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

At the heart of President Trump’s flurry of executive orders was a systematic dismantling of the United States’ approach to immigration.Hamed Aleaziz, who covers immigration policy for The Times, explains what the orders do and the message they send.Guest: Hamed Aleaziz, who covers the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy in the United States for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown enlists the military and will test the law.How Mr. Trump plans to kill the refugee system.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo credit: Paul Ratje 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.

22 Jan 27min

Warning: This episode contains strong language.On Monday, in the culmination of an extraordinary political comeback, Donald J. Trump was officially sworn in as president of the United States for a second time.Mr. Trump’s return comes just four years after being voted out of office, and being impeached for trying to overturn that result.Peter Baker and Jonathan Swan, who cover the White House for The Times, discuss the message Mr. Trump sent in his inaugural address and the actions he took during his first hours in office.Guests: Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times; Jonathan Swan, a White House reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: President Trump’s inauguration presented a vindication for the man and his movement.Mr. Trump pardoned Jan. 6 rioters and signed an order on TikTok.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.

21 Jan 30min

Over the past few weeks, users of the video app TikTok braced themselves for a national ban to take effect.This weekend, the app went dark. But less than 24 hours later, it came back. And it credited President-elect Donald J. Trump with flicking the switch.Sapna Maheshwari, who covers TikTok for The Times, discusses the biggest social media ban in American history — and whether the incoming president can actually stop it.Guests: Sapna Maheshwari, a reporter covering TikTok, technology and emerging media companies for The New York Times.Background reading: TikTok flickered back to life after Mr. Trump said he would stall a ban.What we know about the TikTok ban.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.

20 Jan 21min

Ingrid Jackson had never lived in a trailer before, or a small town. She was born in Louisville, Ky., the daughter of a man with schizophrenia who, in 1983, decapitated a 76-year-old woman. Jackson was 1 at the time. In 2010, at 27, she was in a car accident and was prescribed pain pills. Not long after that, she began using heroin. Over the next decade she went through nine rounds of addiction rehab. Each ended in relapse. Her most recent attempt came in 2022 after her son was sentenced to life in prison for murder; he was 21.In eastern Kentucky, a region that is plagued by poverty and is at the heart of the country’s opioid epidemic, the burden of addressing this treatment gap has mainly been taken up by addiction-rehab companies. Many stand more like community centers or churches than like medical clinics, offering not just chemical but also spiritual and logistical services with the aim of helping people in addiction find employment and re-enter society. 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 Jan 44min

The once-fringe writer has long argued for an American monarchy. His ideas have found an audience in the incoming administration and Silicon Valley. 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 Jan 52min

Five years ago, we interviewed a woman who asked that we call her Herminia. It was the summer of 2019, just as former President Donald J. Trump — then in his first term — ordered nationwide raids to round up and deport undocumented immigrants. Herminia feared she was on the list.In the end, she was never arrested. A few days ago, we called Herminia back. We asked what has happened to her since Trump left office, and how she is preparing for a second Trump term — in which he has pledged to put the deportation of people like her at the center of his presidency.Guests: Herminia, an undocumented immigrant who has been living in the United States with her husband and children for more than two decades. (Herminia is not her real name.)Background reading: We first spoke to Herminia in 2019. Listen to that interview.Here’s what we know about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.Across the U.S., there has been widespread anxiety about Trump’s promises to deport immigrants. Some schools are readying educators and immigrant families for a potential wave of deportations.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.

17 Jan 30min

After 15 months of war, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary cease-fire. The deal prompted hope that the war could end soon, but also caused worry that the tentative terms could easily fall apart.Patrick Kingsley, the Times’s Jerusalem bureau chief, explains why the agreement finally happened — and what it means for Gaza, Israel and the broader Middle East.Guests: Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Here’s what we know about the agreement.The Times obtained a copy of the provisional deal. Here’s what it says.Follow continuing coverage.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 Jan 24min

On Tuesday, the confirmation process for President-elect Donald J. Trump’s cabinet picks kicked off with Pete Hegseth, for the position of defense secretary.Eric Schmitt, who covers U.S. national security, explains how the four-hour hearing unfolded, and what the odds are that Mr. Hegseth will soon be leading the Pentagon.Guests: Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Read four takeaways from the hearing.Here’s how Senate confirmation works.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.

15 Jan 34min