The Daily

The Republican Identity Crisis Over the Iran War

The war in Iran has created strong divisions among President Trump’s supporters. An anti-interventionist wing of the Republican coalition and some senior administration officials partial to Mr. Trump’s criticism of long overseas conflicts have quickly become uneasy about the war, which has shown no immediate signs of ending. Robert Draper, a domestic politics journalist for The New York Times based in Washington, discusses Mr. Trump’s justification for the war and whether he is explicitly violating a pact he made with his base not to start another. Guest: Robert Draper [https://www.nytimes.com/by/robert-draper] is a journalist based in Washington, D.C., who writes about domestic politics for The New York Times. Background reading: Joe Kent, a top U.S. counterterrorism official, resigns over the Iran war. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/us/politics/joe-kent-counterterrorism-resigns-iran-war.html] High gas prices, driven up by the war, loom over the midterms. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/us/politics/gas-prices-republicans-affordability.html] Photo: Eric Lee 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.

Injections, Bone Hammering and the Pursuit of Peak Male Beauty

If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably come across a video of a young, square-jawed influencer calling himself Clavicular. He has become the face of an internet subculture called looksmaxxing, in which men do almost anything — like taking steroids and hormones or bashing their jaws with a hammer — to try to become more handsome. In this episode, Natalie Kitroeff talks with reporter Joseph Bernstein about the world of looksmaxxing and how what might seem like a fringe phenomenon is actually the culmination of a digital culture that rewards physical perfection with status and algorithmic power. On Today’s Episode Joseph Bernstein covers digital subcultures for the Styles desk at The New York Times. Background Reading Handsome at Any Cost [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/style/clavicular-looksmaxxing-braden-peters.html] Young Men Seek Answers to an Age-Old Question: How to Be Hot [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/06/style/looksmaxxing-tik-tok-dillon-latham.html] The Suffix That Tells Us to Ruthlessly Optimize Everything [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/magazine/on-language-maxxing.html] Photo Credit: Cassidy Araiza for The New York Times 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 Interview': ‘Baby Reindeer’ Exploded Richard Gadd's Life. It Also Set Him Free.

The writer and actor found unexpected success by sharing his trauma. Now he’s exploring male pain in a new way. * 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] 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.

Trump Wants to Change How We Vote. Will He Succeed?

This week, the Senate is debating the contentious SAVE America Act, a strict voter identification bill that could overhaul who gets to vote. President Trump has called it his “No. 1 priority,” threatening to not sign any other legislation until it is passed. Michael Gold and Nick Corasaniti, reporters for The New York Times, discuss why some Republicans are standing against the president to block it, and the administration’s other plans to try to reshape the electoral process. Guests: Michael Gold [https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-gold], a congressional correspondent for The New York Times, and Nick Corasaniti [https://www.nytimes.com/by/nick-corasaniti], a Times reporter covering national politics.  Background reading:  * What’s in the voter ID bill President Trump and Republicans are pushing [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/us/politics/trump-voter-id-bill.html]? * The Senate is taking up a voter bill sought by Mr. Trump but opposed by Democrats [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/us/politics/senate-voter-bill-filibuster.html]. Photo: Hiroko Masuike/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.

Who Is Winning the War in Iran?

Nearly three weeks into the war in Iran, the United States and Israel have largely decimated the regime’s missile capacity, taken out key leaders and disrupted its central command. Yet, the regime in Iran has become more hardened and is wreaking more havoc than ever. Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the state of the war and President Trump’s options for getting out of the conflict. Guest: Eric Schmitt [https://www.nytimes.com/by/eric-schmitt], a national security correspondent for The New York Times based in Washington. Background reading:  * Entering the war’s third week, Mr. Trump is facing stark choices [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/15/us/politics/trump-stark-choices-iran-war.html]. * Video: Where Iran is hitting back [https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010767681/where-iran-is-hitting-back.html]. 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.