The Sunday Read: ‘The Alienation of Jaime Cachua’

Since President Trump took office, Elon Musk and DOGE have wielded an unprecedented level of power to help the administration cut the U.S. government, and they claim to have stopped tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending.David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains why those claims are not what they seem — and what that tells us about Mr. Musk’s project to shrink the federal bureaucracy.Guest: David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: DOGE’s only public ledger has been riddled with mistakes.The group has now deleted hundreds of claimed savings, worth billions of dollars, from that ledger.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images 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.

4 Mar 25min

On Friday, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in an explosive televised Oval Office meeting and abruptly cut short a visit that was meant to help coordinate a plan for peace.Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The Times, discusses the clash and its consequences.Guest: Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration.Background reading: Mr. Trump berated Mr. Zelensky in a fiery exchange at the White House.The public blowup could propel President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to escalate the fight in Ukraine instead of agreeing to peace.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Doug Mills/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.

3 Mar 34min

Jim Tucker could hardly believe what he was hearing. It sounded like fiction, a nightmare too outlandish for an unassuming town like his.It was July 2023, and Tucker was hosting a meeting of the board of Heartland Tri-State Bank, a community-owned business in a small Kansas town called Elkhart. Heartland was a beloved local institution and a source of Tucker family pride: Tucker served on the board with his elderly father, Bill, who founded the bank four decades earlier. All of the board members — the Tuckers and several other farmers and businesspeople — had known one another for years.That evening, however, they were gathering to discuss what seemed, on its face, an epic betrayal. Over the past few weeks, the bank’s longtime president, a popular local businessman named Shan Hanes, had ordered a series of unexplained wire transfers that drained tens of millions of dollars from the bank. Hanes converted the funds into cryptocurrencies. Then the money vanished. 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.

2 Mar 27min

The Massachusetts leader, whose influence goes well beyond her state, discusses how the Democratic Party can pick its battles and rebuild its brand. 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.

1 Mar 44min

This week, President Trump proposed two deals that would require allies to put his needs ahead of their own.Times’ Journalists Michael Barbaro, Catie Edmonson, Maggie Haberman, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs discuss how, in both cases, Trump got what he wanted.Guest: Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration.Background reading: Here’s what’s in the House Republican budget, and what comes next.What we know about the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: 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.

28 Feb 29min

During his decades-long path to become America’s highest-ranking military officer, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. won the crucial support of President Trump.That all changed when Mr. Brown publicly talked about a subject that is taboo in Mr. Trump’s government.Helene Cooper, who covers national security for The Times, explains why General Brown was fired and why it has rocked the military.Guest: Helene Cooper, who cover national security issues for The New York Times.Background reading: President Trump fired General Brown amid a flurry of dismissals at the Pentagon.Democratic lawmakers and retired military officers expressed concern about politicization of the military under Mr. Trump.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Shawn Thew/EPA, via Shutterstock 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.

27 Feb 29min

Today, as the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas enters its most fragile phase, no one knows who will control the future of Gaza.Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times, talks through this delicate moment — as the first part of the deal nears its end — and the questions that hover over it.Guest: Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Gaza’s truce could end in days, with no extension agreed. What happens next?Alarmed by President Trump’s Gaza plan, Arab leaders brainstormed about one of their own.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Saher Alghorra 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.

26 Feb 29min

Warning: This episode discusses sexual themes.Artificial intelligence has changed how millions of people write emails, conduct research and seek advice.Kashmir Hill, who covers technology and privacy, tells the story of a woman whose relationship with a chatbot when much further than that.Guest: Kashmir Hill, a features writer on the business desk at The New York Times, covering technology and privacy.Background reading: She is in love with ChatGPT.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Helen Orr 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.

25 Feb 32min