The Sunday Read: ‘The Man Who Made Spain the Magic Capital of the World’

How did Bashar al-Assad, a mild-mannered ophthalmologist, become a ruler who uses chemical weapons against his own people? And why is President Trump rejecting Mr. Assad, even as he is embracing another Middle Eastern leader with a reputation for brutality. Guests: Ben Hubbard, who covers the Middle East for The Times; Rukmini Callimachi, who writes about the Islamic State. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2p79Cur. 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 Apr 201720min

Why President Trump’s decision to launch missiles into Syria is at odds with nearly everything he has said about Syria. Guest: Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2oU6HZq. 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 Apr 201712min

The United States has launched 59 tomahawk missiles at an air base in Syria — a swift and decisive response to the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attack this week. And we navigate a historic day in the Senate. Guests: Helene Cooper, the Pentagon correspondent for The New York Times; Jennifer Steinhauer, who covers Congress. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2oMOPPR. 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 Apr 201720min

President Trump sits down for an exclusive interview with The New York Times. How a conversation about infrastructure veered off into allegations of spying, new thinking on the chemical attacks in Syria and a response to the sexual harassment claims against Bill O’Reilly. Plus: Trump and China. Guests: Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush, who interviewed the president; Peter Goodman, a reporter based in London. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2oQILG8. 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 Apr 201721min

President Trump treats the Syrian president as a potential ally. Will Tuesday’s deadly chemical weapons attack change that? Plus: the story of one village election that has become as much about Mr. Trump as about the candidates on the ballot. Guests: Anne Barnard, the Beirut bureau chief; Julie Bosman, who covers the midwest for the Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2nf8BmP. 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.

5 Apr 201720min

In 2013, Republicans in the Senate warned Democrats that they would soon regret a decision so extreme that it’s called “going nuclear.” That prediction may prove true this week, as Republicans prepare to go one step further to ensure the confirmation of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Guests: Jonathan Weisman and Jennifer Steinhauer, reporters at The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2naaW2G. 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 Apr 201717min

Inside the New York Times investigation into accusations of harassment and other inappropriate behavior by Bill O’Reilly, and the lengths to which Fox News went to to keep the allegations quiet. Guest: Emily Steel, who has spent the last few months investigating this story. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2oHxCV8. 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 Apr 201718min

The latest twist in a bizarre Washington drama that began 10 days ago, and what a technological development tells us about progress and repression in India. Guests: Matt Rosenberg, who is tracking the developments with Representative Devin Nunes; Ellen Barry, the South Asia bureau chief for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2n3yoyv. 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 Mars 201721min