Sunday Special: Elon Musk at 'DealBook'
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has come to define innovation, but he can also be a lightning rod for controversy; he recently endorsed antisemitic remarks on X, formerly known as Twitter, which prompted companies to pull their advertising. In an interview recorded live at the DealBook Summit in New York with Times business reporter and columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, Musk discusses his emotional state and why he has “no problem being hated.”To read more news about the event, visit https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/11/29/business/dealbook-summit-news
The Bad Vibes Around a Good Economy
The American economy, by many measures, is doing better than it has done in years. But for many Americans, that is not how it feels. Their feelings point to an enduring mystery: Why do Americans feel so bad when the economy is so good?Jeanna Smialek, who covers the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for The Times, discusses a new way to understand the disconnect. Guest: Jeanna Smialek, a reporter covering the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for The New York Times.Background reading: Video: What’s causing the “bad vibes” in the economy?Consumer spending has been strong in 2023 despite higher prices and waning savings. But some retailers have jitters heading into Black Friday.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Israel and Hamas’s Fragile Cease-Fire
Hostages are at the heart of the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, now in its fifth day. As of Monday night, 50 Israeli hostages had been released, as had 150 Palestinian prisoners. More releases were expected on Tuesday, under what Qatari mediators said was a deal to extend the cease-fire by two days.Isabel Kershner, a Jerusalem-based reporter for The New York Times, explains how a grass-roots movement managed to pause the war, and what it will mean for the rest of the conflict.Guest: Isabel Kershner, who covers Israeli and Palestinian politics and society for The New York Times.Background reading: The extension of the cease-fire, and another exchange of hostages and prisoners, raised hopes that more people would be set free and more humanitarian aid would reach people in the Gaza Strip.Here are the latest updates from Israel and Gaza.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Botox, Hermès and OnlyFans: Why This May Be George Santos’s Last Week in Congress
Only five members of the U.S. House of Representatives have ever been expelled from the institution. This week, Representative George Santos, Republican of New York, could become the sixth.In a damning ethics report, House investigators found that the congressman spent tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions on Botox, Ferragamo goods and vacations.Grace Ashford, who covers New York State politics and government for The Times, explains why, after a year in office, so many of Mr. Santos’s colleagues have had enough.Guest: Grace Ashford, a reporter on the Metro desk covering New York State politics and government for The New York Times.Background reading: Representative George Santos faces a new expulsion push led by his own party after a damning report.House ethics investigators found that Mr. Santos used campaign money on personal spending splurges in the Hamptons and Atlantic City.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
'Hard Fork': An Interview With Sam Altman
It was a head-spinning week in the tech world with the abrupt firing and rehiring of OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman. The hosts of “Hard Fork,” Kevin Roose and Casey Newton, interviewed Altman only two days before he was fired. Over the course of their conversation, Altman laid out his worldview and his vision for the future of A.I. Today, we’re bringing you that interview to shed light on how Altman has quickly come to be seen as a figure of controversy inside the company he co-founded.“Hard Fork” is a podcast about the future of technology that's already here. You can search for it wherever you get your podcasts. Visit nytimes.com/hardfork for more.Hear more of Hard Fork's coverage of OpenAI’s meltdown:Emergency Pod: Sam Altman Is Out at Open AIYet Another Emergency Pod: Sam Altman Is Back
Inside the Coup at OpenAI
The board of OpenAI, the maker of the ChatGPT chatbot and one of the world’s highest-profile artificial intelligence companies, reversed course late last night and brought back Sam Altman as chief executive.Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The Times, discusses a whirlwind five days at the company and analyzes what the fallout could mean for the future of the transformational technology.Guest: Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: With Mr. Altman’s return, OpenAI’s board of directors will be overhauled, jettisoning several members who had opposed him.Before the ouster, OpenAI’s board was already divided and feuding.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
A Reporter’s Journey Into Gaza
As the war against Hamas enters a seventh week, Israel finds itself under intense pressure to justify its actions in Gaza, including the raid of Al-Shifa Hospital, which it says is a center of Hamas activity. Hamas and hospital officials deny the accusation.Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The Times, was one of the reporters invited by the Israeli military on an escorted trip into the enclave.Guest: Patrick Kingsley, Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Traveling into Gaza with an Israeli military convoy, Times journalists saw houses flattened like playing cards and a city utterly disfigured.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The New Speaker Avoided a Shutdown. Can He Avoid Being Ousted?
