The Sunday Read: ‘Who Hired the Hitmen to Silence Zitácuaro?’

President Trump stunned lawmakers on Wednesday with calls for gun control and jabs at the National Rifle Association. “They have great power over you people,” he said of the N.R.A. “They have less power over me.” Separately, Hope Hicks, the White House communications director who testified this week that her job required telling “white lies,” is to step down. Guests: Maggie Haberman, who covers the White House for The New York Times; Michael D. Shear, a White House correspondent for The Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

1 Maalis 201824min

Republicans have campaigned on gun rights for years. But Democrats running for office have tended to avoid the issue. In the wake of the Florida school shooting, however, will gun control be a dominant topic in this year’s midterm elections? Guest: Jonathan Martin, who covers national politics for The Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

28 Helmi 201820min

“All he cares about is his gun.”“He could be a school shooter in the making.” Those were among the concerns expressed in calls to law enforcement about Nikolas Cruz, who is suspected of shooting 17 people dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Yet so many red flags triggered no legal action. How is that possible? Guest: Richard A. Oppel Jr., a national correspondent for The Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

27 Helmi 201819min

At the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend, one thing was clear: President Trump has taken over the conservative movement. His vision dominated, and, as one woman learned, there was little room for alternative views. Guest: Mona Charen, a conservative columnist who was booed while speaking on a panel at the conference. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

26 Helmi 201826min

President Trump, conservatives and the National Rifle Association have once again tried to steer the national conversation after a mass shooting to the mental health of the people who pull the triggers, rather than the weapons they use. But how can the mental health system stop gun violence when mental illness is so rarely the cause of it? Guest: Dr. Amy Barnhorst, the vice chairwoman of community psychiatry at the University of California, Davis. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

23 Helmi 201821min

The aftermath of a mass shooting has become a familiar cycle in the United States: One side demands change, the other works to block it. But this time, it is the students who survived the assault who are pressing lawmakers to impose new restrictions on guns. Guest: Michael D. Shear, a White House correspondent for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

22 Helmi 201822min

The indictment secured by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, makes it clear that the most powerful weapon in Russia’s campaign to disrupt the 2016 election was Facebook. We look at how Russia used social media to sow divisions in the United States. Guest: Kevin Roose, who writes about technology for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

21 Helmi 201820min

In October, four American soldiers were ambushed by militants in a remote desert in Niger. What were they doing in Africa, and who were they fighting? It was all part of a shadowy war going back to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Guests: Alan Blinder, a national reporter for The New York Times; Rukmini Callimachi, who covers terrorism and the Islamic State for The Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 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.

20 Helmi 201828min