The Sunday Read: ‘The America That Americans Forget’

The writer and lawyer has been documenting the occupation for decades. Somehow, he maintains hope.Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcastFor 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.

20 Des 202543min

With anxieties building over affordability, President Trump made a push to reassure Americans just as the government released long-awaited data that raised new questions about the economic health of the nation.Tony Romm, who covers economic policy for The New York Times, discusses how Mr. Trump is trying to take control of the issue, and Ben Cassleman, The Times’s chief economics correspondent, explains what the latest numbers tell us about why people are still so frustrated.Guest:Tony Romm, a reporter in Washington covering economic policy and the Trump administration for The New York Times.Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Here are six takeaways from Mr. Trump’s address to the nation.With tariffs unpopular and prices still high, the White House has teased the promise of tariff rebates and large tax refunds next year.Photo: Doug Mills/The New York TimesFor 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.

19 Des 202528min

This week, despite a last-ditch effort by some House Republicans to strike a deal on health care, Congress remains deadlocked on whether to extend support for millions of Americans who get their health care through the Affordable Care Act.Margot Sanger-Katz, who covers health care policy, explains who will be most affected by the decision.Then, we hear directly from some of the Americans who will now face a decision: whether to keep paying for rising insurance costs or to risk going without it.Guest: Margot Sanger-Katz, a reporter for The New York Times who covers health care policy and government spending.Background reading: Four Republicans joined Democrats’ bid to force a vote on health subsidies.Obamacare users will be asked to pay more for plans that cover less.Photo: Eric Lee for The New York TimesFor 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.

18 Des 202526min

Rob Reiner, the classic film director, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed on Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the couple’s son, Nick, with first-degree murder.Julia Jacobs, an arts and culture reporter for The New York Times, explains what we have learned about the deaths, and Wesley Morris, a critic at The Times, discusses why many of Rob Reiner’s films are so beloved.Guest:Julia Jacobs, who reports on culture and the arts for The New York Times.Wesley Morris, a critic at The New York Times who writes about art and popular culture.Background reading: Rob Reiner, the actor who went on to direct classic films, died at 78.Nick Reiner was formally charged on Tuesday with murdering his parents.Photo: Universal/Getty ImagesFor 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.

17 Des 202543min

Warning: This episode contains strong language.Palantir, a data analysis and technology company, has secured federal contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars during President Trump’s second presidency, including to develop software to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement deport people.Michael Steinberger, who spent six years interviewing Palantir’s chief executive, Alex Karp, for the book “The Philosopher in the Valley,” explains how Mr. Karp went from a self-described lifelong Democrat to a champion of Mr. Trump, and the impact this transformation could have on American democracy.Guest: Michael Steinberger, a contributing writer to The New York Times.Background reading: Listen to an interview with Mr. Karp from the DealBook Summit this month.In May, the Trump administration tapped Palantir to compile data on Americans.Here is Mr. Steinberger’s book, which this episode is based on.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.

16 Des 202539min

A New York Times review of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s actions on immigration showed that decisions he and his closest advisers made created an opening for a more aggressive Trump administration agenda.Christopher Flavelle, who interviewed more than 30 former Biden administration officials who worked on immigration and border policy, explains how Mr. Biden fumbled the immigration issue, and what the Democratic Party can learn from his missteps.Guest: Christopher Flavelle, a reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: How Mr. Biden ignored warnings and lost Americans’ faith in immigration.Read four takeaways from The Times’s reporting on Mr. Biden’s immigration record.Photo: Paul Ratje for The New York TimesFor 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.

15 Des 202529min

As 2025 comes to an end, The Sunday Special is looking back on the year in culture.This week, we’re listening to the songs and albums that defined the year, for better or worse. Gilbert Cruz is joined by Caryn Ganz and Lindsay Zoladz from The Times’s pop music desk to discuss some of the biggest and best releases of 2025.Albums and songs mentioned in this episode:Bad Bunny, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos”Lady Gaga, “Mayhem”Justin Bieber, “Daisies”Chappell Roan, “The Giver” and “The Subway”Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”Doechii, “Alligator Bites Never Heal”Taylor Swift, “The Life of a Showgirl”Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”Ghost, “Skeletá”Dijon, “Baby”Geese, “Getting Killed”Water From Your Eyes, “It’s a Beautiful Place”PinkPantheress, “Fancy That”Lily Allen, “Tennis”Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”Sleigh Bells, “Bunky Becky Birthday Boy”Hayley Williams, “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party”Turnstile, “Never Enough”On Today’s EpisodeCaryn Ganz is the pop music editor at The Times.Lindsay Zoladz is a pop music critic at The Times and the writer of The Amplifier newsletter.Additional ReadingBest Albums of 2025Best Songs of 2025 Photo Illustration by The New York Times; From left, Angela Weiss/AFP — Getty Images (Lady Gaga); OK McCausland for The New York Times (Geese); Erika Santelices/Reuters (Bad Bunny); Helle Arensbak/AFP -- Getty Images, via Ritzau Scanpix (PinkPantheress) 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.

14 Des 202555min

Warning: This episode contains strong language.In this special episode for subscribers of “The Daily,” the host Michael Barbaro moderates a panel from The New York Times’s DealBook Summit, speaking with journalists and personalities from across the industry about the state of media in 2025.Guest:Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of “The Breakfast Club” and “The Brilliant Idiots” and co-founder of The Black Effect Podcast NetworkJon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media and host of “Pod Save America”Amna Nawaz, co-anchor and co-managing editor of “PBS NewsHour”David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and host of “The New Yorker Radio Hour”Stephanie Ruhle, host of “The 11th Hour With Stephanie Ruhle” on MS NOWAndrew Schulz, host of “The Brilliant Idiots” and “Flagrant”Ben Shapiro, co-founder of The Daily Wire and host of “The Ben Shapiro Show”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.

14 Des 202552min