The Daily

The Sunday Daily: Hollywood’s A.I. Moment

There’s a lot of anxiety about artificial intelligence invading Hollywood; the general mood there right now could be called “doom and gloom.” But speculation about a future where A.I. actors perform A.I. scripts in A.I.-generated movies often obscures the role A.I. is currently playing in the industry. In this episode, the host Michael Barbaro talks with the Hollywood reporter Brooks Barnes and the movie critic Alissa Wilkinson about the ways that A.I. is already showing up in our movies and television today, and how they see it contributing to — and complicating — the future.   On Today’s Episode: Alissa Wilkinson [https://www.nytimes.com/by/alissa-wilkinson] is a Times movie critic. Brooks Barnes [https://www.nytimes.com/by/brooks-barnes] is the chief Hollywood correspondent for The Times.   Background Reading: Can You Believe the Documentary You’re Watching? [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/movies/documentary-filmmaking-ai-trust.html] Disney Agrees to Bring Its Characters to OpenAI’s Sora Videos [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/business/media/disney-openai-sora-deal.html] ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Is Getting an A.I. Glow-Up. Cue the Pitchforks. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/business/media/sphere-wizard-of-oz-ai.html] Is ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Sphere the Future of Cinema? Or the End of It? [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/movies/wizard-of-oz-sphere-review.html]   Photo: Roger Kisby 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.

'The Interview': Kílian Jornet on What We Can Learn From Pushing Our Bodies to Extremes

The ultrarunner and mountaineer finds peace through doing unimaginably hard things. 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.

An I.V.F. Mix-Up and an Impossible Choice

For millions of families, in vitro fertilization is a modern medical miracle. But the field is largely unregulated, and for a small number of parents, things can go terribly wrong. Susan Dominus discusses her story about how two families navigated an unthinkable I.V.F. mistake that will connect them for the rest of their lives. Guest: Susan Dominus [https://www.nytimes.com/by/susan-dominus], a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. Background reading:  * Read Susan’s original article from 2024 [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/magazine/ivf-clinic-mixup.html]. Photo: Holly Andres 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’s D.O.J. Went After the Fed. It Backfired.

The Trump administration’s decision to open a criminal investigation into the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome H. Powell, has stunned the worlds of business and politics. Colby Smith and Glenn Thrush, who have been covering the news, discuss how the investigation came about, the panic it unleashed and why it might have made the Fed chair stronger than ever. Guest: * Colby Smith [https://www.nytimes.com/by/colby-smith], a New York Times reporter covering the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy. * Glenn Thrush [https://www.nytimes.com/by/glenn-thrush], who reports on the Justice Department for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Blowback builds [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/politics/jerome-powell-investigation-blowback.html] over the criminal investigation of Mr. Powell. * Here’s what to know [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/us/politics/jerome-powell-investigation-fed-renovations.html] about the criminal investigation of Mr. Powell. Photo: Caroline Gutman 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.

Iran on the Brink

Iran is experiencing expansive protests after economic grievances snowballed over the past two weeks into a broader challenge to the country’s authoritarian clerical rulers. In recent days, a full picture of the government’s crackdown on demonstrators has emerged, garnering global condemnation and threats of action from President Trump. Farnaz Fassihi, who has been covering the story, explains what is driving the protesters and why the regime may be facing one of its gravest challenges in decades. Guest: Farnaz Fassihi [https://www.nytimes.com/by/farnaz-fassihi], the United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times. Background reading:  * Accounts of a brutal crackdown are emerging [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/world/middleeast/iran-protester-deaths.html] from Iran despite communications restrictions. * Here’s what to know [https://www.nytimes.com/article/iran-protests-inflation-currency.html] about the protests in Iran. Photo: Getty Images/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.