The Daily

Across the country, public schools are facing steep declines in enrollment, while the movement to use public funds for private education grows. Dana Goldstein, who covers education and families for The New York Times, explains why so many parents are using taxpayer money to privately educate their children — and what this means for American education. Guest: Dana Goldstein [https://www.nytimes.com/by/dana-goldstein], a reporter covering education and families for The New York Times. Background reading:  * A decline in the number of children and rise in the number of choices has created a crisis for public schools [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/us/public-school-enrollment-decline-vouchers.html]. * In July, Congress approved the first national school voucher plan [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/us/federal-voucher-program-congress-private-school-tuition.html], helping to pay for private education. 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.  Photo: Zack Wittman for The New York Times Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

European leaders raced to Washington to show their support for President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine as he met with President Trump on Monday. It was their first face-to-face meeting at the White House since their disastrous blowup in the Oval Office in February. Michael Schwirtz, who covers global intelligence, explains how and why Mr. Zelensky’s approach has changed. Guest: Michael Schwirtz [https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-schwirtz], the global intelligence correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Can Mr. Zelensky trust Mr. Trump? [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/us/politics/zelensky-trump-ukraine-trust.html] Ukraine’s fate may depend on the answer. * Mr. Zelensky and other European leaders have learned a thing or two [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/us/politics/white-house-summit-diplomacy-courting-trump.html] about negotiating with Mr. Trump. 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.  Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

From Iowa to New York, Republican members of Congress have struggled to answer constituents’ tough questions about their party’s agenda, with several town hall meetings turning angry and going viral. Republican leaders have told lawmakers to stop holding them all together. Representative Mike Flood of Nebraska has ignored that advice. The congressman speaks about the disappearance of an American political tradition and why he thinks it is worth preserving. Guest: Representative Mike Flood, Republican of Nebraska Background reading:  * Representative Flood faced his hometown voters [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/us/politics/mike-flood-town-hall.html]. It wasn’t pretty. * From March: Republican House members were told to stop holding in-person town halls [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/us/politics/gop-town-hall.html]. 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.  Photo: Scott Morgan/Reuters Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Sam Graham-Felsen never imagined being lonely. Throughout his childhood and as a young man his life revolved around his friends. But when Sam got married and then had kids, going out with his friends almost felt like a luxury. After years of focusing on everything in his life except friendship, Sam began to realize he was missing something essential, and he decided to get his friends back. On this episode of “Modern Love,” Mr. Graham-Felsen describes how he went from being a boy with a wealth of deep friendships to finding himself feeling lonely as an adult, and what he did to bring friendship back into his life. Read his essay “Where Have All My Deep Male Friendships Gone? [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/25/magazine/male-friendships.html]” in The New York Times Magazine. Find new episodes of Modern Love every Wednesday. Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts:  APPLE PODCASTS [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/modern-love/id1065559535?mt=2] | SPOTIFY [https://open.spotify.com/show/03Er7mSPq9IEewOgbPD3vO?si=CYApBISZSoCH6AjwdiGsFw] | AMAZON MUSIC [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c40b7b82-b31d-493d-ac33-273b39d153ca/modern-love] | YOUTUBE [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdMrbgYfVl-s2_KrR5DosEB0gqr4w-XZd] |IHEARTRADIO [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/560-modern-love-28288069/] Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The world-renowned negotiator on our “dealmaker in chief” and the benefit of approaching life as a deal waiting to be made. * 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] Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.