By working with Democrats to avert a government shutdown this past week, Speaker Mike Johnson seemed to put himself on the same path that doomed his predecessor. Or did he?Catie Edmondson, who covers Congress for The Times, explains why things could be different this time.Guest: Catie Edmondson, a reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times.Background reading: Congress prevented a shutdown, but the spending fight is far from over.Almost all Democrats and a majority of Republicans overcame the opposition of G.O.P. conservatives to approve the bill under special expedited procedures. But that approach, hatched by Mr. Johnson in his first weeks as speaker, is a gamble.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Two Superpowers Walk Into a Garden
One of the most highly anticipated diplomatic events of the year took place this week in a mansion outside San Francisco. President Biden and Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, met to repair their countries’ relations, which had sunk to one of their lowest points in decades.Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the effort to bring the relationship back from the brink.Guest: Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Both American and Chinese accounts of the meeting indicated scant progress on the issues that have pushed the two nations to the edge of conflict.China’s depiction of Xi Jinping’s U.S. visit reflected his sometimes-contradictory priorities: to project both strength and a willingness to engage with Washington.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Biden’s Electric Car Problem
A little over a year ago, at President Biden’s urging, congressional democrats passed a sweeping plan to supercharge the production and sale of electric vehicles.Jim Tankersley, who covers economic policy for The Times, explains whether the law is actually working.Guest: Jim Tankersley, an economic policy correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: President Biden’s 2022 climate act spurred big investments in U.S. battery factories, but it has not similarly boosted E.V. sales.Growth is brisk but slower than expected, causing automakers to question their multibillion-dollar investments in new factories and raising doubts about the effectiveness of federal incentives.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
A Strategy to Treat Big Tech Like Big Tobacco
A historic set of new lawsuits, filed by more than three dozen states, accuses Meta, the country’s largest social media company, of illegally luring children onto its platforms and hooking them on its products.Natasha Singer, who covers technology, business and society for The New York Times, has been reviewing the states’ evidence and trying to understand the long-term strategy behind these lawsuits.Guest: Natasha Singer, a reporter covering technology, business and society for The New York Times.Background reading: Meta was sued by more than three dozen states that accuse it of knowingly using features on Instagram and Facebook to hook children.Industry lawsuits are stymying new laws on children and social media.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Hamas’s Bloody Arithmetic
To much of the outside world, Hamas’s decision to murder hundreds of Israelis and trigger a war that has since killed many thousands of its own people looks like a historic miscalculation — one that could soon result in the destruction of Hamas itself.Hamas’s leaders, however, say that it was the result of a deliberate calculation.Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times, has been reporting on their decision, and what went into it.Guest: Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Behind Hamas’s bloody gambit to create a “permanent” state of war.It took American and Qatari diplomacy, and self-interested decisions by Hamas, to bring two hostages safely back to Israel.Here’s the latest on the war.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The Doctors of Gaza
Warning: This episode contains descriptions of injuries and death.As Israel’s war on Hamas enters its sixth week, hospitals in Gaza have found themselves on the front lines. Hospitals have become a refuge for the growing number of civilians fleeing the violence, but one that has become increasingly dangerous as Israel’s military targets what it says are Hamas fighters hiding inside and beneath them.Today, three doctors working in the Gaza Strip describe what the war looks like from inside their hospitals and what they are doing to keep up with the flood of patients.Guests: Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Dr. Suhaib Alhamss and Dr. Ebraheem Matar, three doctors working in the Gaza Strip.Background reading: Gazans under bombardment have described a surge of severely injured children entering hospitals, doctors operating without anesthesia and morgues overflowing with bodies.Israeli officials say that Hamas has built a complex under Al Shifa, a major Gaza hospital. Hamas denies that it is operating from beneath the hospital, whose patients face dire conditions amid power cuts.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
From Serial: ‘The Kids of Rutherford County’
In April 2016, 11 Black schoolchildren, some as young as 8 years old, were arrested in Rutherford County, Tenn. The reason? They didn’t stop a fight between some other kids. What happened in the wake of those arrests would expose a juvenile justice system that was playing by its own rules. For years, this county had arrested and illegally jailed hundreds, maybe thousands, of children. Why was this happening – and what would it take to stop it? From Serial Productions and The New York Times, in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio, “The Kids of Rutherford County” is hosted by Meribah Knight, a Peabody Award-winning reporter based in the South. The full four-part series is out now.
