The Daily

Mayor Mamdani Flexes His Power in the Midterms

On Tuesday, a blowout in the New York primaries cemented Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a local kingmaker. All of his chosen candidates won, and their victories pointed to a growing movement within the Democratic Party. Nicholas Fandos, who covers New York politics for The New York Times, explains whether their victories will help Democrats in the midterms. Guest: Nicholas Fandos [https://www.nytimes.com/by/nicholas-fandos], a reporter covering New York politics and government for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Mr. Mamdani shook the Democratic establishment by helping drive three progressive candidates to victory [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/mamdani-politics-influence.html]. * Here’s why [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/democrats-unions-primaries-nyc.html] New York’s Democratic establishment fell to Team Mamdani. Photo: Lexi Parra/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.

How the Iran Deal Is Testing the U.S.-Israel Alliance

As the United States and Iran try to reach a lasting end to the war, a major hurdle has emerged: the volatile conflict in Lebanon. President Trump needs Israel to stop attacking Hezbollah there to get Iran to agree to a deal. The New York Times reporters Ronen Bergman and Mark Mazzetti discuss the growing tensions between the United States and Israel. Guest: * Ronen Bergman [https://www.nytimes.com/by/ronen-bergman], a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine based in Tel Aviv. * Mark Mazzetti [https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-mazzetti], an investigative reporter for The New York Times based in Washington focusing on national security. Background reading:  * Analysis: The conflict in Lebanon has become one of the main obstacles [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/world/middleeast/lebanon-us-iran-deal-ceasefire.html] to ending the American-Israeli war on Iran. * Vice President JD Vance lashed out at Israeli critics [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/world/middleeast/vance-israel-critics-us-iran-deal.html] of a U.S.-Iran agreement. Photo: David Guttenfelder/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.

As Trump Purges Immigration Judges, One Speaks Out

Through his second term, President Trump has systematically pressured judges to carry out his agenda in a little-known court system that oversees immigration. Nicholas Nehamas, a Washington correspondent for The New York Times, speaks to Judge Holly D’Andrea about the Trump administration’s efforts to speed up deportations. Guest: * Nicholas Nehamas [https://www.nytimes.com/by/nicholas-nehamas], a Washington correspondent for The New York Times. * Holly D’Andrea, an immigration judge and president of the National Association of Immigration Judges. Background reading:  * How Mr. Trump purged immigration judges [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/us/politics/trump-miller-immigration-judges-purge.html] to speed up deportations. Photo: Desiree Rios 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.

R.F.K. Jr.’s Newest Mission: Getting Us Off Antidepressants

In his latest public health crusade, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, is asking why millions of Americans have been taking psychiatric drugs for far longer than ever intended. In the process, he’s highlighting an open secret in medicine: that doctors are better at starting drug treatments than at stopping them, and that patients who want to end their treatment are increasingly taking matters into their own hands. Ellen Barry, a mental health reporter, takes us inside the growing movement to “deprescribe.” Guest: Ellen Barry [https://www.nytimes.com/by/ellen-barry], a reporter covering mental health for The New York Times. Background reading: Some psychiatrists fear that Mr. Kennedy’s call to rein in the use of depression medications will drive patients away from care. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/science/rfk-jr-antidepressants-ssri-psychiatry.html] Photo: Darren Staples/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.

Can a Bad Man Be a Good Father?

The writer Tom Junod has spent a career crafting profiles for men’s magazines like GQ and Esquire, often of famously complicated men like Norman Mailer, Kevin Spacey and Tony Curtis. But another man loomed behind Junod’s interest in these figures, informing his own sense of masculinity and manhood: his father, Lou. Lou Junod was handsome, charismatic — a man who seemed like a celebrity, even though he wasn’t famous. He was also mysterious, a keeper of secrets that have continued to reverberate through his son’s life. On today’s episode, Michael Barbaro talks with Junod about his new book, “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man, [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/books/review/in-the-days-of-my-youth-i-was-told-what-it-means-to-be-a-man-tom-junod.html]” which is part memoir and part detective story, as well as a powerful meditation on fatherhood. On Today’s Episode: Tom Junod is the author of “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man.” [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/89092/in-the-days-of-my-youth-i-was-told-what-it-means-to-be-a-man-by-tom-junod/] Background Reading: Tom Junod Would Like to Tell You About His Father [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/style/tom-junod-would-like-to-tell-you-about-his-father.html] Art: Lou Junod with baby Tom in 1958. 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.