The Daily

As a racketeering trial begins in Atlanta, much of the focus is on the high-profile defendant, the best-selling rapper Young Thug. Joe Coscarelli, a culture reporter for The New York Times, explains why, in a sense, hip-hop itself is on trial. Guest: Joe Coscarelli, a culture reporter for The New York Times. Background reading: at least 17 specific sets of lines what to knowFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

In the weeks since Hamas carried out its devastating terrorist attack in southern Israel, Times journalists have been trying to work out why the Israeli security services failed to prevent such a huge and deadly assault. Ronen Bergman, a correspondent for The New York Times, tells the story of one of the warnings that Israel ignored. Guest: Ronen Bergman, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. Background reading: dismissed it as aspirationalHere’s the latestFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has come to define innovation, but he can also be a lightning rod for controversy; he recently endorsed antisemitic remarks on X, formerly known as Twitter, which prompted companies to pull their advertising. In an interview recorded live at the DealBook Summit in New York with Times business reporter and columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, Musk discusses his emotional state and why he has “no problem being hated.” To read more news about the event, visit https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/11/29/business/dealbook-summit-news

For many millennials, buying a home has become almost entirely out of reach. Average 30-year mortgage rates are hovering around 7 percent — the highest they’ve been since 2007 — largely because of the Federal Reserve’s efforts to tame inflation. David Leonhardt, a senior writer for The New York Times, discusses whether it is time to change how we think about buying vs. renting. Guest: David Leonhardt, a senior writer for The New York Times. He writes The Morning, The Times’s flagship daily newsletter, and also writes for Sunday Review. Background reading: Take our quiz and it doesn’t look like what we were promised.The New York Times’ reviewFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The American economy, by many measures, is doing better than it has done in years. But for many Americans, that is not how it feels. Their feelings point to an enduring mystery: Why do Americans feel so bad when the economy is so good? Jeanna Smialek, who covers the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for The Times, discusses a new way to understand the disconnect. Guest: Jeanna Smialek, a reporter covering the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for The New York Times. Background reading: What’s causing the “bad vibes” in the economy? But some retailers have jitters heading into Black FridayFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

From the moment that Roe v. Wade was overturned, the question was just how much the change would reduce abortions across the United States. Now, more than a year later, the numbers are in. Margot Sanger-Katz, who writes about health care for The Upshot, explains why the results are not what anyone had expected. Guest: Margot Sanger-Katz, a domestic correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: almost a quarter of women significant increases in abortionFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Hostages are at the heart of the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, now in its fifth day. As of Monday night, 50 Israeli hostages had been released, as had 150 Palestinian prisoners. More releases were expected on Tuesday, under what Qatari mediators said was a deal to extend the cease-fire by two days. Isabel Kershner, a Jerusalem-based reporter for The New York Times, explains how a grass-roots movement managed to pause the war, and what it will mean for the rest of the conflict. Guest: Isabel Kershner, who covers Israeli and Palestinian politics and society for The New York Times. Background reading: raised hopes that more people would be set freethe latest updates from Israel and GazaFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Only five members of the U.S. House of Representatives have ever been expelled from the institution. This week, Representative George Santos, Republican of New York, could become the sixth. In a damning ethics report, House investigators found that the congressman spent tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions on Botox, Ferragamo goods and vacations. Grace Ashford, who covers New York State politics and government for The Times, explains why, after a year in office, so many of Mr. Santos’s colleagues have had enough. Guest: Grace Ashford, a reporter on the Metro desk covering New York State politics and government for The New York Times. Background reading: faces a new expulsion push personal spending splurgesFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

It was a head-spinning week in the tech world with the abrupt firing and rehiring of OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman. The hosts of “Hard Fork,” Kevin Roose and Casey Newton, interviewed Altman only two days before he was fired. Over the course of their conversation, Altman laid out his worldview and his vision for the future of A.I. Today, we’re bringing you that interview to shed light on how Altman has quickly come to be seen as a figure of controversy inside the company he co-founded. “Hard Fork” is a podcast about the future of technology that's already here. You can search for it wherever you get your podcasts. Visit nytimes.com/hardfork for more. Hear more of Hard Fork's coverage of OpenAI’s meltdown: Emergency Pod: Sam Altman Is Out at Open AIYet Another Emergency Pod: Sam Altman Is Back

Polls suggest that they are – and that Black voters’ support for former President Donald J. Trump, especially among men, is rising. Astead W. Herndon, host of "The Run-Up," convened a special Thanksgiving focus group to explore what might be behind those numbers. He spoke with family, friends and parishioners from his father’s church, community members and people he grew up with. It’s a lively conversation with real implications for what might happen if the 2024 presidential race is a Biden-Trump rematch. Because where better to talk politics than over turkey and an ample dessert spread? “The Run-Up” is an essential weekly discussion of American politics. New episodes come out every Thursday, and you can follow it wherever you get your podcasts. To get you started, here are a few highlights from our coverage of the 2024 race so far: An Interview With Kamala HarrisThe Pillow Guy and The RNC ChairThe New Terms of Abortion Politics

