The Sunday Read: ‘The Great Freight-Train Heists of the 21st Century’

What’s it like to be a Republican lawmaker in Washington in the Trump era? A frank discussion about being a congressman when the House, Senate, and presidency are controlled by your party — but just about nothing is getting done and all the usual rules have been broken. Guest: Tom Rooney, a Republican congressman from Florida. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uLom8B. 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 Jul 201724min

On Monday night, two more Republican senators came out against the health care bill. Is that the fatal blow? Guests: Carl Hulse, who covers Congress for The Times; Maggie Haberman, who traveled with President Trump to France last week. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uC0Zhh. 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 Jul 201716min

Early in his presidency, Donald J. Trump called for a federal commission to investigate an issue that was personal for him: voter fraud in the 2016 election. The de facto leader of that commission is Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state and a leading advocate of restrictive voting laws. Here’s what you need to know about Mr. Kobach, his beliefs and what he has accomplished in Kansas. Guests: Michael Wines, a Times correspondent who has written about the president’s commission; Elaine Bowers, a Republican state senator in Kansas. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2gMxzr0. 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 Jul 201720min

Donald Trump Jr. sends an email. Hours later, his father gives a speech. Conspiracy or coincidence? We unpack the timeline of events in June 2016. Plus: A group of international scientists plans to send messages into space to see if we’re alone. But what if we’re not? Guests: Peter Baker, our chief White House correspondent; Douglas Vakoch, the leader of a new group that will beam messages into space; Steven Johnson, who wrote about Mr. Vakoch’s efforts for The New York Times Magazine. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uFcX9q. 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 Jul 201722min

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