The Daily

The Firing of Kristi Noem

On Thursday, President Trump fired Kristi Noem, his secretary of homeland security, whose agency is at the center of his second-term agenda. Hamed Aleaziz, who covers the department, explains how Ms. Noem ended up losing the president’s trust.  Guest: Hamed Aleaziz [https://www.nytimes.com/by/hamed-aleaziz], who covers the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy in the United States for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Bulletproof vests and Rolex watches: the rise and fall of Kristi Noem [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/politics/kristi-noem-dhs-timeline.html]. * Mr. Trump said he would replace Ms. Noem [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/politics/kristi-noem-markwayne-mullin-trump.html] with an Oklahoma senator, Markwayne Mullin. Photo: Nicole Hester/USA Today Network, via 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.

Did Israel Push Trump Into War?

The U.S. decision to strike Iran was a victory for Israel, which had been pushing President Trump for months on the need to hit the country. Now, Israel’s role in spurring the operation has become a point of political tension. The New York Times journalists Mark Mazzetti and Ronen Bergman discuss what we know about the extraordinarily close cooperation between Israel and the United States. Guest: * Mark Mazzetti [https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-mazzetti], an investigative reporter for The New York Times in Washington, D.C., focusing on national security. * Ronen Bergman [https://www.nytimes.com/by/ronen-bergman], a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine in Tel Aviv. Background reading:  * How Mr. Trump decided to go to war [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/politics/trump-war-iran-israel.html]. Photo: Tierney L. Cross/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.

A New Media Empire

The bidding war between Paramount and Netflix over the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery appeared to come to a close last week, when Netflix backed out. The Times journalists Nicole Sperling, Lauren Hirsch and Jonathan Mahler discuss this Hollywood drama fit for the big screen, and why it could reshape our political and cultural landscape. Guest: * Nicole Sperling [https://www.nytimes.com/by/nicole-sperling], a New York Times reporter in Los Angeles, covering Hollywood and the streaming revolution. * Lauren Hirsch [https://www.nytimes.com/by/lauren-hirsch], a New York Times reporter who covers the biggest stories on Wall Street, including mergers and acquisitions. * Jonathan Mahler [https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-mahler], a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. Background reading:  * Paramount raised its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/business/paramount-netflix-warner-bros-discovery.html] last week. * Netflix lost Warner Bros., but maybe that’s a good thing [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/business/media/netflix-warner-bros-discovery-analysts.html]. Photo: Ricardo Nagaoka 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 Midterms Begin With a Texas-Size Showdown

Democrats and Republicans will head to the polls in Texas today for an election that will send both parties a message about what voters want in Trump’s America. Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the Senate primary that so many are watching. Guest: Shane Goldmacher [https://www.nytimes.com/by/shane-goldmacher], a national political correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  * The Texas Senate primary [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/us/politics/texas-election-cornyn-paxton-crockett-talarico.html] offers a test case for each party. * The Republicans John Cornyn and Ken Paxton and the Democrats Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico are competing in bitter and expensive races [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/elections/texas-primary-senate-midterms-argument.html]. Photo: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times; Aaron Schwartz, via Getty; Kenny Holston, via The New York Times; pool photo by Bob Daemmrich; Julio Cortez, 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.

Celebration and Mourning: Inside an Iran at War

The United States and Israel continued to strike Iran with missiles for a second day on Sunday, destroying more power centers of the Iranian regime and, according to rights groups, bringing the civilian death toll over 100. Iran responded with retaliatory attacks. At the same time, all eyes were on the Iranian government and the millions of citizens who have long opposed it. Farnaz Fassihi, who covers Iran for The New York Times, brings us the view from a pivotal moment inside Iran. Guest: Farnaz Fassihi [https://www.nytimes.com/by/farnaz-fassihi], the United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times. She also covers Iran and how countries around the world deal with conflicts in the Middle East. Background reading:  * Iranians took to the streets [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/world/middleeast/iran-khameni-celebrations.html] to celebrate the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. * Here is the latest [https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/01/world/iran-attack-khamenei-trump#top-iranian-security-official-says-interim-government-will-be-formed-sunday] on the war. 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.