The Daily

El Niño Is Back. And Worse Than Ever.

The global chaos agent known as El Niño is back, and this year it’s already on track to be, by far, the strongest and most severe on record, wreaking havoc on weather across the world. Today, Chico Harlan, the global climate reporter for The New York Times, goes over El Niño’s history, its inner workings and its increasingly destructive fallout. Guest: Chico Harlan [https://www.nytimes.com/by/chico-harlan], the global climate correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  * El Niño, the Pacific climate shift that comes around once or twice a decade, is back [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/briefing/watch-out-for-el-nino.html], warming tropical oceans and setting off consequences worldwide. * It’s expected to peak later this year but is already causing dry spells and crop failures on three continents [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/climate/el-nino-early-onset-effects.html]. Photo: Bay Ismoyo/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.

What Went Wrong on the U.S.S. Lincoln?

For the past two weeks, family members of sailors have been raising alarms about the conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, which has a crew of about 5,000 and has been at sea for almost nine months straight. Today, John Ismay, a New York Times reporter who covers the Pentagon with a focus on armed conflict and the defense industry, discusses what went wrong on the ship and how it could affect the U.S. military’s ability to fight wars. Guest: John Ismay [https://www.nytimes.com/by/john-ismay], a New York Times reporter who covers the Pentagon with a focus on armed conflict and the defense industry. Background reading:  * The U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln has been deployed for nearly nine months. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/us/uss-abraham-lincoln-iran-navy.html?searchResultPosition=3] Members of Congress are worried about the crew’s well-being. * Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, acknowledged the difficulty of the carrier’s lengthy deployment [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/us/politics/uss-lincoln-iran-admiral.html?searchResultPosition=1] but said mental health issues were lower than on other vessels. Photo: Jason Waite/Agence France-Presse, via Navy Office of Information 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.

Luigi Mangione’s High-Risk Legal Strategy

In the two years since a masked man shot and killed a health care executive, the national spotlight has turned to the primary suspect, Luigi Mangione. The overwhelming evidence has pointed to his guilt, and the question on most minds has been: What might the defense of one of the most famous murder suspects in America look like? At a hearing on Friday, we got our first glimpse at an answer, one that appears to include a full-throated embrace of his guilt. Today, Benjamin Weiser, a reporter covering the justice system for The New York Times, and Hurubie Meko, a criminal justice reporter for The Times, discuss the risky defense strategy and why an admission of guilt might be Mr. Mangione’s best bet. Guests:  * Benjamin Weiser [https://www.nytimes.com/by/benjamin-weiser], a reporter covering the justice system for The New York Times. * Hurubie Meko [https://www.nytimes.com/by/hurubie-meko], a criminal justice reporter for The New York Times. Background reading: Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to federal charges [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/nyregion/luigi-mangione-admits-to-killing-health-insurance-executive.html], and still faces a state case. Photo: Pool photo by David Dee Delgado 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 Makes a Killer Thriller?

The New York Times Book Review recently released its list of the 50 best thrillers of the 21st century. To put it together, the team asked almost 300 authors and other experts to vote for the best heart-thumping, page-turning, white knuckle reads published since 2000. In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Natalie Kitroeff talks with the Times thrillers columnist, Sarah Lyall, about how the list came together. Then, Natalie speaks with one of the greatest thriller writers of this century — with four books featured on the list — the author Tana French. On Today’s Episode: Sarah Lyall [https://www.nytimes.com/by/sarah-lyall] writes a monthly thrillers column for The New York Times. Tana French [https://tanafrench.com/] is the author of many best-selling books, including “In the Woods,” “The Searcher,” “The Likeness” and “The Witch Elm.” Background Reading: The 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/books/best-thriller-books-21st-century.html] Photo credit: Naila Ruechel 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 Charming, Amusing, Surprisingly Low-Confidence Matthew Rhys

The “Widow’s Bay” star on his two Emmy nominations, his penchant for going dark and his wobbly self-esteem. * Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.com * Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@theinterviewpodcast] * For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview [https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-interview] 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.