The Daily

The New York Times

This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time, told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 a.m. 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. Listen to this podcast in New York Times Audio, our new iOS app for news subscribers. Download now at nytimes.com/audioapp

  • 21 minutes 52 seconds
    A Daring Rescue Behind Enemy Lines

    Over the weekend, the U.S. military pulled off a risky mission to save an injured airman whose fighter jet had been shot down in Iran.

    Eric Schmitt, who covers national security for The New York Times, explains how Washington pulled it off.

    Guest: Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times based in Washington.

    Background reading: 

    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.


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    7 April 2026, 9:45 am
  • 31 minutes 59 seconds
    Trump’s Lonely War

    As the war in Iran drags on, President Trump keeps signaling that it is about to end. But the fighting shows no signs of letting up. All the while, America’s closest allies in Europe continue to refuse Mr. Trump’s demands for help.

    Mark Landler, who covers trans-Atlantic relations for The New York Times, explains why European countries want no part in this war.

    Guest: Mark Landler, the Paris bureau chief of The New York Times, who covers France, as well as trans-Atlantic relations and the future of Europe.

    Background reading: 

    Photo: Tierney L. Cross/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.


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    6 April 2026, 9:45 am
  • 39 minutes 28 seconds
    She Risked Her Voice to Become a Mother

    Lise Davidsen is one of the greatest opera singers of our time — a soprano with a voice so rare, critics reach back a century for comparison. This spring, she has been starring in a sold-out new production of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” at the Metropolitan Opera. But she’s also at a crossroads: Her first performance as “Isolde” on the Met stage came just nine months after giving birth to twins.

    Today on The Sunday Daily, Natalie Kitroeff talks with the Times writer Zachary Woolfe about his recent conversation with Davidsen, and the unexpected emotional weight she felt while returning to the stage as a new mother. They discuss how a production centered on birth, death and renewal gave Davidsen a way to work through this seismic shift in her life, all while tackling the role of a lifetime.

    On Today’s Episode:

    Zachary Woolfe is a writer and editor for The New York Times.

    Background Reading:

    With Twin Babies, the Opera Star Lise Davidsen Wonders What Comes Next

    The Met Opera’s Desperate Hunt for Money

    Photo credit: Amir Hamja 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.


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    5 April 2026, 10:00 am
  • 40 minutes 53 seconds
    'The Opinions': General Stanley McChrystal on Iran

    Did President Trump fall for the myth of surgical warfare? Gen. Stanley McChrystal joins the columnist David French, both veterans of the Iraq War, to discuss what may have been overlooked in the planning of Operation Epic Fury. McChrystal, who retired from the Army in 2010, argues that the United States often overestimates the decisive power of aerial bombing while underestimating the weight of historical grievance. And the general weighs in on the current culture of bravado coming from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

    This conversation was recorded on Friday, March 20. 

    Thoughts? Questions? Email us at [email protected]

    This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur and Victoria Chamberlin. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin and Alison Bruzek. Mixing by Isaac Jones and Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Kate Sinclair, Mary Marge Locker and Michelle Harris. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser.

    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.


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    4 April 2026, 10:00 am
  • 23 minutes 37 seconds
    Epstein Blunders and Tossed Indictments: The Downfall of Pam Bondi

    President Trump announced that he would be replacing Pam Bondi as attorney general on Thursday.

    Tyler Pager, who broke the story of her removal, discusses how she fell out of favor with the president.

    Guest: Tyler Pager, a White House correspondent for The New York Times covering President Trump and his administration.

    Background reading: 

    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.


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    3 April 2026, 9:45 am
  • 34 minutes 7 seconds
    Our Enduring Fascination With the Kennedys

    “Love Story,” the FX limited series about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s relationship, has taken audiences by storm. Its unstoppable wave of ’90s nostalgia has swept through the world of fashion, revitalized iconic New York landmarks and set off a yearning for simpler days before smartphones and dating apps. The series has also drawn significant backlash, with criticism ranging from bad reviews to accusations of inaccuracy and even harm.

    Today, Rachel Abrams talks to Alexandra Jacobs, a critic for The New York Times Book Review, about why America can’t seem to look away from “Love Story.”

     

    On Today’s Episode:

    Alexandra Jacobs, a critic for The New York Times Book Review and occasional features writer.

     

    Background Reading:

    The Lasting Appeal of John F. Kennedy Jr.

    Daryl Hannah: How Can ‘Love Story’ Get Away With This?

    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.


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    29 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 37 minutes 53 seconds
    Injections, Bone Hammering and the Pursuit of Peak Male Beauty

    If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably come across a video of a young, square-jawed influencer calling himself Clavicular. He has become the face of an internet subculture called looksmaxxing, in which men do almost anything — like taking steroids and hormones or bashing their jaws with a hammer — to try to become more handsome.

