The Daily

In a special series leading up to Election Day, “The Daily” will explore what a second Trump presidency would look like, and what it could mean for American democracy.Since he began his latest campaign, former President Donald J. Trump’s message has changed, becoming darker, angrier and more focused on those out to get him than it ever was before.Charles Homans, who covers national politics for The Times, has been studying the evolution of Mr. Trump’s message, and what exactly it means to his supporters and for the country.Guest: Charles Homans, who covers national politics for The New York Times.Background reading: No major American presidential candidate has talked as Mr. Trump now does at his rallies — not Richard Nixon, not George Wallace, not even Mr. Trump himself.The first night of the Republican National Convention sought to strike a new note. But some of the lyrics were familiar.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by

As the Republican National Convention entered its second day, former President Donald J. Trump and his allies absorbed the stunning new reality that the most formidable legal case against him had been thrown out by a federal judge, who ruled that the appointment of the special counsel who brought the case, Jack Smith, had violated the Constitution. Alan Feuer, who has been covering the classified documents case for The Times, explains what it means that the case could now be dead.Guest: Alan Feuer, a reporter covering extremism and political violence for The New York Times.Background reading: Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against Mr. Trump.The effort to hold Mr. Trump to account has already yielded a Supreme Court decision giving former presidents broad immunity. Now another case could make prosecuting political figures more complicated.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

On the first day of the Republican National Convention, Donald J. Trump chose his running mate: Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio.We watched the process unfold in real time in Milwaukee.Michael C. Bender, who covers Mr. Trump and his movement for The Times, takes us through the day.Guest: Michael C. Bender, a political correspondent covering Donald J. Trump and his Make America Great Again movement for The New York Times.Background reading: What to know about J.D. Vance, Mr. Trump’s running mate.Mr. Trump’s decision to pick Mr. Vance signals concern for the future of his MAGA movement.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Today’s episode sets out what we know about the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening.Doug Mills, a photographer for The Times, recounts what it was like to witness the shooting, and Glenn Thrush, who covers gun violence for The Times, discusses the state of the investigation into the man who did it.Guest: Doug Mills, a photographer in the Washington bureau of The New York Times.Glenn Thrush, who reports on the Justice Department for The New York Times.Background reading: What we know about the assassination attempt against Donald J. Trump.A Times photographer who was feet away from Mr. Trump describes the shooting.The gunman appears to have acted alone, but his motives remain unclear.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Cindy Elgan glanced into the lobby of her office and saw a sheriff’s deputy waiting at the front counter. “Let’s start a video recording, just in case this goes sideways,” Elgan, 65, told one of her employees in the Esmeralda County clerk’s office. She had come to expect skepticism, conspiracy theories and even threats related to her job as an election administrator. She grabbed her annotated booklet of Nevada state laws, said a prayer for patience and walked into the lobby to confront the latest challenge to America’s electoral process.The deputy was standing alongside a woman that Elgan recognized as Mary Jane Zakas, 77, a longtime elementary schoolteacher and a leader in the local Republican Party. She often asked for a sheriff’s deputy to accompany her to the election’s office, in case her meetings became contentious.“I hope you’re having a blessed morning,” Zakas said. “Unfortunately, a lot of people are still very concerned about the security of their votes. They’ve lost all trust in the system.”After t

The author of “Bowling Alone” warned us about social isolation and its effect on democracy a quarter century ago. Things have only gotten worse.

Over the past decade, the cost of veterinary care in the U.S. has skyrocketed, as health care for pets has come to look more like health care for people.Katie Thomas, an investigative health care reporter for The Times, discusses how pet care became a multi-billion-dollar industry, and the fraught emotional and financial landscape that has created for pet owners.Guest: Katie Thomas, an investigative health care reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: Why you’re paying your veterinarian so much.From 2021: A pandemic-era pet boom spurred veterinary companies to open new, upscale clinics.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

For the past three days, President Biden has fought to save his re-election campaign, as panicked congressional Democrats returned to Washington and openly debated whether to call on him to step aside.In this episode, Times reporters in Washington go inside the 72 hours that could make or break Mr. Biden’s nomination.Guest: Representative Adam Smith, of the 9th Congressional District in WashingtonRepresentative Lloyd Doggett, of the 37th Congressional District in TexasBackground reading: President Biden has faced fresh calls to withdraw as Democrats fear electoral rout.Veteran Democrats telegraphed not panic but respect, in hopes of appealing to the Joe Biden who has taken a breath and stepped aside in the past.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

