The Daily

The Case of Kristie Metcalfe

Warning: This episode contains strong language. The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department — founded to focus on fighting race-based discrimination — has drastically changed the kinds of cases it pursues, dropping or setting aside many already in progress. Sarah Koenig from Serial Productions tells the story of Kristie Metcalfe — her civil rights case and how it was squandered. Guest: Sarah Koenig [https://www.nytimes.com/by/sarah-koenig], podcast host and producer for The New York Times’ Serial Productions. Background reading: The Trump administration upended 60 years of civil rights [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/magazine/trump-civil-rights-law-discrimination.html] in two months. Photo: Imani Khayyam for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://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 [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The U.S. Errors That Led to the Airstrike on an Elementary School

A continuing military investigation has determined that the United States is responsible for a strike that hit an elementary school in Iran, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the preliminary findings. Iranian officials have said the death toll was at least 175 people, most of them children. Malachy Browne and Julian E. Barnes, who have been covering the strike, discuss what probably led to one of the most devastating military errors in decades. Guest: * Malachy Browne [https://www.nytimes.com/by/malachy-browne], the enterprise director of the Visual Investigations team at The New York Times. * Julian E. Barnes [https://www.nytimes.com/by/julian-e-barnes], a reporter covering the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The New York Times. Background reading:  * A preliminary inquiry said that the United States was at fault in a strike that hit a school in Iran [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/us/politics/iran-school-missile-strike.html]. * A New York Times visual investigation [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/world/middleeast/iran-school-us-strikes-naval-base.html] suggested that the strike appeared to have been part of an attack on an adjacent naval base. Photo: In a photograph made available by an Iranian semiofficial news agency, rescue workers and residents searched through rubble in Minab, Iran, after a strike heavily damaged a school. Mehr News Agency, via Associated Press For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://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 [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

War in Iran Triggers Chaos in Global Oil Market

As Iran has tightened its chokehold on one of the world’s most vital shipping routes and the Trump administration sent mixed signals about how long the war would last, oil prices have swung wildly. Rebecca F. Elliott, who covers energy for The New York Times, explains just how much the world depends on that route — the Strait of Hormuz — and how quickly shutting it down can throw global energy markets into chaos. Guest: Rebecca F. Elliott [https://www.nytimes.com/by/rebecca-f-elliott], who covers energy for The New York Times. Background reading:  * How war in the Middle East is choking off the world’s oil and gas [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/03/business/iran-war-oil-gas-strait-of-hormuz.html]. * A jump in oil prices was a sign of growing concern that the war will continue to take a toll on energy supplies [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/08/business/energy-environment/oil-100-dollars-barrel.html]. Photo: An island in part of the Strait of Hormuz. The war in the Middle East has affected the strait, a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil. Nicolas Economou/Reuters For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://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 [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What We’ve Learned From 10 Days of War

What began as a relentless U.S.-Israeli military assault on Iran has turned into a wider crisis as the disruption of the world’s oil markets spreads beyond the Middle East. Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses what we know about the players involved in the fighting. Guest: Eric Schmitt [https://www.nytimes.com/by/eric-schmitt], a national security correspondent for The New York Times based in Washington. Background reading:  * War with Iran has become the world’s latest economic hazard [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/business/economy/trump-iran-oil-economy-fallout.html]. * Follow updates on the fighting [https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/10/world/iran-war-trump-us-israel] in the Middle East. Photo: Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://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 [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Anthropic vs. the Pentagon: Inside the Battle Over A.I. Warfare

In recent weeks, the Defense Department has tussled with Anthropic over how its artificial intelligence could be used on classified systems. That fight became bitter and negotiations fell apart. And war in the Middle East has made it increasingly clear how much the U.S. military has been relying on A.I. Sheera Frenkel, who covers technology for The New York Times, explains the standoff and what it reveals about the future of warfare. Guest: Sheera Frenkel [https://www.nytimes.com/by/sheera-frenkel], a New York Times reporter who covers how technology affects our lives. Background reading:  * How talks between Anthropic and the Defense Department [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/technology/anthropic-defense-dept-openai-talks.html] fell apart. * Here is a guide [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/technology/anthropic-openai-pentagon-dario-amodei-sam-altman.html] to the Pentagon’s dance with Anthropic and OpenAI. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily]. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://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 [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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.