The Sunday Read: ‘What Does the U.S. Space Force Actually Do?’

It was the secret force behind stories about John Edwards’s $400 haircut and Mitt Romney’s decision to put the family dog on the roof of his car. Donald Trump Jr. says it motivated him to meet with a Russian lawyer. We discuss the dark art of opposition research. Guests: Jonathan Martin, a national political correspondent for The Times; Ben LaBolt, the national press secretary for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2vF4L6w. 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.

13 Jul 201715min

The Times obtains Donald Trump Jr.’s emails about an offer of help from the Russian government. “I love it,” he wrote. The story behind the story, and what we mean when we talk about “collusion.” And the scene from the Iraqi city of Mosul: What Islamic State militants left behind. Guests: Matt Apuzzo, one of the reporters who broke the story about Donald Trump Jr.’s emails; Rukmini Callimachi, who covers the Islamic State, and Andy Mills, a producer with her in Mosul. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2sPxzbb. 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.

12 Jul 201723min

A music producer. A lawyer from Moscow. The Miss Universe pageant. And now: the promise of help from the Russian government. We connect the dots on Donald Trump Jr.’s communications last summer. And what happens when thousands of rebel fighters try to re-enter society as civilians? Guests: Mark Mazzetti, our Washington investigations editor; Nicholas Casey, a correspondent based in South America. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uddQ9d. 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.

11 Jul 201722min

What we know about a newly revealed meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer. Plus, the view from the ground in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Guests: Adam Goldman, one of the reporters behind the revelations about the meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016; Rukmini Callimachi, who is in Mosul reporting on the fall of the Islamic State militant group there. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uHO4r6. 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.

10 Jul 201719min

Donald J. Trump’s life and career have been defined by his legal battles. But what will they mean for his presidency? Guest: Jonathan Mahler, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine; Jay Goldberg, Mr. Trump’s exclusive litigator from 1990 to 2005. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2tHoXq1. 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.

7 Jul 201721min

North Korea’s test of a missile that could potentially strike Alaska has crossed a line, and underscores a dilemma for President Trump and his national security team. Also, how the battle over health care is playing out in Kentucky. Guests: David E. Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times; Sheryl Gay Stolberg, domestic affairs correspondent; Kathy Collins, a Kentucky resident who relies on Medicaid. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2ssEaII. 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.

6 Jul 201720min

When Medicaid was created in 1965, it was barely discussed. But now it’s so big — and so popular — that a proposal to roll it back could sink the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Guests: Kate Zernike, a Times reporter. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2tdjJ1C. 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.

5 Jul 201715min

As a limited travel ban goes into effect, the Trump administration has defined what constitutes a “bona fide” relationship: who’s close family, and who’s not, for visitors from six predominantly Muslim nations. Guests: Michael D. Shear, White House correspondent for The New York Times, and Suzanne Ramazani, who is planning a wedding and worries that her Iranian relatives won’t be able to attend. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2udDieF. 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.

30 Jun 201719min