For more than a decade, Britain has been governed by the Conservative Party, which pushed its politics to the right, embracing smaller government and Brexit. Last week, that era officially came to an end.Mark Landler, the London bureau chief for The Times, explains why British voters rejected the Conservatives and what their defeat means in a world where populism is on the rise.Guest: Mark Landler, the London bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Five takeaways from the British general election.The Conservatives have run Britain for 14 years. How have things changed in that time?For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Outmanned and outgunned in what has become a war of attrition against Russia, Ukraine has looked for any way to overcome its vulnerabilities on the battlefield. That search has led to the emergence of killer robots.Paul Mozur, the global technology correspondent for The Times, explains how Ukraine has become a Silicon Valley for autonomous weapons and how artificial intelligence is reshaping warfare.Guest: Paul Mozur, the global technology correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading:In the Ukraine war, A.I. has begun ushering in an age of killer robots.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

When the Supreme Court wrapped up its term last week, much of the focus was one the ruling that gave former President Donald J. Trump sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution. But another set of rulings that generated less attention could have just as big an impact on American government and society.Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The Times, looks back at the Supreme Court term.Guest: Adam Liptak, , who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times and writes Sidebar, a column on legal developments.Background reading: In a volatile term, a fractured Supreme Court remade America.Here’s a guide to the major Supreme Court decisions in 2024.In video: How a fractured Supreme Court ruled this term.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

On the final episode of “Animal,” Sam Anderson travels to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to meet with a creature he's long been afraid of: bats.For photos and videos of Sam's journey to the Yucatán, and to listen to the full series, visit nytimes.com/animal. You can search for “Animal” wherever you get your podcasts. 

Midway through one of the booziest holiday weekends of the year, we re-examine our love-hate relationship with alcohol.Susan Dominus, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, gets to the bottom of the conflicting guidance on the benefits and risks of drinking.Guest: Susan Dominus, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine.Background reading: Research has piled up debunking the idea that moderate drinking has any health benefits.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday

A major Times poll has found that voters’ doubts about President Biden deepened after his poor performance in the first debate, with Donald J. Trump taking by far his biggest lead of the campaign.Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The Times, explains what those results could mean for Mr. Biden’s future.Guest: Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Trump now leads Mr. Biden 49 percent to 43 percent among likely voters nationally.Mr. Biden has been left fighting for his political future after his faltering debate performance. Read the latest.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist for The Wall Street Journal, was detained in Russia more than a year ago. He has been locked up in a high-security prison and accused of spying for the U.S. government.His trial, held in secret, is now underway.Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses the complicated geopolitics behind Mr. Gershkovich’s detention and the efforts to get him home.Guest: Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Russia opened its secret trial of Mr. Gershkovich, who is accused of espionage.A United Nations panel said he was being punished for his reporting on the war in Ukraine.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald J. Trump is entitled to broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions that he took while in office.Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times, explains how that ruling will weaken the federal case against Mr. Trump for trying to overturn the last U.S. presidential election, and will drastically expand the power of the presidency itself.Guest: Adam Liptak, a Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: The Supreme Court says Mr. Trump has some immunity in the election case.The decision is an extraordinary expansion of executive power that will reverberate long after he is gone.What the immunity ruling means for 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.

President Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week set off a furious discussion among Democratic officials, donors and strategists about whether and how to replace him as the party’s nominee.Peter Baker, who is the chief White House correspondent for The Times, takes us inside those discussions and Biden’s effort to shut them down.Guest: Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: President Biden’s allies can no longer wave away concerns about his capacity after his unsteady performance at Thursday’s debate.Mr. Biden’s family is urging him to keep fighting.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

In a broken world, what can we gain by looking another animal in the eye? "Animal" is a six-part, round-the-world journey in search of an answer. In Episode 5, the writer Sam Anderson travels to an obscure memorial in rural Japan: the statue of the last Japanese wolf.For photos and videos of Sam's journey to Japan, visit nytimes.com/animal. 

David Marchese talks to the comedy legend about navigating the minefield of fame, “Family Feud” and changing Hollywood forever.

In the first debate of the 2024 race, President Biden hoped to make the case that Donald J. Trump was unfit to return to the White House. Instead, Mr. Biden’s weak performance deepened doubts about his own fitness for the job.Astead W. Herndon, who covers politics for The Times, explains what happened.Guest: Astead W. Herndon, a national politics reporter for The New York Times and the host of the politics podcast “The Run-Up.”Background reading: President Biden’s shaky, halting debate performance has Democrats talking about replacing him on the ticket.Here are six takeaways from 2024’s first presidential debate.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.