Can the Cease-Fire in Gaza Hold?

Wildfires are devastating Australia, incinerating an area roughly the size of West Virginia and killing 24 people and as many as half a billion animals. Today, we look at the human and environmental costs of the disaster, its connection to climate change and why so many Australians are frustrated by Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s response. Guest: Livia Albeck-Ripka, a reporter for The Times in Melbourne a reporter for The Times in Melbourne who spoke with Susan Pulis, a woman who fled the fires with kangaroos and koalas in her car. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: After Australia’s hottest and driest year on record, Mr. Morrison has minimized the connection between the wildfire crisis and climate change and declined to make moves to curb the country’s carbon emissions.Many Australians entered the new year under apocalyptic blood-red skies as smoke from the fires choked the country’s southeastern coast. “I look outside and it’s like the end of the world. Armageddon is here,” one woman in Canberra said.The fires have burned through dozens of towns, destroying at least 3,000 homes. Now, unbridled by continuous fire fighting, the blazes have returned to some scorched areas to level what is left. Rupert Murdoch controls the largest news company in Australia, and his newspapers have contributed to a wave of misinformation about the cause of the fires. 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 Jan 202026min

Note: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence. Yesterday on “The Daily,” we heard the story of Lucia Evans, whose allegation of sexual violence against Harvey Weinstein helped launch his criminal trial in New York. After Ms. Evans was dropped from the case, questions were raised about how a man accused of sexual misconduct by more than 80 women could end up facing so few of them in court. In the second half of this series, what happened next in the case against Harvey Weinstein. Guests: Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, investigative reporters for The New York Times and the authors of “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.” For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Mr. Weinstein built a network of complicity that dozens of women say kept them silent for years. Opening statements in the trial have yet to be made, as this week has focused on jury selection and clashes over the rules of decorum in court. 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 Jan 202033min

Note: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence. The story of Harvey Weinstein is a story of patterns. Scores of women — more than 80 — have given eerily similar accounts of abuse and harassment by the powerful movie mogul.This week, two years after those allegations were first reported in The New York Times, Mr. Weinstein’s trial opens in New York. In the first part of a two-part series, we investigate why the case went from 80 potential plaintiffs to two.Guest: Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter for The Times and co-author of “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.” For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Mr. Weinstein’s reputation preceded him as he stepped into a Manhattan courthouse this week to face charges of rape and criminal sexual activity, making it difficult to find jurors who did not already have strong opinions about the case.The reporters who broke the first investigation into Mr. Weinstein explain why the trial rests on a narrow legal case with an already fraught back story and why the result is highly unpredictable.On the first day of Mr. Weinstein’s trial, two other criminal allegations against him were released in Los Angeles. 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.

9 Jan 202038min

John R. Bolton, the former White House national security adviser, has announced that he is willing to give evidence in the impeachment trial of President Trump. The question is: Will the Senate — and the majority leader, Mitch McConnell — let that happen? Guest: Julie Hirschfeld Davis, the congressional editor of The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Mr. Bolton’s announcement was an unexpected turn that could alter the political dynamic of the impeachment process, raising the possibility of Republican defections.In response, Mr. McConnell said that he had the votes he needed to quickly acquit the president without calling witnesses or hearing new evidence. 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.

8 Jan 202024min

The killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s most formidable military and intelligence leader, displayed the fault lines in a fractious region. From Iraq to Israel, many victims of the commander’s shadow warfare celebrated his death; but in Tehran, thousands filled the streets to grieve. Today, we explore who General Suleimani was, and what he meant to Iranians. Guest: Farnaz Fassihi, a reporter covering Iran for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:As we break down how religious differences have fueled conflict in Iraq and Iran, here’s a refresher on the distinction between Sunni and Shia Islam. At General Suleimani’s funeral, a senior military leader vowed to set America “ablaze.” But it remains uncertain how, or even whether, Iran will strike back.President Trump and his defense secretary have said different things about how the United States might respond to any Iranian retaliation. One of our Interpreter columnists is struggling to see a deeper strategy.Dozens of American citizens of Iranian descent have been detained while trying to enter the United States. “My kids shouldn’t experience such things,” one woman said after being held overnight upon return from a ski trip in Canada. “They are U.S. citizens. This is not O.K.” 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.

7 Jan 202025min

Iran has promised “severe revenge” against the United States for the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani. But what made the high-ranking military leader an American target in the first place? Guest: Helene Cooper, who covers the Pentagon for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani was known as the instigator behind proxy wars that fueled instability in the Middle East. His death further disturbed the region’s delicate power balances — and effectively ended a landmark nuclear deal.Some Iranian officials called the American strike on General Suleimani an act of war. As the consequences of the killing ripple outward, our columnist asks: Was the strike a good idea?Catching up after a weekend offline? Here’s what else you need to know about the death of General Suleimani. 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.

6 Jan 202027min

This week, “The Daily” is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of 2019 and checking in on what has happened since they first appeared. Today, we return to our conversation with the whistle-blower John Barnett, known as Swampy, about what he said were systemic safety problems at Boeing. After two 737 Max jet crashes killed a total of 346 people and a federal investigation left the company in crisis, we ask: Is something deeper going wrong at the once-revered manufacturer? Guest: Natalie Kitroeff, a business reporter for The New York Times, spoke with John Barnett, a former quality manager at Boeing. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:Boeing successfully lobbied to reduce government oversight of airplane designs, allowing them to regulate faulty engineering internally.A congressional investigation last fall asked what Boeing knew before the two crashes. 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 Jan 202026min

This week, “The Daily” is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of 2019 and checking in on what has happened since the stories first ran. Today, we return to the exclusive interview in the Oval Office between the publisher of The Times, A. G. Sulzberger, and President Trump about the role of a free press. Guest: A. G. Sulzberger, The Times’s publisher, who joined two White House reporters, Maggie Haberman and Peter Baker, to interview Mr. Trump. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.Background reading:In his remarks on the media, Mr. Trump took credit for popularizing the term “fake news,” but declined to accept responsibility for a rise in threats against journalists since he took office. Read excerpts from his exchange with Mr. Sulzberger.Here are five takeaways from the interview.Mr. Trump said he wanted evidence the world was getting more dangerous for journalists. Here it is. 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 Jan 202033min