessa Friedman, chief fashion critic, on workout gear Erik Piepenburg, culture writer, on the movie “Get Out” Kevin Roose, technology columnist, on Amazon Prime Mekado Murphy, culture editor, on the roller coaster The Beast James Poniewozik, chief television critic, on “Survivor” Jancee Dunn, wellness writer, on productivity and sleep Elena Bergeron, culture editor, on U.S. hockey Jennifer Szalai, nonfiction book critic at the Book Review, on “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World” by Henry Grabar Bill Wasik, science editor, on liquid rocket fuel Madison Malone Kircher, internet culture reporter, on Bama Rush Kim Severson, food reporter, on M&M’s MJ Franklin, editor at the Book Review, on “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois” by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers Helen Shaw, chief theater critic, on “The Century Cycle” by August Wilson Alissa Wilkinson, film critic, on the movie “There Will Be Blood” Zachary Small, culture reporter, on Grand Theft Auto Elisabeth Vincentelli, culture reporter, on demolition derbies Jason Zinoman, critic at large, on the song “Political Science” by Randy Newman Jason Farago, critic at large, on the Statue of Liberty A.O. Scott, critic at large, on “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Walt Whitman (featuring a reading by Jeffrey Wright) Gia Kourlas, dance critic, on “Stars and Stripes” by George Balanchine and “Appalachian Spring” by Martha Graham Jon Caramanica, pop music critic, on “Trump Trump Baby” by Forgiato Blow Photo credit: The New York Times Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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 Last 12 Weeks
In 1992, David Wood became El Paso’s most notorious convicted serial killer. He has been on death row ever since. More than 30 years later, his lawyers have just a few months to argue his innocence and stop his execution. This is the first episode of a new five-part series from Serial Productions called “The Last 12 Weeks.” You can find the rest of the series by searching for “The Last 12 Weeks” on your favorite podcast player. To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at: https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/serial Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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.
Can a Bad Man Be a Good Father?
The writer Tom Junod has spent a career crafting profiles for men’s magazines like GQ and Esquire, often of famously complicated men like Norman Mailer, Kevin Spacey and Tony Curtis. But another man loomed behind Junod’s interest in these figures, informing his own sense of masculinity and manhood: his father, Lou. Lou Junod was handsome, charismatic — a man who seemed like a celebrity, even though he wasn’t famous. He was also mysterious, a keeper of secrets that have continued to reverberate through his son’s life. On today’s episode, Michael Barbaro talks with Junod about his new book, “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man,” which is part memoir and part detective story, as well as a powerful meditation on fatherhood. On Today’s Episode: Tom Junod is the author of “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man.” Background Reading: Tom Junod Would Like to Tell You About His Father Art: Lou Junod with baby Tom in 1958. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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.
Do Aliens Exist? Steven Spielberg Believes They Do
Almost 50 years ago, Steven Spielberg directed “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” the story of an average man who discovers that humanity may not be alone in the universe. Over the decades, Spielberg has directed several movies about what would happen if humanity made contact with aliens. Would the aliens be kind like the title character in “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial”? Would they be cruel like the murderous aliens of “War of the Worlds”? And regardless of what the aliens were like, would we humans be ready to receive them? Spielberg returns to the question of whether we’re alone in the universe, and what it might mean if we’re not, with his new film “Disclosure Day.” Today, he sits down with Rachel Abrams, a host of “The Daily,” to talk about the film, and about what he has learned over five decades of making movies about aliens. On Today’s Episode Steven Spielberg, director of “Disclosure Day.” Background Reading ‘Disclosure Day’ Review: Spielberg Plays His Greatest Cosmic Hits What Steven Spielberg Taught Me About Fear, Catharsis, and Being Human Photo credit: Paolo Pellegrin/Magnum, for The New York Times Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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.
Everything You Need to Know About the World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is about to descend on North America — spread across three countries, with 48 teams, and 104 games, and with billions of fans across the globe tuning in to watch the biggest sporting event on the planet. Today, Tariq Panja, global soccer correspondent for The New York Times, breaks down everything you need to know about this year’s tournament — the arrival of historic first-timers, like Curaçao, the aging legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are making their final appearances, and the eye-watering ticket prices that are driving fans to financial extremes just to book a seat. On Today’s Episode: Tariq Panja, is a global sports correspondent for the New York Times. Background Reading: The World Cup’s Forgotten Team World Cup or Bust: Going Into Debt, Sleeping 10 to a Room and Layovers for Days Photo credit: Hannah Mckay/Reuters. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 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.
