The Daily

The Lonely Work of a Free-Speech Defender

Over the past year, the federal government has taken a series of actions widely seen as attacks on the First Amendment. Greg Lukianoff, the head of a legal defense group called the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, speaks to Natalie Kitroeff about what free speech really means and why both the left and the right end up betraying it. Guest: Greg Lukianoff [https://www.nytimes.com/by/greg-lukianoff], the president and chief executive of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Background reading:  * Read Mr. Lukianoff’s guest essay [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/opinion/consequence-culture-kimmel-kirk.html] for New York Times Opinion from September. Photo: Moriah Ratner 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.

Trump Rants: ‘Let Them Go Back to Where They Came From’

President Trump on Tuesday delivered blatantly xenophobic public remarks, which included attacking Somali immigrants in Minnesota and calling them “garbage.” Ernesto Londoño, a reporter based in Minnesota, explains how Somalis became the president’s latest target in his effort to reshape America’s relationship to its immigrant communities. Guest: Ernesto Londoño [https://www.nytimes.com/by/ernesto-londono], a reporter for The New York Times based in Minnesota. Background reading:  * Mr. Trump called Somalis “garbage” [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/politics/trump-somalia.html] that he doesn’t want in the country. * A new ICE operation [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/politics/ice-somali-migrants-minneapolis-st-paul.html] is said to target Somali migrants in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. * Here’s how fraud swamped Minnesota’s social services system [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/us/fraud-minnesota-somali.html] on Gov. Tim Walz’s watch. 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.

Did a U.S. Boat Strike Amount to a War Crime?

Over the past three months, the U.S. military has been firing on boats from South America, killing more than 80 people and prompting Democrats to raise urgent questions about their legality. Now, one of these operations, which killed survivors with a second missile, has prompted congressional Republicans to join those calls for accountability. Charlie Savage, who covers national security for The New York Times, explains the renewed debate and how the administration is justifying its actions. Guest: Charlie Savage [https://www.nytimes.com/by/charlie-savage], who covers national security and legal policy for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Lawmakers suggested that a follow-up boat strike could have been a war crime [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/us/politics/trump-boat-strikes-war-crime.html]. * Amid talk of a war crime, the details and precise sequence of a Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/us/hegseth-drug-boat-strike-order-venezuela.html] are facing more scrutiny. 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.

The ‘Clean’ Technology That’s Poisoning People

Lead is an essential but toxic element of car batteries. The U.S. auto industry promotes the recycling of it as an environmental success story. An investigation by The New York Times and The Examination reveals that the initiative comes at a major human cost, especially abroad. Peter S. Goodman, who covers the global economy, explains the dirty business of a supposedly clean technology. Guest: Peter S. Goodman [https://www.nytimes.com/by/peter-s-goodman], who covers the global economy for The New York Times. Background reading:  * The U.S. auto industry was warned for years that battery recycling was poisoning people, an investigation by The Times and The Examination showed [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/11/18/world/africa/lead-poisoning-car-battery.html]. * Read more about the investigation [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/world/africa/lead-battery-recycling-pollution-cars.html]. Photo: Finbarr O'Reilly 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.

The Fallout From the National Guard Shooting

What began as a horrific shooting of two National Guard members in downtown Washington last week has now led to a set of far-reaching changes to the U.S. immigration system. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was among the Afghans who came to the United States after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Earlier, he served in a paramilitary unit that worked with U.S. forces. Hamed Aleaziz discusses Mr. Lakanwal’s journey to the United States, as well as the Trump administration’s wide-ranging response. Guest: Hamed Aleaziz [https://www.nytimes.com/by/hamed-aleaziz], a Times correspondent covering the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy. Background reading:  * The suspect in the shooting had traveled a long path of conflict [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/us/guard-shooting-suspect-profile.html] from Afghanistan to America. * Afghans who assisted the United States during the war underwent rigorous vetting [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/us/politics/afghans-cia-vetting.html]. Photo: 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.