The Daily

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard a major case on the rights of transgender children that could help uphold or dismantle dozens of laws across the country.Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The Times, explains how the questioning played out and how the justices are likely to rule. Guest: Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court and writes Sidebar, a column on legal developments, for The New York Times.Background reading: The justices heard arguments on Wednesday over whether Tennessee can ban some medical treatments for transgender youth.For families of transgender children, Tennessee’s ban forces hard choices.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have called the federal bureaucracy an “existential threat to our republic.” Now, President-elect Donald J. Trump is empowering them to drastically shrink it, by whatever means necessary.David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, discusses their plans — and what it would look like if they were actually carried out.Guest: David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: The so-called Department of Government Efficiency has advantages that past budget cutters did not, but laws and court challenges could still make change slow and difficult.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

President Biden went back on his word by pardoning his son Hunter Biden. His stated rationale for granting the pardon will inevitably muddy the political waters as President-elect Donald J. Trump prepares to take office with plans to use the Justice Department and the F.B.I. to pursue “retribution” against his political adversaries.Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent, discusses where Mr. Biden’s decision leaves the U.S. justice system.Guest: Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump now agree on one thing: The Biden Justice Department has been politicized.Mr. Biden is facing criticism for absolving his son after insisting he would not.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts a

Weeks before taking office, President-elect Donald J. Trump is doubling down on tariffs. Even if the threat to impose them proves to be just a negotiating tactic or bluster, it is also a gambit that has immediate consequences.Ana Swanson, who covers trade for The Times, discusses whether tariffs worked in Mr. Trump’s first term and how they compare with the alternative approach used by President Biden.Background reading: Mr. Trump’s threat to wield tariffs is already rocking business and diplomatic relationships.The president-elect picked Jamieson Greer, a lawyer and former Trump official, to serve as top trade negotiator, a position that will be crucial to Mr. Trump’s plans of rewriting the rules of trade in America’s favor.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Ap

Most of the deals you’ll see for Black Friday and Cyber Week aren’t worth your time. This week, we reveal how to actually get a deal that’s worth your money.To listen to more episodes, please search for The Wirecutter Show wherever you get your podcasts. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Leading up to Thanksgiving, we took a trip to the home of Ina Garten, the legendary cookbook author and TV star. For one glorious afternoon, the Barefoot Contessa gave us a master class on the art of hosting. She answered our questions big and small — seating arrangements, whether to have bread at the table, what to do with that difficult relative, how to zest correctly. Plus, she walked us through two of her signature recipes, which you can enjoy this holiday.For photos and recipes from our visit with Ina Garten, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Overnight, Israel agreed to a cease-fire with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah — a major turning point in one of the wars the country has been fighting since Hamas attacked it on Oct. 7. But the war in Gaza shows no sign of ending, and Israel’s conduct there is coming under increased scrutiny.A New York Times investigation has examined one controversial tactic: the Israeli use of Palestinian detainees as human shields.Natan Odenheimer, a contributing reporter for The Times, explains what the investigation revealed, and what the tactic says about the nature of the conflict.Guest: Natan Odenheimer, a contributing reporter for The New York Times.Background reading: A Times investigation found that Israeli soldiers and intelligence agents, throughout the war in Gaza, have regularly forced captured Palestinians to conduct life-threatening reconnaissance missions to avoid putting Israeli soldiers at risk on the battlefield.As the cease-fire in Lebanon takes effect, follow live updates. Unlock full access to New Y

Now that Matt Gaetz has withdrawn from consideration as attorney general, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s most controversial cabinet pick is his selection of Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense.Dave Philipps, who reports on war and the military for The Times, discusses three major deployments that shaped how Mr. Hegseth views the military — and why, if confirmed, he’s so dead-set on disrupting its leadership.Guest: Dave Philipps, who reports about war, the military and veterans for The New York Times.Background reading: His military experiences transformed Mr. Hegseth from a critic of war crimes into a defender of the accused.What to know about Mr. Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has promised a radically different approach to foreign policy from that of the Biden administration. In Ukraine, he has pledged to end the war in a day.But just weeks before he’s set to take office, the war has taken an unexpected turn.Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses the conflict’s dangerous new phase.Guest: Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Tit-for-tat moves this week included the use of American-made ballistic missiles to strike inside Russia, and new nuclear threats from Moscow.As Ukraine fires U.S. missiles, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has sent a chilling message.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spoti

