The Daily

Social Media on Trial

For years, social media companies have relied on an impenetrable first amendment protection to shield them from legal claims that their products are dangerous to children. But now, a cluster of plaintiffs are trying a different tact. Cecilia Kang, who covers technology, explains why these new lawsuits pose an existential threat to social media giants, and how those companies are likely to defend themselves. Guest: Cecilia Kang [https://www.nytimes.com/by/cecilia-kang], a reporter covering technology and regulatory policy for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Here’s what to know [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/technology/what-to-know-about-the-social-media-addiction-trials.html] about the social media addiction trials. * TikTok reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit [http://nytimes.com/2026/01/27/technology/tiktok-settlement-social-media-addiction-lawsuit.html], avoiding the first in a series of landmark trials. Photo: David Gray/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.

Trump Changes Course in Minneapolis

The intense fallout from Alex Pretti’s death has forced President Trump to publicly change course in Minneapolis.The White House reporters Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Tyler Pager discuss the changes, and whether they are real or merely symbolic. Guest: * Zolan Kanno-Youngs [https://www.nytimes.com/by/zolan-kanno-youngs], a White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration. * Tyler Pager [https://www.nytimes.com/by/tyler-pager], a White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration. Background reading: * Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol official leading an aggressive immigration crackdown, was pulled from Minneapolis [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/politics/trump-minneapolis-nurse-shooting-video.html] as the White House tries to distance the president from the uproar over Mr. Pretti’s killing. * Here’s how the Trump administration rushed to judgment [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/us/politics/trump-administration-minneapolis-shooting-response.html] in the shooting of Mr. Pretti. * Republicans in Congress are shifting their tone after the killings in Minneapolis [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/us/republicans-shift-tone-immigration.html], criticizing Mr. Trump’s immigration push. Photo: David Guttenfelder/The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily [http://nytimes.com/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.

The ‘Ghost Fleets’ Moving Oil Around the World

Since December, the U.S. has been stopping and seizing oil tankers traveling in and out of Venezuela. They are part of what is known as a ghost fleet — tankers that try to secretly move oil around the world, funding states such as Venezuela, Iran and Russia. Christiaan Triebert, a reporter on the Visual Investigations team, explains what these ghost fleets are and why their days might now be numbered. Guest: Christiaan Triebert [https://www.nytimes.com/by/christiaan-triebert], a reporter for The New York Times working on the Visual Investigations [https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/visual-investigations] team. Background reading:  * U.S. forces seized its sixth oil tanker linked to Venezuela [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/us/politics/oil-tanker-seized-venezuela.html]. * What are “ghost fleet” ships [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/world/americas/ghost-fleet-ships.html]? Photo: Andy Buchanan/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.

10 Shots: Federal Agents Kill Another Person in Minnesota

Warning: This episode contains strong language. Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Minneapolis resident, on Saturday. It was the second fatal shooting by federal agents in the city during protests against a ramped-up immigration enforcement effort by the Trump administration. Devon Lum, from the Visual Investigations team, and Ernesto Londoño, who covers the Midwest, explain how the shooting unfolded and what may come next. Guest: * Devon Lum [https://www.nytimes.com/by/devon-lum], a New York Times reporter working on the Visual Investigations [https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/visual-investigations] team. * Ernesto Londoño [https://www.nytimes.com/by/ernesto-londono], a reporter for The New York Times based in Minnesota, covering news in the Midwest. Background reading:  * Timeline: A moment-by-moment look at the shooting Mr. Pretti [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/24/us/minneapolis-shooting-alex-pretti-timeline.html]. * Here’s what we know [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/politics/second-ice-shooting-minneapolis.html] about the shooting. 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.

The Sunday Daily: We Underestimated the Neanderthal

Pop culture has not been kind to the Neanderthal. In books, movies and even TV commercials, the species is portrayed as rough and mindless, a brutish type that was rightly supplanted by our Homo sapiens ancestors. But even 40,000 years after the last Neanderthals walked the earth, we continue to make discoveries that challenge that portrayal. New research suggests Neanderthals might have been less primitive — and a lot more like modern humans — than we might have thought. The Times science reporters Carl Zimmer and Franz Lidz discuss recent discoveries about Neanderthals, and what those discoveries can tell us about the origins of humanity.   On Today’s Episode: Carl Zimmer [https://www.nytimes.com/by/carl-zimmer] writes the Origins column [https://www.nytimes.com/column/origins] and covers news about science for The Times. Franz Lidz [https://www.nytimes.com/by/franz-lidz] writes about archaeology for The Times.   Background Reading: The Year in Neanderthals [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/science/archaeology-neanderthals-genetics.html] Morning Person? You Might Have Neanderthal Genes to Thank. [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/14/science/neanderthal-sleep-morning-people.html] What Makes Your Brain Different From a Neanderthal’s? [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/science/human-brain-neanderthal-gene.html] The Neanderthal Inside Us [https://www.nytimes.com/video/science/100000002887069/science-profile-svante-paabo.html]   Photo: Frank Franklin II/Associated Press 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.