What Adidas Knew About Kanye
Warning: this episode contains some explicit language.When Adidas terminated its multibillion-dollar partnership with Kanye West over his antisemitic and other offensive public remarks, it seemed like a straightforward story of a celebrity’s suddenly imploding. But a New York Times examination has found that, behind the scenes, the collaboration was fraught from the start.Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter for The Times, talks about what she discovered when she delved into the meltdown.Guest: Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: The investigation into Kanye and Adidas: a story of money, misconduct and the price of appeasement.Inside the uneasy relationship: Here are seven takeaways.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The Supreme Court Tests Its Own Limits on Guns
A critical gun case was argued before the Supreme Court this week. But instead of opening further freedoms for gun owners — as the court, with its conservative supermajority, did in a blockbuster decision last year — justices seemed ready to rule that the government may disarm people under restraining orders for domestic violence.Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The Times, explains why.Guest: Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times and writes Sidebar, a column on legal developments.Background reading: The Supreme Court seemed likely to uphold a law disarming domestic abusers.But a decision on the case is not expected until June.What has the Supreme Court said on guns?For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The Trumps Take the Stand
Of all the legal cases that former President Donald J. Trump is facing, perhaps the most personal is playing out in a courtroom in Manhattan: a civil fraud trial that could result in him losing control of his best-known buildings and paying hundreds of millions of dollars in fines.In recent days, Mr. Trump and some of his children have taken the stand, defending the family business and the former president’s reputation as a real-estate mogul.Jonah E. Bromwich, who covers justice in New York for The Times, was inside the courtroom.Guest: Jonah E. Bromwich, a criminal justice correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: This is what it was like inside the courtroom as Mr. Trump testified.And here are five things we learned during his testimony.The former president’s daughter Ivanka Trump was scheduled to take the stand on Wednesday.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The Growing Republican Battle Over War Funding
It’s been one month since the attack on Israel, but Washington has yet to deliver an aid package to its closest ally. The reason has to do with a different ally, in a different war: Speaker Mike Johnson has opposed continued funding for Ukraine, and wants the issue separated from aid to Israel, setting up a clash between the House and Senate.Catie Edmondson, who covers Congress for The Times, discusses the battle within the Republican Party over whether to keep funding Ukraine.Guest: Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: The Republican-led House approved $14.3 billion for Israel’s war with Hamas, but no further funding for Ukraine.Speaker Johnson’s bill put the House on a collision course with the Senate.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Swing State Voters Are Souring on Biden
In a major new campaign poll from The New York Times and Siena College, former President Donald J. Trump leads President Biden in five of the six battleground states likeliest to decide the 2024 presidential race. Widespread discontent with the state of the country and growing doubts about Biden’s ability to perform his job as president threaten to unravel the diverse coalition that elected him in 2020.Nate Cohn, The Times’s chief political analyst, explains why the results are less a reflection of Trump’s growing strength than they are of Biden’s growing weaknesses.Guest: Nate Cohn, The New York Times’s chief political analyst.Background reading: In the Times/Siena poll, voters in battleground states said they trusted Mr. Trump over Mr. Biden on the economy, foreign policy and immigration.Here are detailed tables from the poll.Less engaged voters are Biden’s biggest problem.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The Sunday Read: ‘The Botched Hunt for the Gilgo Beach Killer’
The beginning of the story was strangely familiar, like the opening scene in a shopworn police procedural: A woman runs screaming down a street in Oak Beach, a secluded gated community on Long Island’s South Shore, only to vanish, it seems, into thin air. It was almost dawn on May 1, 2010. Hours earlier, Shannan Gilbert traveled from New Jersey to see a man who had hired her as an escort from a Craigslist ad. By the time the police arrived, she was gone. They talked to the neighbors, the john and her driver and came up with nothing. A few days later, they ordered a flyover of the area and, again, saw no sign of her. Then they essentially threw up their hands. She went into the ocean, they decided, either hysterical or on drugs.None of this made the news, not at first. A missing sex worker rarely does. Not even when another woman advertising on Craigslist, Megan Waterman, was reported missing a month later.This was, quite obviously, a serial-killer case. The only person not saying as much was the Suffolk County police commissioner, Richard Dormer. “I don’t want anyone to think we have a Jack the Ripper running around Suffolk County with blood dripping from a knife,” he said in a frenzied news conference. In fact, they had something almost exactly like that. All eyes were on the Suffolk Police now — wondering who killed these women, if they would ever find Gilbert and what it would take to solve the mystery.This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.