The Daily

The Tragic Death and Enduring Legacy of Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner, the classic film director, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed on Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the couple’s son, Nick, with first-degree murder. Julia Jacobs, an arts and culture reporter for The New York Times, explains what we have learned about the deaths, and Wesley Morris, a critic at The Times, discusses why many of Rob Reiner’s films are so beloved. Guest: * Julia Jacobs [https://www.nytimes.com/by/julia-jacobs], who reports on culture and the arts for The New York Times. * Wesley Morris [https://www.nytimes.com/by/wesley-morris], a critic at The New York Times who writes about art and popular culture. Background reading:  * Rob Reiner, the actor who went on to direct classic films, died at 78 [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/movies/rob-reiner-dead.html]. * Nick Reiner was formally charged on Tuesday with murdering his parents [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/nick-reiner-charges-murder-rob-michele.html]. Photo: Universal/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.

Inside the Tech Company Powering Trump’s Most Controversial Policies

Warning: This episode contains strong language. Palantir, a data analysis and technology company, has secured federal contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars during President Trump’s second presidency, including to develop software to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement deport people. Michael Steinberger, who spent six years interviewing Palantir’s chief executive, Alex Karp, for the book “The Philosopher in the Valley,” explains how Mr. Karp went from a self-described lifelong Democrat to a champion of Mr. Trump, and the impact this transformation could have on American democracy. Guest: Michael Steinberger, [https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-steinberger] a contributing writer to The New York Times. Background reading:  * Listen to an interview with Mr. Karp [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/podcasts/alex-karp-defends-palantirs-work-with-ice.html] from the DealBook Summit this month. * In May, the Trump administration tapped Palantir to compile data [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/trump-palantir-data-americans.html] on Americans. * Here is Mr. Steinberger’s book [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Philosopher-in-the-Valley/Michael-Steinberger/9781668012956], which this episode is based on. 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.

How Biden Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

A New York Times review of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s actions on immigration showed that decisions he and his closest advisers made created an opening for a more aggressive Trump administration agenda. Christopher Flavelle, who interviewed more than 30 former Biden administration officials who worked on immigration and border policy, explains how Mr. Biden fumbled the immigration issue, and what the Democratic Party can learn from his missteps. Guest: Christopher Flavelle [https://www.nytimes.com/by/christopher-flavelle], a reporter for The New York Times. Background reading:  * How Mr. Biden ignored warnings and lost Americans’ faith in immigration [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/07/us/politics/biden-immigration-trump.html]. * Read four takeaways [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/07/us/politics/biden-immigration-policy-takeaways.html] from The Times’s reporting on Mr. Biden’s immigration record. Photo: Paul Ratje 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.

Sunday Special: The Best Music of 2025

As 2025 comes to an end, The Sunday Special is looking back on the year in culture. This week, we’re listening to the songs and albums that defined the year, for better or worse. Gilbert Cruz is joined by Caryn Ganz and Lindsay Zoladz from The Times’s pop music desk to discuss some of the biggest and best releases of 2025. Albums and songs mentioned in this episode: Bad Bunny, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” Lady Gaga, “Mayhem” Justin Bieber, “Daisies” Chappell Roan, “The Giver” and “The Subway” Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild” Doechii, “Alligator Bites Never Heal” Taylor Swift, “The Life of a Showgirl” Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem” Ghost, “Skeletá” Dijon, “Baby” Geese, “Getting Killed” Water From Your Eyes, “It’s a Beautiful Place” PinkPantheress, “Fancy That” Lily Allen, “Tennis” Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas” Sleigh Bells, “Bunky Becky Birthday Boy” Hayley Williams, “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party” Turnstile, “Never Enough” On Today’s Episode Caryn Ganz [https://www.nytimes.com/by/caryn-ganz] is the pop music editor at The Times. Lindsay Zoladz [https://www.nytimes.com/by/lindsay-zoladz] is a pop music critic at The Times and the writer of The Amplifier [https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-amplifier] newsletter. Additional Reading Best Albums of 2025 [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/arts/music/best-albums-2025.html] Best Songs of 2025 [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/07/arts/music/best-songs-2025.html]   Photo Illustration by The New York Times; From left, Angela Weiss/AFP — Getty Images (Lady Gaga); OK McCausland for The New York Times (Geese); Erika Santelices/Reuters (Bad Bunny); Helle Arensbak/AFP -- Getty Images, via Ritzau Scanpix (PinkPantheress) 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.

Journalism, Interrupted: 7 Podcast Hosts on the State of the Media

Warning: This episode contains strong language. In this special episode for subscribers of “The Daily,” the host Michael Barbaro moderates a panel from The New York Times’s DealBook Summit, speaking with journalists and personalities from across the industry about the state of media in 2025. Guest: * Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of “The Breakfast Club” and “The Brilliant Idiots” and co-founder of The Black Effect Podcast Network * Jon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media and host of “Pod Save America” * Amna Nawaz, co-anchor and co-managing editor of “PBS NewsHour” * David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker and host of “The New Yorker Radio Hour” * Stephanie Ruhle, host of “The 11th Hour With Stephanie Ruhle” on MS NOW * Andrew Schulz, host of “The Brilliant Idiots” and “Flagrant” * Ben Shapiro, co-founder of The Daily Wire and host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” 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.