    In this episode, Natalie Kitroeff talks with reporter Joseph Bernstein about the world of looksmaxxing and how what might seem like a fringe phenomenon is actually the culmination of a digital culture that rewards physical perfection with status and algorithmic power.

    On Today’s Episode

    Joseph Bernstein covers digital subcultures for the Styles desk at The New York Times.

    Background Reading

    Handsome at Any Cost

    Young Men Seek Answers to an Age-Old Question: How to Be Hot

    The Suffix That Tells Us to Ruthlessly Optimize Everything

    Photo Credit: Cassidy Araiza 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.


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    22 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 37 minutes 14 seconds
    To Save His Life, Our Food Critic Reset His Appetite

    For 12 years, Pete Wells had his dream job: working as the chief restaurant critic for The New York Times. The job’s journalistic mission required Wells to eat out most nights and taste nearly everything on any given restaurant’s menu. He didn’t realize it at the time, but the excessive eating had taken a toll on his body.

    Then came a health crisis, followed by his doctor’s advice to “stop doing what you’re doing right now.”

    In 2024, Wells gave up his post as restaurant critic and set out to remake his entire relationship with food.

    On today’s episode, Michael Barbaro speaks with Wells about the realities of life as a restaurant critic, and what he’s learning about the joys of home cooking, mindful eating and grocery shopping for the diet he intends to follow.

    On Today’s Episode:

    Pete Wells is a reporter covering food for The New York Times. He was formerly The Times’s restaurant critic.

    Background Reading:

    After 12 Years of Reviewing Restaurants, I’m Leaving the Table

    Our Former Restaurant Critic Changed His Eating Habits. You Can, Too.

    To Eat Healthier, Our Critic Went to the Source: His Kitchen

    To Tune Out Food Noise, Our Critic Listened to His Hunger

    To Improve How He Ate, Our Critic Looked at What He Drank

    Photo Credit:  Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

    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.


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    15 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 35 minutes 24 seconds
    Oscars 2026: Who Will Win, and Who Should Win?

    Today on “The Sunday Daily,” The Times’s chief movie critic, Manohla Dargis, talks with the “Daily” host Michael Barbaro about this year’s batch of Oscar nominees, which — according to her — are uncommonly good.

    They discuss the performances that Dargis believes deserve to win, the dark horses that might pull off upsets, and the ambitious films that give her hope for Hollywood’s future.

     

    On Today’s Episode:

    Manohla Dargis, Chief Film Critic for The New York Times.

     

    Background Reading:

    ‘Hamnet’ | Anatomy of a Scene

    Delroy Lindo on ‘Sinners,’ Speaking Up and the Power of Affirmation

     

    Photo: A24; Warner Bros. Pictures; Sabrina Lantos/Sony Pictures Classics

    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.


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    8 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 35 minutes 23 seconds
    Is the Swipe Era Over?

    In 2012, Tinder revolutionized dating apps with its swipe feature. With the flick of a finger, singles could accept or reject a potential mate. While this innovation has worked for many, some have grown weary of the simple swipe, and long for a more nuanced way to find love.

    Today on “The Sunday Daily,” Rachel Abrams examines two dating tends on the rise: in-person mixers that are far from old-fashioned, and emerging A.I. technology that promises singles a ‘soul’ match. Rachel speaks with The New York Times’s dating columnist Gina Cherelus; Luke Vander Ploeg, a producer on the “Daily”; and Amanda Hess, a writer at large at The Times.

     

    On Today’s Episode

    Gina Cherelus covers dating for The New York Times.

    Luke Vander Ploeg is a producer on The Daily.

    Amanda Hess is a writer at large for The Times.

    Photo: Mila De La Torre 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 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.


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    22 February 2026, 10:00 am
  • 43 minutes 16 seconds
    Boos, Rivalries and Records: Inside the 2026 Olympics

    In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” the host Rachel Abrams is joined by her New York Times colleagues Motoko Rich, Shawna Richer and Juliet Macur, who are all covering this year’s Olympic Games. They discuss how the geopolitical climate may or may not be influencing the competition, and talk about some of the extraordinary athletes who are pushing the limits of physical achievements.

    On Today’s Episode

    Motoko Rich is the Rome bureau chief for The New York Times.

    Juliet Macur is a national reporter covering sports for The New York Times.

    Shawna Richer is an editor at The New York Times, working on coverage of sports in America.

    Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Images: Sarah Stier/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.


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    15 February 2026, 11:00 am
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