Friday, June 9, 2017

The Supreme Court ruled last month that federal courts cannot rule on cases of partisan gerrymandering, saying that judges are not entitled to second-guess the decisions made by state legislators who draw voting maps. We spoke to one man who has long believed there’s a way to address the issue without the courts. Guest: Eric H. Holder Jr., who served as the United States attorney general for six years under President Barack Obama. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: The Supreme Court’s decision on gerrymandering instantly raised the stakes for the nation’s state legislative races, which are often overlooked by voters, but can shape the course of policy from abortion rights to education.What is gerrymandering, and why did the Supreme Court rule on it? Here’s a refresher. 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 Jul 201923min

Maxwell’s yearslong relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has raised questions about what she may have known about the allegations of sex trafficking against him. Now, thousands of pages of sealed documents stemming from their relationship are about to be made public. Guest: Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.Background reading:With Mr. Epstein under federal indictment on charges of sexually trafficking and abusing young girls, there are growing questions about his relationship with Ms. Maxwell. For more than a decade she helped manage Mr. Epstein’s homes, facilitate his social relationships and recruit masseuses, according to his former employees. 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.

26 Jul 201921min

The former special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, testified on Wednesday before Congress. He declared that his two-year investigation did not exonerate President Trump and that Russia would meddle again in American elections. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who has been covering the special counsel investigation for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Lawmakers hunted for viral sound bites and tried to score political points, but Mr. Mueller consistently refused to accommodate them in his long-awaited appearance before Congress.Here are seven takeaways from the hearings. 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 Jul 201928min

The majority of Americans disapprove of President Trump. But in 2020, Democrats will still have a hard time defeating him. Here’s why. Guest: Nate Cohn, who covers elections, polling and demographics for The Upshot at The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: President Trump’s edge in the Electoral College may leave him closer to re-election than one might think based on his approval ratings — and may also blunt the electoral cost of actions like his attacks against four congresswomen of color. 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 Jul 201923min

Robert S. Mueller III, the former special counsel, will testify before the House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. We spoke to our colleague about what to expect. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who has been covering the special counsel investigation for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Read more about what you need to know before the testimony.Here are 19 lingering questions for Mr. Mueller, along with what we know or don’t know about the answers. 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 Jul 201918min

Dr. Leana Wen, the first physician to lead Planned Parenthood in decades, was ousted after just eight months on the job. Her departure highlights a central tension over the direction of the group: Is it a political organization first, or a health organization? Guest: Sarah Kliff, an investigative reporter for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: As states began to pass ever more restrictive laws on abortion, Planned Parenthood’s leaders felt they needed a more aggressive political leader to fight efforts to roll back abortion access.“I was asked to leave for the same reason I was hired: I was changing the direction of Planned Parenthood,” Dr. Wen wrote in an Op-Ed for The 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.

23 Jul 201921min

After trying and failing to withdraw Britain from the European Union, Theresa May will resign this week as the country’s prime minister. Here’s how the man expected to succeed her, Boris Johnson, made Brexit — and how Brexit may soon make him prime minister. Guest: Sarah Lyall, a writer at large for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Mr. Johnson has become one of the great escape artists of British politics.Some of Mr. Johnson’s family members, once staunch opponents of Brexit, have had to perform a complicated political jujitsu around his candidacy for prime minister.Prime Minister Theresa May is scheduled to step down on Wednesday. Only 160,000 Conservative Party members can vote for the next leader, sidelining 99 percent of registered voters. 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 Jul 201927min

There are two stories from the 1960s that America likes to tell about itself — the civil rights movement and the space race. We look at the brief moment when the two collided. Guest: Emily Ludolph, who covered this story for The New York Times, spoke with Ed Dwight, a former Air Force pilot who had trained to be the first black astronaut. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.Background reading: President John F. Kennedy was Ed Dwight’s champion. Within weeks of the president’s assassination, Mr. Dwight’s career as a prospective astronaut ended. 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 Jul 201923min