After the movie “Free Willy” became a hit, word got out that the star of the film, a killer whale named Keiko, was sick and living in a tiny pool at a Mexican amusement park. Fans were outraged and pleaded for his release. “The Good Whale” tells the story of the wildly ambitious science experiment to return Keiko to the ocean — while the world watched.An epic tale that starts in Mexico and ends in Norway, the six-episode series follows Keiko as he’s transported from country to country, each time landing in the hands of well-intentioned people who believe they know what’s best for him — people who still disagree, decades later, about whether they did the right thing.“The Good Whale" is a new show from Serial Productions and The New York Times. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts, or follow it at https://lnk.to/good-whale For an exclusive look inside the making of “The Good Whale,” sign up for the newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore every

The Blackpink star strikes out on her own, away from the system that turned her into a global phenomenon.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

After just nine days as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz has withdrawn from consideration.Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The Times, discusses the revelations and the reporting that doomed the prospective nomination of Gaetz, a former representative of Florida.Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, covering Washington.Background reading: Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration for attorney general.A federal inquiry traced payments from Gaetz to women.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and death.On Wednesday afternoon, a guilty verdict was reached in the death of the Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. A 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela was convicted.Rick Rojas, the Atlanta bureau chief for The Times, discusses the case, and how it became a flashpoint in the national debate over border security.Guest: Rick Rojas, the Atlanta bureau chief for The New York Times.Background reading: Ms. Riley, 22, was attacked in February while running on a trail on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Her killer was sentenced to life in prison.Lawmakers in Georgia approved tougher rules on immigration after the killing.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

For decades, breast augmentations have been one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in the United States. But in recent years, a new trend has emerged: the breast reduction.Lisa Miller, who covers personal and cultural approaches to health for The Times, discusses why the procedure has become so common.Guest: Lisa Miller, a domestic correspondent for the Well section of The New York Times.Background reading: Are women asserting their independence or capitulating to yet another impossible standard of beauty?For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Warning: this episode contains strong language.For the past two weeks, Lynsea Garrison of “The Daily” has been talking to people who were part of a movement, known as the resistance, that opposed Donald Trump’s first term as president.With Mr. Trump preparing to again retake the White House, she asked those past protesters how they might react this time.Background reading: Was Mr. Trump’s election a setback for women? Even women do not agree.Nonprofits have vowed a new resistance. Will donors pay up?For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has picked Representative Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general.Robert Draper, who covers domestic politics for The Times, discusses what the nomination reveals about Mr. Trump’s promise for retribution and how far Republicans might be willing to go to help him get it.Guest: Robert Draper, who covers domestic politics for The New York Times.Background reading: The attorney general pick has set a new bar for in-your-face nominations.A vendetta over the congressional ethics investigation into Mr. Gaetz helped sink the last speaker. The new speaker has moved to quash the report.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Nationwide, just over a million children, mostly girls, participate in cheer each year (some estimates are even higher), more than the number who play softball or lacrosse. And almost every part of that world is dominated by a single company: Varsity Spirit.It’s hard to cheer at the youth, high school or collegiate level without putting money in the company’s pocket. Varsity operates summer camps where children learn to do stunts and perform; it hosts events where they compete; it sells pompoms they shake and uniforms they wear on the sidelines of high school and college football games.Varsity’s market power has made the cheer world a paranoid place. In the reporting for this article, dozens of people spoke about the company in conspiratorial tones better suited to a spy thriller. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Dr. Ellen Wiebe has performed hundreds of medical aid in dying (or MAID) procedures and is one of Canada’s most prominent advocates for the practice. David Marchese had questions — medical, legal and philosophical — about when it makes sense for doctors to help people to die, and also about how MAID might shape our thinking on what, exactly, constitutes a good death.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The Democratic Party is sifting through the rubble of its sweeping election loss and trying to work out what went wrong.In an interview, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont discusses his diagnosis and how to chart a path back to power.Guest: Senator Bernie Sanders of VermontBackground reading: Democrats reeling from the election failure have begun playing the blame game.Who are the next leaders of the Democratic Party?For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Warning: this episode contains strong language.In his first week as president-elect, Donald J. Trump moved at breakneck speed to fill out his cabinet with a set of loyalists who were both conventional and deeply unconventional, the U.S. Senate chose a leader who could complicate Trump’s agenda, and President Joe Biden welcomed Trump back to the White House.Times Journalists Michael Barbaro, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman, sat down to make sense of it all.Guest: Julie Hirschfeld Davis, who covers politics for The New York Times.Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.Maggie Haberman, a senior political correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Matt Gaetz is Mr. Trump’s pick for attorney general.John Thune is set to become the next Senate majority leader.Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump’s brief public display of civility was followed by a two-hour meeting behind closed doors.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transc