‘Absolutely No Mercy’

“The problem starts for Houston almost the moment that it’s founded.” That’s how Richard Fausset, who covers the South for The New York Times, describes the founding of Houston, which was built on the edge of a swampy bayou. On today’s show, he describes the uniquely American success story of Houston as a boomtown, and how Harvey’s destruction recasts the narrative. 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.

31 Aug 201719min

As a poor, white teenager in Fort Smith, Ark., Abraham Davis never fit in. As a hidden minority there, the town’s Muslims were trying to make a home. Then their lives collided. Plus: the latest from Houston, where the rain keeps falling. Guests: Sabrina Tavernise, a national correspondent for The New York Times; Jacqueline Herrera, a Houston resident who we check back in with. 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.

30 Aug 201731min

By Monday, the third straight day of flooding, Hurricane Harvey had left much of the region underwater, and the city of Houston looked like a sea dotted by islands. We hear from some people in the city about the view from the ground as the waters keep rising. Guests: Alan Blinder, a Times correspondent who has been reporting from Houston; Jacqueline Herrera, who talks to us us from her home in Houston where she is, for now, staying put. 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.

29 Aug 201720min

President Trump’s first pardon went to a wildly divisive sheriff from Arizona. So who is Joe Arpaio? And how do presidential pardons work? Guests: Fernanda Santos, the former Phoenix bureau chief of The New York Times; Adam Liptak, our Supreme Court reporter. 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 Aug 201732min

The feud between President Trump and Jeff Flake, a Republican senator from Arizona, reveals a great deal about tensions in Washington. Guests: Jonathan Martin, a national political correspondent for The Times; Mr. Flake, who you can hear more from in tomorrow’s episode of “The New Washington.” 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.

25 Aug 201720min

The United States recently noticed something unusual in North Korea’s weapons program: Its missiles started to work. Why? We discuss a surprising discovery. Guest: William J. Broad, who has reported on missile defense for decades. 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.

24 Aug 201717min

The president says “things are going to be different” in Afghanistan: no more “nation-building,” just killing terrorists. But a closer examination suggests this new strategy looks a lot like the strategy of the last 16 years. Guest: Matt Rosenberg, who covered Afghanistan from 2008 to 2014. 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 Aug 201720min

Derek Black left the white nationalist movement that he had been poised to help lead, betraying his father, a former grand master of the Ku Klux Klan. Today, we talk with him about the events of the past year. 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 Aug 201734min