The board of OpenAI, the maker of the ChatGPT chatbot and one of the world’s highest-profile artificial intelligence companies, reversed course late last night and brought back Sam Altman as chief executive. Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The Times, discusses a whirlwind five days at the company and analyzes what the fallout could mean for the future of the transformational technology. Guest: Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The New York Times. Background reading: OpenAI’s board of directors will be overhauled divided and feudingFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

As the war against Hamas enters a seventh week, Israel finds itself under intense pressure to justify its actions in Gaza, including the raid of Al-Shifa Hospital, which it says is a center of Hamas activity. Hamas and hospital officials deny the accusation. Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief for The Times, was one of the reporters invited by the Israeli military on an escorted trip into the enclave. Guest: Patrick Kingsley, Jerusalem bureau chief for The New York Times. Background reading: a city utterly disfiguredFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

By working with Democrats to avert a government shutdown this past week, Speaker Mike Johnson seemed to put himself on the same path that doomed his predecessor. Or did he? Catie Edmondson, who covers Congress for The Times, explains why things could be different this time. Guest: Catie Edmondson, a reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times. Background reading: the spending fight is far from over is a gambleFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. military, was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2019. The initiative had been shaped within the armed forces and Congress over the previous 25 years, based on the premise that as satellite and space technologies evolved, America’s military organizations had to change as well. From the start, the Space Force had detractors. Air Force officials wondered if it was necessary, while some political observers believed that it signified the start of a dangerous (and expensive) militarization of another realm. What seemed harder to argue against was how nearly every aspect of modern warfare and defense — intelligence, surveillance, communications, operations, missile detection — has come to rely on links to orbiting satellites. The recent battles in Eastern Europe, in which Russia has tried to disrupt Ukraine’s space-borne communication systems, are a case in point. And yet the strategic exploitation of space now extends well beyond military concerns. Satellite phone systems have become widespread. Positioning and timing satellites, such as GPS (now overseen by the Space Force), allow for digital mapping, navigation, banking and agricultural management. A world without orbital weather surveys seems unthinkable. Modern life is reliant on space technologies to an extent that an interruption would create profound economic and social distress. For the moment, the force has taken up a problem not often contemplated outside science fiction: How do you fight a war in space, or a war on Earth that expands into space? And even if you’re ready to fight, how do you make sure you don’t have a space war in the first place? This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

One of the most highly anticipated diplomatic events of the year took place this week in a mansion outside San Francisco. President Biden and Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, met to repair their countries’ relations, which had sunk to one of their lowest points in decades. Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the effort to bring the relationship back from the brink. Guest: Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: Both American and Chinese accounts of the meeting indicated scant progressChina’s depiction of Xi Jinping’s U.S. visitFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

A little over a year ago, at President Biden’s urging, congressional democrats passed a sweeping plan to supercharge the production and sale of electric vehicles. Jim Tankersley, who covers economic policy for The Times, explains whether the law is actually working. Guest: Jim Tankersley, an economic policy correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading: but it has not similarly boosted E.V. salesGrowth is brisk but slower than expected, causing automakers to question their multibillion-dollar investments in new factories and raising doubts about the effectiveness of federal incentives. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

A historic set of new lawsuits, filed by more than three dozen states, accuses Meta, the country’s largest social media company, of illegally luring children onto its platforms and hooking them on its products. Natasha Singer, who covers technology, business and society for The New York Times, has been reviewing the states’ evidence and trying to understand the long-term strategy behind these lawsuits. Guest: Natasha Singer, a reporter covering technology, business and society for The New York Times. Background reading: by more than three dozen statesIndustry lawsuitsFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

To much of the outside world, Hamas’s decision to murder hundreds of Israelis and trigger a war that has since killed many thousands of its own people looks like a historic miscalculation — one that could soon result in the destruction of Hamas itself. Hamas’s leaders, however, say that it was the result of a deliberate calculation. Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times, has been reporting on their decision, and what went into it. Guest: Ben Hubbard, the Istanbul bureau chief for The New York Times. Background reading: Behind Hamas’s bloody gambit bring two hostages safely back the latest on the warFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Warning: This episode contains descriptions of injuries and death. As Israel’s war on Hamas enters its sixth week, hospitals in Gaza have found themselves on the front lines. Hospitals have become a refuge for the growing number of civilians fleeing the violence, but one that has become increasingly dangerous as Israel’s military targets what it says are Hamas fighters hiding inside and beneath them. Today, three doctors working in the Gaza Strip describe what the war looks like from inside their hospitals and what they are doing to keep up with the flood of patients. Guests: Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Dr. Suhaib Alhamss and Dr. Ebraheem Matar, three doctors working in the Gaza Strip. Background reading: a surge of severely injured children entering hospitalssay that Hamas has built a complexFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

In April 2016, 11 Black schoolchildren, some as young as 8 years old, were arrested in Rutherford County, Tenn. The reason? They didn’t stop a fight between some other kids. What happened in the wake of those arrests would expose a juvenile justice system that was playing by its own rules. For years, this county had arrested and illegally jailed hundreds, maybe thousands, of children. Why was this happening – and what would it take to stop it? From Serial Productions and The New York Times, in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio, “The Kids of Rutherford County” is hosted by Meribah Knight, a Peabody Award-winning reporter based in the South. The full four-part series is out now.